Laser irradiation in water for the novel, scalable synthesis of black TiO_x photocatalyst for environmental remediation

• Massimo Zimbone,
• Giuseppe Cacciato,
• Mohamed Boutinguiza,
• Vittorio Privitera and
• Maria Grazia Grimaldi

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 196–202, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.21

• a 2 MeV He+ beam with a scattering angle of 165° in normal incidence. The RUMP software was employed for the analysis of the RBS spectra. In order to evaluate the photocatalytic activity of the TiOx nanostructured film, the methylene blue (MB) discoloration test was performed [24]. The apparent

• recombination [2]. In the present work, the photocatalytic activity is measured by using the methylene blue (MB) discoloration method [27]. Samples for discolouration measurements were prepared by sandwiching the Ti substrate between a TiOx layer (irradiated surface) and a Pt nanoparticle layer, thus realizing

• formula: C/C0 = e−kt. A discoloration rate k of 0.22 ± 0.01 and 0.01 ± 0.01 h−1·cm−2 was measured for TiOx/Ti/PtNps and MB, respectively. By using the above result, a quantum efficiency of 0.041% is calculated for the decolouration of methylene blue in water. It is worth noting that the UV quantum

Optical and photocatalytic properties of TiO₂ nanoplumes

• Viviana Scuderi,
• Massimo Zimbone,
• Maria Miritello,
• Giuseppe Nicotra,
• Giuliana Impellizzeri and
• Vittorio Privitera

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 190–195, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.20

• of the synthesized material and related them to the efficiency of UV photodegradation of methylene blue dye. The obtained results show that TiO2 nanoplumes act as an effective antireflective layer increasing the UV photocatalytic yield of the film. Keywords: black titania; nanostructures

• of methylene blue (MB). The obtained results show that TiO2 nanoplumes act as effective antireflective layer increasing the UV photocatalytic yield. Results and Discussion In order to observe the morphology of the films we analyzed the Ti samples after different etching times by SEM in plan view. Two

• of the synthesized material were evaluated by the degradation of methylene blue (MB) dye, a chemical compound commonly used to evaluate the photocatalytic efficiency of a material. The experimental setup was in agreement with the ISO 10678:2010 international standard. The samples were immersed in a

A novel electrochemical nanobiosensor for the ultrasensitive and specific detection of femtomolar-level gastric cancer biomarker miRNA-106a

• Maryam Daneshpour,
• Kobra Omidfar and
• Hossein Ghanbarian

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2016, 7, 2023–2036, doi:10.3762/bjnano.7.193

• methodology and reached a low detection limit for miRNA [29], most of the label-free miRNA biosensors are developed using molecular probes such as methylene blue [30], Oracet blue [21], and ferrocene boronic acid [31]. In spite of the quicker and more accurate results offered by the label-free methods, it

Organoclay hybrid materials as precursors of porous ZnO/silica-clay heterostructures for photocatalytic applications

• Marwa Akkari,
• Pilar Aranda,
• Abdessalem Ben Haj Amara and
• Eduardo Ruiz-Hitzky

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2016, 7, 1971–1982, doi:10.3762/bjnano.7.188

• water solution was tested using methylene blue and ibuprofen compounds, respectively, as model of pollutants. Keywords: delamination; montmorillonite; organoclays; photocatalysis; porous clay heterostructures; sepiolite; ZnO nanoparticles; Introduction In the last decades, great effort has been

• immobilized and photoactive. To confirm this, the resulting ZnO/silica-clay heterostructured porous solids have been tested in photocatalytic experiments using water solutions of methylene blue (MB) dye or ibupofren drug, as models of organic pollutants, to prove their efficiency as photocatalysts for

• different applications as a photocatalyst. Hence, their activity has been tested using methylene blue (MB) model dye molecule. Figure 11 shows the concentration of methylene blue solutions (C/C0) as a function of the UV irradiation time in presence of SiO2/ZnO montmorillonite and ZnO/SiO2-sepiolite

