Colloids and Surfaces A: Physicochemical and Engineering Aspects最新文献

{"title":"Dual regulation of crystallographic orientation and internal stress of electroplated nickel","authors":"Zhengkuo Wang ,&nbsp;Lei Wang ,&nbsp;Pengfei Xu ,&nbsp;Na Li ,&nbsp;Bo Wang ,&nbsp;Dianlong Wang","doi":"10.1016/j.colsurfa.2025.138569","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.colsurfa.2025.138569","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Electrodeposited nickel is widely used in high-precision manufacturing, where both crystallographic orientation and internal stress critically affect the mechanical performance and dimensional stability of coatings. However, achieving simultaneous control over crystallographic orientation and internal stress remains a significant challenge in electroforming processes. In this study, a dual-additive strategy is proposed by combining PEG of various molecular weights (200, 2000, and 20,000) with sodium naphthalene-1,3,6-trisulfonate (NTS) to regulate both crystal orientation and internal stress in nickel coatings. Experimental results show that high-molecular-weight PEG-20,000 promotes (111) and (220) preferred orientations while suppressing the (200) plane, thereby improving coating hardness. Molecular dynamics simulations confirm that the polymerization degree of PEG correlates positively with its adsorption energy on Ni (111), which hinders vertical grain growth and promotes lateral expansion. However, PEG also significantly increases tensile stress by inhibiting the migration of nickel atoms and expanding interplanar spacing, as evidenced by both simulation and stress measurement. The introduction of NTS effectively compensates for this effect, reducing tensile stress and enabling the attainment of zero internal stress within the concentration range of 0–1 g/L. Furthermore, COMSOL simulations were conducted to optimize the circumferential current density distribution during the electroforming of Wolter-I type X-ray focusing mirrors. The results show that uniform anode configuration improves current uniformity, reduces stress fluctuations, and helps prevent mirror deformation. This work provides an effective approach for the simultaneous regulation of texture and stress in nickel electroplating and offers practical guidance for fabricating high-performance, low-stress nickel coatings in high-precision manufacturing, such as X-ray optics.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":278,"journal":{"name":"Colloids and Surfaces A: Physicochemical and Engineering Aspects","volume":"728 ","pages":"Article 138569"},"PeriodicalIF":5.4,"publicationDate":"2025-10-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145264002","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Construction and formation mechanisms of ionic liquid-based Pickering double emulsions with Janus-like morphology","authors":"Meng Yu ,&nbsp;Daliang Liu ,&nbsp;Song Xue ,&nbsp;Shuyao Wu ,&nbsp;Qiong Wu ,&nbsp;Qing Bo Meng ,&nbsp;Xi-Ming Song ,&nbsp;Zhining Song","doi":"10.1016/j.colsurfa.2025.138590","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.colsurfa.2025.138590","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Both Pickering emulsions containing ionic liquids (ILs) and Janus emulsions with unique features have exhibited their respective numerous advantages and significant application potentials. Therefore, the combination of the two can bring about new properties and applications. In this article, two conventional particulate emulsifiers, SiO₂ nanoparticles and graphene oxide nanosheets, are used separately to emulsify heterogeneous systems comprising ILs, organic solvents (OSs) and water (W), developing a series of IL-based Pickering double emulsions with Janus-like morphology. The (OS-IL)/W type of Pickering double emulsions with Janus-like morphology are successfully constructed by simple one-step vortex mixing process. The equilibrium configuration and stability of the emulsion droplets are regularized by the interfacial tensions among the three liquid components. Due to the relatively low interfacial tensions between ILs and W or OSs, the configurations of (OS-IL)/W Pickering double droplets are all the “complete engulfing” type with OS as the internal phase, and the double droplets have Janus-like morphology due to density mismatch between OS and IL. The formation universality of (OS-IL)/W Pickering double emulsions with Janus-like morphology is verified by using various ILs and OSs. The IL-based Pickering double emulsions with Janus-like morphology are expected to have promising application in the fields of IL-based micro-nano material creation, catalysis and so on, due to their Janus-like morphology and the functions of ionic liquids.