Titanium (Ti) used as condenser material in nuclear power plants encounter severe biofouling in marine environment which in turn affects the efficiency of the metal. To reduce the biofouling by marine microorganisms, surface modification of the Ti was carried out by anodization process to obtain nanotubes (TiO 2-NTs). The electrolyte solution containing 1% of ammonium fluoride resulted in uniform growth of TiO 2-NTs. TiO 2-NTs were further coated with chemically synthesized copper nanoparticles (NT-CuNP) using 3-amino propyl triethoxy silane as a coupling agent. NT-CuNP was characterized by field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), energydispersive spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction. The stability of the coating was determined by the amount of Cu + ions released into the surrounding using AAS. The microbial adhesion on the surface of Ti, TiO 2-NTs and NT-CuNP coupons were evaluated by sea water exposure studies using total viable count method and also characterized by FE-SEM for any morphological changes. The NT-CuNP coupons show a 60% reduction in microbial adhesion when compared to control Ti coupons.
Silver oxide (Ag2O) and copper(II)hydroxide (Cu(OH)2) nanoparticles were synthesized through a simple solution reduction method using silver nitrate (AgNO3) and copper sulphate pentahydrate (CuSO4.5H2O) in the presence of sodium hydroxide (NaOH) as reducing agent. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis, scanning electron microscopic (SEM) analysis, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopic (FT-IR) analysis, UV-absorption and photoluminescence (PL), vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM) studies were performed to confirm the size distribution measurement, surface morphology, optical and magnetic properties of the synthesized samples. Silver nanoparticles synthesized in the form of Ag2O and copper in the form of Cu(OH)2 was confirmed by the XRD study. The UV-Vis absorption analysis indicates that the absorption peak for Ag2O in the lower wavelength region of the optical spectrum. The sharp intensity peaks in the FTIR spectrum of Ag2O and Cu(OH)2 indicate the stretching and bending frequencies of the molecular functional groups in the samples as well as their high crystalline nature. The SEM images show the shape of Ag2O nanoparticles is nearly spheroid. The VSM study of Cu(OH)2 shows ferromagnetic interaction at room temperature. The antibacterial properties of Ag2O and Cu(OH)2 on Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli indicate that both the samples are effective on Staphylococcus aureus, which is concentration dependent.
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