“Sticky invasion” – the physical properties of Plantago lanceolata L. seed mucilage

• Agnieszka Kreitschitz,
• Alexander Kovalev and
• Stanislav N. Gorb

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2016, 7, 1918–1927, doi:10.3762/bjnano.7.183

• along a dirt road in the wilderness near Wrocław, Poland. To examine the mucilage composition, staining reactions with 0.1% aqueous solution of ruthenium red (pectin staining), with 0.01% aqueous solution of methylene blue (cellulose staining) and with 0.1% aqueous solution of Direct Red 23 (specific

• ) revealed the presence of pectins in the mucilage. Staining with methylene blue (Figure 1B) and Direct Red 23 (Figure 1C) revealed the presence of cellulose. The cellulose fibrils kept the mass of pectins in place. The thickness of the mucilage envelope ranged from 350 to 450 μm. Cellulose fibrils were very

• staining reactions: A – pectin staining with ruthenium red; B – cellulose staining with methylene blue; C – cellulose staining with Direct Red 23, fluorescence image; D – detection of crystalline cellulose in polarized light. Characteristic signal of the cellulose fibrils (arrows); Cellulose fibrils are

Role of RGO support and irradiation source on the photocatalytic activity of CdS–ZnO semiconductor nanostructures

• Suneel Kumar,
• Rahul Sharma,
• Vipul Sharma,
• Gurunarayanan Harith,
• Vaidyanathan Sivakumar and
• Venkata Krishnan

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2016, 7, 1684–1697, doi:10.3762/bjnano.7.161

• degradation of MO under irradiation from natural sun light. Comparison of photocatalytic activities of CdS–ZnO–RGO based nanocomposites for degradation of pollutants, including methylene blue (MB), rhodamine B (Rh B) and MO. Acknowledgements We are thankful to Advanced Materials Research Centre (AMRC), IIT

Development of adsorptive membranes by confinement of activated biochar into electrospun nanofibers

• Mehrdad Taheran,
• Mitra Naghdi,
• Satinder K. Brar,
• Emile Knystautas,
• Mausam Verma,
• Rao. Y. Surampalli and
• Jose. R. Valero

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2016, 7, 1556–1563, doi:10.3762/bjnano.7.149

• metallic ions, malachite green and methylene blue from water. Embedding carbonaceous materials, such as carbon nanotubes and graphene in NFMs has been investigated for different applications, such as glucose sensors, hydrogen storage and enzyme immobilization [18][19]. However, to the best of our knowledge

An efficient recyclable magnetic material for the selective removal of organic pollutants

• Clément Monteil,
• Nathalie Bar,
• Agnès Bee and
• Didier Villemin

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2016, 7, 1447–1453, doi:10.3762/bjnano.7.136

• Da) was purchased from BASF, phosphorous acid, formaldehyde, hydrochloric acid and sodium hydroxide were obtained from VWR and dyes (methylene blue, MB, and methyl orange, MO) from Sigma-Aldrich. Dialysis tubings were bought from Roth. Absorbance was measured by using a UV–visible Perkin-Elmer

• washed successively with acetone and diethylether and then dried in an oven at 120 °C for 24 h. Preparation of stock solutions MO or MB powders were dissolved in distilled water (5·10−4 mol·L−1) in order to prepare dye stock solutions. Extraction of methyl orange and methylene blue with NP-PEIP A

• of the NP-PEIP in removing pollutants was determined by the adsorption of two organic dyes used as contaminants models: the positively charged (regardless of the pH value) methylene blue (MB) and the negatively charged (from pH 3.4 to basic pH) methyl orange (MO). Such dyes are pollutants themselves

High performance Ce-doped ZnO nanorods for sunlight-driven photocatalysis

• Bilel Chouchene,
• Tahar Ben Chaabane,
• Lavinia Balan,
• Emilien Girot,
• Kevin Mozet,
• Ghouti Medjahdi and
• Raphaël Schneider

