Nanosized Titanium Dioxide Research Articles

SBA-15:TiO2 nanocomposites: II. Direct and post-synthesis using acetylacetone

Nanosized titanium dioxide (TiO2) is used in different applications that require a specific crystalline structure. In this work, SBA-15:TiO2 nanocomposites (80 mol% Si and 20 mol% Ti) were prepared using two different synthesis routes (direct and post-synthesis), with and without acetylacetone and a modified hydrothermal route (M). The small angle X-ray diffraction data showed that all nanocomposites are ordered mesoporous materials. N2 adsorption-desorption analysis showed that the materials exhibit a narrow pore size distribution with mean pore diameters up to 9.9 nm, high surface areas up to 810 m2 g−1 and large pore volumes up to 1.3 cm3 g−1. The analysis of the morphology by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) revealed different particle shapes due to the inclusion of Ti together with the Si source in the direct synthesis route. The characterization by X-ray diffraction revealed that the presence of acetylacetone and the M route in the direct synthesis method favored the formation of the rutile phase (>90%). Additionally, the posterior inclusion of Ti (post-synthesis) favored the formation of single phase anatase (100%). In addition, the SEM images showed that the silica particle size is about 1 μm, thus being biologically safe and making the composite a very promising photoprotector.

Combined effects of adsorption and photocatalysis by hybrid TiO2/ZnO-calcium alginate beads for the removal of copper

The use of nanosized titanium dioxide (TiO2) and zinc oxide (ZnO) in the suspension form during treatment makes the recovering and recycling of photocatalysts difficult. Hence, supported photocatalysts are preferred for practical water treatment applications. This study was conducted to investigate the efficiency of calcium alginate (CaAlg) beads that were immobilized with hybrid photocatalysts, TiO2/ZnO to form TiO2/ZnO–CaAlg. These immobilized beads, with three different mass ratios of TiO2:ZnO (1:1, 1:2, and 2:1) were used to remove Cu(II) in aqueous solutions in the presence of ultraviolet light. These beads were subjected to three cycles of photocatalytic treatment with different initial Cu(II) concentrations (10–80ppm). EDX spectra have confirmed the inclusion of Ti and Zn on the surface of the CaAlg beads. Meanwhile, the surface morphology of the beads as determined using SEM, has indicated differences of before and after the photocatalytic treatment of Cu(II). Among all three, the equivalent mass ratio TiO2/ZnO–CaAlg beads have shown the best performance in removing Cu(II) during all three recycling experiments. Those TiO2/ZnO–CaAlg beads have also shown consistent removal of Cu, ranging from 7.14–62.0ppm (first cycle) for initial concentrations of 10–80ppm. In comparison, bare CaAlg was only able to remove 6.9–48ppm of similar initial Cu concentrations. Thus, the potential use of TiO2/ZnO–CaAlg beads as environmentally friendly composite material can be further extended for heavy metal removal from contaminated water.

Nano Sized Ni/TiO2 @ NaX Zeolite with Enhanced Photocatalytic Activity

Nickel doped TiO2nano particles (1% w/w) were prepared and immobilized on NaX zeolite and after characterization by X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy used as photo catalyts for degradation of orange G. The X-ray diffraction patterns show that the supported TiO2 are crystallized in anatase form and the intensity of the zeolite peaks decreases with the increase of TiO2loading. Scanning electron micrographs of synthesized samples show that nano size titanium dioxide particles are accumulated on the surface of the zeolite. These materials are applied as photo catalysts for the degradation of orange G in aqueous solution by means of ultraviolet light irradiation at room temperature. The effect of solution pH, ultraviolet irradiation time and catalyst in degradation of orange G was investigated. The results show that nickel doped TiO2/NaX zeolite as a photo catalyst in degradation of orange G in acidic solution is superior to the Ni/TiO2 nano composite and also undoped nano size titanium dioxide particles.

An innovative method for analysis of Pb (II) in rice, milk and water samples based on TiO2 reinforced caprylic acid hollow fiber solid/liquid phase microextraction.

