Modification Of Nanoparticles Research Articles

Facile preparation of nanochannel membrane based on polydopamine modified porous organic polymer nanoparticles for high-efficient dye desalination

Nanochannel membranes derived from porous nanomaterials are crucial for driving the development of advanced desalination and water treatment membranes. However, the practical application of polymer nanochannel membranes is halted by the tedious and complicated preparation and the lack of stability in aqueous service process. In this work, we synthesized a novel type of polydopamine modified imidazolium containing porous organic polymer nanoparticles (PDA@POP), which has good water dispersibility and interface adhesion capability. The PDA@POP aqueous dispersion solution was dip coated on the polysulfone ultrafiltration supporting layer, and the nanocoating was further crosslinked with 1,3,5-Benzenetricarboxylic chloride. The appropriate surface modification of POP nanoparticles with PDA enhances the interfacial interaction and maintains effective-aperture structure, leading to stiff and continuous nanochannels facilitating the water molecules and salt ions quickly transporting through the PDA@POPM membrane. As such, both the water permeability (∼57.0 L·m−2·h−1·bar−1) and dye/salt selectivity (>24) of PDA@POPM are improved 5–10 times higher than that of conventional polymer nanofiltration membranes. Meanwhile, the membrane exhibits good stability and anti-fouling property in long-term dye desalination process. This work provides a convenient and universal strategy to design and manufacture nanochannel membranes with high separation performance.

Ultrasound‐assisted freeze‐drying strategy to enhance nanoparticle dispersion in aerogels: A case study on polyimide/silica nanocomposite aerogel

AbstractThermal protection materials should possess light weight, excellent thermal insulation, flame retardant and hydrophobic properties. Aerogel are considered a promising thermal protection material due to its high porosity and low density. Among them, nano‐silica/polyimide composite aerogel has been intensively studied as they can solve the problem of fragility of nano‐silica aerogel while ensuring thermal insulation and flame retardant performance. However, the problems of nanoparticle agglomeration and the tedious preparation process remain unsolved. The ultrasound‐assisted freeze‐drying (UAFD) strategy presented in this paper avoids the tedious silica solution preparation process by hydrolyzing silica precursors to achieve good dispersion of silica. This strategy replaces the traditional approach of functionalized modification of silica nanoparticles to inhibit their agglomeration with a new method of nanoparticle dispersion by ultrasound and rapid freezing to lock the dispersed state. The UAFD strategy enables the rapid and efficient preparation of well‐dispersed nano‐silica/polyimide composite aerogels, and the hierarchical pore structure of the composite aerogels is imparted by this facile preparation strategy that cooperates with the co‐regulation capability of the tert‐butanol on the morphology of the ice template. The aerogels have substantially improved thermal insulation, flame retardant, and hydrophobic properties when compared with those prepared by conventional freeze‐drying methods.Highlights Ultrasound‐assisted freeze‐drying (UAFD) enhances nanoparticles dispersion. UAFD and tert‐butanol synergistically prepared hierarchically pore structure. Thermal protection performance of aerogels prepared by UAFD is improved.

Adsorption of Mixed Dispersions of Silica Nanoparticles and an Amphiphilic Triblock Copolymer at the Water–Vapor Interface

This study investigates the surface modification of hydrophilic silica nanoparticles by non-chemical adsorption of an amphiphilic triblock copolymer, Pluronic F-127, and elucidates its influence on the interfacial dispersion properties. The interaction between Pluronic F-127 and silica nanoparticles drives the formation of copolymer-decorated particles with increased hydrodynamic diameter and reduced effective charge as the copolymer concentration increases, while the opposite effect occurs as the particle concentration increases at a fixed polymer concentration. This indicates that increasing the copolymer concentration leads to an increase in the coating density, whereas increasing the particle concentration leads to a decrease. This is of paramount importance for modulating the reorganization of the Pluronic F-127 shell upon adsorption at fluid–fluid interfaces and, thus, the adsorption of the decorated nanoparticles at the interface and the rheological properties of the obtained layers. In fact, the relationship between copolymer concentration and interfacial tension, as well as the mechanical response of the interface, mirrors the patterns observed in Pluronic F-127 solutions, and only a shift mediated by the Pluronic F-127 concentration is found. This suggests that the presence of particles limits the space available for Pluronic F-127 molecules to reorganize at the interface but does not significantly affect the interfacial behavior of the particle-laden interface.