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":278,"journal":{"name":"Colloids and Surfaces A: Physicochemical and Engineering Aspects","volume":"728 ","pages":"Article 138590"},"PeriodicalIF":5.4,"publicationDate":"2025-10-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145263816","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Multifunctional graphene/polyimide composite coating with electrothermal and superhydrophobic properties for wind turbine blade anti-icing","authors":"Long Chen ,&nbsp;Qian Yang ,&nbsp;Le Zhang ,&nbsp;Yi Wang ,&nbsp;Zhichen Lin","doi":"10.1016/j.colsurfa.2025.138581","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.colsurfa.2025.138581","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>A graphene/polyimide (GE/PI) multilayer composite coating coated with organic silicon, specifically designed to achieve dual electrothermal and hydrophobic functions was proposed. By optimizing the dispersion of GE in the PI matrix (3.0–10.0 wt%) and adding a hydrophobic silicone layer, the coating achieves rapid Joule heating (reaching 128℃ within 60 ss at 4 wt% GE) while maintaining a contact angle exceeding 110°. Systematic experiments showed that the coating resistance decreases exponentially with increasing GE content, while thicker coatings (44.75–68.60 μm) exhibited lower steady-state temperatures due to enhanced thermal conduction pathways. Anti-icing tests under −15℃ humid conditions indicated that the coating surface shows minimal ice formation after 120 min, attributed to the synergistic effects of hydrophobicity and thermal regulation. De-icing experiments showed that ice (18 mm × 23 mm ice column) could be completely removed within 360 ss under 220 V/105 mA conditions, a 40 % improvement over traditional methods. Cyclic durability tests confirmed that anti-icing performance remained stable after 50 cycles, with ice coverage below 1 %. This study provides an energy-efficient and durable solution for protecting wind turbine blades and offers insights into the GE arrangement and interface engineering of multifunctional coatings.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":278,"journal":{"name":"Colloids and Surfaces A: Physicochemical and Engineering Aspects","volume":"728 ","pages":"Article 138581"},"PeriodicalIF":5.4,"publicationDate":"2025-10-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145263999","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Tantalates-based solid acid modified Bi°-BiVO4 for synergistic reduction of aromatic nitrobenzene with a significant enhancement effect","authors":"Meiting Song,&nbsp;Ying Liu,&nbsp;Zhenglong Shen,&nbsp;Chunhua Yuan,&nbsp;Xiaohui Ma,&nbsp;Dongmei Li,&nbsp;Yuhang Wu","doi":"10.1016/j.colsurfa.2025.138563","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.colsurfa.2025.138563","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>In view of the environmental pollution and human health risks posed by nitrobenzene compounds in pesticide and pharmaceutical industry waste, a novel tantalate-based solid acid modified Bi°-BiVO₄ was successfully prepared via in-situ reduction method, with the goal of enhancing multi-active site synergy and clarifying the catalytic reduction mechanism. Crystal phase and morphology analysis revealed that nano-octahedral H₂Ta₂O₆ was uniformly dispersed on the BiVO₄ surface, creating multiple active sites. This facilitated efficient reactant interactions and enabled rapid interfacial electron transfer to p-nitrophenol (PNP). The H₂Ta₂O₆/Bi°-BiVO₄ catalyst was able to reduce PNP completely in 3 min with kinetic constant of 686.88 min⁻¹g⁻¹, which significantly exceeds the values from the pure BiVO₄ catalyst, Bi and H₂Ta₂O₆. Furthermore, the catalyst demonstrated excellent cycling stability. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations were employed to investigate the reaction mechanism of PNP reduction. The results indicate that the structural H species in tantalate-based solid acids facilitate the catalytic reduction process and each unit active sites exhibiting synergistic effects. This study provides a viable basis for understanding semiconductor-catalyzed PNP reduction mechanisms.