In the present study, nano-sized titanium oxides were applied for preconcentration and determination of Pb(II) in aqueous samples using hollow fiber based solid-liquid phase microextraction (HF-SLPME) combined with flame atomic absorption spectrometry (FAAS). In this work, the nanoparticles dispersed in caprylic acid as an extraction solvent was placed into a polypropylene porous hollow fiber segment supported by capillary forces and sonification. This membrane was in direct contact with solutions containing Pb (II). The effect of experimental conditions on the extraction, such as pH, stirring rate, sample volume, and extraction time were optimized. Under the optimal conditions, the performance of the proposed method was investigated for the determination of Pb (II) in food and water samples. The method was linear in the range of 0.6-3000μgmL-1. The relative standard deviations and relative recovery of Pb (II) was 4.9% and 99.3%, respectively (n=5).

Zeolite–titanium dioxide nanocomposites: Preparation, characterization, and adsorption properties

Synthesis conditions are optimized to obtain η-phase/zeolite and Hombifine N/zeolite nanocomposites by the modified cold-impregnation method (method 1), which consists of the codispersion of the samples containing the η-phase or Hombifine N with nano-anatase in a dilute KOH solution, and Beta(25) and ZSM-5 zeolites with different modulus, MOR and Y, for the first time, as well as by the TiO2/zeolite in situ method (method 2), which consists of the addition of zeolites into the reaction mixture during the synthesis of titanium dioxide. The starting components and nanocomposites are characterized by different methods, such as wide- and small-angle Х-ray scattering, scanning electron microscopy, and low-temperature nitrogen adsorption (the Brunauer–Emmet–Teller method). The interaction between nanosized titanium dioxide (NTD) and zeolites (except Y) during the formation of the NTD/zeolite nanocomposite (method 2) and the η-phase/MOR nanocomposite (method 1) is revealed, and the presence of NTD in the nanocomposites in nanocrystalline (Hombifine N/zeolite) or amorphous (η-phase/Beta(25) and η-phase/ZSM-5(300)) states is established. It is found that the use of microwave and ultrasonic treatment upon the synthesis of the nanocomposite gives rise to the uniform distribution of spherical particles in the samples; furthermore, they are the same size (η-phase/ZSM-5(12), η-phase/ZSM-5(300), and η-phase/Y) or smaller (η-phase/MOR, η-phase/Beta(25), and η-phase/ZSM-5(40)) when compared to the original η-phase. The size of spherical particles in the η-phase/ZSM-5(40) nanocomposite is comparable with the starting ZSM-5(40) zeolite. It is found that the preparation of nanocomposites by method 2 leads to an increase in the specific surface for the NTD/ZSM-5(12) and NTD/Y nanocomposites and to a decrease in the specific surface for the remaining nanocomposites (most significantly for NTD/MOR) when compared to the zeolite matrix, and promotes the high adsorption capacity of the NTD/zeolite nanocomposites with regard to the extraction of the P(V) ions from the model aqueous system with the maximum value (99.48%) for the NTD/MOR nanocomposite.

Effect of physicochemical characteristics of nano-sized titanium dioxide on adhesion of monocytes to endothelial cells

Effect of physicochemical characteristics of nano-sized titanium dioxide on adhesion of monocytes to endothelial cells

Kinetics of chemotaxis, cytokine, and chemokine release of NR8383 macrophages after exposure to inflammatory and inert granular insoluble particles

Accumulation of macrophages and neutrophil granulocytes in the lung are key events in the inflammatory response to inhaled particles. The present study aims at the time course of chemotaxis in vitro in response to the challenge of various biopersistent particles and its functional relation to the transcription of inflammatory mediators.NR8383 rat alveolar macrophages were challenged with particles of coarse quartz, barium sulfate, and nanosized silica for one, four, and 16h and with coarse and nanosized titanium dioxide particles (rutile and anatase) for 16h only. The cell supernatants were used to investigate the chemotaxis of unexposed NR8383 macrophages. The transcription of inflammatory mediators in cells exposed to quartz, silica, and barium sulfate was analyzed by quantitative real-time PCR.Challenge with quartz, silica, and rutile particles induced significant chemotaxis of unexposed NR8383 macrophages. Chemotaxis caused by quartz and silica was accompanied by an elevated transcription of CCL3, CCL4, CXCL1, CXCL3, and TNFα. Quartz exposure showed an earlier onset of both effects compared to the nanosized silica. The strength of this response roughly paralleled the cytotoxic effects. Barium sulfate and anatase did not induce chemotaxis and barium sulfate as well caused no elevated transcription.In conclusion, NR8383 macrophages respond to the challenge with inflammatory particles with the release of chemotactic compounds that act on unexposed macrophages. The kinetics of the response differs between the various particles.

