Superfast Adsorption–Disinfection Cryogels Decorated with Cellulose Nanocrystal/Zinc Oxide Nanorod Clusters for Water-Purifying Microdevices

Abstract

In outdoor activities and disaster environments, a portable microdevice is very important for the rapid purification of field drinking water. Smart cryogels were fabricated by one-pot copolymerization among acrylamide (AM) monomers, 2-(dimethylamino) ethyl methacrylate (DMAEMA) monomers, and cellulose nanocrystal/zinc oxide (CNC/ZnO) nanorod clusters through a simple ice-template method. The effect of nanohybrid contents on microstructural, thermal, swelling, and antibacterial properties of cryogels-ZnO was investigated. With the incorporation of 1 wt % CNC/ZnO, the cryogels showed macroporous-networked structures with a high porosity of 93% and homogeneous nanorod clusters on the macroporous wall. Cryogels-ZnO showed high mechanical strength in both dry and wet states, an adsorption capacity of 30.8 g/g, superfast adsorption time (2.5 s), and a stable swelling−deswelling ability after 10 cycles. Additionally, the adsorption capacity of cryogels-ZnO presented a dual temperature/pH response. Upon treatment of the simulated field water with cryogels-ZnO for 45 min, the cfu amounts of simulated field water were decreased from 1862 to 6 cfu/mL. This cfu amount for treated water was much lower than the 100 cfu/mL of China's national drinking water standard. In addition, cryogels-ZnO can effectively handle 14.3−16.1 g/g of disinfected drinking water by manual compression. Such cryogels-ZnO exhibited a great potential for field drinking-water-purifying microdevices.

In situ preparation of magnetic Fe3O4.Cu2O.Fe3O4/cryogel nanocomposite powder via a reduction–coprecipitation method as adsorbent for methylene blue water pollutant

“…It was previously reported that there are various techniques used to embed NPs in cryogel networks without reduction of the removal efficiency of both cryogels and NPs, such as surface coating . The surface coating technique is recommended for obtaining effective cryogel composites using an in situ precipitation method .…”

In-situ synthesis of Cu2O on cotton fibers with antibacterial properties and reusable photocatalytic degradation of dyes

“…The antibacterial activity of these substances can be observed by the number of colonies, and all tests are repeated at least 3 times. Microbial colonies or average colony forming units (CFU), the equation is as follows [27] , [28] : …”

Polysaccharides‐Based Nano‐Hybrid Biomaterial Platforms for Tissue Engineering, Drug Delivery, and Food Packaging Applications

“…Cellulose hybrids with titanium oxides have also been studied in food packaging, [ 69 ] nano sorbent systems, [ 70 ] biomedical applications [ 71 ] and sensors, [ 72 ] although to a lesser degree. A large number of cellulose hybrids with zinc oxide nanoparticles have been reported recently, [ 73 ] with applications ranged from antibacterial materials for food processing, [ 74 ] water purification systems, [ 75 ] UV‐absorbing materials, [ 76 ] sensors, [ 77 ] photocatalysis, [ 78 ] biomedical applications, [ 79 ] operational textiles [ 80 ] materials, sensors, [ 81 ] insulation [ 82 ] and flame retardant, [ 83 ] and drug delivery. [ 84 ] The applications of cellulose hybrids with silica oxide nanoparticles have been widely investigated in recent years.…”