Express Polymer Letters, Volume 16, Issue 12, Pages 1229-1252 , 01/12/2022

Enhanced photocatalysis of natural rubber foams filters boosted by modified-titanium oxide hybrid fillers: Gaseous benzene removal, antibacterial properties and air permeability

Pornsiri Toh-ae, Prachid Saramolee, Siriluk chiarakorn, Dujduan Waraho-Zhmayev, Attapol Kamthong, Raymond Lee Nip, Ekwipoo Kalkornsurapranee, Jobish Johns, Patcharapit Promoppatum, Yeampon Nakaramontri

Abstract

Natural rubber (NR) composite foam was developed through the Dunlop process with better volatile solvent absorption and antibacterial activity. The unmodified and modified titanium dioxide (TiO<inf>2</inf>), namely TiO<inf>2</inf>-zinc oxide (TiO<inf>2</inf>-ZnO) and TiO<inf>2</inf>-silver doped zirconium (TiO<inf>2</inf>-Ag-Zr), were incorporated into the foams. The photocatalytic origination under UV and visible light leads the composite foam with TiO<inf>2</inf>-ZnO to exhibit effective and suitable benzene absorbing and removing abilities. Thus, the specific foam sizes provided the gaseous benzene absorption of 14.0 ppm within 3 h and the gaseous benzene elimination of 7.6 ppm within 14 h in case of the composite with 10 phr TiO<inf>2</inf>-ZnO. Also, the foams with NR/TiO<inf>2</inf>-ZnO and NR/TiO<inf>2</inf>-Ag-Zr exhibited excellent antibacterial activity for E. coli due to the release of Zn<sup>+</sup> and ROS species across the rubber foam filter layers to the bacteria surfaces. The resulting composite foam showed superior elastic properties in terms of tensile strength, toughness, and elongation at break. To study the applicability as filter, the engineering simulation relating the air flowability throughout the foam was examined. From the flow velocity and the air permeability of the foam at a specified thickness, it was observed that the NR/TiO<inf>2</inf>-ZnO exhibited proper porous sizes and shapes for fil-trating, reacting, absorbing and removing the gaseous benzene relative to other porous filters.

Document Type

Article

Source Type

Journal

Keywords

mechanical propertiesmodified titanium dioxidenanocompositesphotocatalytic propertiesrubber

ASJC Subject Area

Chemical Engineering : Chemical Engineering (all)Chemistry : Physical and Theoretical ChemistryMaterials Science : Polymers and PlasticsChemistry : Organic ChemistryMaterials Science : Materials Chemistry

Funding Agency

King Mongkut's University of Technology Thonburi


Bibliography


Toh-ae, P., Saramolee, P., chiarakorn, S., Waraho-Zhmayev, D., Kamthong, A., Nip, R., Kalkornsurapranee, E., ... Nakaramontri, Y. (2022). Enhanced photocatalysis of natural rubber foams filters boosted by modified-titanium oxide hybrid fillers: Gaseous benzene removal, antibacterial properties and air permeability. Express Polymer Letters, 16(12) 1229-1252. doi:10.3144/expresspolymlett.2022.90

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