Evaluation of Mitochondrial Respiratory Chain on the Generation of Reactive Oxygen Species and Cytotoxicity in HaCaT Cells Induced by Nanosized Titanium Dioxide Under UVA Irradiation.

Nanosized titanium dioxide (nano-TiO2) is widely used in the chemical, electrical, and electronic industries. Nanosized TiO2 has been reported to be an efficient photocatalyst, which is able to produce reactive oxygen species (ROS) under UVA irradiation. In the present work, we evaluate the effect of mitochondrial respiratory chain on the generation of ROS and cytotoxicity in keratinocyte (HaCaT) cells induced by nano-TiO2 under UVA irradiation. HaCaT cells were pretreated with different inhibitors of mitochondrial respiratory chain and followed by treatment with 200 µg/mL nano-TiO2, then exposed to UVA (365 nm) for 1 hour and cultured for 24 hours. Our results demonstrated that the complexes I and III of the mitochondrial respiratory chain are the major site in the ROS generation induced by nano-TiO2 Our results also demonstrated that the uncouplers of mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation resulted in obvious changes in the production of intracellular ROS induced by nano-TiO2 The ROS sources of lipoxygenase, cyclooxygenase, and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate oxidase had no significant effect on the ROS production. To some extent, nitric oxide synthase had effect on the ROS production. These results indicated that mitochondrial respiratory chain may be the main source of intracellular ROS production induced by nano-TiO2.

Titanium dioxide nanoparticles: occupational exposure assessment in the photocatalytic paving production

Limited data are available regarding occupational exposure assessment to nano-sized titanium dioxide (nano-TiO2). The objective of this study is to assess the occupational exposure of workers engaged in the application of nano-TiO2 onto concrete building materials, by means of a multi-metric approach (mean diameter, number, mass and surface area concentrations). The measurement design consists of the combined use of (i) direct-reading instruments to evaluate the total particle number concentrations relative to the background concentration and the mean size-dependent characteristics of particles (mean diameter and surface area concentration) and to estimate the 8-h time-weighted average (8-h TWA) exposure to nano-TiO2 for workers involved in different working tasks; and (ii) filter-based air sampling, used for the determination of size-resolved particle mass concentrations. A further estimation was performed to obtain the mean 8-h TWA exposure values expressed as mass concentrations (µg nano-TiO2/m3). The multi-metric characterization of occupational exposure to nano-TiO2 was significantly different both for different work environments and for each work task. Generally, workers were exposed to engineered nanoparticles (ENPs; <100 nm) mean levels lower than the recommended reference values and proposed occupational exposure limits (40,000 particle/cm3; 300 µg/m3) and relevant exposures to peak concentration were not likely to be expected. The estimated 8-h TWA exposure showed differences between the unexposed and exposed subjects. For these last, further differences were defined between operators involved in different work tasks. This study provides information on nano-TiO2 number and mass concentration, size distribution, particles diameter and surface area concentrations, which were used to obtain work shift-averaged exposures.

Effect of polydimethylsiloxane viscosity on the electrorheological activity of dispersions based on it

The effect the viscosity of a dispersion medium of a polymethylsiloxane fluid (PMS) with a kinematic viscosity over a wide range of values from 5 to 300 cSt has on the electrorheological properties of suspensions based on nanosized titanium dioxide obtained via the sol-gel method is investigated. The investigations are conducted in a wide range of concentrations of suspensions: from 30 to 60 wt % (from 15 to 38 vol %) of the dispersed phase. The role the dispersion medium in two-phase disperse systems plays in the formation of structures of dispersed phase in the presence of an electric field is determined from the dependence of yield points of TiO2 in PMS with different viscosities on the applied electric field strength.

Effects of Dissolving Agents on Particle Size Reduction of Titanium Dioxide Synthesized by Solution Combustion Technique

High photocatalytic activity of nanoparticulate titanium dioxide has attracted worldwide attention. Synthesis techniques of the nanoparticles, however, often require high energy supply or costly initial reagents. Solution combustion technique is an energy-effective technique capable of synthesizing nanosized titanium powders. This research aimed at utilizing a less expensive initial reagent in synthesis of nanoparticulate titanium dioxide by the solution combustion technique. The research also examined effects of dissolving agents on chemical composition and particle sizes of the synthesized powders. A low-cost initial reagent, titanium dioxide with average particle size of 154 nanometers, was dissolved in sulfuric acid or dispersed in nitric acid prior to the combustion. Experimental results revealed that the pure anatase phase titanium dioxide was successfully obtained in powders prepared from both sulfuric acid and nitric acid. The average particle size of the powder prepared from sulfuric acid was 77 nanometers, while that of the powder prepared from nitric acid was 117 nanometers. The difference in particle sizes was attributed to solubility of the initial reagent in the acid. Complete solution of initial reagent in sulfuric acid was the main factor attributed to finer particle size.

