Cellulose membrane coated Mo-doped TiO2 nanotube sheets for sustained oxidation of biomolecules.

Titanium dioxide nanotubes (TNT) are widely researched materials for the photocatalytic genera-tion of free radicals, which are useful in wastewater treatment. We aimed to prepare Mo-doped TNT sheets, covered with a cellulose membrane to avoid TNT surface inactivation by protein ad-sorption. We studied the susceptibility of serum albumin (SA) bound to different molar ratios of palmitic acid (PA) to denaturation and fibrillation by this system, which is meant to mimic oxida-tive stress conditions such as nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). The results demonstrated that cellulose membrane-covered TNT successfully oxidized the SA, identified by structural changes to the protein. Increasing the molar ratio of PA to protein-enhanced thiol group oxidation while protecting the protein against structural changes. Finally, we propose that in this photocata-lyzed oxidation system, the protein is oxidized by a non-adsorptive mechanism mediated by H2O2. Therefore, we suggest that this system could be used as a sustained oxidation system to oxidize biomolecules as well as potentially in wastewater treatment.