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2016, 7, 1338–1349, doi:10.3762/bjnano.7.125

• been developed and their ability to degrade cyanide anions [28] or organic dyes [29][30][31][32][33] like methylene blue or methyl-orange has been demonstrated. The preparation of Ce–Cu, Ce–Pd or Ce–Ag co-doped photocatalysts to enhance the solar or the visible light catalytic response was also

Functional diversity of resilin in Arthropoda

• Jan Michels,
• Esther Appel and
• Stanislav N. Gorb

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2016, 7, 1241–1259, doi:10.3762/bjnano.7.115

• by single conventional dyes. Chemical reactions with the Masson and Mallory dyes were mentioned to stain resilin red. Staining of resilin with aqueous solutions of methylene blue and toluidine blue is a common method and can provide good information about the presence and distribution of resilin

Manufacturing and investigation of physical properties of polyacrylonitrile nanofibre composites with SiO₂, TiO₂ and Bi₂O₃ nanoparticles

• Tomasz Tański,
• Wiktor Matysiak and
• Barbara Hajduk

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2016, 7, 1141–1155, doi:10.3762/bjnano.7.106

• batteries [21][22][23][24]. Studies on nanofibre composite mats of PAN/TiO2 have shown large photocatalytic efficiency under ultraviolet light and the potential use of these mats as catalyst in the decomposition of phenol, airborne aromatic compounds and methylene blue [25][26][27][28]. However, PAN/Bi2O3

Impact of ultrasonic dispersion on the photocatalytic activity of titania aggregates

• Hoai Nga Le,
• Frank Babick,
• Klaus Kühn,
• Minh Tan Nguyen,
• Michael Stintz and
• Gianaurelio Cuniberti

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 2423–2430, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.250

• dispersion. The photocatalytic activity was examined by the color removal of methylene blue (MB) with a laboratory-scale setup based on a plug flow reactor (PFR) and planar UV illumination. The process parameters such as flow regime, optical path length and UV intensity are well-defined and can be varied

• methylene blue The photocatalytic properties of P25 were examined by characterizing the discoloration of MB. The desired MB concentration [6][7][29] of 0.01 mM was obtained by adding the MB stock solution into the dispersed P25 suspensions. To achieve an adsorption–desorption equilibrium, the suspensions

• methylene blue. For this purpose, a lab-scale plug flow reactor was designed, which facilitates a defined variation of process parameters such as intensity of UV light, optical path length and flow regime. The apparent reaction rate constant of such a reactor can be easily translated into an intrinsic

Selective porous gates made from colloidal silica nanoparticles

• Roberto Nisticò,
• Paola Avetta,
• Paola Calza,
• Debora Fabbri,
• Giuliana Magnacca and
• Dominique Scalarone

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 2105–2112, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.215

• dye methylene blue (MB, molecular weight (MW) = 320 Da) and the cationic protein ribonuclease A (RNAse, MW = 13700 Da). Results and Discussion Synthesis, preparation and physicochemical characterization of the colloidal silica nanoparticles and mesoporous coatings Amphiphilic block copolymers in

• -selectivity of the functional microsieves we have prepared were studied by monitoring the diffusion of probe molecules with different molecular weight (i.e., methylene blue and ribonuclease A) under standard conditions and under the application of an external stimulus (i.e., electric field). Promising results

• organic impurities from the device. TOC analysis were carried out with a Shimadzu TOC-VCSH Total Organic Carbon Analyzer, equipped with an ASI-V autosampler and fed with zero-grade air (Sapio, Italy). Solutions of target molecules, i.e., methylene blue (MB in the following, Sigma Aldrich, 5.0 × 10−4 mol L

Effects of swift heavy ion irradiation on structural, optical and photocatalytic properties of ZnO–CuO nanocomposites prepared by carbothermal evaporation method

• Sini Kuriakose,
• D. K. Avasthi and
• Satyabrata Mohapatra

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 928–937, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.96

