Mechanism of TiO2-assisted photocatalytic degradation of dyes under visible irradiation: photoelectrocatalytic study by TiO2-film electrodes

Photoelectrocatalytic degradation of various dyes under visible light irradiation with a TiO(2) nanoparticles electrode has been investigated to reveal the mechanism for TiO(2)-assisted photocatalytic degradation of dyes. The degradation of both cationic and anionic dyes at different biases, including the change in the degradation rate of the dyes and the photocurrent change with the bias potential, the degraded intermediates, the voltage-induced adsorption of dyes, the accumulation of electrons in the TiO(2) electrode, the effect of various additives such as benzoquinone (BQ) and N,N-dimethyl aniline (DMA), and the formation of active oxygen species such as O(2)(*-) and H(2)O(2) were examined by UV-visible spectroscopy, HPLC, TOC, and spin-trap ESR spectrometry. It was found that the dyes could controllably interact with the TiO(2) surface by external bias changes and charging of dyes. The cationic dyes such as RhB and MG underwent efficient mineralization at negative bias, but the N-dealkylation process predominated at positive bias under visible light irradiation. The discolorations of the anionic dyes SRB and AR could not be accelerated significantly at either negative or positive bias. At a negative bias of -0.6 V vs SCE, O(2)(*-) and dye(*+) were formed simultaneously at the electrode/electrolyte interface during degradation of cationic RhB. In the case of anionic dyes, however, it is impossible for the O(2)(*-) and dye cationic radical to coexist at the electrode/electrolyte surface. Experimental results imply both the superoxide anionic radical and the dye cationic radical are essential to the mineralization of the dyes under visible light-induced photocatalytic conditions.     

A spectral approach to determine location and orientation of azo dyes within surfactant aggregates

The UV–vis absorption properties of azo dyes are known to exhibit a variation with the polarity and acidity of the dye environment. The spectral properties of a series of anionic azo dyes were characterized to further probe the interaction of these dyes with two types of surfactant aggregates: (1) the spherical micelles formed in aqueous solution by alkyltrimethylammonium bromide (C_nTAB) surfactants with n = 10–16 and (2) the unilamellar vesicles spontaneously formed in water from binary mixtures of the oppositely-charged double-tailed surfactants cationic didodecyldimethylammonium bromide (DDAB) and anionic sodium dioctylsulfosuccinate (Aerosol OT or AOT). The observed dye spectra reflect the solvatochromic behavior of the dyes and suggest the location and orientation of the dye within the surfactant aggregates. Deconvolution of the overall spectra into sums of Gaussian curves more readily displays any contributions of tautomeric forms of the azo dyes resulting from intramolecular hydrogen bonding. The rich variation in UV/vis absorption properties of these anionic azo dyes supports their use as sensitive tools to explore the nanostructures of surfactant aggregates.     

Surfactant vesicles for high-efficiency capture and separation of charged organic solutes

We demonstrate the unique ability of catanionic vesicles, formed by mixing single-tailed cationic and anionic surfactants, to capture ionic solutes with remarkable efficiency. In an initial study (Wang, X.; Danoff, E. J.; Sinkov, N. A.; Lee, J.-H.; Raghavan, S. R.; English, D. S. Langmuir 2006, 22, 6461) with vesicles formed from cetyl trimethylammonium tosylate (CTAT) and sodium dodecylbenzenesulfonate (SDBS), we showed that CTAT-rich (cationic) vesicles could capture the anionic solute carboxyfluorescein with high efficiency (22%) and that the solute was retained by the vesicles for very long times (t1/2 = 84 days). Here we expand on these findings by investigating the interactions of both anionic and cationic solutes, including the chemotherapeutic agent doxorubicin, with both CTAT-rich and SDBS-rich vesicles. The ability of these vesicles to capture and hold dyes is extremely efficient (>20%) when the excess charge of the vesicle bilayer is opposite that of the solute (i.e., for anionic solutes in CTAT-rich vesicles and for cationic solutes in SDBS-rich vesicles). This charge-dependent effect is strong enough to enable the use of vesicles to selectively capture and separate an oppositely charged solute from a mixture of solutes. Our results suggest that catanionic surfactant vesicles could be useful for a variety of separation and drug delivery applications because of their unique properties and long-term stability.     

