Elaboration of thin colloidal silica films with controlled thickness and wettability

Silica films with controlled thickness and wettability have been formed by sequential adsorption of colloidal silica nanoparticles and a cationic polyelectrolyte (poly(allylamine hydrochloride) or poly(diallyldimethylammonium chloride)) was used as the binding agent. Whatever be the conditions used, the structure of films appeared dense and non-porous. Thicknesses varying from 12 to 430 nm and wettability varying from 5 to 60° were obtained when the pH or concentration of the silica solution was varied. Quartz crystal microbalance measurements evidenced the formation of regular and reproducible thin films mainly composed of silica nanoparticles. These films contained few polycations due to the formation of long-distance charge pairs between silica nanoparticles and polycations.     

Quartzite an efficient adsorbent for the removal of anionic and cationic dyes from aqueous solutions

Quartzite obtained from local source was investigated for the removal of anionic dye congo red (CR) and cationic dye malachite green (MG) as an adsorbent from aqueous solution in batch experiment. The adsorption process was studied as a function of dye concentration, contact time, pH and temperature. Adsorption process was described well by Langmuir and Freundlich isotherms. The adsorption capacity remained 666.7 mg/g for CR dye and 348.125 mg/g for MG dye. Data was analyzed thermodynamically, ΔH⁰ and ΔG⁰ values proved that adsorption of CR and MG is an endothermic and spontaneous process. Adsorption data fitted best in the pseudo-first order kinetic model. The adsorption data proved that quartzite exhibits the best adsorption capacity and can be utilized for the removal of anionic and cationic dyes.     

Adsorption of arsenic (V) from a water solution onto a surfactant-modified zeolite

In this study a surfactant-modified zeolite (SMZ) was prepared by adsorbing the cationic surfactant hexadecyltrimethylammonium (HDTMA) bromide on a clinoptilolite. The adsorption of the surfactant modified the surface properties of the clinoptilolite and enhanced the anionic capacity of the SMZ. The adsorption equilibrium data of As(V) from the water solution on the SMZ were obtained in a batch adsorber, and the Langmuir isotherm matched the data reasonably well. The As(V) adsorption capacity of the SMZ was 12.5 times greater than that of the clinoptilolite. The adsorption of As(V) on SMZ was mainly due to the interactions between the anionic sites of the SMZ and the As(V) anions in water solution. The adsorption capacity of the SMZ was dependent on the solution pH. The adsorption capacity was increased and decreased by augmenting the pH from 5 to 7 and from 7 to 12, respectively. This unusual behavior was due to the fact that the affinity of the As(V) for the SMZ was dependent on the As(V) species that were present in solution. The adsorption capacity of the SMZ was slightly favored by decreasing the temperature from 25 to 15 °C. The heat of adsorption was estimated to be ΔH _ads=−46.82 KJ/mol, indicating that the adsorption was exothermic and the As(V) was chemisorbed on the SMZ.     

Effective adsorption of Hg(II) ions by new ethylene imine polymer/β-cyclodextrin crosslinked functionalized magnetic composite

A new effective magnetic composite material was prepared successfully for adsorption Hg(II) ions by introducing β-cyclodextrin/ethylene imine polymer to the mesoporous silica. The morphology and structure of EIP-β-CD magnetic adsorbents were characterized by FT-IR, XR, DTG, XPS and SEM technologies. The effect of many factors were discussed detailedly such as adsorption time, initial concentration, pH, different composition of adsorbent and adsorption temperature. It was found that EIP-β-CD showed excellent adsorption capacity, high selectivity, good reutilization and fast adsorption rate. The maximum adsorption capacity was 248.72 mg/g and the best removal rate was 99.49 % under the optimized experimental conditions. The kinetic and thermodynamic study showed typical characteristic of chemical adsorption, exothermic and spontaneous. The best mass proportion of β-cyclodextrin, ethylene imine polymer and glutaraldehyde was 1.0:0.4:0.2, and proper β-cyclodextrin can develop the adsorption capacity for Hg(II) ions in this adsorbent. The possible adsorption mechanism was investigated in detail. After the fifth cycle experiment, this new adsorbent still showed excellent adsorption capacity which indicated that it has great potential for Hg(II) ions cleanup in water solution.     

