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C 60 Aminofullerene Immobilized on Silica as a Visible-Light-Activated Photocatalyst

2010; American Chemical Society; Volume: 44; Issue: 24 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1021/es1028475

1520-5851

Jaesang Lee, Yuri Mackeyev, Min Cho, Lon J. Wilson, Jae‐Hong Kim, Pedro J. J. Alvarez,

Polymer Nanocomposite Synthesis and Irradiation

A new strategy is described to immobilize photoactive C60 aminofullerene on silica gel (3-(2-succinic anhydride)propyl functionalized silica), thus enabling facile separation of the photocatalyst for recycling and repeated use. An organic linker moiety containing an amide group was used to anchor C60 aminofullerene to the functionalized silica support. The linker moiety prevents aqueous C60 aggregation/agglomeration (shown by TEM images), resulting in a remarkable enhancement of photochemical 1O2 production under visible light irradiation. With no loss in efficacy of 1O2 production plus insignificant chemical modification of the aminoC60/silica photocatalyst after multiple cycling, the system offers a promising new visible-light-activated photocatalyst. Under visible-light irradiation, the aminoC60/silica photocatalyst is capable of effective and kinetically enhanced oxidation of Ranitidine and Cimetidine (pharmaceutical pollutants) and inactivation of MS-2 bacteriophage compared to aqueous solutions of the C60 aminofullerene alone. Thus, this photocatalyst could enable water treatment in less developed areas by alleviating dependence on major infrastructure, including the need for electricity.