Fabrication of hybrid polystyrene–titanium dioxide with enhanced dye degradation and antimicrobial properties: investigation of the effect of triethylene glycol dimethacrylate on photocatalytic activity

Abstract

The mini‐emulsion polymerization of polystyrene–titanium dioxide (PS/TiO2) hybrid antibacterial material was carried out. Triethylene glycol dimethacrylate (TEGDMA) was used, as a crosslinking agent, to enhance the stability, the encapsulation efficiency of TiO2, the self‐organized structure of the nanoparticles and photocatalytic behavior. The particle size and morphology as well as the photocatalytic properties of the polymer hybrids were characterized by dynamic light scattering, field emission SEM and UV–visible spectroscopy. The results showed that the average particle size of PS/TiO2 hybrids was in the range 98–242 nm with a narrow size distribution. The results of field emission SEM demonstrated the raspberry‐like self‐organized hexagonal structure of the polymer hybrids in the presence of TEGDMA. The morphology and structure of the PS/TiO2 hybrid were observed using high resolution TEM. The results show that the PS and PS/TiO2 hybrids have a well‐defined structure. Energy‐dispersive X‐ray spectroscopy was used to confirm that PS/TiO2 hybrid contains elemental titanium. It was noticed that the elemental analysis of Ti and O was 8.03 wt% (2.9 at%) and 7.97 wt% (6.5 at%), respectively. It should be emphasized that the results of high resolution TEM and energy‐dispersive X‐ray spectroscopy are considered excellent proof for the formation of PS/TiO2 hybrid. The thermal properties of PS and the hybrids with TiO2 were explored by DSC. It was found that the presence of TEGDMA in the system may reduce the glass transition temperature (Tg) of the polymer hybrids. XRD confirmed the formation of PS/TiO2 hybrids and the antibacterial activity was also investigated. An escalation of intensity in the XRD pattern of the TiO2 signals in the PS/TiO2 hybrids was observed. The antibacterial activity study noted that the PS/TiO2 hybrid demonstrated excellent antifungal and antibacterial properties against a broad range of both Gram‐positive (Staphylococcus aureus) and Gram‐negative (Klebsiella pneumoniae) bacteria. The photocatalytic efficiency of PS/TiO2 was assessed by monitoring the discoloration of an organic dye (methylene blue) under UVA irradiation. It indicated that the photocatalysis of PS/TiO2 in the presence of TEGDMA was increased due to the association of TEGDMA in the self‐organization structure of the hybrid system. © 2021 Society of Industrial Chemistry.

Surface modification of TiO2 nanoparticles with organic molecules and their biological applications

“…Metanawin and Metanawin used the mini-emulsion polymerization of the TiO 2 NP–polystyrene (TiO 2 NP–PS) hybrid antibacterial material. 210 Triethylene glycol dimethacrylate (TEGDMA) was employed, as a crosslinking agent, to improve the stability/modification efficiency of TiO 2 NPs and photocatalytic activity. Their results showed an excellent antibacterial effect of these TiO 2 NPs–PS against both Gram-positive ( S. aureus ) and Gram-negative ( K. pneumoniae ) bacteria.…”

Titanium dioxide nanoparticles: Recent progress in antimicrobial applications

“…DSC also can be a reference in measurement as it can offer an accurate determination of the activation energy of crystallization (Es‐Soufi et al, 2021). In a study of the thermal fabrication of hybrid polystyrene–TiO 2 with antimicrobial properties, the employment of DSC helped to determine the successful binding by using a crosslinker (Metanawin & Metanawin, 2022). Several studies employed the DSC analysis to detect the addition of other materials with NPs by measuring the thermal difference (Nandimath et al, 2019; Sharma et al, 2014).…”

Well‐defined poly(methyl methacrylate) hybrid titanium dioxide via miniemulsion polymerization: Design and evaluation of methylene blue dye degradation and antibacterial

“…[1][2][3][4] Manufacturers can fabricate new hybrid polymer materials that combine unique characteristics of different substances using both organic and inorganic materials. 5,6 This opens avenues for a variety of applications leveraging the photocatalytic, antibacterial, and self-cleaning properties of hybrid polymers, [7][8][9][10][11][12] which attracts significant research attention. The fabrication and functionality of hybrid polymer materials require good control over interfaces while synthesizing the nanostructures.…”

“…15,16 The colloid system is a challenging alternative method to modify metal oxides. [8][9][10] The miniemulsion process is a well-known technique in colloid systems to modify hybrid metal oxide surfaces which allows the formation of complex structured polymeric NPs and the encapsulation of solid or liquid particles. 17,18 Miniemulsion polymerization uses an effective surfactant (stabilizing against coalescence) and co-stabilizer (creating osmotic pressure against Ostwald ripening) system to produce a significantly small (50-500 nm) monomer droplet.…”

“…17,18 Miniemulsion polymerization uses an effective surfactant (stabilizing against coalescence) and co-stabilizer (creating osmotic pressure against Ostwald ripening) system to produce a significantly small (50-500 nm) monomer droplet. 8,17,18 Nano-titanium dioxide (TiO 2 ) has received extensive attention in the field of photocatalysts due to its characteristics, commonly used materials, low cost, high stability, and ease of processing. However, most studies are focused on synthesis methodologies rather than on the practical applications of TiO 2 .…”