Modified bentonite by polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane and quaternary ammonium salt and adsorption characteristics for dye

To remove methylene blue dye from water by adsorption, bentonites were modified by polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (POSS) and three kind of quaternary ammonium surfactants (dodecyl trimethyl ammonium bromide, tetrabutyl ammonium bromide, cetyl trimethylammonium bromide) in aqueous solution. Systematic adsorption experiments were carried out, the adsorption mechanism was studied, and the factors governing the adsorption of methylene blue on modified bentonite were discussed. The adsorption capacity of methylene blue on all three modified bentonites in 1000 mg·L⁻¹ solutions quickly reached equilibrium within 2000 s, and the removal rate was basically 100%; however, the removal rate in raw bentonite samples was only 60%. The pseudo second-order kinetic model can provide satisfactory kinetic data fitting. The obtained adsorption isotherms fit well with the Dubinin-Radushkevich isotherm model. The thermodynamic results showed that the adsorption process was a spontaneous endothermic physical adsorption process. With increasing pH and KCl concentration, the removal of methylene blue increased significantly. The results of this study confirmed that the modified bentonite is a candidate material as a cationic dye adsorbent.     

Adsorption of cesium using supermolecular impregnated XAD-7 composite: isotherms,kinetics and thermodynamics

As an effective cesium complex agent, calix[4]biscrown-6 (CBC) applied at a low cost way is of interest. In this study, CBC/XAD-7 was prepared by embedding CBC into XAD-7. Subsequently the as-prepared sorbent was used for the removal of cesium from aqueous solution as functions of HNO₃ concentration, contact time, temperature and initial cesium concentration. The results revealed that the nitric concentration influenced cesium adsorption by complex and protonation interaction. The most effective adsorption happened at the nitric concentration of 1.0 M. The adsorption isotherm well described with the Langmuir model illustrated a monolayer adsorption. Its maximum adsorption capacity was 24.4 mg/g in the 2 M nitric acid aqueous solution. The adsorption kinetics was in accordance with the pseudo-second order model, which indicated a chemisorption. The thermodynamic parameters demonstrated that the adsorption process was exothermal and spontaneous. In addition CBC/XAD-7 showed highly selective recognition toward cesium and good reusability. The study offered an economical and effective material for cesium removal.

     

Direct and indirect monitoring of peptide-silica interactions using time-resolved fluorescence anisotropy

The present work extends the application of time-resolved fluorescence anisotropy (TRFA) of a cationic probe rhodamine 6G (R6G) in aqueous Ludox to in situ monitoring of peptide adsorption onto the silica particles. Steady-state anisotropy and TRFA of R6G in Ludox sols were measured to characterize the extent of the ionic binding of the probe to silica particles in the presence of varying levels of tripeptides of varying charge, including Lys-Trp-Lys (KWK), N-acetylated Lys-Trp-Lys (Ac-KWK), Glu-Trp-Glu (EWE), and N-acetylated Glu-Trp-Glu (Ac-EWE). The results were compared to those obtained by direct observation of peptide adsorption using the steady-state anisotropy of the intrinsic tryptophan residue. Ionic binding of the peptides to Ludox particles produced an increase in the steady-state Trp anisotropy that was dependent on the number of cationic groups present, but the limiting anisotropy values were relatively low, indicating significant rotational freedom of the indole residue in the adsorbed peptides. On the other hand, R6G showed significant decreases in anisotropy in the presence of cationic peptides, consistent with the cationic peptides blocking the adsorption of the dye to the silica surface. Thus, R6G is able to indirectly report on the binding of peptides to Ludox particles. It was noteworthy that, while there were similar trends in the data obtained from steady-state anisotropy and TRFA studies of R6G, the use of steady-state anisotropy to assess binding of peptides overestimated the degree of peptide adsorption relative to the value obtained by TRFA. The study shows that the competitive binding method can be used to assess the binding of various biologically relevant compounds onto silica surfaces and demonstrates the potential of TRFA for probing peptide-silica and protein-silica interactions.     