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":278,"journal":{"name":"Colloids and Surfaces A: Physicochemical and Engineering Aspects","volume":"728 ","pages":"Article 138563"},"PeriodicalIF":5.4,"publicationDate":"2025-10-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145263883","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Synergy effect of sulfite, visible light, and catalyst in highly efficient photocatalytic degradation of methyl orange with sulfite activation by ZnxMg3-xAl-LDH/g-C3N4 composite: Performances, roles, and mechanism","authors":"Tianran Hao ,&nbsp;Hongliang Xu ,&nbsp;Shiping Sun ,&nbsp;Yucao Yuan ,&nbsp;Qianqian Qin ,&nbsp;Mingliang Li ,&nbsp;Xiufeng Ren ,&nbsp;Gang Shao ,&nbsp;Hailong Wang ,&nbsp;Hongxia Lu","doi":"10.1016/j.colsurfa.2025.138570","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.colsurfa.2025.138570","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Zn_xMg_3-xAl-LDH/g-C₃N₄ (Z_xM_3-xACN, x = 0, 1, 2, 3) composites were prepared via the electrostatic self-assembly method by assembling Zn_xMg_3-xAl-LDH with g-C₃N₄ nanosheets. The photocatalytic degradation of methyl orange (MO) by Z_xM_3-xACN under the visible-light and the sulfite activation was investigated. The results show that the doping rate of Zn^2 + had an important effect on the microstructure, photoelectric properties, and photocatalytic performance of Z_xM_3-xACN composites. In cooperation with the Na₂SO₃ activation, the photocatalytic degradation efficiency of MO by Z_xM_3-xACN composites were significantly improved. Zn₁Mg₂Al-LDH/g-C₃N₄ (Z₁M₂ACN) composite achieved the optimum photocatalytic performance. With the addition of 5 mmol Na₂SO₃, 25 mg of Z₁M₂ACN could degrade 94.3 % of MO molecules (10 mg/L, 100 mL) after 30 min of photocatalytic reaction, and it also exhibited good stability and recyclability. In addition, the pH value and temperature of MO solution as well as the sulfite dosage influenced the degradation efficiency, and a possible mechanism for the degradation of MO by Zn_xMg_3-xAl-LDH/g-C₃N₄ composite in the photocatalysis-sulfite activation system was proposed. Therefore, this research not only provides a strategy for the efficient degradation of organic pollutants by ZnMgAl-LDH/g-C₃N₄ composite, but also reveals the relationship among the visible-light, photocatalyst, and sulfite oxidant for the organic pollutant degradation.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":278,"journal":{"name":"Colloids and Surfaces A: Physicochemical and Engineering Aspects","volume":"728 ","pages":"Article 138570"},"PeriodicalIF":5.4,"publicationDate":"2025-10-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145263872","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Lignin based slow-release system for nanoherbicides: A green and safe strategy with high foliar deposition and stability","authors":"Junjie Qi,&nbsp;Zehan Guo,&nbsp;Zheng Wang,&nbsp;Hongxian Fan,&nbsp;Jing Fang,&nbsp;Xingjiang Wu,&nbsp;Hao Li","doi":"10.1016/j.colsurfa.2025.138574","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.colsurfa.2025.138574","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Traditional pesticide formulations exhibit low utilization rates due to poor foliar deposition and instability under UV irradiation during application, which limits their efficacy in enhancing agricultural productivity. This study developed a lignin-based nanocarrier system through solvent-antisolvent precipitation and coordination-driven self-assembly of lignin with Fe³ ⁺-tannic acid (TA) complexes to address these challenges. A nanoherbicide (called PMT@AFT) was prepared using prometryn (PMT) as a model drug. Different preparation conditions of the lignin-based nanocarrier system were systematically investigated to regulate the particle size of the microspheres, as well as the four main properties of the nanopesticide: stability, adhesion, slow-release, and efficacy, to assess its effect on non-target crops. The results showed that the chelating coordination of Fe³ ⁺-TA constructed a cross-linking stabilization layer on the surface of lignin microspheres and formed a typical core-shell structure. This endows it with excellent UV resistance, high blade adhesion performance, and good sustained-release performance, with a long duration of effect, releasing only about 60 % after 70 h. Furthermore, PMT@AFT demonstrated excellent herbicidal efficacy against barnyard grass while significantly reducing phytotoxicity to non-target crops. This study establishes a novel strategy for developing eco-friendly and safer nanopesticide formulations.