• degradation of methylene blue (MB) and methyl orange (MO) dyes under sun light irradiation and it was observed that swift heavy ion irradiation results in significant enhancement in the photocatalytic efficiency of ZnO–CuO nanocomposites towards degradation of MB and MO dyes. The possible mechanism for the

• carbothermal reduction-based vapor deposition method. We have demonstrated that swift heavy ion irradiation can be employed to significantly enhance the sun light driven photocatalytic activity of ZnO–CuO nanocomposites toward the degradation of methylene blue (MB) and methyl orange (MO) dyes in water. Results

• properties of the nanocomposite were studied. Swift heavy ion irradiation has been found to result in significant enhancement in the photocatalytic efficiency of ZnO–CuO nanocomposites, towards sun light driven degradation of methylene blue and methyl orange dyes in water. The possible mechanism for the

Tm-doped TiO₂ and Tm₂Ti₂O₇ pyrochlore nanoparticles: enhancing the photocatalytic activity of rutile with a pyrochlore phase

• Desiré M. De los Santos,
• Javier Navas,
• Teresa Aguilar,
• Antonio Sánchez-Coronilla,
• Concha Fernández-Lorenzo,
• Rodrigo Alcántara,
• Jose Carlos Piñero,
• Ginesa Blanco and
• Joaquín Martín-Calleja

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 605–616, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.62

• obtained with a predominant rutile phase. The photodegradation of methylene blue showed that this pyrochlore phase enhanced the photocatalytic activity of the rutile phase. Keywords: nanoparticles; photocatalysis; pyrochlore; titanium dioxide; thulium; Introduction TiO2 is one of the most efficient

• the samples annealed at 1173 K. In turn, the influence of this pyrochlore phase on the photocatalytic activity of rutile-phase TiO2 was analyzed by a study of the photodegradation of methylene blue. Experimental The synthesis method was based on the hydrolysis reaction of titanium(IV) isopropoxide

• photodegradation of methylene blue (MB) was performed using a set of five actinic lamps emitting at around 360 nm. The initial concentration of the aqueous solution of MB (purity 82%, Panreac) was 1.56 · 10−5 M, and the concentration of the photocatalyst was 0.3 g·L−1. The photocatalyst/MB mixture was kept in

Novel ZnO:Ag nanocomposites induce significant oxidative stress in human fibroblast malignant melanoma (Ht144) cells

• Syeda Arooj,
• Samina Nazir,
• Akhtar Nadhman,
• Nafees Ahmad,
• Bakhtiar Muhammad,
• Ishaq Ahmad,
• Kehkashan Mazhar and
• Rashda Abbasi

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 570–582, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.59

• DPBF itself whereas methylene blue (MB; ΦΔ = 0.49 ± 0.02) caused a significant increase in the 1O2 levels. The ZnO NPs (ΦΔ = 0.41 ± 0.04) also had a significant increase in the 1O2 levels. However, its level was slightly lower than that of MB. Both ZnO:Ag (10%) and ZnO:Ag (20%) nanocomposites (ΦΔ

Hematopoietic and mesenchymal stem cells: polymeric nanoparticle uptake and lineage differentiation

• Ivonne Brüstle,
• Thomas Simmet,
• Gerd Ulrich Nienhaus,
• Katharina Landfester and
• Volker Mailänder

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 383–395, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.38

• were incubated with 300 µg/mL nanoparticles for 24 h before starting the differentiation by providing the adequate differentiation medium. After 24 days, osteogenic and chondrogenic differentiation was analyzed by detecting alkaline phosphatase activity or methylene blue staining, respectively

• was performed. In the case of adipogenic differentiation, lipid droplets could be visualized with Oil-red O, the extracellular matrix developing during chondrogensis could be detected with methylene blue staining and, in the case of osteogenic differentiation, the activity of alkaline phosphatase was

• was detected by staining with Loeffler´s methylene blue (Carl Roth, Karlsruhe, Germany). Adipogenic differentiation was detected by the lipophilic dye Oil Red O (Sigma Aldrich), which stained the lipid droplets of adipocytes deep red. Hematoxylin–Harris was used for counter staining which stained the