Preparation of luminescent Cy5 doped core-shell SFNPs and its application as a near-infrared fluorescent marker

Cy5 dye is widely used as a biomarker in the research fields of life science because of its excitation at wavelengths above 600 nm where autofluorescence of bio-matter is much reduced. However, Cy5 dye could not be encapsulate into silica directly to form stable nanoparticles by using of the traditional methods. In this paper, an improved method had been developed to prepare Cy5 dye doped core-shell silica fluorescent nanoparticles (SFNPs), employing biomolecules conjugated Cy5 as the core material and silica coating produced from the hydrolysis TEOS (tetraethyl orthosilicate) in the water-in-oil microemulsion. To obtain stable Cy5 dye doped SFNPs with core-shell structure, five kinds of biomolecules with different iso-electric point (pI) have been selected to conjugate Cy5 for preparation of core-shell SFNPs. Results demonstrated that very bright and photostable Cy5 doped core-shell SFNPs could be both prepared by use of positive polysine conjugated Cy5 or IgG conjugated Cy5 as the core material, respectively. IgG conjugated Cy5 doped core-shell SFNPs was selected as a demonstration to be characterized and applied as a near-infrared fluorescent marker in cell recognition. The results showed that Cy5 doped core-shell SFNPs prepared by conjugating with a positive biomolecules IgG as the core material were luminescent and stable. About 110 Cy5 dye molecules could be doped in one nanoparticle with size of 42 ± 5 nm. The breast cancer cells had been selectively recognized by use of the near-infrared fluorescent marker based on the Cy5-IgG doped core-shell SFNPs. And the results demonstrated that this Cy5 doped core-shell SFNPs fluorescence marker was superior to the pure Cy5 dye marker for cell recognition in photostability and detection sensitivity.     

新型SiO2/SiO2核壳型固定相的制备与评价

采用层层自组装的方法,以微米多孔硅胶小球为核,将硅胶纳米粒子多层包覆,制备了核壳型SiO2/SiO2硅胶小球.透射电子显微镜表明这种硅胶小球具有明显的核壳结构,氮气吸附实验证明该硅胶小球是典型的介孔材料,具有良好的介孔结构和窄的孔径分布.将其作为基质制备碳十八键合核壳型SiO2/SiO2色谱固定相,该固定相的碳含量与未...     

Magnetic properties and dye adsorption capacities of silica–hematite nanocomposites with well-defined structures prepared in surfactant solutions

Silica–hematite (α-Fe₂O₃) nanocomposites were synthesized by addition of aqueous solution containing ferrous ions (Fe²⁺), cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) as a surfactant and tert-butanol (t-butanol) as a cosurfactant into colloidal silica solution. At alkaline atmosphere, silica surface with negative charges electrostatically attracts positively-charged iron hydroxide nuclei or particles which are stabilized by cationic CTAB molecules, and then silica–iron compound composites could be formed. Finally, the silica–hematite composite particles were obtained after calcination at 800 °C for 4 h. Through these processes, two types of composites having “core–shell type” or “decorated type” could be achieved. Morphology, BET surface area, crystallinity and magnetic properties of samples were analyzed by using TEM, BET, XRD and VSM, respectively. The “decorated type” composites had larger BET surface area and better magnetization. Also, to estimate the application in water treatment, adsorption properties of composites were studied through methylene blue (MB) adsorption which was characterized by UV–vis spectroscopy, involving collection of composites with neodymium magnet.     