双分子膜上染料的吸附性质及对膜结构的影响

系统地研究了染料甲基橙和达旦黄在含席夫碱基囊泡双分子膜阳离子表面上的吸附和聚集，以及由此产生的对膜聚集结构的影响，染料的吸附和聚集可经电子吸收光谱的因吸附产生的沉淀证实，并且ＭＯ的聚集结构的Ｈ－聚集，ＴＹ的聚集结构为Ｊ－聚集。改变ｐＨ的研究表明ＭＯ在变色ｐＨ值以及因形成阳离子而解聚，ＴＹ在酸性条件下亦因离子化程度减弱和部分质子化而使聚集被削弱，但在碱性条件下其聚集产生更大的红移。温度变化的结果显示     

Interaction between β‐Cyclodextrin and Mixed Cationic‐Anionic Surfactants (2): Aggregation Behavior

The interactions between β‐cyclodextrin (β‐CD) and the mixtures of cationic‐anionic surfactants in the aqueous solution were investigated by surface tension, rheology, and dynamic light scattering measurements. It was shown that the key‐lock interactions between β‐CD and mixed cationic‐anionic surfactants were stronger than the electrostatic/hydrophobic interactions between cationic and anionic surfactants. The inclusion of β‐CD to surfactants could destroy the ion‐pair and aggregates of cationic‐anionic surfactants, and even inhibited the precipitation of the mixed cationic‐anionic surfactants. Furthermore, the inclusion of β‐CD to surfactants could also destroy the hydrogen bond between β‐CD molecules, inducing the disassociation of the aggregation formed by β‐CD themselves.     

Nanoparticles based on polyelectrolyte complexes: effect of structure and net charge on the sorption capability for solved organic molecules

 The sorption of solved organic molecules such as p-nitrophenol or dyes on previously formed nanoparticles based on polyelectrolyte/micelle complexes or polycation/polyanion complexes was studied. It could be shown that the sorption capability strongly depends on the structure and properties of the complex particles. Investigations have been made with complex particles that differ in their hydrophobic/hydrophilic structure, size and net charge. Such complex aggregates could be prepared by mixing the cationic surfactant dodecylamido-ethyldimethylbenzylammonium chloride, the polycations poly(diallyldimethylammonium chloride) or poly(methacryloyloxyethyldimethylbenzylammonium chloride) and the copolymers of maleic acid with propene or methylstyrene as anionic components. It is found that the sorption capability increases with increasing molar mass and hydrophobic properties of the components used. In addition, the concentration ratio c _polym/c _org.poll that was required to reach optimal sorption conditions could be decreased by the use of macromolecules with high molar masses. The best results were obtained by using cationic stabilized complex particles formed with high-molar-mass polycations as sorbents for anionic dye molecules. Received: 10 November 1999 Accepted: 24 February 2000     

Phase Behavior in Mixtures of Cationic Dimeric and Anionic Monomeric Surfactants

The formation of mixed aggregates has been investigated in the mixture of oppositely charged surfactants vastly differing in molecular geometry and size. The systems considered is mixture of the cationic gemini surfactant, ethanediyl-1,2-bis(dodecyldimethylammonium bromide), and anionic surfactant, sodium dodecyl sulfate. Various mixed nano- and microaggregates (micelles, vesicles, thin lamellar sheets, and tubules) were formed depending on bulk composition and total surfactant concentration. Two types of aggregates were found in precipitate, the tubules as prevailing aggregates on the gemini-rich side, and vesicles as prevailing aggregates on the SDS-rich side. The tubules formation was ascribed to mutual influence of specific structure of cationic dimeric surfactant and electrostatic interactions at the bilayer/solution interface. The proposed mechanism involved the formation of lamellar sheets, which rolled-up into tubules.     

