Enhanced Photocatalysis with Pt@PMMA/Ag3PO4 Nanocomposite: An Effective Strategy for Rapid Pesticide and Dye Degradation under Visible Light Mohd Faisal, Jahir Ahmed, Jari S. Algethami, Joselito P. Labis, Ahmed Mohamed El‐Toni, et al. Chemphotochem, 2026 Freshwater pollution is a critical global issue, requiring efficient, eco‐friendly treatment technologies. In this study, a new ternary nanocomposite photocatalyst was fabricated by combining silver phosphate (Ag 3 PO 4 ) with platinum nanoparticles (Pt NPs) and polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA), a flexible long‐chain polymer. The nanocomposite was prepared using coprecipitation, ultrasonic blending, and light‐induced reduction. Structural and chemical analyses confirmed successful integration of all components. (XRD) X‐ray Diffraction verified the body‐centered‐cubic phase of Ag 3 PO 4 , while X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy evidenced the presence and interaction of Ag 3 PO 4 , Pt, and PMMA. (TEM) Transmission Electron Microscopy revealed PtNPs (5–15 nm) uniformly anchored to the PMMA‐coated Ag 3 PO 4 surface, displaying varied morphological features. Optical characterization via UV–vis spectroscopy showed a clear reduction in bandgap, enhancing visible light absorption. The Pt@PMMA/Ag 3 PO 4 photocatalyst demonstrated outstanding contaminant removal under visible light, achieving 94.20% breakdown of imidacloprid (IM) insecticide in 60 min and near‐total removal of acridine orange (ACO) dye in just 15 min. This enhanced performance is attributed to increased light utilization from Pt, larger reactive surface area, and efficient charge separation and transport facilitated by the polymer network, as evidenced by photocurrent response and reduced photoluminescence. The currently developed Pt@PMMA/Ag 3 PO 4 nanocomposite shows strong potential as a high‐performance, sustainable photocatalyst for light‐driven water purification.
Investigation of adsorptive removal of heavy metals onto magnetic core-double shell nanoparticles: kinetic, isotherm, and thermodynamic study Ahmed Mohamed El-Toni, Mohamed Habila, Mohamed Sheikh, Abdulrhman S Al-Awadi, J P Labis, et al. Materials Research Express, 2024 The most perilous environmental hazards arise from the contamination of water by heavy metal ions, owing to the non-biodegradability of these metals, as well as their rapid dissemination throughout components of the environment via the food chain. Nano-based adsorbents have been used for the adsorption removal of many heavy metal cations, but separating and recycling them represent significant difficulties in processing. Magnetic core–double shell nanoparticles provide an attractive solution for processing issues, since they are stable and can be easily separated and recycled. Moreover, the shell thickness, composition, and porosity can be easily tuned. In this work, two samples consisting of magnetic core@TiO2@mesoSiO2 nanoparticles with two shell thicknesses (Mag-T-S-0.2 and Mag-T-S-0.4), along with a magnetic core@SiO2@TiO2 nanoparticle sample (Mag-S-T), were synthesized and characterized by TEM, XRD, magnetic strength measurement and zeta potential. TEM images show the developed core–double shell structure with double shell ranging from 60 to 73 nm. The XRD results indicate the impact of the outer shell on the diffraction pattern. The zeta potential shows that all samples had a negative charge at pH over 4. The magnetic character was suppressed after the formation of the double-shell coating; however, the magnetic core–double shell nanoparticles still had magnetization and could be separated when an external magnetic field was applied. The heavy metal adsorptive ability of Mag-T-S-0.2, Mag-T-S-0.4, and Mag-S-T samples was explored to investigate the effects of shell type and thickness along with kinetic, isotherm, and thermodynamic study. The investigated heavy metals included Cd(II), Ni(II), Mn(II), Pb(II), and Cu(II). The results indicate that, for Mag-T-S-0.2, the equilibrium state occurred after 15 min contact time, with adsorption capacity of 238, 230, 210.6, 181.8, and 245.8 mg/g for Cd(II), Ni(II), Mn(II), Pb(II), and Cu(II), respectively. For Mag-T-S-0.4, the equilibrium state occurred after 15 min contact time, with adsorption capacity of 241, 237.6, 173.8, 189.6, and 257.2 mg g−1, respectively. For Mag-S-T, the equilibrium state occurred after 25 min contact time, with adsorption capacity of 137.8, 131.4, 221, 189.6, and 149.4 mg g−1, respectively. When pseudo-first-order and pseudo-second-order kinetic models were applied to investigate the time interval adsorption data for Mag-T-S-0.2, Mag-T-S-0.4, and Mag-S-T samples, the second-order kinetic model was found to be more suitable for describing the process, indicating a fast adsorption mechanism. The adsorption data did not fit well with the Langmuir model, while they did fit well with the Freundlich model, suggesting heterogeneous material surfaces and multi-layer adsorption. Thermodynamic investigations confirmed the spontaneous nature of adsorptive removal, which helps to promote magnetic core@TiO2@mesoSiO2 and magnetic core@SiO2@TiO2 nanoparticles as effective adsorbents for wastewater treatment.