Oxygen-plasma-modified biomimetic nanofibrous scaffolds for enhanced compatibility of cardiovascular implants

• Anna Maria Pappa,
• Varvara Karagkiozaki,
• Silke Krol,
• Spyros Kassavetis,
• Dimitris Konstantinou,
• Charalampos Pitsalidis,
• Lazaros Tzounis,
• Nikos Pliatsikas and
• Stergios Logothetidis

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 254–262, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.24

• to the reference wavelength of 690 nm. Data (n = 3) were presented as means of O.D. values as well as normalized according to the control and presented as % cell viability. Optical imaging through methylene blue staining: Once fibroblasts were seeded onto either unmodified or surface-modified

• nanofibrous scaffolds, cellular morphology and cell attachment were observed after 1, 3 and 7 days. Cells were fixed, after the predetermined time periods, in 4% formaldehyde/PBS, at rt for 20 min, permeabilized with PBS and incubated with methylene blue (blue fluorescence) at rt for 30 min. The cell surface

Nanostructure sensitization of transition metal oxides for visible-light photocatalysis

• Hongjun Chen and
• Lianzhou Wang

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2014, 5, 696–710, doi:10.3762/bjnano.5.82

• -mediated solvothermal method for the fabrication of nanosized CdS-sensitized TiO2 nanocrystals [27]. The obtained photocatalysts exhibited a high efficiency for the decomposition of methylene blue under visible light irradiation, demonstrating the strong coupling and effective electron transfers between

• alkenes under ambient conditions [102]. The similar photosensitization of graphene was also demonstrated in a ZnWO4/graphene hybrid photocatalysts for the degradation of methylene blue [103], a RGO–ZnO heterojunction for the photoelectrochemical H2 production [104], and GO–TiO2 for the photochemical water

• carbon nanodots can effectively harness the broad spectrum of sunlight to improve the photocatalytic activities of monoclinic bismuth vanadate (m-BiVO4) for the photodegradation of methylene blue [133]. The carbon nanodots play a twofold role in this photocatalytic process. Firstly, carbon nanodots

A visible-light-driven composite photocatalyst of TiO₂ nanotube arrays and graphene quantum dots

• Donald K. L. Chan,
• Po Ling Cheung and
• Jimmy C. Yu

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2014, 5, 689–695, doi:10.3762/bjnano.5.81

• ), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and UV–vis absorption spectroscopy. The product exhibited high photocatalytic performance in the photodegradation of methylene blue and enhanced photocurrent under visible

• methylene blue (MB). In a typical measurement, 10 mg photocatalyst were mechanically detached from Ti foils and suspended in 20 mL of 10 ppm aqueous solution of MB. The solution was stirred in the dark for 12 h to reach the adsorption/desorption equilibrium. The suspension was then illuminated with a 300 W

• ) pristine TNAs and (c,d) GQDs/TNAs; TEM images of (e) pristine TNAs and (f) GQDs/TNAs. XRD patterns of (a) Ti foil, (b) TNAs and (c) GQDs/TNAs. UV–vis absorption spectra of (a) TNAs, (b) amine-functionalized TNAs and (c) GQDs/TNAs. Photodegradation of methylene blue for TNAs and GQDs/TNAs under visible

Effects of the preparation method on the structure and the visible-light photocatalytic activity of Ag₂CrO₄

• Difa Xu,
• Shaowen Cao,
• Jinfeng Zhang,
• Bei Cheng and
• Jiaguo Yu

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2014, 5, 658–666, doi:10.3762/bjnano.5.77

• activity of the prepared Ag2CrO4was highly dependent on the preparation methods. The sample prepared by microemulsion method exhibits the highest photocatalytic efficiency on the degradation of methylene blue (MB) under visible-light irradiation. The enhanced photocatalytic activity could be ascribed to

