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Different sol–gel preparations of iron-doped TiO2 nanoparticles: characterization, photocatalytic activity and cytotoxicity

  • Original Paper: Sol-gel and hybrid materials for catalytic, photoelectrochemical and sensor applications
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Abstract

Fe-doped TiO2 nanoparticles were prepared by sol–gel method using titanium tetraisopropoxide as the precursor of titania, 2-propanol as solvent, iron(III) chloride as dopant source through calcination at 350 °C. Three different types of samples were synthesized. Samples were characterized by means of X-ray powder diffraction, diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, Brunauer–Emmett–Teller analysis. All the samples showed the typical structure of anatase plus an amount of brookite ranging from 25 to 35 wt%. The features of the particles, i.e., surface area and aggregation state, were influenced by the reagents ratio: Generally increasing the solvent volume with respect to the titanium precursors induced the formation of nanoparticles with high surface area and low aggregation. Photocatalytic activity of Fe-doped TiO2 nanopowders was evaluated through methylene blue degradation experiments conducted under simulated solar light irradiation. The cytotoxic potential of the three samples was evaluated in human umbilical vein endothelial cells.

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Acknowledgments

Authors are grateful to Dr. Rita Fabbri for the help during the cytotoxicity tests.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Earth, Environmental and Life Sciences, University of Genoa, Corso Europa 26, 16132, Genoa, Italy

    Valentina Caratto, Elisa Sanguineti, Teresa Balbi & Laura Canesi

  2. Department of Chemistry and Industrial Chemistry, University of Genoa, Via Dodecaneso 31, 16146, Genoa, Italy

    Federico Locardi, Stefano Alberti, Silvia Villa & Maurizio Ferretti

  3. CNR-SPIN, Corso Perrone 24, 16152, Genoa, Italy

    Alberto Martinelli

Authors
  1. Valentina Caratto
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  2. Federico Locardi
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  3. Stefano Alberti
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  4. Silvia Villa
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  5. Elisa Sanguineti
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  6. Alberto Martinelli
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  7. Teresa Balbi
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  8. Laura Canesi
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  9. Maurizio Ferretti
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Correspondence to Federico Locardi.

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Caratto, V., Locardi, F., Alberti, S. et al. Different sol–gel preparations of iron-doped TiO2 nanoparticles: characterization, photocatalytic activity and cytotoxicity. J Sol-Gel Sci Technol 80, 152–159 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10971-016-4057-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10971-016-4057-5

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