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Author: Abel, Bernd × Author: Schulze, Agnes × End date: 2024 × Start date: 2020 × DDC: 540 × WGL Institute: IOM ×

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    Effect of morphology on the photoelectrochemical activity of TiO2 self-organized nanotube arrays
    (Basel : MDPI, 2020) Ennaceri, Houda; Fischer, Kristina; Hanus, Kevin; Chemseddine, Abdelkrim; Prager, Andrea; Griebel, Jan; Kühnert, Mathias; Schulze, Agnes; Abel, Bernd
    In the present work, highly ordered titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanotube anodes were grown using a rapid anodization process. The photoelectrochemical performances of these electrodes strongly depend on the anodization conditions. Parameters such as electrolyte composition, anodization potential and anodization time are shown to affect the geometrical parameters of TiO2 nanotubes. The optimal anodization parameters are determined by photocurrent measurements, linear sweep voltammetry and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. The thickness of the tube wall and its homogeneity is shown to strongly depend on the anodization potential, and the formation mechanism is discussed. This study permits the optimization of the photocurrent density and contributes to further improvement of the photoelectrochemical water-splitting performance of TiO2 nanotube photoelectrodes. © 2020 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.
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    A study on the material properties of novel PEGDA/gelatin hybrid hydrogels polymerized by electron beam irradiation
    (Lausanne : Frontiers Media, 2023) Şener Raman, Tuğçe; Kuehnert, Mathias; Daikos, Olesya; Scherzer, Tom; Krömmelbein, Catharina; Mayr, Stefan G.; Abel, Bernd; Schulze, Agnes
    Gelatin-based hydrogels are highly desirable biomaterials for use in wound dressing, drug delivery, and extracellular matrix components due to their biocompatibility and biodegradability. However, insufficient and uncontrollable mechanical properties and degradation are the major obstacles to their application in medical materials. Herein, we present a simple but efficient strategy for a novel hydrogel by incorporating the synthetic hydrogel monomer polyethylene glycol diacrylate (PEGDA, offering high mechanical stability) into a biological hydrogel compound (gelatin) to provide stable mechanical properties and biocompatibility at the resulting hybrid hydrogel. In the present work, PEGDA/gelatin hybrid hydrogels were prepared by electron irradiation as a reagent-free crosslinking technology and without using chemical crosslinkers, which carry the risk of releasing toxic byproducts into the material. The viscoelasticity, swelling behavior, thermal stability, and molecular structure of synthesized hybrid hydrogels of different compound ratios and irradiation doses were investigated. Compared with the pure gelatin hydrogel, 21/9 wt./wt. % PEGDA/gelatin hydrogels at 6 kGy exhibited approximately up to 1078% higher storage modulus than a pure gelatin hydrogel, and furthermore, it turned out that the mechanical stability increased with increasing irradiation dose. The chemical structure of the hybrid hydrogels was analyzed by Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, and it was confirmed that both compounds, PEGDA and gelatin, were equally present. Scanning electron microscopy images of the samples showed fracture patterns that confirmed the findings of viscoelasticity increasing with gelatin concentration. Infrared microspectroscopy images showed that gelatin and PEGDA polymer fractions were homogeneously mixed and a uniform hybrid material was obtained after electron beam synthesis. In short, this study demonstrates that both the presence of PEGDA improved the material properties of PEGDA/gelatin hybrid hydrogels and the resulting properties are fine-tuned by varying the irradiation dose and PEGDA/gelatin concentration.