• . The performance of the developed Ag2CrO4 is evaluated by the photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue under visible-light irradiation. The effect of the three preparation methods on the structure, optical properties and photocatalytic activity are investigated and discussed. Results and Discussion

Enhanced photocatalytic activity of Ag–ZnO hybrid plasmonic nanostructures prepared by a facile wet chemical method

• Sini Kuriakose,
• Vandana Choudhary,
• Biswarup Satpati and
• Satyabrata Mohapatra

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2014, 5, 639–650, doi:10.3762/bjnano.5.75

• microscopy (FESEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), photoluminescence (PL) and UV–visible absorption spectroscopy. The effects of citrate concentration and Ag nanoparticle loading on the photocatalytic activity of Ag–ZnO hybrid nanostructures towards sun-light driven degradation of methylene blue (MB

• -light driven degradation of methylene blue (MB) dye have been investigated. Results and Discussion Morphology and crystal structure FESEM images of as-synthesized ZnO and Ag–ZnO samples with varying citrate concentrations for different [Ag+]/[citrate] ratios are shown in Figure 1. The presence of

• ) were used as the starting materials for the synthesis of ZnO nanostructures. Silver nitrate (AgNO3, Spectrochem, India) and trisodium citrate (Na3C6H5O7, CDH, India) were used for the photodeposition of Ag nanoparticles onto ZnO nanostructures. Methylene blue (MB, SRL India) was used as dye for

Structural, optical and photocatalytic properties of flower-like ZnO nanostructures prepared by a facile wet chemical method

• Sini Kuriakose,
• Neha Bhardwaj,
• Jaspal Singh,
• Biswarup Satpati and
• Satyabrata Mohapatra

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2013, 4, 763–770, doi:10.3762/bjnano.4.87

• UV–vis absorption spectroscopy. SEM and TEM studies revealed flower-like structures consisting of nanosheets, formed due to oriented attachment of ZnO nanoparticles. Flower-like ZnO structures showed enhanced photocatalytic activity towards sun-light driven photodegradation of methylene blue dye (MB

• ] by the tape casting method. These ZnO plates showed a good photocatalytic activity for azo dyes that depended on their surface area. Shen et al. [34] have shown that depositing ZnO on silica nanoparticles is a simple and effective method to prepare photocatalysts that could degrade 90% methylene blue

• materials for synthesis of ZnO nanostructures. Zinc acetate dihydrate, KOH and methylene blue (MB) were purchased from SRL, India. All chemicals were of analytical grade and used as received without any further purification. Synthesis of ZnO nanostructures ZnO nanostructures were synthesized by a simple wet

Continuous parallel ESI-MS analysis of reactions carried out in a bespoke 3D printed device

• Jennifer S. Mathieson,
• Mali H. Rosnes,
• Victor Sans,
• Philip J. Kitson and
• Leroy Cronin

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2013, 4, 285–291, doi:10.3762/bjnano.4.31

• glassware/millifluidic techniques. On the left is a schematic presentation of the STL file, whilst on the right is the device with screw fittings and connected with 1/16 inch (1.6 mm) tubing. Methylene blue and rhodamine B are being pumped through the device, which allows the inner-tube path to be rendered

• visible. A section consisting of only methylene blue can be seen at the front, followed by a stronger purple band, which is obtained from the successful mixing of rhodamine B and methylene blue. Top: A schematic overview of the device setup. The three inlets were each connected to a syringe pump, which

Moisture harvesting and water transport through specialized micro-structures on the integument of lizards

• Philipp Comanns,
• Christian Effertz,
• Florian Hischen,
• Konrad Staudt,
• Wolfgang Böhme and
• Werner Baumgartner

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2011, 2, 204–214, doi:10.3762/bjnano.2.24

• microtom (Reichert, Wien, Austria) stained with Methylene Blue and investigated with a standard optical microscope. The three lizard species under investigation. (A) Moloch horridus with an array of spikes covering the entire upper side of the body. The snout–vent length is about 90 mm and the total length