TiO2-Polyurethane Cocopol Blend Nanocomposites as an Anticorrosion Coating for Mild Steel Archie Gomera Ruda, Marjune Tamayo Bonilla, Kurt Sterling M. Ubas, Amierson C. Tilendo, Dave Joseph E. Estrada, et al. Solid State Phenomena, 2024 Mild steels were the most frequently used materials in industries and factories since it possesses unique properties but due to weak environmental changes, these cause deterioration and corrosion to the materials’ surface. To prevent such, protective coatings were applied to protect against corrosion in which by incorporating titanium nanoparticles in polyurethane coatings. Titanium nanoparticles were synthesized using titanium butoxide as a precursor. The obtained nanoparticles were used as an inhibitor mixed with coconut oil-based polyurethane polyol blend against the corrosion on mild steel of 3.5% of sodium chloride solution which has been investigated using the Tafel polarization technique. The polarization curves of the corrosion potential for bare mild steel, along with different amounts of titanium nanoparticles coating, exhibit a positive shift. This shift indicates that the coating film effectively reduces the transport path for the corrosive solution, providing a protective barrier against corrosion. This observation is further supported by the results of the adhesive strength test, which demonstrates that the attachment of the coating films to the metal increases with higher amounts of titanium nanoparticles. This indicates improved adhesion and a stronger bond between the coating and the substrate, enhancing the overall corrosion resistance. The increase of contact angle test confirms the improvement of the coating’s hydrophobicity with the addition of titanium nanoparticles. This suggests that the coating repels water more effectively, further contributing to its protective properties against corrosion. Results also show that the addition of 4wt% of titanium nanoparticles has better anti-corrosion properties than the PU CCP alone, and 0.5, 1.0, and 2.0wt% of titanium added.
Fabrication of Fe3O4 core-TiO2/mesoSiO2 and Fe3O4 core-mesoSiO2/TiO2 Double Shell Nanoparticles for Methylene Blue Adsorption: Kinetic, Isotherms and Thermodynamic Characterization Ahmed Mohamed El-Toni, Mohamed A. Habila, Mohamed Sheikh, Mohamed El-Mahrouky, Abdulrhman S. Al-Awadi, et al. Nanomaterials, 2023 Herein, Fe3O4 core-TiO2/mesoSiO2 and Fe3O4 core-mesoSiO2/TiO2 double shell nanoparticles were prepared by first (R1) and second (R2) routes and applied for the removal of methylene blue. The reported adsorption capacities for R1-0.2, R1-0.4 and R2 samples were 128, 118 and 133 mg.g−1, respectively, which were obtained after 80 min as equilibrium contact time, and pH of 6 using a methylene blue concentration of 200 ppm. The adsorption of methylene blue using the prepared Fe3O4 core-meso SiO2/TiO2 double shell was analyzed by kinetic and isotherms models. In addition, thermodynamic investigations were applied to assess the spontaneous nature of the process. The obtained results confirmed that the pseudo-second order model is well fitted with the adsorption data and the Freundlich-isotherm assumption suggested a multilayer adsorption mechanism. In addition, results of the thermodynamic investigation indicated that ΔG° was in the range of −2.3 to −6.8 kJ/mol for R1-0.2, −2.8 to −6.3 kJ/mol for R1-0.4 and −2.0 to −5.2 kJ/mol for R2. In addition, the ΔH° and ΔS° values were found in the range of 26.4 to 36.19 kJ.mol−1 and 94.9 to 126.3 Jmol−1 K−1, respectively. These results confirm that the surfaces of Fe3O4 core-mesoSiO2/TiO2 and Fe3O4 core-TiO2/mesoSiO2 double shell exhibit a spontaneous tendency to adsorb methylene blue from the aqueous solutions. The achieved performance of Fe3O4 core-meso SiO2/TiO2 and Fe3O4 core-TiO2/meso SiO2 double shell as adsorbent for methylene blue removal will encourage future research investigations on the removal of a broad range of contaminants from wastewater.