The adsorption of dyes used in the textile industry on mesoporous materials

An adsorbent material made with a silica lamellar mesoporous material treated with chitosan has been proved to be useful to adsorb both anionic and cationic dyes used in the textile industry. The two tested dyes Tectilon Blue (anionic) and Rhodamine B (cationic) have different adsorption kinetics reflecting a complex mechanism of the phenomenon. Furthermore, the adsorption capacity and interaction strength of Tectilon Blue is higher than those of Rhodamine B. Tectilon Blue molecules are situated with the molecular plane perpendicular to the adsorbent surface, whilst that of the Rhodamine B molecule is flat and parallel to the surface. The differences may be attributed to the different regions of the adsorbent surface on which the dyes are adsorbed because of their different electric charge.     

Diglycolamide functionalized multi-walled carbon nanotubes for removal of uranium from aqueous solution by adsorption

Diglycolamide functionalized multi-walled carbon nanotubes (DGA-MWCNTs) were synthesized by sequential chemical reactions for removal of uranium from aqueous solution. Characterization studies were carried out using FT-IR spectroscopy, XRD and SEM analysis. Adsorption of uranium from aqueous solution on this material was studied as a function of nitric acid concentration, adsorbent dose and initial uranium concentration. The uranium adsorption data on DGA-MWCNTs followed the Langmuir and Freundlich adsorption isotherms. The adsorption capacity of DGA-MWCNTs as well as adsorption isotherms and the effect of temperature on uranium ion adsorption were investigated. The standard enthalpy, entropy, and free energy of adsorption of the uranium with DGA-MWCNTs were calculated to be 6.09 kJ mole⁻¹, 0.106 kJ mole⁻¹ K⁻¹ and −25.51 kJ mole⁻¹ respectively at 298K. The results suggest that DGA-MWCNTs can be used as efficient adsorbent for uranium ion removal.     

Synthesis and in vitro characterization of freeze-dried doxorubicin-loaded silica xerogels

The sol–gel technique can be used as a new method for loading an anticancer drug (doxorubicin hydrochloride) within a silica xerogel matrix. Procedure to obtain a doxorubicin-loaded silica xerogel was specially developed to avoid decomposition of doxorubicin and to facilitate the formation of narrow-pore structure. The main purpose of this paper was to examine molecular and macroscopic structural changes in the novel silica material under the desired conditions of in vitro doxorubicin release. Simulated body fluid (SBF, Kokubo solution) at 37 °C with ion concentrations nearly equal to those of human blood plasma (pH 7.4) was used for in vitro evaluation. The release test of doxorubicin was performed under static conditions with a regular replacement of SBF. The characterization of silica xerogel was performed by using SEM, BET, IR, and nitrogen gas adsorption/desorption measurements. The thermal decomposition behavior of this material was also reported.     

Effect of coating electrolytes on two-tailed surfactant bilayer coatings in capillary electrophoresis

Surfactants such as dioctadecyldimethylammonium bromide (DODAB) form semi-permanent coatings that effectively prevent adsorption of cationic proteins onto the fused silica capillary in capillary electrophoresis (CE). The bilayer coating is generated by flushing the capillary with a 0.1 mM surfactant solution. However, formation of the bilayer is strongly dependent on the coating electrolyte. The effect of counter-ions, electrolyte concentrations and buffer co-ions were monitored based on: the separation of basic model proteins; the adsorption kinetics of DODA⁺ onto fused silica; and dynamic light scattering (DLS) to determine vesicle size. Low concentrations (≤10.0 mM) and/or weakly associating buffers such as phosphate (pH 3.0), acetate (pH 4.0) and chloride should be used for DODAB coating solutions. Dissolving the surfactant in strongly associating electrolyte, such as phosphate at pH 7.0, results in poor coating of the capillary surface. Effective cationic bilayer coatings are formed if the buffer conditions favor formation of vesicles with diameters < 300 nm. Monitoring turbidity at 400 nm provides a convenient means of verifying vesicle diameter variation of <5 nm; that is, that the coating solution is effective.     