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":278,"journal":{"name":"Colloids and Surfaces A: Physicochemical and Engineering Aspects","volume":"728 ","pages":"Article 138574"},"PeriodicalIF":5.4,"publicationDate":"2025-10-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145264080","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Conformational entropy-driven hydrogel actuators with high toughness","authors":"Jinhan Zhou,&nbsp;Wenjing Yang,&nbsp;Qin Yang,&nbsp;Yuxin Feng,&nbsp;Sha Yu","doi":"10.1016/j.colsurfa.2025.138589","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.colsurfa.2025.138589","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The development of high-performance hydrogel actuators for flexible robotics and biomedicine is fundamentally limited by an inherent trade-off between mechanical strength and rapid actuation, which remains a major challenge for system design. Herein, we propose a strategy to balance mechanical properties and rapid actuation in hydrogel actuators by leveraging polymer chain conformational changes. The hydrogel actuators were prepared in a one-pot and freeze-thaw process by cross-linking N, N-diethylacrylamide, poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA), and sodium alginate (SA) using bis(acryloyl)-(L)-cystinate (BISS). The resulting hydrogel exhibits exceptional mechanical properties, including a tensile strength of 176.5 kPa, an elongation at break of 832.8 %, and a rapid actuation speed of 21°·s⁻¹ . The enhanced mechanical properties originate from hydrogen bonding and physical entanglement induced by PVA and SA, whereas the fast actuation stems from disulfide bond rearrangement, which increases polymer chain entropy. UV irradiation cleaves the disulfide bonds, reducing the storage modulus plateau at low angular frequencies by decreasing network entanglement and thereby enabling entropy-driven photomechanical programming. This work will advance the development and practical application of tough fast-actuating hydrogel actuators in intelligent soft robotics.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":278,"journal":{"name":"Colloids and Surfaces A: Physicochemical and Engineering Aspects","volume":"728 ","pages":"Article 138589"},"PeriodicalIF":5.4,"publicationDate":"2025-10-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145264062","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Enhanced stability and transdermal delivery of naringin via Dendrobium officinale polysaccharide- phosphorylated zein nanoparticles","authors":"Ruichen Zhao ,&nbsp;Like Wang ,&nbsp;Jianhua Zhu ,&nbsp;Shouwei Yin","doi":"10.1016/j.colsurfa.2025.138575","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.colsurfa.2025.138575","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Environmental oxidative stress critically drives skin aging and damage. Although the natural flavonoid naringin (NAR) offers significant antioxidant and anti-aging potential, its cosmeceutical application is limited by poor solubility and stability. To address this, we engineered <em>Dendrobium officinale</em> polysaccharide (DOP)-coated phosphorylated zein (P-Zein) nanoparticles (DOP-PZ-NAR) for NAR encapsulation. Optimized nanoparticles exhibited uniform spherical morphology (92.9–157.0 nm) with exceptional drug-loading performance (encapsulation efficiency: 87.50 %). DOP-PZ encapsulation significantly enhanced NAR photostability, increasing retention from 62.40 % to 84.30 % after 12 h of UV exposure, and significantly improved <em>in vitro</em> antioxidant efficacy (&gt; 86 % ABTS, &gt; 80 % DPPH at 500 μg/mL NAR equivalent). Furthermore, DOP-PZ encapsulation significantly enhanced transdermal delivery, achieving a 3.42-fold increase in cumulative NAR permeation versus free NAR while enabling deeper skin penetration. Notably, <em>in vivo</em> zebrafish assays confirmed DOP-PZ-NAR NPs were non-toxic and elicited a potent melanin-inhibitory effect (67.23 % reduction at 30 μg/mL NAR equivalent). This study demonstrates DOP-PZ-NAR NPs as a multifunctional platform for stabilizing hydrophobic antioxidants and enhancing their cutaneous bioavailability, while offering novel insights for developing next-generation cosmeceutical formulations.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":278,"journal":{"name":"Colloids and Surfaces A: Physicochemical and Engineering Aspects","volume":"728 ","pages":"Article 138575"},"PeriodicalIF":5.4,"publicationDate":"2025-10-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145264085","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Peroxymonosulfate activation by polyimide-modified carbon nanotubes supported on melamine sponge for highly efficient bisphenol A degradation","authors":"Long Cheng ,&nbsp;Yongkang Zhang ,&nbsp;Longlong Zhu ,&nbsp;Hongmei Ge ,&nbsp;Mingyu Wei","doi":"10.1016/j.colsurfa.2025.138587","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.colsurfa.2025.138587","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>To overcome the limitations of conventional powder catalysts, such as recovery difficulty and aggregation, a three-dimensional polyimide-modified carbon nanotube/melamine sponge composite (PIC-MS) was fabricated via a freeze-drying process and applied for peroxymonosulfate (PMS) activation to degrade bisphenol A (BPA). Structural characterizations, including SEM, FT-IR, and XRD, confirmed the successful integration of polyimide-modified carbon nanotubes with the melamine sponge framework. By combining the high catalytic activity of polyimide-modified carbon nanotubes with the robustness and easy recoverability of the sponge structure, PIC-MS effectively addressed catalyst aggregation, deactivation, and separation challenges. The PIC-MS/PMS system achieved over 97 % BPA removal within 20 min and showed broad-spectrum degradation efficiency toward various organic pollutants. Moreover, the catalyst displayed excellent adaptability across a wide pH range (2.7–9.5) and preserved more than 87 % of its activity after six consecutive cycles, confirming strong stability and reusability. Mechanistic studies demonstrated that singlet oxygen (¹O₂) and superoxide radicals (O₂^•-) were the dominant reactive oxygen species, with ¹O₂ playing the primary role. These species promoted sequential hydroxylation and oxidative ring-cleavage reactions, ultimately leading to complete mineralization of BPA into CO₂ and H₂O. Quantitative structure-activity relationship (QSAR) analysis further indicated that the transformation products had much lower bioaccumulation factors than BPA, suggesting reduced environmental risk during degradation. This work highlights a sustainable strategy for constructing recyclable metal-free catalysts, offering promising prospects for advanced wastewater treatment.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":278,"journal":{"name":"Colloids and Surfaces A: Physicochemical and Engineering Aspects","volume":"728 ","pages":"Article 138587"},"PeriodicalIF":5.4,"publicationDate":"2025-10-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145264001","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Rapid sonocatalytic degradation of phenol by TiO2@CeO2 core-shell structure prepared via metal alkoxide coating: Influential parameters and machine learning modelling","authors":"Ahmadreza Shapouri ,&nbsp;Azadeh Ebrahimian Pirbazari ,&nbsp;Fatemeh Esmaeili Khalil Saraei ,&nbsp;Amin Esmaeili ,&nbsp;Ali Ebrahimian Pirbazari ,&nbsp;Ali Amirinezhad","doi":"10.1016/j.colsurfa.2025.138578","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.colsurfa.2025.138578","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This work focuses on the rapid heterogeneous sonocatalytic (HSC) degradation of high-concentration phenol effluent (100–500 mg/L) using TiO₂@CeO₂ core-shell structure. In this regard, the TiO₂ shell was synthesized using the metal alkoxide hydrothermal coating method around different amounts of ceria (CeO₂) nanocubes (TC(x), x = 0.025, 0.050, 0.075, and 0.100 g). The structural, textural, morphological and optical characteristics of the prepared sonocatalysts were identified using different analyses (PXRD, Raman, PL, DRS, AFM, FESEM/EDS, TEM, N₂ physisorption, and Mott-Schottky). At optimum conditions (0.3 g/L catalyst dosage, pH of 5, initial concentration of 400 mg/L, and duration of 30 min), the HSC removal of phenol reached 100 % using TC(0.05). The acute toxicity, developmental toxicity and mutagenicity assessment of phenol and its degradation products was performed using the Toxicity Estimation Software Tool (T.E.S.T). TC(0.05) (catalyst dosage of 0.3 g/L and US irradiation of 60 min) reduced more than 90 % COD of Merox wastewater (provided from the demercaptation unit) from 20466 mg/L to 1990 mg/L. Two predictive models, including KNN and RF, were developed to estimate the HSC degradation of phenol, and their performance was evaluated using statistical metrics. A higher coefficient of determination (R²_train= 0.98 and R²_test = 093) indicates that the RF model has a stronger correlation between predicted and actual values, as further supported by the low error function ( MAE and RMSE) values. The present contribution can be considered the first study to achieve rapid sonocatalytic degradation of high concentrations of phenol (100–500 mg/L) using core-shell structures consisting of CeO₂ nanocubes and TiO₂ nanoparticles within 30 min of irradiation. These results of HSC degradation and their environmental toxicity evaluation disclosed that the designed TC(x) core-shell structures could open new avenues for green environmental researchers.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":278,"journal":{"name":"Colloids and Surfaces A: Physicochemical and Engineering Aspects","volume":"728 ","pages":"Article 138578"},"PeriodicalIF":5.4,"publicationDate":"2025-10-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145264060","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}