Influence of acid chain length on the properties of TiO2 prepared by sol-gel method and LC-MS studies of methylene blue photodegradation

Nano-sized titanium dioxide photocatalysts were synthesized by hybrid hydrolytic nonhydrolytic sol-gel method using aliphatic organic acid templates to study the effect of chain length on their properties. X-ray diffraction pattern indicated crystalline anatase phase. The Barrett-Joyner-Halenda surface area measurement gave surface area ranging from 98.4 to 205.5m2/g and was found to be dependent on the chain length of the aliphatic acid. The longer chain acids rendered the material with high surface area. The organic acids acted as bidentate ligand and a surfactant in controlling the size and the mesoporosity. The size of the TiO2 nanoparticulate was found to be in the range of 10–18nm. The catalyst prepared by employing long chain acids octanoic acid and palmitic acid had smaller size, narrow pore radius, higher surface area and showed better photocatalytic activity than the commercially available Degussa P25 catalyst for the degradation of methylene blue dye. A new intermediate was identified by tandem liquid chromatography mass spectrometry studies during the degradation of methylene blue solution.

SBA-15:TiO2 nanocomposites. I. Synthesis with ionic liquids and properties

Nanosized titanium dioxide (TiO2) has been extensively studied due to its unique properties and broad applicability. However, to our knowledge, the assessment on how reaction media and synthesis routes affect TiO2 properties synthesized with SBA-15 type mesoporous silica is unprecedented. In this work, SBA-15/TiO2 nanocomposites were prepared in different reaction media, varying ionic liquids (CMITf2N and CMIBF4) with and without isopropyl alcohol. X-ray diffraction results showed that CMIBF4 greatly favors TiO2 anatase crystalline phase, and a single phase material was obtained using 0.032 of CMIBF4 without alcohol. On the other hand, the presence of CMITf2N slightly favored TiO2 rutile crystalline phase. Small Angle X-ray diffraction patterns revealed that ordered mesoporous SBA-15/TiO2 nanocomposites were obtained with lower ionic liquid concentration, whilst materials prepared with higher concentration lost their ordered mesoporous structure. Scanning electron microscopy images showed that materials prepared with ionic liquid and isopropyl alcohol displayed much smaller SBA-15 particle size: around 0.1 μm, instead of the standard 1 μm. Nitrogen adsorption–desorption analysis showed that the nanocomposites exhibited a narrow pore size distribution with high surface areas of up to 680 m2/g, pore volumes of up to 1.8 cm3/g and mean pore diameter of up to 10.4 nm, thus being very promising for application in photocatalysis and photoprotection.

Roles of temperature and flow velocity on the mobility of nano-sized titanium dioxide in natural waters

While environmental fate and transport of nano-sized TiO2 (nTiO2) attracts intensive attention, how physical characters of natural waters, such as water type, temperature, and flowing velocity, impact the mobility of nTiO2 remain unclear now. In this work, ultrapure water, lake water, and sea water were chosen to investigate the aggregation and sedimentation behaviors of nTiO2 under a series of environmental conditions with varying feeding concentration, water temperature, and flow velocity. In general, the results demonstrated poorer stability of nTiO2 in sea water than other water types. After a 7-hour test (initial nTiO2=100mg/L), the nTiO2 hydrodynamic sizes, sedimentation rates, and zeta potentials differed significantly in ultrapure water (545nm, 24%, −30mV), lake water (1374nm, 56%, −16mV) and sea water (2152nm, 87%, −3mV). Meanwhile, the study exhibited significant influences of initial nTiO2 concentration (10–100mg/L) on the behaviors of nTiO2 in sea water and lake water but negligible impact on ultrapure water. Ambient temperature also directly affected the aggregation and sedimentation rates of nTiO2, both hydrodynamic diameters and sedimentation of nTiO2 increased markedly with the rising ambient temperatures (10–60°C). In contrast, increasing water flow velocity (0–0.32m/s) lowered the hydrodynamic diameters and sedimentation rates of nTiO2, although the influence of flowing velocity on the aggregation of nTiO2 was partially reversible.