Functionalization effect of Fe-type MOF for methylene blue adsorption

Water pollutant such as dyes had danger the water quality. Todays, porous materials are great potential for dye adsorption from water bodies. In this study, the iron-based metal–organic framework (MOF-Fe) of MIL-101 is synthesized through a facile solvothermal method. The amine-functionalization effect of the MOF-Fe (amine-MOF-Fe) is evaluated for the adsorptive removal of methylene blue (MB) from aqueous solution. The adsorption behaviour had shown a rapid MB adsorption within the first hour of the process due to the pore-filling mechanism of the porous MOF-Fe structure. The electrostatic interaction between the amino group of amine-MOF-Fe and MB had contributed to the high adsorption capacity. The amine-functionalization effect also found the amine-MOF-Fe is having two times higher adsorption capacity when used with the loading two times lower than non-functionalized MOF-Fe. The maximum equilibrium adsorption capacities were measured at 149.25 and 312.5 mg/g with optimum MOFs loading of 0.8 and 0.4 g/L for MOF-Fe and amine-MOF-Fe, respectively. The adsorption mechanism proposed includes the electrostatic interaction, pore filling, hydrogen bonding, and π–π stacking. The regeneration study showed the MOFs could be recycled without interfering with the removal efficiency. Hence, the results indicate that the MOFs had desirable reusability for the practical adsorption of cationic dyes with its features of fast adsorption and high capacity.     

Adsorption behaviour and surfactant elution of cationic salivary proteins at solid/liquid interfaces,studied by in situ ellipsometry

Adsorption of the cationic salivary proteins lactoferrin, lactoperoxidase, lysozyme and histatin 5 to pure (hydrophilic) and methylated (hydrophobized) silica surfaces was investigated by in situ ellipsometry. Effects of concentration (≤10 μg ml⁻¹, for lysozyme ≤200 μg ml⁻¹) and dependence of surface wettability, as well as adsorption kinetics and elutability of adsorbed films by buffer and sodium dodecyl sulphate (SDS) solutions were investigated. Results showed that the amounts adsorbed decreased in the order lactoferrin ≥ lactoperoxidase > lysozyme ≥ histatin 5. On hydrophilic silica, the adsorption was most likely driven by electrostatic interactions, which resulted in adsorbed amounts of lactoferrin that indicated the formation of a monolayer with both side-on and end-on adsorbed molecules. For lactoperoxidase the adsorbed amounts were somewhat higher than an end-on monolayer, lysozyme adsorption showed amounts corresponding to a side-on monolayer, and histatin 5 displayed adsorbed amounts in the range of a side-on monolayer. On hydrophobized substrata, the adsorption was also mediated by hydrophobic interactions, which resulted in lower adsorbed amounts of lactoferrin and lactoperoxidase; closer to side-on monolayer coverage. For both lysozyme and histatin 5 the adsorbed amounts were the same as on the hydrophilic silica. The investigated proteins exhibited fast adsorption kinetics, and the initial kinetics indicated mass transport controlled behaviour at low concentrations on both types of substrates. Buffer rinsing and SDS elution indicated that the proteins in general were more tightly bound to the hydrophobized surface compared to hydrophilic silica. Overall, the surface activity of the investigated proteins implicates their importance in the salivary film formation.     

Adsorption of branched-linear polyethyleneimine-ethylene oxide conjugate on hydrophilic silica investigated by ellipsometry and Monte Carlo simulations

