Electrospun fibers functionalized with phthalocyanine-gold nanoparticle conjugates for photocatalytic applications
- Authors: Tombe, Sekai , Antunes, Edith M , Nyokong, Tebello
- Date: 2013
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/193769 , vital:45394 , xlink:href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.molcata.2013.01.033"
- Description: The heterogeneous photocatalytic activity of Zn(II) phthalocyanine-gold nanoparticle conjugates immobilized on electrospun polystyrene fibers was investigated using 4-chlorophenol and Orange G as model pollutants. The phthalocyanine-gold nanoparticle conjugates were synthesized via a ligand exchange reaction and characterized using spectroscopic and microscopic techniques. The interaction between the gold nanoparticles and phthalocyanines did not restrict the formation of excited singlet states, triplet states and hence the formation of singlet oxygen required for photocatalysis. The conjugates showed significantly higher singlet oxygen quantum yields and enhanced photocatalytic activity compared to the phthalocyanines. It was concluded that hybrid electrospun fibers provide great potential as active photocatalysts for oxidizing organic pollutants using singlet oxygen as an oxidant.
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- Date Issued: 2013
The photophysical and photochemical behaviour of coumarin-derivatized zinc phthalocyanine when conjugated with gold nanoparticles and electrospun into polymer fibers
- Authors: Tombe, Sekai , Antunes, Edith M , Nyokong, Tebello
- Date: 2013
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/232534 , vital:50000 , xlink:href="https://doi.org/10.1039/C2NJ40984D"
- Description: Polymer composite fibers doped with phthalocyanines and phthalocyanine-functionalized gold nanoparticles were developed. The phthalocyanine and phthalocyanine-functionalized gold nanoparticles have been characterized using UV/Vis, fluorescence and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), time correlated single photon counting (TCSPC), time-resolved emission spectra (TRES) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The changes in photophysical and photochemical behavior of the phthalocyanines induced by their interaction with gold nanoparticles and polystyrene were also investigated. In the presence of gold nanoparticles, the fluorescence lifetimes and quantum yields of the phthalocyanine decreased, whereas the singlet oxygen quantum yield increased. This work shows that polymer composite fibers could be used as functional fibers for a variety of applications such as gas sensing when using the advantageous properties of phthalocyanines and gold nanoparticles.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2013