Surface Modifications of Superparamagnetic Iron Oxide Nanoparticles with Polyvinyl Alcohol and Graphite as Methylene Blue Adsorbents

Methylene blue (MB) is one of the toxic synthetic dyes that are being discharged heavily into water supplies. Hence, MB removal is one of the most important tasks for a cleaner water supply. By using inexpensive, abundant, and easy-to-synthesize materials, superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles, which were synthesized using the co-precipitation method with polyvinyl alcohol and graphite (SPION/PVA/GR), can be used to adsorb MB. The adsorbent was characterized using FE-SEM, FTIR, XRD, VSM, and BJH. The entrapment efficiency of MB on SPION/PVA/GR after 12 days was 33.96 ± 0.37–42.55 ± 0.39%, at 333.15, 310.15, and 298.15 K, and the initial concentration of MB was 0.017–0.020 mg/mL. The adsorption process can be considered spontaneous, endothermic, chemisorption, heterogeneous, or multilayer adsorption. When releasing MB at 298.15 K and a pH of 3.85 after 7 days, the release percentage ranged from 11.56 ± 0.33 to 22.93 ± 5.06 depending on the initial loading conditions and mainly the releasing temperature following the Higuchi kinetic model. Since this is a novel SPION-based MB adsorbent, optimization, and different forms of adsorbent (i.e., thin film composite) should be further researched.

Antibody-conjugated nanoparticles for target-specific drug delivery of chemotherapeutics.

Nanotechnology provides effective methods for precisely delivering chemotherapeutics to cancer cells, thereby improving efficacy and reducing off-target side effects. The targeted delivery of nanoscale chemotherapeutics is accomplished by two different approaches, namely the exploitation of leaky tumor vasculature (EPR effect) and the surface modification of nanoparticles (NPs) with various tumor-homing peptides, aptamers, oligonucleotides, and monoclonal antibodies (mAbs). Because of higher binding affinity and specificity, mAbs have received a lot of attention for the detection of selective cancer biomarkers and also for the treatment of various types of cancer. Antibody-conjugated nanoparticles (ACNPs) are an effective targeted therapy for the efficient delivery of chemotherapeutics specifically to the targeted cancer cells. ACNPs combine the benefits of NPs and mAbs to provide high drug loads at the tumor site with better selectivity and delivery efficiency. The mAbs on the NP surfaces recognize their specific receptors expressed on the target cells and release the chemotherapeutic agent in a controlled manner. Appropriately designed and synthesized ACNPs are essential to fully realize their therapeutic benefits. In blood stream, ACNPs instantly interact with biological molecules, and a protein corona is formed. Protein corona formation triggers an immune response and affects the targeting ability of the nanoformulation. In this review, we provide recent findings to highlight several antibody conjugation methods such as adsorption, covalent conjugation, and biotin-avidin interaction. This review also provides an overview of the many effects of the protein corona and the theranostic applications of ACNPs for the treatment of cancer.

Surface Modification of Poly(lactide-co-glycolide) Nanoparticles for the Sustained in vitro Release and the Enhanced Cytotoxicity of Chelidonine.

Chelidonine is a potent anticancer against several cell lines. However, low bioavailability and water solubility restrict the clinical applications of this compound. The aim of this research was to develop a novel formulation of chelidonine encapsulated in the nanoparticles of poly(d l-lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) employing vitamin E D-α-tocopherol acid polyethylene glycol 1000 succinate (E TPGS) as a modifier to increase bioavailability. Chelidonine-encapsulated PLGA nanoparticles were fabricated using a single emulsion method and modified by various concentrations of E TPGS. Nanoparticles were recognized in terms of morphology, surface charge, drug release, size, drug loading, and encapsulation efficiency to obtain the optimized formulation. The cytotoxicity of different nanoformulations in HT-29 cells was evaluated using the MTT assay. The cells were stained with propidium iodide and annexin V solution to evaluate apoptosis using flow cytometry. Spherical nanoparticles prepared with 2% (w/v) of E TPGS had the optimum formulation in the nanometer size range (153 ± 12.3 nm), with a surface charge of -14.06 ± 2.21 mV, encapsulation efficiency of 95.58 ± 3.47%, drug loading of 33.13 ± 0.19%, and drug release profile of 73.54 ± 2.33. In comparison with non-modified nanoparticles and free chelidonine, E TPGS-modified nanoformulations improved anti-cancer capability even after three-months storage. Our results showed that E TPGS is an effective biomaterial for surface modification of nanoparticles, which can serve as a potential treatment for cancer.