Internally catalyzed separation of adhered lipid membranes

When a giant vesicle composed of POPC (rendered anionic with 5 mol % POPG) touches a giant POPC vesicle (rendered cationic with 5 mol % of DDAB), the two vesicles adhere strongly. When, however, low levels (0.1-2 mol %) of a perylene-substituted lipid are incorporated in to the bilayer, the vesicles separate at a rate that depends on the additive concentration. The vesicles that drift apart lose charge, indicating that the anionic and cationic components of the vesicles have interchanged upon contact. Presumably, the large perylene disrupts bilayer packing to allow the intervesicular exchange, and subsequent charge neutralization, to occur with up to 104 rate increases. It is possible that adhered living cells release one another by, similarly, producing low levels of a membrane-bound lipid or protein that induces so-called "kiss-and-run" vesicle events by promoting the release of adhesive elements.     

Comparative study of organic dyes with time-of-flight static secondary ion mass spectrometry and related techniques

A series of cationic, zwitterionic and anionic fluorinated carbocyanine dyes, spin-coated on Si substrates, were measured with time-of-flight static secondary ion mass spectrometry (TOF-S-SIMS) under Ga(+) primary ion bombardment. Detailed fragmentation patterns were developed for all dyes measured. In the positive mode, the resulting spectra showed very intense signals for the precursor ions of the cationic dyes, whereas the protonated signals of the anionic dyes were hardly detected. Differences of three orders of magnitude were repeatedly observed for the secondary ion signal intensities of cationic and anionic dyes, respectively. All measured dyes yielded mass spectra containing several characteristic fragment ions. Although the secondary ion yields were still higher for the cationic than the anionic dye fragments, the difference was reduced to a factor of < or =10. This result and the fact that M(+), [M + H](+) or [M + 2H](+) are even-electron species make it very likely that the recorded fragments were not formed directly out of the (protonated) parent ions M(+), [M + H](+) or [M + 2H](+). In the negative mode, none of the recorded spectra contained molecular information. Only signals originating from some characteristic elements of the molecules (F, Cl), the anionic counter ion signal and some low-mass organic ions were detected. A comparative study was made between TOF-S-SIMS, using Ga(+) primary ions, and other mass spectrometric techniques, namely fast atom bombardment (FAB), electrospray ionization (ESI) and matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI). The measurements showed that MALDI, ESI and FAB all give rise to spectra containing molecular ion signals. ESI and FAB produced M(+) and [M + H](+) signals, originating from the cationic and zwitterionic dyes, in the positive mode and M(-) and [M - H](-) signals of the anionic and zwitterionic dyes in the negative mode. With MALDI, molecular ion signals were measured in both modes for all the dyes. Structural fragment ions were detected for FAB, ESI and MALDI in both the positive and negative modes. Compared with the other techniques, TOF-S-SIMS induced a higher degree of fragmentation.     

Interaction of Polymethine Dyes with Detonation Nanodiamonds

Among cationic, anionic, and merocyanine polymethine dyes, the binding to detonation nanodiamond (DND) colloid particles in hydrosol occurs only for negatively charged dye species. This, in view of the positive ζ-potential of the DND used in this study, suggests the predominance of electrostatic interactions over other intermolecular forces in such systems. Indeed, after decorating the merocyanine and the cationic dye by one and two negatively charged sulfopropyl groups, respectively, so that the net charge of their colored species becomes negative, the compounds also demonstrate affinity to the DND particles. In all cases, the binding of dyes to DND is accompanied by a decrease in fluorescence intensity and a bathochromic shift of their absorption and fluorescence bands. A quantitative study of the dyes adsorption on the DND nanoparticles as performed using the Küster-Freundlich and Langmuir equations reveals some peculiarities of their attaching to the DND aggregates and allows estimating the specific area of the DND particles at a concentration of 0.0212 wt/vol %.     