Nanosized titanium dioxide resulted in the activation of TGF-β/Smads/p38MAPK pathway in renal inflammation and fibration of mice.

Titanium dioxide nanoparticles (TiO2 NPs) have been demonstrated to damage the kidneys. However, whether chronic nephritis leads to renal fibration or the fibrosis is associated with the activation of TGF-β/Smads/p38MAPK pathway caused by TiO2 NPs exposure is not well understood. Forty male mice were separately exposed to 0, 2.5, 5, or 10 mg/kg body weight TiO2 NPs for 6 months. Renal biochemical functions and levels of TGF-β/Smads/p38MAPK pathway-related markers and extracellular matrix (ECM) expression in the kidneys were investigated. The findings showed that subchronic TiO2 NPs exposure increased levels of urinary creatisix (Cr), N-acetyl-glucosaminidase, and vanin-1, resulted in severe renal inflammation and fibration. Furthermore, TiO2 NP exposure upregulated expression of transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1, 0.07- to 2.72-fold), Smad2 (0.42- to 1.63-fold), Smad3 (0.02- to 1.94-fold), ECM (0.15- to 2.75-fold), α-smooth muscle actin (0.14- to 3.06-fold), p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (p38MAPK, 0.11- to 3.78-fold), and nuclear factor-κB (0.4- to 2.27-fold), and downregulated Smad7 (0.05- to 0.61-fold) expression in mouse kidney. Subchronic TiO2 NPs exposure induced changes of renal characteristics towards inflammation and fibration may be mediated via TGF-β/Smads/p38MAPK pathway, and the uses of TiO2 NPs should be carried out cautiously, especially in humans. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part A: 104A: 1452-1461, 2016.

Effects of the Addition of Titanium Dioxide and Silaned Silica Nanoparticles on the Mechanical Properties of Maxillofacial Silicones.

Silicone-based elastomeric materials are commonly used to fabricate maxillofacial prostheses. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of different types of silica and nanosized titanium dioxide addition on the mechanical properties of two RTV silicone elastomers. A-2000 and A-2006 silicone elastomers were used, and each was divided into four subgroups (n = 5). The first group was the control without additives. Other groups were titanium dioxide, fumed silica, and silaned silica. Each specimen was prepared in compliance with the manufacturer's instructions for the tensile strength, percent elongation, tear resistance, and the hardness tests according to ISO and ASTM standards. A factorial ANOVA with pairwise interaction indicated that the pattern for all four outcomes of the materials was different for A-2000 and A-2006 (p < 0.05). Therefore, the average outcome values for the materials within silicone elastomers were then analyzed by Tukey HSD. For the hardness test results, Kruskal-Wallis and Mann-Whitney U test methods were used. The level of statistical significance was p < 0.05. There was a statistically significant interaction (p < 0.05) between materials and silicone type for all four tests (tensile strength, tear, hardness, percent elongation). The hydrophobic silica group had significantly higher tensile strength than TiO2 for A-2000. The fumed hydrophilic silica group had significantly higher tensile strength than TiO2 for A-2006. Most of silica specimens had higher tensile strength when compared with the control and TiO2 groups for A-2000 and A-2006 silicones. The TiO2 group had the highest hardness value for A-2000 while the lowest hardness value for A-2006 (p < 0.05). There was no significant difference of tear strength among the type of additives (p > 0.05) for A-2000. The fumed silica and TiO2 groups had significantly higher tear strength than the control group for A-2006. The fumed silica and the hydrophobic silica groups had significantly higher percent elongation than the control group (p < 0.05) for A-2000. The TiO2 group had the lowest percent elongation for A-2006. Results in this in vitro study may clarify future studies about the effect of different additives on the physical and mechanical properties of maxillofacial elastomers. There is a great interest in the effect of a new-generation hydrophobic silica incorporation into A-2000 silicone as well as the effect of fumed hydrophilic silica incorporation into A-2006 silicone. Future research should be supported with more in vitro trials in different percentages of such additives used in this study.