An updated overview of some factors that influence the biological effects of nanoparticles.

Nanoparticles (NPs) can be extremely effective in the early diagnosis and treatment of cancer due to their properties. The nanotechnology industry is developing rapidly. The number of multifunctional NPs has increased in the market and hundreds of NPs are in various stages of preclinical and clinical development. Thus, the mechanism underlying the effects of NPs on biological systems has received much attention. After NPs enter the body, they interact with plasma proteins, tumour cell receptors, and small biological molecules. This interaction is closely related to the size, shape, chemical composition and surface modification properties of NPs. In this review, the effects of the size, shape, chemical composition and surface modification of NPs on the biological effects of NPs were summarised, including the mechanism through which NPs enter cells, the resulting oxidative stress response, and the interaction with proteins. This review of the biological effects of NPs can not only provide theoretical support for the preparation of safer and more efficient NPs but also lay the foundation for their clinical application.

Tannic Acid Interfacial Modification of Prochloraz Ethyl Cellulose Nanoparticles for Enhancing the Antimicrobial Effect and Biosafety of Fungicides.

With the poorly soluble and intrinsically unstable feature, prochloraz (Pro) was confronted with lower bioavailability in the crop defense against fungal erosion. Therefore, it was a challenging project to explore the innovative antifungal compound delivery system for improving bioavailability. The superior adhesive fungicide formulation was supposed to be an efficient pathway to enhance transmembrane permeability and biological activity. According to abundant phenolic hydroxyl groups, tannic acid (TA) was an ideal modified adhesive biomaterial to improve interfacial interactions. The fundamental purpose of this research was focused on the synergistic mechanism of TA-interfacial-modified Pro-ethyl cellulose (EC) nanoparticles for improving bioavailability and biosafety. In the stability test, TA-modified Pro-EC nanoparticles had the capacity to reduce Pro initial release burst, extending a persistent validity and improving anti-photodegradation property. The toxicity index of Pro-EC and Pro-EC-TA was approximately 2.93-fold and 4.96-fold that of Pro technical against Fusarium graminearum (F. graminearum), respectively. Compared with nonmodified EC nanoparticles, TA-modified EC nanoparticles obtained eminent transmembrane permeability and superior adherence ability to F. graminearum, for hydroxyl and carboxyl groups of TA to enhance interaction with target cell membranes. The contents of cellular reactive oxygen species induced by Pro-EC and Pro-EC-TA nanoparticles were about 2.31 times and 3.00 times that of the control check (CK), respectively. Compared to the CK group, the membrane potential and ergosterol values of F. graminearum treated with Pro-EC-TA nanoparticles were drastically reduced by 74.91 and 56.20%, respectively. In the biosafety assay, the maximum half-lethal concentration value of the TA-modified Pro-EC nanoparticles indicated that the acute toxicity of the Pro-EC-TA nanoparticles to adult zebrafish was approximately 8.34-fold reduced compared to that of the Pro technical. These findings demonstrated that the successful interfacial modification of Pro-EC nanoparticles with TA was a highly efficient, environmentally safe, and promising alternative for sustainable agricultural application, thus making the fungicide formulation process more simplified, easier fabrication, and lower cost.

Evaluating the effect of using nanofluids on the parabolic trough collector's performance

AbstractSolar collectors utilize solar energy, a sustainable and renewable source, to cater to both household and industrial needs. This paper investigated the usage of mono and binary nanoparticles in parabolic trough collectors. This paper used multiwalled carbon nanotube/Fe3O4 nanoparticles as the additives to the collector heat transfer fluid (in Syltherm 800 oil) and also evaluated the performance implications of energy systems in six scenarios. A MATLAB‐based computational model is provided to investigate the influence of employing binary nanoparticles on a solar collector's performance. The influence of nanoparticle modifications and volume percentages on energy, exergy, economic, and environmental aspects is studied. Finally, the impact of nanoparticles on each of the four mentioned areas is examined. At the same total energy rate, in the best case, adding 4% by volume of Fe3O4 (Case 2) to the base fluid increases the valuable energy rate absorbed from 7.32 kW in the base state to 7.50 kW (2.5%). The carbon dioxide produced in the system life cycle by using useful energy is called EnergoEnvironmental, and the carbon dioxide produced in the system life cycle by using useful exergy is called ExergoEnvironmental. At last, the calculation of the parameters EnergoEnviroEconomic and ExergoEnviroEconomic are done, the penalty policy is considered, and the calculations are generalized to solar collector power plants due to the carbon dioxide cost policies.

