Titanate Fibroin Nanocomposites: A Novel Approach for the Removal of Heavy-Metal Ions from water.

Title Titanate Fibroin Nanocomposites: A Novel Approach for the Removal of Heavy-Metal Ions from water.
Authors D. Magrì; G. Caputo; G. Perotto; A. Scarpellini; E. Colusso; F. Drago; A. Martucci; A. Athanassiou; D. Fragouli
Journal ACS Appl Mater Interfaces
DOI 10.1021/acsami.7b15440
Abstract

In this study, we report the fabrication of nanocomposites made of titanate nanosheets immobilized in a solid matrix of regenerated silk fibroin as novel heavy-metal-ion removal systems. The capacity of these nanocomposite films to remove lead, mercury, and copper cations from water was investigated, and as shown by the elemental quantitative analysis performed, their removal capacity is 73 mmol/g for all of the ions tested. We demonstrate that the nanocomposites can efficiently retain the adsorbed ions, with no release of titanate nanosheets occurring even after several exposure cycles to ionic solutions, eliminating the risk of release of potentially hazardous nanosubstances to the environment. We also prove that the introduction of sodium ions in the nanocomposite formulation makes the materials highly selective toward the lead ions. The developed biopolymer nanocomposites can be potentially used for the efficient removal of heavy-metal-ion pollutants from water and, thanks to their physical and optical characteristics, offer the possibility to be used in sensor applications.

Citation D. Magrì; G. Caputo; G. Perotto; A. Scarpellini; E. Colusso; F. Drago; A. Martucci; A. Athanassiou; D. Fragouli.Titanate Fibroin Nanocomposites: A Novel Approach for the Removal of Heavy-Metal Ions from water.. ACS Appl Mater Interfaces. 2018;10(1):651659. doi:10.1021/acsami.7b15440

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Titanium

See more Titanium products. Titanium (atomic symbol: Ti, atomic number: 22) is a Block D, Group 4, Period 4 element with an atomic weight of 47.867. The number of electrons in each of Titanium's shells is [2, 8, 10, 2] and its electron configuration is [Ar] 3d2 4s2. Titanium Bohr ModelThe titanium atom has a radius of 147 pm and a Van der Waals radius of 187 pm. Titanium was discovered by William Gregor in 1791 and first isolated by Jöns Jakob Berzelius in 1825. In its elemental form, titanium has a silvery grey-white metallic appearance. Titanium's properties are chemically and physically similar to zirconium, both of which have the same number of valence electrons and are in the same group in the periodic table. Elemental TitaniumTitanium has five naturally occurring isotopes: 46Ti through 50Ti, with 48Ti being the most abundant (73.8%). Titanium is found in igneous rocks and the sediments derived from them. It is named after the word Titanos, which is Greek for Titans.

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