TY - JOUR A1 - Unuabonah, Emmanuel A1 - Nöske, Robert A1 - Weber, Jens A1 - Günter, Christina A1 - Taubert, Andreas T1 - New micro/mesoporous nanocomposite material from low-cost sources for the efficient removal of aromatic and pathogenic pollutants from water JF - Beilstein journal of nanotechnology N2 - A new micro/mesoporous hybrid clay nanocomposite prepared from kaolinite clay, Carica papaya seeds, and ZnCl2 via calcination in an inert atmosphere is presented. Regardless of the synthesis temperature, the specific surface area of the nanocomposite material is between approximate to 150 and 300 m(2)/g. The material contains both micro- and mesopores in roughly equal amounts. X-ray diffraction, infrared spectroscopy, and solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy suggest the formation of several new bonds in the materials upon reaction of the precursors, thus confirming the formation of a new hybrid material. Thermogravimetric analysis/differential thermal analysis and elemental analysis confirm the presence of carbonaceous matter. The new composite is stable up to 900 degrees C and is an efficient adsorbent for the removal of a water micropollutant, 4-nitrophenol, and a pathogen, E. coli, from an aqueous medium, suggesting applications in water remediation are feasible. KW - 4-nitrophenol KW - Carica papaya seeds KW - clay KW - E. coli KW - micro/mesoporous KW - nanocomposite KW - water remediation Y1 - 2019 U6 - https://doi.org/10.3762/bjnano.10.11 SN - 2190-4286 VL - 10 SP - 119 EP - 131 PB - Beilstein-Institut zur Förderung der Chemischen Wissenschaften CY - Frankfurt, Main ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Ugwuja, Chidinma G. A1 - Adelowo, Olawale O. A1 - Ogunlaja, Aemere A1 - Omorogie, Martins O. A1 - Olukanni, Olumide D. A1 - Ikhimiukor, Odion O. A1 - Iermak, Ievgeniia A1 - Kolawole, Gabriel A. A1 - Günter, Christina A1 - Taubert, Andreas A1 - Bodede, Olusola A1 - Moodley, Roshila A1 - Inada, Natalia M. A1 - Camargo, Andrea S.S. de A1 - Unuabonah, Emmanuel Iyayi T1 - Visible-Light-Mediated Photodynamic Water Disinfection @ Bimetallic-Doped Hybrid Clay Nanocomposites JF - ACS applied materials & interfaces N2 - This study reports a new class of photocatalytic hybrid clay nanocomposites prepared from low-cost sources (kaolinite clay and Carica papaya seeds) doped with Zn and Cu salts via a solvothermal process. X-ray diffraction analysis suggests that Cu-doping and Cu/Zn-doping introduce new phases into the crystalline structure of Kaolinite clay, which is linked to the reduced band gap of kaolinite from typically between 4.9 and 8.2 eV to 2.69 eV for Cu-doped and 1.5 eV for Cu/Zn hybrid clay nanocomposites (Nisar, J.; Arhammar, C.; Jamstorp, E.; Ahuja, R. Phys. Rev. B 2011, 84, 075120). In the presence of solar light irradiation, Cu- and Cu/Zn-doped nanocomposites facilitate the electron hole pair separation. This promotes the generation of singlet oxygen which in turn improves the water disinfection efficiencies of these novel nanocomposite materials. The nanocomposite materials were further characterized using high-resolution scanning electron microscopy, fluorimetry, therrnogravimetric analysis, and Raman spectroscopy. The breakthrough times of the nanocomposites for a fixed bed mode of disinfection of water contaminated with 2.32 x 10(7) cfu/mL E. coli ATCC 25922 under solar light irradiation are 25 h for Zn-doped, 30 h for Cu-doped, and 35 h for Cu/Zn-doped nanocomposites. In the presence of multidrug and multimetal resistant strains of E. coli, the breakthrough time decreases significantly. Zn-only doped nanocomposites are not photocatalytically active. In the absence of light, the nanocomposites are still effective in decontaminating water, although less efficient than under solar light irradiation. Electrostatic interaction, metal toxicity, and release of singlet oxygen (only in the Cu-doped and Cu/Zn-doped nanocomposites) are the three disinfection mechanisms by which these nanocomposites disinfect water. A regrowth study indicates the absence of any living E. coli cells in treated water even after 4 days. These data and the long hydraulic times (under gravity) exhibited by these nanocomposites during photodisinfection of water indicate an unusually high potential of these nanocomposites as efficient, affordable, and sustainable point-of-use systems for the disinfection of water in developing countries. KW - disinfection KW - nanocomposite material KW - multidrug-resistant Escherichia coli KW - water KW - reactive oxygen species Y1 - 2019 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1021/acsami.9b01212 SN - 1944-8244 SN - 1944-8252 VL - 11 IS - 28 SP - 25483 EP - 25494 PB - American Chemical Society CY - Washington, DC ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Alrefai, Anas A1 - Mondal, Suvendu Sekhar A1 - Wruck, Alexander A1 - Kelling, Alexandra A1 - Schilde, Uwe A1 - Brandt, Philipp A1 - Janiak, Christoph A1 - Schoenfeld, Sophie A1 - Weber, Birgit A1 - Rybakowski, Lawrence A1 - Herrman, Carmen A1 - Brennenstuhl, Katlen A1 - Eidner, Sascha A1 - Kumke, Michael Uwe A1 - Behrens, Karsten A1 - Günter, Christina A1 - Müller, Holger A1 - Holdt, Hans-Jürgen T1 - Hydrogen-bonded supramolecular metal-imidazolate frameworks: gas sorption, magnetic and UV/Vis spectroscopic properties JF - Journal of Inclusion Phenomena and Macrocyclic Chemistry N2 - By varying reaction parameters for the syntheses of the hydrogen-bonded metal-imidazolate frameworks (HIF) HIF-1 and HIF-2 (featuring 14 Zn and 14 Co atoms, respectively) to increase their yields and crystallinity, we found that HIF-1 is generated in two different frameworks, named as HIF-1a and HIF-1b. HIF-1b is isostructural to HIF-2. We determined the gas sorption and magnetic properties of HIF-2. In comparison to HIF-1a (Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) surface area of 471m(2) g(-1)), HIF-2 possesses overall very low gas sorption uptake capacities [BET(CO2) surface area=85m(2) g(-1)]. Variable temperature magnetic susceptibility measurement of HIF-2 showed antiferromagnetic exchange interactions between the cobalt(II) high-spin centres at lower temperature. Theoretical analysis by density functional theory confirmed this finding. The UV/Vis-reflection spectra of HIF-1 (mixture of HIF-1a and b), HIF-2 and HIF-3 (with 14 Cd atoms) were measured and showed a characteristic absorption band centered at 340nm, which was indicative for differences in the imidazolate framework. KW - Gas-sorption KW - Ligand design KW - Magnetic properties KW - Supramolecular chemistry KW - Solvothermal synthesis Y1 - 2019 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1007/s10847-019-00926-6 SN - 1388-3127 SN - 1573-1111 VL - 94 IS - 3-4 SP - 155 EP - 165 PB - Springer CY - Dordrecht ER -