Preliminary study towards photoactivity enhancement using a biocompatible titanium dioxide/carbon nanotubes composite

摘要

Recent research is focused on the enhancement in photoactivity of titanium dioxide/carbon nanotubes through formation of novel nanocomposites that exhibit a high specific surface area, remarkable electron transfer and biocompatibility. Here, we explore a new synthesis route in the system composed of nanocrystalline titanium dioxide supported on external walls and inner space of multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT). The advantages of this method are: its simplicity, direct fusion of titanium dioxide particles on the carbon material, and formation of chemical bond Ti-O-C between TiO_2 and MWCNT. Photocatalytic performance of this system has been compared to a commercial catalyst (Degussa P25) in a model reaction of phenol decomposition in/under UV light. The efficiency of the process increased by the factor of 2.5 when the TiO_2-IVIWCNT photocatalyst was utilized. Further, the photoactive nano-composite was analysed towards its biocompatibility in order to establish a safe dose of the catalyst. Its influence on the cells viability was studied on mouse fibroblasts and human liver tissue cells, in the range from 0 to 100 ug/mL. This has revealed that the composite in concentrations up to 25 μg/mL exerted low toxicity, which allowed for finding a compromise between the highest safe dose and acceptable photoactivity of the catalyst.