Flexographically Printed TiO₂ Thin Films for Electrochemical Label-Free Interleukin-8 Detection AK Assaifan, KK Alhuthali, AM El-Toni, M Al-Gawati, H Alfadul, JP Labis, ... International Journal of Electrochemical Science, 101401 , 2026 2026
Synthesis of seashell-like amino-functionalized mesoporous silica nanoparticles for uranium adsorption AM El-Toni, H Al Neafie, MA Habila, MS Moshab, J Labis, A Aldalbahi, ... Separation Science and Technology, 1-18 , 2026 2026
Investigating Mg-doping on ZnSnN2 ternary thin films via reactive magnetron co-sputtering A Almushawwah, H Albrithen, J Labis, M Al-Gawati, AM El-Naggar, ... Materials Today Communications, 114671 , 2026 2026
Enhanced Photocatalysis with Pt@PMMA/Ag 3 PO 4 Nanocomposite: An Effective Strategy for Rapid Pesticide and Dye Degradation under Visible Light M Faisal, J Ahmed, JS Algethami, JP Labis, AM El‐Toni, FA Harraz ChemPhotoChem 10 (1), e202500193 , 2026 2026 Citations: 1
Synthesis of Sn-ZnO nanostructures on MgO< 0001> by hybrid pulsed laser ablation and RF magnetron sputtering tandem system for CO gas-sensing application JP Labis, HA Albrithen, MA Shar, A Alhazaa, A Algarni, MA Alduraibi, ... Journal of Saudi Chemical Society 28 (6), 101941 , 2024 2024 Citations: 2
Synthesis of amino-rich mesoporous silica nanoparticles for removal of heavy metal and uranium cations AEMA Eltoni, MA Habila, JP Labis, AK Aldalbahi, AE Khater, HS Alnafie US Patent 12,070,737 , 2024 2024
TiO 2 - Polyurethane Cocopol Blend Nanocomposites as an Anticorrosion Coating for Mild Steel AG Ruda, MT Bonilla, KSM Ubas, AC Tilendo, DJE Estrada, ... Solid State Phenomena 357, 43-49 , 2024 2024 Citations: 2
Investigation of adsorptive removal of heavy metals onto magnetic core–double shell nanoparticles: kinetic, isotherm, and thermodynamic study AM El-Toni, M Habila, M Sheikh, AS Al-Awadi, JP Labis, ZA ALOthman Materials Research Express 11 (4), 045003 , 2024 2024 Citations: 5
Development and characterization of epoxy/banana pseudo-stem nanocellulose (BPNC) composites as anti-corrosion coatings on mild steel KSM Ubas, JC Grumo, AG Ruda, MT Bonilla, AAB Mutia, JP Labis, ... Solid State Phenomena 351, 103-115 , 2023 2023 Citations: 4
Anti-Corrosion Properties of Polyaniline/Polyurethane Composite Coatings on Mild Steel Using Coconut-Based/PPG Blend Polyols MT Bonilla, AG Ruda, DJE Estrada, KSM Ubas, AAB Mutia, AA Lubguban, ... Solid State Phenomena 351, 89-102 , 2023 2023 Citations: 3
Facile synthesis of Pd nanoparticles dispersed polypyrrole-carbon black/NiO nanocomposite with enhanced photocatalytic degradation of colored and colorless organic pollutants M Faisal, J Ahmed, M Jalalah, AM El-Toni, JP Labis, A Khan, FA Harraz Colloids and Surfaces A: Physicochemical and Engineering Aspects 677, 132416 , 2023 2023 Citations: 1
Au nanoparticles dispersed chitosan/ZnO ternary nanocomposite as a highly efficient and reusable visible light photocatalyst M Faisal, J Ahmed, JS Algethami, AM El-Toni, JP Labis, A Khan, ... Materials Science in Semiconductor Processing 167, 107798 , 2023 2023 Citations: 18
Fabrication of Fe 3 O 4 core-TiO 2 /mesoSiO 2 and Fe 3 O 4 core-mesoSiO 2 /TiO 2 Double Shell Nanoparticles for Methylene Blue Adsorption: Kinetic, Isotherms … AM El-Toni, MA Habila, M Sheikh, M El-Mahrouky, AS Al-Awadi, JP Labis, ... Nanomaterials 13 (18), 2548 , 2023 2023 Citations: 5