A Colorimetric Sensor Enabled with Heterogeneous Nanozymes with Phosphatase-like Activity for the Residue Analysis of Methyl Parathion.

In this study, a colorimetric sensor was developed for the detection of organophosphorus pesticides (OPs) using a heterogeneous nanozyme with phosphatase-like activity. Herein, this heterogeneous nanozyme (Au-pCeO2) was obtained by the modification of gold nanoparticles on porous cerium oxide nanorods, resulting in synergistic hydrolysis performance for OPs. Taking methyl parathion (MP) as the target pesticide, the catalytic performance and mechanism of Au-pCeO2 were investigated. Based on the phosphatase-like Au-pCeO2, a dual-mode colorimetric sensor for MP was put forward by the analysis of the hydrolysis product via a UV-visible spectrophotometer and a smartphone. Under optimum conditions, this dual-mode strategy can be used for the on-site analysis of MP with concentrations of 5 to 200 μM. Additionally, it can be applied for MP detection in pear and lettuce samples with recoveries ranging from 85.27% to 115.87% and relative standard deviations (RSDs) not exceeding 6.20%, which can provide a simple and convenient method for OP detection in agricultural products.

Molecular dynamics simulation and experiment on analyzing mechanical properties of PMMA/SiO2 composites based on interfacial interaction

In this paper, we investigate the impact of modified SiO2 nanoparticles on the mechanical properties of Polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) composites through a combination of molecular dynamics simulation and experimentation. Our investigation focuses on analyzing the elastic modulus, bulk modulus, shear modulus, and Cauchy ratio of pure PMMA, PMMA/SiO2 composites, and PMMA/modified SiO2 composites over a temperature range of 200–400 K. Our results indicate that, as the temperature increases, the elastic modulus, bulk modulus, and Cauchy ratio of all materials decrease, while the shear modulus initially increases and then decreases. Notably, at room temperature, the elastic modulus, bulk modulus, and shear modulus of the composites increase with an increase in the degree of nanoparticle modification, while the Cauchy ratio exhibits the opposite trend. Our findings suggest that modified SiO2 nanoparticles have the potential to enhance the mechanical properties of composite materials. To validate our simulation results, we also conducted experiments that demonstrated the rationality of our approach.

Surface Modifications of Superparamagnetic Iron Oxide Nanoparticles with Polyvinyl Alcohol, Chitosan, and Graphene Oxide as Methylene Blue Adsorbents

Synthetic dye contamination of wastewater has long been a social issue, with adsorption being the most focused upon research technique among wastewater treatment. Using the co-precipitation method, superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIONs) with the size of 13.6 ± 1.9 nm were synthesized. By adsorbing methylene blue (MB) on the modified surface of SPIONs using polyvinyl alcohol, chitosan, and graphene oxide, the entrapment efficiency at pH 7 can be up to 87.00 ± 0.16% after 13 days, and the highest MB loading capacity was 3.638 ± 0.009%, while the highest loading amount achieved was 36.385 ± 0.095 mg/g. The cumulative desorption capacity of the adsorbent at pH 3.8 was at its maximum at 8.94 ± 0.66% after 30 days. The results of the experiments indicated that the compound has a favorable impact on the adsorption of synthetic dyes; nevertheless, more research is needed to determine the ideal ratio, temperature, and pH levels for this chemical.

Influence of anionic surfactant on stability of nanoparticles in aqueous solutions

