In this paper, we investigate the decomposition of a toxic organic compound, Rhodamine B, by the photocatalytic activities of undoped and nitrogen-doped ZrO₂ thin films, deposited using the HiPIMS technique. The investigation was performed in the presence and in the absence of H₂O₂, for two types of experimental arrangements: the irradiation of the films, followed by dipping them in the Rhodamine B solutions, and the irradiation of the films dipped in the solution. The two situations were named “direct irradiation” and “indirect irradiation”, respectively. Methods like XRD, AFM, XPS, DRS, water/film surface contact angle, and spectrophotometry were used to obtain information on the films’ structure, surface morphology, elemental composition of the films surface, optical band gap, hydrophilicity, and photocatalytic activity, respectively. All these properties were described and correlated. By N-doping ZrO₂, the films become absorbent in the visible domain, so that the solar light could be efficiently used; the films’ hydrophilic properties improve, which is an important fact in self-cleaning applications; and the films’ photocatalytic activity for the decomposition of Rhodamine B becomes better. The addition of hydrogen peroxide acted as an inhibitor for all systems and not as an accelerator of the photocatalytic reactions as expected.

Amorphous ZrO₂ thin films with increasing Mg content were deposited on quartz substrates, by dip coating method. The films are transparent in the visible domain and absorbent in UV, with an optical band gap that decreases with the increase of Mg content, from 5.42 eV to 4.12 eV. The temperature dependent conductivity measurements showed typical semiconductor comportment. The decrease of the electrical conductivity by Mg doping was related to the increase of the OH groups (37% to 63%) as seen from X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy. It was found out that the electrical conductivity obeys the Meyer-Neldel rule. This rule, previously reported for different disordered material systems is obtained for ZrO₂ for the first time in the literature. Exploring novel aspects of Mg-doped ZrO₂, the present study underscores the origin of the Meyer-Neldel rule explained by the small-polaron hopping model in the non-adiabatic hopping regime. Determination of the presence of such a conduction mechanism in the samples hold promise for comprehending the important aspects, which might be a concern in developing various devices based on Mg-doped ZrO₂.

Layered double hydroxides (LDHs) have attracted growing interest as multifunctional materials due to their tunable composition, layered architecture, and versatile surface and interlayer chemistry. In addition to their use as bulk catalysts, LDHs are increasingly explored as functional and catalytic coatings, where immobilization on solid substrates enables enhanced stability, reusability, and control over interfacial reactivity. This review examines how composition, architecture, and reactivity relationships in LDHs can be leveraged to design multifunctional LDH-based coatings able to support catalytic processes. Key design strategies based on cation composition, interlayer anions, defect engineering, and hierarchical architectures are discussed in the context of surface-deposited systems. Synthetic approaches relevant to coatings, including in situ growth, post-synthetic modification, and calcination–reconstruction routes, are summarized alongside mechanistic insights into acid–base, redox, and synergistic multi-site catalysis. Finally, applications in catalytic coatings, and environmentally relevant processes are highlighted, with emphasis on structure–activity correlations, coating durability, and resistance to leaching. This review provides a framework for the rational development of multifunctional LDH coatings for catalytic and energy-related applications.

A variational analysis of dispersion medium (electrolytes and surfactants) was carried out for the best nucleotide interactions with the presence of nanoparticles and the ability to formation of homogeneous coatings upon drying / lyophilization. Using UV-spectroscopy and transmission electron microscopy, the processes of immobilization of nucleotides on the surface of nanoparti-cles of the composition ZrO2-3mol% Y2O3 (YSZ) in the presence of various dispersing agents were investigated. Promising dispersing agents were established, the optimal composition of suspen-sions based on DNA nucleotides and YSZ nanoparticles, which is potentially suitable for adaptive technologies of bionanoelectronics, was selected. The aim of the work is to obtain and study functional media for molecular electronics based on heterojunctions biological molecule – wide-gap dielectric.

Carbamazepine (CBZ) is a persistent emerging pollutant that presents a major risk to aquatic ecosystems and public safety. In this work TiO ₂ APTES-functionalized spiropyran-based nanoparticles as an efficient catalyst for the removal of CBZ from water were designed. Detailed structural, morphological, optical, chemical and surface area investigations demonstrate the successful functionalization of the material. The highest photocatalytic activity was achieved at an optimal catalyst loading of 0.75 g/L under simulated solar light, following a pseudo-first-order kinetic model with a rate constant of 0.0313 min⁻ ¹ (R ² = 0.999). Radical scavenging tests demonstrate that HO⋅, O ₂ ⋅⁻ radicals and h ⁺ have a major contribution to the CBZ degradation mechanism. Overall, based on the results, the catalyst containing the organic photosensitizer appears to be a feasible and promising material for the efficient removal of persistent pollutants in water.