Cationic gel-phase liposomes with "decorated" anionic SPIO nanoparticles: morphology, colloidal, and bilayer properties

The assembly and complexation of oppositely charged colloids are important phenomena in many natural and synthetic processes. Liposome-nanoparticle assemblies (LNAs) represent an interesting hybrid system that combines "soft" and "hard" colloidal materials. This work describes the formation and characterization of gel-phase LNAs formed by the binding of anionic superparamagnetic iron oxide (SPIO) nanoparticles to cationic dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (DPPC)/dipalmitoyltrimethylammonium propane (DPTAP) liposomes. Particles were examined with hydrodynamic diameters below (16 nm) and above (30 nm) the cutoff reported for supported lipid bilayer formation. LNA formation with 16 nm particles was entropically driven and particles bound individually to yield "decorated" structures. In this case, increasing nanoparticle concentration yielded colloidal LNA aggregates and eventual charge inversion. In contrast, LNA formation with 30 nm particles was enthalpically driven, and the nanoparticles aggregated at the bilayer interface. These aggregates led to significant LNA aggregation and large bilayer sheets due to liposome rupture despite minimal charge screening of the liposome surface. In this case SLBs were present, but these structures were not dominant. Differences in LNA structure were also revealed through the lipid phase transition behavior. This work infers size-dependent nanoparticle binding and LNA formation mechanisms that can be used to tailor colloidal and bilayer properties. Analogies are made to polyelectrolyte patch charge heterogeneities and DNA complexation with cationic liposomes.     

Cationic Zr-based metal-organic framework via post-synthetic alkylation for selective adsorption and separation of anionic dyes

Adsorption and separation of toxic organic dyes are of great importance in wastewater treatment and dye recycling. In this work, cationic metal-organic framework MIL-140C–2NMe⁺ with triangular hydrophobic channels was prepared in which methyl groups were added to the pyridyl sites of the ligand [2,2'-bipyridine]-5,5'-dicarboxylic acid (H₂bpydc) via post-synthetic alkylation reaction. MIL-140C–2NMe⁺ can be used as an efficient adsorbent for the selective adsorption and separation of anionic dyes in the aqueous mixture of cationic/anionic dyes. Specifically, the adsorption capacities of MIL-140C–2NMe⁺ for anionic methyl orange can reach 310 mg/g in 10 min. With a facile doctor-blading process, we have also polymerized the MIL-140C–2NMe⁺ nanocrystals and polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) polymer to fabricate a flexible and self-supporting mixed matrix membrane (MMM), which can selectively capture and separate the anionic organic dyes from the binary dye mixtures.     

Adsorption and kinetic studies of cationic and anionic dyes on pyrophyllite from aqueous solutions

The adsorption of cationic Methylene Blue (MB) and anionic Procion Crimson H-EXL (PC) dyes from aqueous medium on pyrophyllite was studied. Changes in the electrokinetics of pyrophyllite as a function of pH were investigated in the absence and presence of multivalent cations. The results show that pyrophyllite in water exhibits a negative surface charge within the range pH 2-12. Pyrophyllite is found to be a novel adsorbent for versatile removal of cationic and anionic dyes. The negative hydrophilic surface sites of pyrophyllite are responsible for the adsorption of cationic MB molecules. The adsorption of anionic PC dye is possible after a charge reversal by the addition of trivalent cation of Al. Nearly 2 min of contact time are found to be sufficient for the adsorption of both dyes to reach equilibrium. The experimental data follow a Langmuir isotherm with adsorption capacities of 70.42 and 71.43 mg dye per gram of pyrophyllite for MB and PC, respectively. For the adsorption of both MB and PC dyes, the pseudo-second-order chemical reaction kinetics provides the best correlation of the experimental data.     