Dispersion and aggregation of nanoparticles in aqueous solutions are important factors for safe and effective application of nanoparticles, for instance, in the oil industry. As conventional oil reserves are depleted, it is necessary to advance chemical enhanced oil recovery (cEOR) techniques to develop unconventional oil reservoirs. Nanoparticles modified by surfactants can be a promising reagent in cEOR. These nanomaterials can reduce interfacial tension and change the wettability of reservoir rock, which leads to an increase in oil recovery. However, the application of nanoparticles is limited by their substantial aggregation in aqueous solutions. The purpose of this work is to select nanoparticles for obtaining stable sols in water in the presence of an anionic surfactant and to optimize the conditions (pH) for further modifying the nanoparticles with the anionic surfactant. Sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) is used as an anionic surfactant. The aggregation of oxide and carbon nanoparticles in water and anionic surfactant solutions was studied by laser diffraction, dynamic and electrophoretic light scattering methods. Most of the studied nanoparticles in water form aggregates with bi-, three- and polymodal particle size distributions. TiO2 nanoparticles obtained by plasma dynamic synthesis form the most stable sols in anionic surfactant solutions. The range of 5–7 pH is defined as optimal for their modification with surfactants. The stability of carbon nanoparticles in aqueous solutions increases significantly in the presence of a surfactant. The obtained results form the basis for further research on the modification of marked nanoparticles in surfactant solutions.

Synthesis and characterization of N4-donor Schiff base copper(II) immobilized on superparamagnetic Fe3O4@SiO2 and its use as a recyclable catalyst for oxidation of alkenes, alcohols, and determination of antibacterial activity

N4-donor Schiff base copper(II) nanoparticles were easily prepared through surface modification of silica-coated magnetite nanoparticles (Fe3O4@SiO2) with pyrrole 2-carbaldehyde Schiff base and a subsequent reaction with Cu(CH3COO)2.H2O in ethanolic solution. This nanocatalyst was characterized using thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and magnetization. Efficient oxidation of alkenes and alcohols was carried out over the Schiff base copper(II) nanoparticles. Catalytic tests showed that the catalyst was particularly effective for the oxidation of α-methyl styrene, norbornene, benzyl alcohol, and benzohydrol. The results showed that acetophenone, 2-norbornanone, benzoic acid, and benzophenone with selectivity values of 88, 100, 100, and 100, respectively, were obtained. The heterogeneous catalyst of N4-donor Schiff base copper(II) offers advantages such as ease of product separation, catalyst recycling, and ease of preparation. Antibacterial tests against two gram-positive and two gram-negative bacterial species found that the bacteria stopped growing in the catalyst medium.

Platinum and palladium nanoparticles on boron-doped diamond for the electrochemical detection of hydrogen peroxide: a comparison study.

Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) plays a role in many facets - a household item, an important industrial chemical, a biomarker in vivo, and several others. For this reason, its measurement and quantification in a variety of media are important. While spectroscopic detection is primarily used for H2O2, electrochemical methods offer advantages in versatility, cost, and sensitivity. In this work, we investigate a 2-step surface metal nanoparticle (NP) modification for platinum (Pt) and palladium (Pd) on boron-doped diamond (BDD) electrodes for the detection of H2O2. Several parameters such as the metal salt concentration and electrodeposition charge in the 2-step modification were varied to find an optimum. Using cyclic voltammetry (CV), the BDD-PdNP electrode types were found to yield a sharper, more well-resolved H2O2 oxidation peak compared to the BDD-PtNP electrodes. Both metal NP electrode types significantly improved the response compared to the bare BDD electrode; a 150-200× improvement in sensitivity was observed across all modified electrode types. Calibration experiments were completed at both low and high concentration ranges in stagnant and flow-based solutions. The lowest limit of detection (LOD) obtained was 50 nM (5E-08 M) on a BDD-PdNP electrode modified with 1.0 mM PdCl2 to 5.0 mC in the wet chemical seeding and electrodeposition steps. 0.25 mM PdCl2 to 3.23 mC and 0.25 mM HPtCl6- to 3.23 mC also yielded a sufficient response for low-level H2O2, with LODs around 100 nM (1E-07 M). Overall, this work exemplifies the wide applicability of BDD and achieves sub-μM H2O2 LODs with a non-enzymatic electrode material.

Chiral Modification of Ferrite Nanoparticles for Oxidative Kinetic Resolution of Benzoins

AbstractWe report the surface modification of ferrite nanoparticles (MFe2O4 NPs; M= Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn) with chiral surfactants derived from cinchona alkaloids. The successful synthesis of chiral ferrites were characterized using powder X‐ray diffraction (PXRD), X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Atomic force microscopy (AFM), Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM). These chiral materials were highly active in the oxidative kinetic resolution (OKR) of racemic benzoins. Remarkably gemini surfactant modified Fe3O4 NPs were found to be a potential candidate in the OKR and (R)‐benzoin was isolated with 97% enantiomeric excess (ee). The sustainability of our catalyst has been demonstrated in the gram scale synthesis of (R)‐furoin (93% ee). The recyclability studies have also been performed and found that it could be recyclable with decrease in ee.

