In the last twenty years,TiO2 has attracted great attention of the scientific community because of its high photocatalytic activity. In this article we described the synthesis of nanocrystalline TiO2 with high specific surface area, which was achieved by triblock copolymer and phosphorous as the framework template and stabilizer, respectively. We found that the incorporation of phosphorous in the structure of TiO2 preserved the high specific area, inhibited the grain growth and stabilized the anatase structure up to 900°C, and retained high UV photocatalytic activity.
COBISS.SI-ID: 24653351
A weak-polyelectrolyte multilayer on a surface of titanate nanobelts (Ti-NBs) was utilized as a template for in situ Ag nanoparticle formation in the fabrication of Ag-loaded Ti-NBs nanocomposites. The subsequent annealing of the Ag/Ti-NBs–PEM nanocomposites yielded nanostructured crystalline Ag/Ti-NBs. An enhanced UV photo-efficiency for degradation of methylene blue dye was observed for the Ag/Ti-NBs nanocomposites compared with pure Ti-NBs. As-fabricated Ag(x)/Ti-NBs nanocomposites also exhibited visible photoactivity assisted by the near-field amplitudes of the localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) of the silver nanoparticles in the 1D nanocomposite.
COBISS.SI-ID: 24386855
A new approach for the synthesis of silver (Ag) nanoparticles and their combination with hydroxyapatite (HAp) to form composites via a sonochemical process has been developed. In the case of the HAp/Ag composites investigated in this study, both the structural and morphological properties of the Ag nanoparticles were affected by the templating effect of the HAp. The formation mechanism and growth of the Ag particles on their own and within a HAp/Ag composite are discussed in terms of the sonification process and the thermal reduction steps used.
COBISS.SI-ID: 25179943
A method for the evaluation of the photocatalytic effectiveness of nanotitaniacoatings on ceramic substrate was established. Decolourization of three organic dyes, including methylene blue (MB), rhodamine B (RB) and crystal violet (CV), was investigated under different experimental conditions.The results showed that the UV light spectrum and light intensity are important parameters when establishing this method. The effect of TiO2 onthe percentage degradation of the dyes was examined by varying its concentration in the suspensions between 0.1% - 4.5 wt %, which resulted in different thicknesses of the TiO2 layers, and as expected higher percentages of nanotitania resulted in higher photocatalytic efficiencies. However higher amounts of titania lead to the formation of cracks on the surface, which mightdetrimentally affect adhesion and thus also long-term durability. The applicability of all the dyes used in the present study was proved, and there is good correlation between MB, RB and CV in the evaluation of self-cleaning efficiency.
COBISS.SI-ID: 1825895
The novel concept of a simultaneous, controlled release of a drug and a prodrug with different physico-chemical properties was applied in order to prolong the release period of antibiotics and estimate their high local concentrations, which are the necessary preconditions for the treatment of some chronic infection diseases. For this purpose poly(D,L-lactide-co-glycolide)/hydroxyapatite (PLGA/HAp) core-shell nanostructures were used as the carrier of clindamycin-base, as a drug, and clindamycin-2-phosphate, as a prodrug model. As a result, a two-step release was observed: the controlled release of the more soluble phosphate form and the sustained release of the less-soluble base form of clindamycin, resulting in a high overall concentration of the released drug during the period of 30 days in vitro. The HAp phase within the PLGA core-shells, applied as a drug carrier, delayed the process of the degradation of the polymer; however, the presence of the drug affected the process of degradation and this influence was the dominant factor in the control over the degradation of the polymer phase of PLGA/HAp and the consequent kinetics of the drug release.
COBISS.SI-ID: 4520218