TiO 2 nanoparticles are a major component in many areas, and especially for dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSC) as a result of their electronic structure that allows them to collect the electrons transferred from the dye molecules after sunlight irradiation, as well as of their semiconducting properties, which provide the surface transport of these electrons up to the collecting electrode. However, for this application or others, the optimization of both structural and electronic properties of titanium oxide is still a challenge because it depends on both crystalline structure and material nano/mesostructure. We report how small (<6 nm) titanium oxide nanoparticles were synthesized by a single step method, with the anatase crystalline phase obtained at room temperature, and an opened nanostructure. A mixture design method was required to identify the precise composition that led to the suitable material. Mesoporous materials made of pure anatase nanocrystals were obtained with the suitable porosity (5 nm pore diameter, 190 m 2 /g, 0.3 mL/g porous volume) without any surfactant agent. Both the evolution of the crystal size and nature of the phases were studied as a function of heating temperatures ranging from 20 to 800 °C. These materials display a good thermal stability up to 400 °C, in term of crystal size, and up to 700 °C, regarding the crystalline phase. Finally, the study of their semiconducting properties as a function of the crystal size allowed us to confirm the previous theoretical models regarding the crystal size-dependence of band gap and to set the limit of the size quantum confinement effect around 7 nm.
Pristine and Co-doped TiO2 mesocrystals have been synthesized via a simple sol–gel method and their antimicrobial activity has been investigated. The antimicrobial performance was evaluated in terms of zone of inhibition, minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC), antibiofilm activity, and effect of UV illumination in liquid media. The Co-doped TiO2 mesocrystals showed very promising MIC of 0.390 μg/mL and 0.781 μg/mL for P. mirabilis and P. mirabilis, respectively. Additionally, the material showed an MIC of 12.5 μg/mL against C. albicans, suggesting its use as antifungal agent. Upon the addition of 10.0 µg/mL of Co-doped TiO2 mesocrystals, the biofilm inhibition% reaches 84.43% for P. aeruginosa, 78.58% for P. mirabilis, and 77.81% for S. typhi, which can be ascribed to the created active oxygen species that decompose the tested microbial cells upon illumination. Thus the fabricated Co-doped TiO2 mesocrystals exhibit sufficient antimicrobial features under visible light, qualifying them for use as antimicrobial agents against pathogenic bacteria and fungi and subsequently inhibit their hazardous effects.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.