Migration of a cationic polymer between lipid vesicles

The adsorption of a synthetic polycation, poly(N-ethyl-4-vinylpyridinium bromide) (PEVP), on the surface of bilayer lipid vesicles (liposomes) and the migration of adsorbed macromolecules between the liposomes are studied. Liposomes of three types are used, including (1) traditional two-component liposomes composed of neutral phosphatidylcholine (PC) and anionic cardiolipin (CL); (2) three-component liposomes consisting of PC, CL, and cationic dicetyldimethylammonium bromide (DCMAB); and (3) anionic PC/CL liposomes with a nonionic surfactant, poly(ethylene oxide)-cetyl alcohol ether (Briij 58), incorporated into their bilayers. The adsorption of PEVP on the surface of PC/CL liposomes is accompanied by their aggregation. Using the fluorescence method, it is shown that the units (segments) of the polycation undergo partial redistribution between the liposomes inside the aggregates formed from PC/CL liposomes (with and without a fluorescent label) and PEVP. On the contrary, three-component PC/CL/DCMAB and PC/CL/Briij liposomes are not aggregated, even with the complete neutralization of their charges by adsorbed PEVP. In both cases, the migration of PEVP molecules between individual (nonaggregated) liposomes is observed. Possible reasons for the aggregative stability of the three-component PC/CL/DCMAB and PC/CL/Briij liposomes and the mechanism of interliposome migration of PEVP in such systems are discussed.     

Lateral organization of a membrane protein in a supported binary lipid domain: direct observation of the organization of bacterial light-harvesting complex 2 by total internal reflection fluorescence microscopy

A unique method is described for directly observing the lateral organization of a membrane protein (bacterial light-harvesting complex LH2) in a supported lipid bilayer using total internal reflection fluorescence (TIRF) microscopy. The supported lipid bilayer consisted of anionic 1,2-dioleoyl-sn-glycero-3-[phospho-rac-(1'-glycerol)] (DOPG) and 1,2-distearoly-sn-3-[phospho-rac-(1'-glycerol)] (DSPG) and was formed through the rupture of a giant vesicle on a positively charged coverslip. TIRF microscopy revealed that the bilayer was composed of phase-separated domains. When a suspension of cationic phospholipid (1,2-dioleoyl-sn-glycero-3-ethylphosphocholine: EDOPC) vesicles (approximately 400 nm in diameter), containing LH2 complexes (EDOPC/LH2 = 1000/1), was put into contact with the supported lipid bilayer, the cationic vesicles immediately began to fuse and did so specifically with the fluid phase (DOPG-rich domain) of the supported bilayer. Fluorescence from the incorporated LH2 complexes gradually (over approximately 20 min) spread from the domain boundary into the gel domain (DSPG-rich domain). Similar diffusion into the domain-structured supported lipid membrane was observed when the fluorescent lipid (1,2-dioleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphoethanolamine-N-lissamine-rhodamine B sulfonyl: N-Rh-DOPE) was incorporated into the vesicles instead of LH2. These results indicate that vesicles containing LH2 and lipids preferentially fuse with the fluid domain, after which they laterally diffuse into the gel domain. This report describes for first time the lateral organization of a membrane protein, LH2, via vesicle fusion and subsequent lateral diffusion of the LH2 from the fluid to the gel domains in the supported lipid bilayer. The biological implications and applications of the present study are briefly discussed.     

Interaction of ionic surfactants with cornea-mimicking anionic liposomes

The interaction of surface-active molecules with lipid bilayers is ubiquitous both in biological systems and also in several technological applications. Here we explore the interaction of ionic surfactants with liposomes whose composition mimics the ocular epithelia. In this study, liposomes with a composition mimicking ocular epithelia are loaded with calcein dye above the self-quenching concentration. The liposomes are then exposed to surfactants, and the rate of dye leaked from the liposomes due to the interaction of surfactants is measured. Both cationic and anionic surfactants at various concentrations and ionic strengths are explored. Results show that the liposome bilayer permeability to the dye increases on exposure to the surfactants, leading to the release of the dye trapped in the core. However, the dye release stops after a finite time, suggesting a transient increase in permeability followed by healing. The leakage profiles exhibit two different timescales for the cationic surfactant but only one timescale for the anionic surfactant. The total dye leakage increases with surfactant concentration, and at a given concentration, the dye leakage is significantly higher for the cationic surfactants. The timescale for the healing decreases with increasing surfactant concentration, and increasing ionic strength increases the dye leakage for the anionic surfactant. These results show that the surfactant binding to the lipid bilayer increases the permeability while the bilayers heal likely because of the surfactant jump from the outer to the inner leaflet and/or rearrangement into tighter aggregates.     