In-situ preparation of norepinephrine-functionalized silver nanoparticles and application for colorimetric detection of tacrolimus in plasma samples

Tacrolimus (Tac) is a well-documented immunosuppressive agent for the prevention of graft-vs-host diseases in several types of organ transplants. The narrow therapeutic window and the individual-variable pharmacokinetics of Tac demonstrate the importance of regular therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) as an imperative concept for its oral medication regimens. A simple, one-step, selective, and sensitive colorimetric platform is fabricated for the determination of Tac by surface modification of the silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) via norepinephrine (NE) molecules. The attachment of NE and Tac induces the aggregation of the AgNPs, which is observed by color distinction (yellow to brown) and a noteworthy shifting of the absorption peak in the visible region. The fabricated nanoprobe can detect Tac concentrations in plasma samples in two linear ranges from 2 ng/mL to 70 ng/mL and 70 ng/mL to 1000 ng/mL with R2 > 0.99. The limit of detection (LOD) was calculated as low as 0.1 ng/mL. The developed method was applied for the determination of Tac in patient’s plasma samples under Tac medication therapy.

BiVO4 nanoparticle-modified WO3 nanosheet arrays via a stepwise spin-coating process for improved photoelectrochemical performance

A photoelectrode of WO3 nanosheet@BiVO4 nanoparticle heterostructured arrays (WO3@BiVO4 HAs) on a transparent F-doped SnO2 glass substrate was designed and manufactured using a hydrothermal and subsequent stepwise spin-coating process. The size and the distribution of BiVO4 nanoparticles on the surface of WO3 NSs can be regulated by the number of the stepwise spin-coating cycles. SEM, UV–vis, TEM, and XPS were used to characterize the obtained samples. The PEC performance can be optimized by controlling the number of the stepwise spin-coating cycles. The results of the photoelectrochemical (PEC) measurements display that the WO3@BiVO4 HA photoelectrodes obtained at 8 cycles showed a higher photocurrent density (about 3.5 times higher than that of the bare WO3 nanosheet array (NSA) photoelectrodes), lower charge transfer resistance (from 4019 to 904 Ω cm2), improved electron-hole pair life (from 1 to 50.36 ms), and higher monochromatic photon-to-electron conversion efficiency (from 9 to 38.8%). The remarkable enhancement of the PEC performance may be due to the enhanced light capture, the large contact area with the electrolyte, and the improvement of charge transfer and separation by synergizing the band structure, morphology of photoelectrode, and the reasonable modification of BiVO4 nanoparticles using a stepwise spin-coating process.

Morphological modification of silver nanoparticles against multi-drug resistant gram–negative bacteria and cytotoxicity effect in A549 lung cancer cells through in vitro approaches

Morphological modification of silver nanoparticles against multi-drug resistant gram–negative bacteria and cytotoxicity effect in A549 lung cancer cells through in vitro approaches

Surface functionalization/silane modification of CeO2 nanoparticles and their influences on photocatalytic activity of acrylic films for methylene blue removal

In this study, the photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue (MB) as model organic pollutant by pure and silane modified CeO2 nanoparticles was assessed. The surface modification was performed using 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane (APTES) at different silane concentrations. The nanoparticles were previously functionalized using hydrothermal process to increase silane grafting ratio. The grafting of silane molecules to the nanoparticles surface was confirmed using FTIR and XPS analysis. It was found that hydrothermal treatment increased the surface OH groups and silane grafting ratio by about 30 and 55 %, respectively. Surface modification of the functionalized CeO2 nanoparticles enhanced photocatalytic degradation of MB polluted wastewater up to 85.7 and 104 % compared to the pure nanoparticles under UV and solar lights, respectively. The pure and modified nanoparticles were applied at 1, 3 and 5 wt% to an acrylic latex. The prepared acrylic nanocomposite films were evaluated for photocatalytic degradation of MB stain and also for mechanical properties. It was found that silane modification of nanoparticles caused about 62 % decrement in the water contact angle (i.e. increment in hydrophobicity), 540 % improvement in the tensile strength and 18.6 times enhancement in the modulus of the acrylic film compared to the pure nano CeO2 containing acrylic film, respectively.