Aqueous Extract of Acanthophyllum laxiusculum Roots as a Renewable Resource for Green synthesis of nano-sized titanium dioxide using Sol-gel Method

In this study, green or eco-friendly synthesis of TiO2 nanoparticles (NPs) was performed by using the aqueous extract of Acanthophyllum laxiusculum. The plant genus Acanthophyllumis one of the natural sources rich in nonionic surface active agents known as saponins. Sol-gel method as one of the most common techniques widely used in nano-field was applied to synthesize the titanium dioxide nanoparticles. TiO2 nanoparticles were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Energy Dispersive Analysis of X-rays (EDAX). Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) was performed to confirm the lack of the surfactant templates in synthesized NPs. The optical band gap of synthesized TiO2nanospheres was determined using UV–Vis absorption spectra and further verified by diffuse reflectance spectroscopy analysis. The specific surface area and pore size distribution of this product were evaluated by employing the Brunauer– Emmett–Teller (BET) technique and the Barrett–Joyner–Halenda (BJH) model.

Synthesis of Nanosized Titanium Oxide and Nitride Through Vacuum Arc Plasma Expansion Technique

Physical vapor deposition techniques such vacuum arc plasma deposition — which are very commonly used in thin film technology — appear to hold much promise for the synthesis of nanocrystalline thin films as well as nanoparticles. Monodisperse and spherical titanium oxide (TiO2) and nitride nanoparticles were produced at room temperature as a cluster beam in the gas phase using a cluster-deposition source. Using the basic principles of the gas condensation method, this study has developed vacuum arc nanoparticle synthesis system. We demonstrate that major process deposition parameter is the pressure in the plasma chamber. This is the major advantage of these techniques over thermal evaporation. Our method affords TiN powders with high specific surface areas exceeding 200[Formula: see text]m2[Formula: see text]g[Formula: see text]. TEM micrograph of TiO2 nanoparticles prepared at an oxygen pressure of 60[Formula: see text]Pa show an average particle size of 6[Formula: see text]nm. TiO2 nanoparticles prepared at an oxygen pressure of 70[Formula: see text]Pa were observed to not have a reduced average particle size.

Molecular docking of nanosized titanium dioxide material to the extracellular part of GABAB-receptor

Molecular docking of nanosized titanium dioxide material to the extracellular part of GABAB-receptor

Combined effects of n-TiO2 and 2,3,7,8-TCDD in Mytilus galloprovincialis digestive gland: A transcriptomic and immunohistochemical study

Despite the growing concern over the potential biological impact of nanoparticles (NPs) in the aquatic environment, little is known about their interactions with other pollutants. In the marine mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis, exposure to nanosized titanium dioxide (n-TiO2), one of the most widespread type of NPs in use, in combination with and 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxins (TCDD), chosen as model organic xenobiotic, was shown to induce significant changes in different biomarkers in hemocytes, gills and digestive gland, with distinct effects depending on cell/tissue and type of response measured. In this work, the interactive effects of n-TiO2 and TCDD at the tissue level were further investigated in mussel digestive gland using an integrated approach transcriptomics/immunohistochemistry. Mussels were exposed to n-TiO2 (100μgL−1) and TCDD (0.25μgL−1), alone and in combination, for 96h. Transcriptomic analysis identified 48-, 49- and 62 Differentially Expressed Genes (DEGs) in response to n-TiO2, TCDD and n-TiO2/TCDD, respectively. Gene Ontology (GO) term analysis revealed distinct biological processes affected in different experimental conditions. n-TiO2 mainly up-regulated cytoskeletal genes, while TCDD up-regulated endocrine and signal transduction related processes. Co-exposure induced transcriptional changes common to individual treatments, and identified a newly generated process, response to chemical stimulus. Transcription of selected genes was verified by qPCR. Moreover, expression of tubulin, as an example of target protein of interest identified by gene transcription data, was evaluated in tissue sections by immunolabelling. Tissue TCDD accumulation was evaluated by immunofluorescence with an anti-dioxins antibody.The results demonstrate both distinct and interactive effects of n-TiO2 and TCDD in mussel digestive gland at the molecular and tissue level, identify the main molecular targets involved, and underline how exposure to the n-TiO2/TCDD mixture does not result in increased TCDD accumulation and overall stressful conditions in the tissue. These represent the first data on transcriptional responses of marine invertebrates to exposure not only to n-TiO2 as a model of NP, but also to a legacy contaminant like TCDD.