Fabrication of Fe [sub. 3] O [sub. 4] core-TiO [sub. 2]/mesoSiO [sub. 2] and Fe [sub. 3] O [sub. 4] core-mesoSiO [sub. 2]/TiO [sub. 2] Double Shell Nanoparticles for Methylene … AM El-Toni, MA Habila, M Sheikh, M El-Mahrouky, AS Al-Awadi, JP Labis, ... Nanomaterials 13 (18), NA-NA , 2023 2023
Optimization of Pulsed Laser Ablation and Radio-Frequency Sputtering Tandem System for Synthesis of 2D/3D Al 2 O 3 -ZnO Nanostructures: A Hybrid Approach to … JP Labis, HA Albrithen, M Hezam, M Ali Shar, A Algarni, AN Alhazaa, ... Nanomaterials 13 (8), 1345 , 2023 2023 Citations: 3
Effects of zinc oxide and silicon dioxide nanoparticles on physiological, yield, and water use efficiency traits of potato grown under water deficit WA Al-Selwey, AA Alsadon, AA Ibrahim, JP Labis, MF Seleiman Plants 12 (1), 218 , 2023 2023 Citations: 84
Facile synthesized NaGdF 4 :Yb,Er peanut‐shaped, highly biocompatible, colloidal upconversion nanospheres AA Ansari, JP Labis, A Khan Luminescence 37 (7), 1048-1056 , 2022 2022 Citations: 2
Crystal-structure analysis, Raman spectroscopy, dielectric measurements, barium hexaferrites TTT Carol, J Mohammed, KM Batoo, G Mukhtar, JP Labis, EH Raslan, ... MATERIALS RESEARCH BULLETIN 145 , 2022 2022
Crystal-structure analysis, Raman spectroscopy, dielectric measurements, magnetic and optical properties of Cr3+–Ni2+-substituted Co2Y-type barium hexaferrites J Mohammed, KM Batoo, G Mukhtar, JP Labis, EH Raslan, M Hadi, ... Materials Research Bulletin 145, 111564 , 2022 2022 Citations: 60
Biocompatible NaYF4: Yb, Er upconversion nanoparticles: Colloidal stability and optical properties AA Ansari, JP Labis, A Khan Journal of Saudi Chemical Society 25 (12), 101390 , 2021 2021 Citations: 19
MOST CITED SCHOLAR PUBLICATIONS
Design, synthesis and applications of core–shell, hollow core, and nanorattle multifunctional nanostructures AM El-Toni, MA Habila, JP Labis, ZA ALOthman, M Alhoshan, ... Nanoscale 8 (5), 2510-2531 , 2016 2016 Citations: 424
Synthesis and application of Fe3O4@ SiO2@ TiO2 for photocatalytic decomposition of organic matrix simultaneously with magnetic solid phase extraction of heavy metals prior to … MA Habila, ZA ALOthman, AM El-Toni, JP Labis, M Soylak Talanta 154, 539-547 , 2016 2016 Citations: 211
Synthesis and characterization of ZnO nanoparticles by thermal decomposition of a curcumin zinc complex MI Khalil, MM Al-Qunaibit, AM Al-Zahem, JP Labis Arabian journal of chemistry 7 (6), 1178-1184 , 2014 2014 Citations: 174
Simple and facile synthesis of amino functionalized hollow core–mesoporous shell silica spheres using anionic surfactant for Pb (II), Cd (II), and Zn (II) adsorption and recovery AM El-Toni, MA Habila, MA Ibrahim, JP Labis, ZA ALOthman Chemical Engineering Journal 251, 441-451 , 2014 2014 Citations: 119
Catalytic performance of the Ce-doped LaCoO 3 perovskite nanoparticles AA Ansari, SF Adil, M Alam, N Ahmad, ME Assal, JP Labis, A Alwarthan Scientific Reports 10 (1), 15012 , 2020 2020 Citations: 116
Luminescent mesoporous LaVO 4: Eu 3+ core-shell nanoparticles: synthesis, characterization, biocompatibility and their cytotoxicity AA Ansari, M Alam, JP Labis, SA Alrokayan, G Shafi, TN Hasan, NA Syed, ... Journal of Materials Chemistry 21 (48), 19310-19316 , 2011 2011 Citations: 115
Effects of zinc oxide and silicon dioxide nanoparticles on physiological, yield, and water use efficiency traits of potato grown under water deficit WA Al-Selwey, AA Alsadon, AA Ibrahim, JP Labis, MF Seleiman Plants 12 (1), 218 , 2023 2023 Citations: 84
