Abstract
Methods to supply fresh water are becoming increasingly critical as the world population continues to grow. Small-diameter hazardous microbes such as viruses (20-100 nm diameter) can be filtered by size exclusion, but in this approach the filters are fouled. Thus, in our research, we are investigating an approach in which filters will be reusable. When exposed to ultraviolet (UV) illumination, titanate materials photocatalytically evolve •OH and O2•- radicals, which attack biological materials. In the proposed approach, titanate nanosheets are deposited on a substrate. Viruses adsorb on these nanosheets and degrade when exposed to UV light. Using atomic force microscopy (AFM), we image adsorbed viruses and demonstrate that they are removed by UV illumination in the presence of the nanosheets, but not in their absence.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Article number | e53601 |
| Journal | PLoS ONE |
| Volume | 8 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 3 Jan 2013 |
| Externally published | Yes |
Funding
Development of the titanate photocatalysts used in the study, as well as their adhesion to substrates, was supported by the Laboratory Directed Research and Development (LDRD) program at Sandia National Laboratories. Sandia is a multiprogram laboratory operated by Sandia Corporation, a Lockheed-Martin Company, for the United States Department of Energy under Contract No. DEAC04-94AL85000. This does not alter the authors’ adherence to all the PLOS ONE policies on sharing data and materials. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript. Synthesis and application of the catalytic materials is the subject of a provisional patent application assigned serial number 61/577,349.
| Funders | Funder number |
|---|---|
| U.S. Department of Energy | DEAC04-94AL85000 |
| Sandia National Laboratories |