Facile modification of TiO₂ as S-Scheme multifunctional materials for environmental protection and energy-storage applications

This paper reports a simple one-step modification of commercial TiO₂ with a conducting polytrimethoxyslilypropyl aniline (PTMSPA, a polyaniline derivative having silyl networks) to have multi-functional (photocatalytic, optical, pseudocapacitive, hydrophobic, porous, antibacterial, and electromagnetic interference shielding (EMI)) properties and demonstrates associated applications. We present the S-Scheme heterojunction (SHJ) formation between TiO₂ and PTMSPA through band position alignments and designate the resultant TiO₂ - TiO_2- based SHJ multifunctional materials as MF-TSSM. The internal electric field that is generated at the interface facilitates the transportation of the photogenerated electron transfer. The XRD pattern of MF-TSSM exhibits mainly the peaks of anatase TiO₂. The TEM image of MF-TSSM indicates that the TiO₂ particles are spherical in shape with sizes showing variations in diameters ranging from 60 nm to 250 nm depending on the experimental conditions of preparation and TiO2 particles are homogeneously distributed within the PTMSPA matrix. The optical energy band gap of MF-TSSM is 1.60 eV, a much lower value than PTMSPA (3.02 eV), suggesting that the composite formation between TiO₂ and PTMSPA. The contact angle of MF-TSSM is significantly increased to 47.1 ° from 8.0 of TiO₂, informing the increase of hydrophobic characteristics. The rate constant (k) for methylene blue photodegradation was 0.030 min-1, and 0.010 min-1 for MF-TSSM and pristine TiO₂, respectively, The MF-TSSM composite exhibits a higher specific capacitance value (28.7 F/g) than TMSPA (21.1 F/g). At a frequency of 0.42 THz, MF-TSSM and PTMSPA exhibit return loss features indicating good EMI shielding performance. The MF-TSSM has been tested against two different Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacterial strains. The nanoparticles were evaluated at doses of 10, 20, 40, and 80 µg/ml. The results indicated that Klebsiella pneumoniae demonstrated a greater zone of inhibition, ranging from 9 mm at 10 µg/ml to 23 mm at 80 µg/ml, indicating increased susceptibility. Pseudomonas aeruginosa exhibited reduced inhibition zones, ranging from 10 mm at 10 µg/ml to 14 mm at 80 µg/ml, indicating increased resistance. The excellent effectiveness of MF-TSSM against various Gram-positive and Gram-negative pathogenic bacteria is explained by the interaction between reactive oxygen species and the cellular components of the bacteria as well the electrostatic interaction arising between positive charges in TMSPA and negative charges in the cell components, resulting in notable cytotoxicity and damage to the bacterial cells. The research underscores the capability of these modified TiO₂ nanoparticles in addressing bacterial infections, with efficiency differing by bacterial strain.