Photoacidity and Photodegradation within Polyelectrolyte/TiO2Suspensions and Coatings

Research output: Contribution to journalResearch articleContributedpeer-review

Contributors

  • Martin Müller - , Leibniz Institute of Polymer Research Dresden, TUD Dresden University of Technology (Author)
  • Dmitrij Všivcev - , Leibniz Institute of Polymer Research Dresden (Author)
  • Birgit Urban - , Leibniz Institute of Polymer Research Dresden (Author)
  • Felix Wendler - , Friedrich Schiller University Jena (Author)
  • Felix H. Schacher - , Friedrich Schiller University Jena (Author)
  • Andreas Fery - , Chair of Physical Chemistry of Polymeric Materials, Leibniz Institute of Polymer Research Dresden (Author)

Abstract

Photocatalytic coatings represent dynamic light switchable interfaces and offer applications in industrial and even personal waste water treatment concerning pollutant removal. In this framework, nanoparticular suspensions and scalable coatings composed of TiO2and weak polyelectrolytes (PE) were generated and studied concerning photoacidity and photodegradation applying UV light at a wavelength close to the band gap of TiO2. The TiO2modifications anatase and rutile and anionic poly(acrylic acid) (PAA), cationic poly(allylamine) (PAH), and ampholytic poly(dehydroalanine-graft-phosphonylacrylamide) (PDHAG) were utilized at germanium model substrates. Colloid, interfacial, and photocatalytic properties were investigated by potentiometry, dynamic light scattering (DLS), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, and scanning force microscopy (SFM). Upon UV illumination at 365 nm, all PE/anatase suspensions showed a significant pH decrease from pH = 6.00 down to pH = 5.27 and, partly, chemical changes within the PE fraction, while PE/rutile suspensions did not show such a pH drop. In comparison to the suspensions, PE/anatase coatings revealed less photoacidic properties but significant photocatalytic degradation of the bound PE, while this effect was absent in the case of PE/rutile samples. In application studies, acetate or anti-inflammatory drug flufenamic acid loaded into PE/anatase coatings could be significantly degraded upon UV illumination.

Details

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)9430-9440
Number of pages11
JournalACS applied polymer materials
Volume4
Issue number12
Publication statusPublished - 9 Dec 2022
Peer-reviewedYes

Keywords

Keywords

  • anatase, FTIR spectroscopy, photoacidity, photocatalysis, photodegradation, poly(acrylic acid), poly(allylamine), poly(dehydroalanine- graft-phosphonylacrylamide), rutile, titanium dioxide