具有超高阳离子染料去除能力的磺酸功能化球形共价有机框架

通过三醛基间苯三酚(TFP)与2,2′-联苯胺二磺酸(BDSA)的席夫碱反应, 合成了β-酮烯胺连接的磺酸功能化球形共价有机框架(TFP-BDSA COF). 所得阴离子型TFP-BDSA可迅速吸附如亚甲基蓝(MLB)、 结晶紫(CV)和罗丹明B(RhB)等阳离子染料, 而对如甲基橙(MO)和荧光素钠(FS)等阴离子染料则难以吸附, 该COF可实现基于电荷模式的阴离子、 阳离子染料的分离. TFP-BDSA对阳离子染料的吸附动力学均遵循拟二级吸附动力学模型, 吸附过程符合Langmuir吸附模型, 其对MLB, CV和RhB的最大吸附容量分别高达1116, 1429和1638 mg/g. 与其它COFs材料相比, TFP-BDSA对CV和RhB的吸附容量最高. 该工作可为开发功能COFs材料实现对废水中有机污染物的快速吸附和有效去除提供参考.     

One‐Pot Fabrication of RGO–Ag3VO4 Nanocomposites by in situ Photoreduction using Different Sacrificial Agents: High Selectivity Toward Catechol Synthesis and Photodegradation Ability

Weak photon absorption and fast carrier kinetics in graphene restrict its applications in photosensitive reactions. Such restrictions/limitations can be overcome by covalent coupling of another photosensitive nanostructure to graphene, forming graphene‐semiconductor nanocomposites. Herein, we report one‐pot synthesis of RGO–Ag₃VO₄ nanocomposites using various sacrificial agents like ethanol, methanol, propanol and ethylene glycol (EG) under visible light illumination. The Raman spectral analysis and ¹³C MAS NMR suggest ethanol to be the best sacrificial agent among those studied. Thermal analysis studies, further, confirm the stability of the synthesized nanocomposite with ethanol as sacrificial agent. In view of this, the activity toward dye degradation was focused over the composites prepared via ethanol as sacrificial agent. It was observed and proved that cationic dyes could be degraded quantitatively and swiftly compared to anionic dyes (37.79%) in 1.5 h. This suggests that the surface of the nanocomposites is anionic as partial reduction takes place during synthesis process. In case of mixed dye degradation process, it was noticed that the presence of cationic dye doubles the degradation of anionic dye. The activity of these synthesized nanocomposites is more than five‐fold toward the phototransformation of phenol and photodegradation of textile dyes under visible light illumination.     

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.     

Removal of anionic and cationic dyes from wastewater by adsorption using multiwall carbon nanotubes

This paper evaluated the efficiency and reusability of multiwall carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) on removal of cationic and anionic dyes under effect of pH, dose of MWNTs and concentration of dyes. The characterization of MWNTs is characterized by scanning electron microscope (SEM), transmission electron microscope (TEM), Raman spectra and BET (Brunauer, Emmett and Teller) surface area. SEM and TEM analyses showed that MWNTs had size within nano scale range of 10–50 nm. The experimental results indicated that the efficiency of removal of MWNTs increase under condition of normal pH, at contact time 60 min with agitation speed 240 rpm and initial concentration of dyes 10 mg/l. Under these optimal conditions, the removal reached 98.7% and 97.2% for anionic dyes and cationic dyes, respectively. For economic use, MWNTs can be used more than one time where the same experiments with the already used MWNTs was repeated and it was found that the percent removal is almost the same.