Carbon-coated Fe 3 O 4 nanoparticles with surface amido groups for magnetic solid phase extraction of Cr(III), Co(II), Cd(II), Zn(II) and Pb(II) prior to their quantitation … MA Habila, ZA ALOthman, AM El-Toni, SA Al-Tamrah, M Soylak, JP Labis Microchimica Acta 184 (8), 2645-2651 , 2017 2017 Citations: 82
A novel Ag/PANI/ZnTiO3 ternary nanocomposite as a highly efficient visible-light-driven photocatalyst M Faisal, M Jalalah, FA Harraz, AM El-Toni, JP Labis, MS Al-Assiri Separation and Purification Technology 256, 117847 , 2021 2021 Citations: 75
In-vitro cyto-toxicity, geno-toxicity, and bio-imaging evaluation of one-pot synthesized luminescent functionalized mesoporous SiO2@ Eu (OH) 3 core-shell microspheres AA Ansari, TN Hasan, NA Syed, JP Labis, AK Parchur, G Shafi, ... Nanomedicine: Nanotechnology, Biology and Medicine 9 (8), 1328-1335 , 2013 2013 Citations: 74
Synthesis, structural and optical properties of Mn-doped ceria nanoparticles: a promising catalytic material AA Ansari, JP Labis, M Alam, SM Ramay, N Ahmad, A Mahmood Acta Metallurgica Sinica (English Letters) 29 (3), 265-273 , 2016 2016 Citations: 68
One-pot synthesis and photoluminescence properties of luminescent functionalized mesoporous SiO 2@ Tb (OH) 3 core–shell nanospheres AA Ansari, JP Labis Journal of Materials Chemistry 22 (32), 16649-16656 , 2012 2012 Citations: 66
Pulicaria glutinosa Extract: A Toolbox to Synthesize Highly Reduced Graphene Oxide-Silver Nanocomposites AH Al-Marri, M Khan, M Khan, SF Adil, A Al-Warthan, HZ Alkhathlan, ... International Journal of Molecular Sciences 16 (1), 1131-1142 , 2015 2015 Citations: 63
Mesoporous multi-silica layer-coated Y2O3: Eu core-shell nanoparticles: Synthesis, luminescent properties and cytotoxicity evaluation AA Ansari, A Khan, JP Labis, M Alam, MA Manthrammel, M Ahamed, ... Materials Science and Engineering: C 96, 365-373 , 2019 2019 Citations: 61
Crystal-structure analysis, Raman spectroscopy, dielectric measurements, magnetic and optical properties of Cr3+–Ni2+-substituted Co2Y-type barium hexaferrites J Mohammed, KM Batoo, G Mukhtar, JP Labis, EH Raslan, M Hadi, ... Materials Research Bulletin 145, 111564 , 2022 2022 Citations: 60
Impact of precursor sequence of addition for one-pot synthesis of Cr-MCM-41 catalyst nanoparticles to enhance ethane oxidative dehydrogenation with carbon dioxide AS Al-Awadi, AM El-Toni, M Alhoshan, A Khan, JP Labis, A Al-Fatesh, ... Ceramics International 45 (1), 1125-1134 , 2019 2019 Citations: 60
Facile synthesis of Pd@ graphene nanocomposites with enhanced catalytic activity towards Suzuki coupling reaction M Khan, MR Shaik, SF Adil, M Kuniyil, M Ashraf, H Frerichs, MA Sarif, ... Scientific reports 10 (1), 11728 , 2020 2020 Citations: 59
Fabrication of robust nanostructured (Zr) BiVO4/nickel hexacyanoferrate core/shell photoanodes for solar water splitting MN Shaddad, P Arunachalam, J Labis, M Hezam, AM Al-Mayouf Applied Catalysis B: Environmental 244, 863-870 , 2019 2019 Citations: 55
Effect of cobalt doping on structural, optical and redox properties cerium oxide nanoparticles AA Ansari, J Labis, M Alam, SM Ramay, N Ahmad, A Mahmood Phase Transitions 89 (3), 261-272 , 2016 2016 Citations: 53
Mercaptobenzothiazole-functionalized magnetic carbon nanospheres of type Fe 3 O 4 @SiO 2 @C for the preconcentration of nickel, copper and lead prior to their … MA Habila, ZA ALOthman, AM El-Toni, JP Labis, X Li, F Zhang, M Soylak Microchimica Acta 183 (8), 2377-2384 , 2016 2016 Citations: 51