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- calcium phosphate (3)
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- activated carbon (2)
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The synthesis, structure, and photocatalytic water splitting performance of two new titania (TiO 2 )/gold(Au)/Bombyx mori silk hybrid materials are reported. All materials are monoliths with diameters of up to ca. 4.5 cm. The materials are macroscopically homogeneous and porous with surface areas between 170 and 210 m 2/g. The diameter of the TiO 2 nanoparticles (NPs) – mainly anatase with a minor fraction of brookite – and the Au NPs are on the order of 5 and 7–18 nm, respectively. Addition of poly(ethylene oxide) to the reaction mixture enables pore size tuning, thus providing access to different materials with different photocatalytic activities. Water splitting experiments using a sunlight simulator and a Xe lamp show that the new hybrid materials are effective water splitting catalysts and produce up to 30 mmol of hydrogen per 24 h. Overall the article demonstrates that the combination of a renewable and robust scaffold such as B. mori silk with a photoactive material provides a promising approach to new monolithic photocatalysts that can easily be recycled and show great potential for application in lightweight devices for green fuel production.
Carbon Adsorbents from Spent Coffee for Removal of
Methylene Blue and Methyl Orange from Water
(2021)
Activated carbons (ACs) were prepared from dried spent coffee (SCD), a biological waste product, to produce adsorbents for methylene blue (MB) and methyl orange (MO) from aqueous solution. Pre-pyrolysis activation of SCD was achieved via treatment of the SCD with aqueous sodium hydroxide solutions at 90 °C. Pyrolysis of the pretreated SCD at 500 °C for 1 h produced powders with typical characteristics of AC suitable and effective for dye adsorption. As an alternative to the rather harsh base treatment, calcium carbonate powder, a very common and abundant resource, was also studied as an activator. Mixtures of SCD and CaCO3 (1:1 w/w) yielded effective ACs for MO and MB removal upon pyrolysis needing only small amounts of AC to clear the solutions. A selectivity of the adsorption process toward anionic (MO) or cationic (MB) dyes was not observed.
Injection of a mixture of HAuCl4 and cellulose dissolved in the ionic liquid (IL) 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride [Bmim]Cl into aqueous NaBH4 leads to colloidal gold nanoparticle/cellulose hybrid precipitates. This process is a model example for a very simple and generic approach towards (noble) metal/cellulose hybrids, which could find applications in sensing, sterile filtration, or as biomaterials.
The article describes the surface modification of 3D printed poly(lactic acid) (PLA) scaffolds with calcium phosphate (CP)/gelatin and CP/chitosan hybrid coating layers. The presence of gelatin or chitosan significantly enhances CP co-deposition and adhesion of the mineral layer on the PLA scaffolds. The hydrogel/CP coating layers are fairly thick and the mineral is a mixture of brushite, octacalcium phosphate, and hydroxyapatite. Mineral formation is uniform throughout the printed architectures and all steps (printing, hydrogel deposition, and mineralization) are in principle amenable to automatization. Overall, the process reported here therefore has a high application potential for the controlled synthesis of biomimetic coatings on polymeric biomaterials.
Calcium phosphate nanofibers with a diameter of only a few nanometers and a cotton-ball-like aggregate morphology have been reported several times in the literature. Although fiber formation seems reproducible in a variety of conditions, the crystal structure and chemical composition of the fibers have been elusive. Using scanning transmission electron microscopy, low dose electron (nano)diffraction, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, and energy-filtered transmission electron microscopy, we have assigned crystal structures and chemical compositions to the fibers. Moreover, we demonstrate that the mineralization process yields true polymer/calcium phosphate hybrid materials where the block copolymer template is closely associated with the calcium phosphate.
EDTA and NTA effectively tune the mineralization of calcium phosphate from bulk aqueous solution
(2017)
This study describes the effects of nitrilotriacetic acid (NTA) and ethylenediaminotetraacetic acid (EDTA) on themineralization of calciumphosphate from bulk aqueous solution. Mineralization was performed between pH 6 and 9 and with NTA or EDTA concentrations of 0, 5, 10, and 15 mM. X-ray diffraction and infrared spectroscopy show that at low pH, mainly brushite precipitates and at higher pH, mostly hydroxyapatite forms. Both additives alter the morphology of the precipitates. Without additive, brushite precipitates as large plates. With NTA, the morphology changes to an unusual rod-like shape. With EDTA, the edges of the particles are rounded and disk-like particles form. Conductivity and pH measurements suggest that the final products form through several intermediate steps.
The protein fraction, important for coffee cup quality, is modified during post-harvest treatment prior to roasting. Proteins may interact with phenolic compounds, which constitute the major metabolites of coffee, where the processing affects these interactions. This allows the hypothesis that the proteins are denatured and modified via enzymatic and/or redox activation steps. The present study was initiated to encompass changes in the protein fraction. The investigations were limited to major storage protein of green coffee beans. Fourteen Coffea arabica samples from various processing methods and countries were used. Different extraction protocols were compared to maintain the status quo of the protein modification. The extracts contained about 4–8 µg of chlorogenic acid derivatives per mg of extracted protein. High-resolution chromatography with multiple reaction monitoring was used to detect lysine modifications in the coffee protein. Marker peptides were allocated for the storage protein of the coffee beans. Among these, the modified peptides K.FFLANGPQQGGK.E and R.LGGK.T of the α-chain and R.ITTVNSQK.I and K.VFDDEVK.Q of β-chain were detected. Results showed a significant increase (p < 0.05) of modified peptides from wet processed green beans as compared to the dry ones. The present study contributes to a better understanding of the influence of the different processing methods on protein quality and its role in the scope of coffee cup quality and aroma. View Full-Text
The phase behavior of an amphiphilic block copolymer based on a poly(aspartic acid) hydrophilic block and a poly(n-butyl acrylate) hydrophobic block was investigated at the air–water and air–buffer interface. The polymer forms stable monomolecular films on both subphases. At low pH, the isotherms exhibit a plateau. Compression–expansion experiments and infrared reflection absorption spectroscopy suggest that the plateau is likely due to the formation of polymer bi- or multilayers. At high pH the films remain intact upon compression and no multilayer formation is observed. Furthermore, the mineralization of calcium phosphate beneath the monolayer was studied at different pH. The pH of the subphase and thus the polymer charge strongly affects the phase behavior of the film and the mineral formation. After 4 h of mineralization at low pH, atomic force microscopy shows smooth mineral films with a low roughness. With increasing pH the mineral films become inhomogeneous and the roughness increases. Transmission electron microscopy confirms this: at low pH a few small but uniform particles form whereas particles grown at higher pH are larger and highly agglomerated. Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy confirm the formation of calcium phosphate. The levels of mineralization are higher in samples grown at high pH.
Ionogels (IGs) based on poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) and the metal-containing ionic liquids (ILs) bis-1-butyl-3-methlimidazolium tetrachloridocuprate(II), tetrachloride cobaltate(II), and tetrachlorido manganate(II) have been synthesized and their mechanical and electrical properties have been correlated with their microstructure. Unlike many previous examples, the current IGs show a decreasing stability in stress-strain experiments on increasing IL fractions. The conductivities of the current IGs are lower than those observed in similar examples in the literature. Both effects are caused by a two-phase structure with micrometer-sized IL-rich domains homogeneously dispersed an IL-deficient continuous PMMA phase. This study demonstrates that the IL-polymer miscibility and the morphology of the IGs are key parameters to control the (macroscopic) properties of IGs.