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    PublicationOpen Access
    Fabrication of Naturally Derived Chitosan and Ilmenite Sand-Based TiO2/Fe2O3/Fe-N-Doped Graphitic Carbon Composite for Photocatalytic Degradation of Methylene Blue under Sunlight
    (MDPI, 2023-04-01) Mendis, A; Thambiliyagodage, C; Ekanayake, G; Liyanaarachchi, H; Jayanetti, M; Vigneswaran, S
    first_pagesettingsOrder Article Reprints Open AccessArticle Fabrication of Naturally Derived Chitosan and Ilmenite Sand-Based TiO2/Fe2O3/Fe-N-Doped Graphitic Carbon Composite for Photocatalytic Degradation of Methylene Blue under Sunlight by Amavin Mendis 1,Charitha Thambiliyagodage 1,*ORCID,Geethma Ekanayake 1,Heshan Liyanaarachchi 1ORCID,Madara Jayanetti 1 andSaravanamuthu Vigneswaran 2,3,* 1 Faculty of Humanities and Sciences, Sri Lanka Institute of Information Technology, Malabe 10115, Sri Lanka 2 Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology, University of Technology Sydney, P.O. Box 123, Sydney, NSW 2007, Australia 3 Faculty of Sciences & Technology (RealTek), Norwegian University of Life Sciences, P.O. Box N-1432 Ås, Norway * Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed. Molecules 2023, 28(7), 3154; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules28073154 Received: 15 March 2023 / Revised: 29 March 2023 / Accepted: 30 March 2023 / Published: 1 April 2023 (This article belongs to the Section Materials Chemistry) Download Browse Figures Versions Notes Abstract Fabrication of chitosan and ilmenite sand-based novel photocatalysts through the catalytic graphitization of chitosan is reported. Nanocomposites consisted of TiO2, Fe2O3 and Fe nanoparticles dispersed on a nitrogen-doped graphitic carbon framework. The surface area, pore volume and macropore structure of the carbon matrix is disturbed by the heterogeneously distributed nanoparticles. The extent of graphitization expanded with increasing metal loading as indicated by variation in the ID/IG ratio. The nanomaterial’s surface consists of Fe3+ and Ti4+, and graphitic, pyridinic and pyrrolic nitrogen were found in the carbon matrix. The band gap values of the composites varied in the 2.06–2.26 eV range. The photocatalytic activity of the synthesized nanomaterials was determined, and the highest rate constant for the photodegradation of methylene blue under sunlight was 4.4 × 10−3 min−1, which resulted with 10 mg/L MB and 25 mg of the best-performing catalyst. The rate constant rose with increasing concentrations of persulfate added to the medium. The rate constant greatly diminished with the addition of isopropyl alcohol as it scavenged hydroxyl radicals. The presence of co-pollutants including Pb2+, rhodamine B, PO43− and Cl− curtailed the rate of reaction. The activity reduced with an increasing number of uses of the catalyst.
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    PublicationEmbargo
    Visible Light Active Silver Decorated Iron Titanate/Titanium Dioxide Nanohybrid for Sterilization of Explants Grown by In Vitro Technique
    (John Wiley and Sons, 2022-12-04) Seneviratne, K .L; Munaweera, I; Peiris, S. E; Kodithuwakku, P; Peiris, C. N; Kottegoda, N
    Visible light (VL) active silver decorated iron titanate/titanium dioxide (Ag-FeTiO3/TiO2) nanohybrids derived from natural ilmenite sand effectively cleanse the exophytic plant pathogens in explants grown by in vitro techniques. VL active nanohybrid is synthesized by acid-hydrolysis of natural ilmenite, followed by precipitation of the lixivium and decoration with Ag onto FeTiO3/TiO2 nanoparticles, and finally calcination under a nitrogen environment to obtain Ag-FeTiO3/TiO2. A morphological study conducted using transmission electron microscopy (TEM) confirms the formation of Ag-FeTiO3/TiO2. Powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD) analysis shows that the nanohybrid primarily consists of anatase, iron titanate (FeTiO3), Ag2O, and Ag. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) study suggests the presence of Ag0/Ag2O/Fe2O3 composites on the FeTiO3/TiO2 particle surface. The optical band gap significantly changes from 3.14 eV (ilmenite) to 2.80 eV after the decoration of FeTiO3/TiO2 with Ag. This nanohybrid is utilized as a surface-sterilizing agent for in vitro establishment of the Dracaena sanderiana Sander ex Mast plant. Findings illustrate Ag-FeTiO3/TiO2 nanohybrid-based photo-sterilization leads to the survival of 90% of the microbes’ free cultures while the material can be re-used due to its photocatalytic behavior. Thus, the newly synthesized nanohybrid can replace harmful sterilization agents used in tissue culture techniques