The adsorption of and conformation adopted by a branched-linear polymer conjugate to the hydrophilic silica-aqueous solution interface have been studied by in situ null ellipsometry and Monte Carlo simulations. The conjugate is a highly branched polyethyleneimine structure with ethyleneoxide chains grafted to its primary and secondary amino groups. In situ null ellipsometry demonstrated that the polymer conjugate adsorbs to the silica surface from water and aqueous solution of 1 mM asymmetric divalent salt (calcium and magnesium chloride to emulate hard water) over a large pH range. The adsorbed amount is hardly affected by pH and large charge reversal on the negatively charged silica surface occurred at pH = 4.0, due to the adsorption of the cationic polyelectrolyte. The Monte Carlo simulations using an appropriate coarse-grained model of the polymer in solution predicted a core-shell structure with no sharp boundary between the ethyleneimine and ethyleneoxide moieties. The structure at the interface is similar to that in solution when the polymer degree of protonation is low or moderate while at high degree of protonation the strong electrostatic attraction between the ethyleneimine core and oppositely charged silica surface distorts the ethyleneoxide shell so that an "anemone"-like configuration is adopted. The adsorption of alkyl benzene sulfonic acid (LAS) to a preadsorbed polymer layer was also investigated by null ellipsometry. The adsorption data brought additional support for the existence of a strong polymer adsorption and showed the presence of a binding which was further enhanced by the decreased solvency of the surfactant in the salt solution and confirmed the surface charge reversal by the polymer adsorption at pH = 4.0.     

Effect of synthesis time and treatment on porosity of mesoporous silica materials

Nitrogen adsorption at 77 K on mesoporous silica materials (MPS) with varying synthesis time and treatment conditions was investigated. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) were also used to characterize the mesoporous materials. This study was performed at 6, 24 and 72-h synthesis times. It is shown that 6-h is not enough for complete formation of the MPS material and at least 24-h is necessary. The pore structure starts decaying for the 72-h synthesis time. The three-after-synthesis treatment conditions used were 1) washed, 2) washed and calcined and 3) directly calcined after synthesis. Ethanol/HCl mixtures were used for washing and calcinations were performed at 550°C. Among these samples, directly washed sample yields the lowest adsorption capacity while washed and calcined sample yields the highest adsorption capacity. Hence, it is concluded that washing stabilizes the structure before high temperature treatment.     

The preparation of PZS-OH/CNT composite and its adsorption of U(VI) in aqueous solutions

In this paper, polycyclotriphosphazene coated carbon nanotubes (PZS-OH/CNT) composite material has been synthesized via a facial method. The prepared PZS-OH/CNT was characterized by FTIR, BET, zeta potential and SEM. The material was investigated as an adsorbent for the adsorption towards U(VI) from aqueous solutions. Several parameters like solution pH, contact time and temperature were used to evaluate the sorption efficiency. The results indicated that the adsorption capacity of uranium on PZS-OH/CNT was improved from 41.48 mg g⁻¹ for CNT to 338.98 mg g⁻¹ due to the presence of functional groups on PZS-OH/CNT. The U(VI) sorption on PZS-OH/CNT was well fitted to the Langmuir adsorption isotherm and pseudo-second kinetics models. The thermodynamic parameters (ΔH, ΔS and ΔG) showed the U(VI) adsorption on CNT and PZS-OH/CNT was endothermic and spontaneous in nature.

     

Cross-linking of cationic block copolymer micelles by silica deposition

Diblock copolymer micelles comprising cationic poly(2-(dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate) (PDMA) coronas and hydrophobic poly(2-(diisopropylamino)ethyl methacrylate) (PDPA) cores are used as nanosized templates for the deposition of silica from aqueous solution at pH 7.2 and 20 degrees C. Both noncross-linked and shell cross-linked (SCL) micelles can be coated with silica without loss of colloid stability. Under optimized conditions, the silica deposition is confined to the partially quaternized cationic PDMA chains, leading to hybrid copolymer-silica particles of around 35 nm diameter with well-defined core-shell morphologies. 1H NMR studies confirmed that the PDPA cores of these copolymer-silica particles became protonated at low pH and deprotonated at high pH, which suggests possible encapsulation and controlled release applications. Moreover, in situ silica deposition effectively stabilizes the PDPA-PDMA micelles, which remain intact on lowering the solution pH (whereas the original noncross-linked PDPA-PDMA micelles dissociate in acidic solution). This suggests a convenient route to silica-stabilized SCL micelles under mild conditions.