While
current cigarettes are made with a filter created from cellulose
acetate which absorbs things like nicotine, tar, and polycyclic aromatic
hydrocarbons, Chinese researchers have discovered that nanomaterials
from titanium dioxide (TiO2) can be used to reduce the harmful
chemicals.
For
many years, researchers have been looking at adding nanomaterials to
current cigarette filters and have tried carbon nanotubes and mesoporous
silica. These have worked well; however, they are expensive and like
are known about possible health risks.
Mingdeng
Wei, from Fuzhou University has teamed with colleagues at the Fujian
Tobacco Industrial Corporation and has discovered that titanate
nanotubes and nanosheets can be used to filter tobacco smoke and greatly
reduce the harmful effects. Nanomaterials can be easily synthesized
with titanium dioxide at a relatively inexpensive cost. Since TiO2 is
currently on the market and found in products such as cosmetics,
sunscreens, and even food, there is no possible health risk.
The
team created both titanate nanosheets and nanotubes to compare them
when added to the tips of cigarettes. Using a machine to smoke them and
the use of high performance liquid chromatography and ion chromatography
to measure the amount of captured chemicals, Wei and his team
discovered that the tubes were twice as efficient as the sheets.
While
their research is currently looking at the benefits of the TiO2
nanomaterials with cigarettes, their hope is it could also be used in
other filtering devices such as air purification systems and gas masks.
Citation:
“Significant reduction of harmful compounds in tobacco smoke by the use
of titanate nanosheets and nanotubes,” Qixin Deng, Chaozhang Huang, Wei
Xie, Jianping Zhang, Yiqiang Zhao, Zhensheng Hong, Aiying Pang and
Mingdeng Wei, Chemical Communications, 2011.
