In this study, perovskite ZnTiO₃ photocatalysts were fabricated by the sol–gel method. The photocatalytic capability was verified by the degradation of the emerging contaminant, the antibiotic amoxicillin (AMX). For the preparation, the parameters of the calcination temperature and the additional amount of polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) and ammonia are discussed, including the calcining temperature (500, 600, 700, 800 °C), the volume of ammonia (750, 1500, 3000 μL), and the weight of PVP (3 g and 5 g). The prepared perovskite ZnTiO₃ was characterized by XRD, FESEM, BET, and UV-Vis. It is shown that the perovskite ZnTiO₃ photocatalysts are structurally rod-like and ultraviolet light-responsive. Consequently, the synthesis conditions for fabricating the perovskite ZnTiO₃ photocatalysts with the highest photocatalytic performance were a calcining temperature of 700 °C, an additional ammonia amount of 1500 μL, and added PVP of 5 g. Moreover, the photocatalytic degradation of perovskite ZnTiO₃ photocatalysts on other pollutants, including the antibiotic tetracycline (TC), methyl orange (MO), and methylene blue (MB) dyes, was also examined. This provides the basis for the application of perovskite ZnTiO₃ as a photocatalyst to decompose emerging contaminants and organic pollutants in wastewater treatment.

A novel method was conducted to synthesize conductive polyaniline (PANI) doped with dodecyl benzene sulfonic acid (DBSA) (PANDB) in xylene by using chemical oxidative polymerization at 25 °C. Meanwhile, the synthesis process was photographed. Results showed as the reaction time was increased, and the color of the product was gradually turned into dark green. The influence of different synthesis time on properties of synthesized PANDB was then examined by a Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectrometer, an ultraviolet-visible spectrophotometer (UV-vis), a four-point measurement method, and a Field-emittance scanning electron microscope (FE-SEM). The result indicated that the optimum reaction time was 24 h with conductivity at around 2.03 S/cm. FE-SEM images and the conductivity testing showed that the more needle-like shapes in resulted PANDB, the higher the conductivity. The synthesized PANDB solution was blended with UV curable coating firstly and then coated on polyethylene terephthalate (PET) sheet. The UV coating/PANDB conductive composite films displayed an impressive translucency along with an adequate flexibility at room temperature. The UV coating/PANDB conductive composite film on PET sheet was flexible, transparent, and with antistatic function.

This study develops a multi-functional hydrogel with a dual injection system based on the adhesive and self-healing properties of the byssus excretion found in mussels. Through precisely controlling the composite cross-linking hydrophobic association (HA) structure composed of A and B solutions, a high-strength, temperature-sensitive injectable hydrogel can be obtained, and it has good self-healing properties. The main composition of A solution contains the surfactant SDS, which can form amphiphilic micelles, the strength increasing component stearyl methacrylate (C18), and NIPAAm, which provides thermo-sensitivity. Solution B contains dopamine acrylate (DAA), which has self-healing properties, and ferric chloride (FeCl₃), which is a connecting agent. The rheological behavior shows that when the temperature is increased from 25 °C to 32 °C, the gel can be completed in seven minutes to form a composite hydrogel of NIPAAm-DAA-HA. When NMR identification was conducted on composite DAA, it was found that when comparing DAA and dopamine hydrochloride there were new peaks with specific characteristics, which confirm that this study successfully prepared DAA; swelling tests found that swelling could surpass a rate of 100%, and a higher ratio of crosslinking agent decreased the amount of moisture absorbed; the results of the compression test showed that the addition of hydrophobic micelles C18 effectively enhanced the mechanical properties of hydrogel, allowing it to withstand increased external stress; the adhesiveness results show that an increase in the catechol-Fe³⁺ concentration of the NIPAAm-DAA-HA hydrogel results in an increased adhesiveness of 0.0081 kg/cm² on pig skin; the self-healing tests show that after taking damage, NIPAAm-DAA-HA hydrogel can be reactivated with catechol-Fe³⁺ and self-heal at a rate of up to 70% after 24 h; antibacterial tests show that hydrogel has good bacterial resistance to against E. coli, staphylococcus epidermidis, and bacillus cereus; through in vitro transdermal absorption, it can be seen that the release ability of drugs within the hydrogel can reach up to 8.87 μg/cm². The NIPAAm-DAA-HA hydrogel prepared by this study performed excellently in both adhesion and self-healing tests. The thermo-sensitive and antibacterial properties can be applied to the treatment of deep wounds and address some of the flaws of traditional wound dressings.

Mercury (Hg) is a toxic element which impacts on biological systems and ecosystems. Because the toxicity of Hg species is highly dependent on their concentration levels and chemical forms, the sensitive identification of the chemical forms of Hg—i.e., Hg speciation—is of major significance in providing meaningful information about the sources of Hg exposure. In this study, a microfluidic-based device made of high-clarity poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) was fabricated. Then, titanium dioxide nanoparticles (nano-TiO₂s) were attached to the treated channel’s interior with the aid of poly(diallyldimethylammonium chloride) (PDADMAC). After coupling the nano-TiO₂-coated microfluidic-based photocatalyst-assisted reduction device (the nano-TiO₂-coated microfluidic-based PCARD) with high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), a selective and sensitive, hyphenated system for Hg speciation was established. Validation procedures demonstrated that the method could be satisfactorily applied to the determination of mercury ions (Hg²⁺) and methylmercury ions (CH₃Hg⁺) in both human urine and water samples. Remarkably, the zeta potential measured clearly indicated that the PDADMAC-capped nano-TiO₂s with a predominance of positive charges indeed provided a steady force for firm attachment to the negatively charged device channel. The cause of the durability of the nano-TiO₂-coated microfluidic-based PCARD was clarified thus.

Mercury (Hg) is a toxic element impacting on biological systems and ecosystems. Because the toxicity of Hg species is highly dependent on concentration levels and chemical forms, sensitive identification of chemical forms for Hg, i.e., Hg speciation, is of major significance in providing meaningful information about the source of Hg exposure. In this study, a microfluidic-based device made of high clarity poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) was fabricated. Then titanium dioxide nanoparticles (nano-TiO2) were attached to the treated channel interior with the aid of poly(diallyldimethylammonium chloride) (PDADMAC). After coupling the nano-TiO2-coated microfluidic-based photocatalyst-assisted reduction device (the nano-TiO2-coated microfluid-ic-based PCARD) with high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), a selective and sensitive hyphenated system for Hg specia-tion was established. Validation procedures demonstrated that the method could be satisfactorily applied to the determination of mercuric ion (Hg2+) and methylmercury ion (CH3Hg+) in both human urine and water samples. Remarkably, the zeta potential measured clearly indicated the PDADMAC-capped nano-TiO2 with predominance of positive charges indeed provided steady force for firm attachment to the negatively charged device channel. The cause for the durability of the nano-TiO2-coated microfluidic-based PCARD was clarified thus.