Journal of the Taiwan Institute of Chemical Engineers最新文献

{"title":"Nanoarchitectonics of polyaniline-poly(vinyl pyrrolidone)-graphene composite for the electrochemical sensing of ciprofloxacin and uric acid","authors":"Suguna Perumal ,&nbsp;Raji Atchudan ,&nbsp;Katarzyna Krukiewicz ,&nbsp;Angelika Banaś ,&nbsp;Deivasigamani Ranjith Kumar ,&nbsp;Hyunjung Lee ,&nbsp;Wonmok Lee","doi":"10.1016/j.jtice.2025.106103","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jtice.2025.106103","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>Ciprofloxacin (Cif) is a fluoroquinolone-based antibiotic that is prescribed for patients infected by gram-positive and gram-negative aerobic pathogens. Owing to its medical applications, target-specific determination of Cif in urine samples is challenging due to the presence of uric acid (UA) as an interference.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>Polyaniline-poly(vinylpyrrolidone)-graphene (GPA-PVPy) composite is reported as an electrode material for sensing Cif in the presence of UA. Graphite-polyaniline (GPA) was prepared by oxidative polymerization of aniline at 0–5 °C over 12 h. Subsequently, GPA was used to polymerize vinyl pyrrolidone (VPy) by a free radical polymerization composite in a sonication bath at 70 °C for 6 h. Composites (GPA and GPA-PVPy) are characterized using field-emission scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and thermogravimetric analysis. GPA and GPA-PVPy composites were coated on a glassy carbon (GC) electrode and investigated by cyclic voltammetry to verify their sensitivity towards Cif in the presence of UA as a major interference. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy was used to estimate the electron transfer rate of composite electrodes.</div></div><div><h3>Significant Findings</h3><div>Using GPA-PVPy/GC electrode, similar concentrations of UA and Cif (10 – 310 μM) were simultaneously detected in a human urine sample with excellent sensitivity (0.007 μAμM^-1 (UA) and 0.0048 μAμM^-1 (Cif)) and low limit of detection (4.37 μM (UA) and 9.0 μM (Cif)), respectively showing its applicability in medical analysis.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":381,"journal":{"name":"Journal of the Taiwan Institute of Chemical Engineers","volume":"172 ","pages":"Article 106103"},"PeriodicalIF":5.5,"publicationDate":"2025-04-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143747355","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"An efficient and facile adonitol-based electrochemical chiral sensor for highly selective determination of tyrosine","authors":"Jing Zhang ,&nbsp;Shuang-Ning Li ,&nbsp;Yi-Ping Liu ,&nbsp;Xin-Yu Jiang ,&nbsp;Yue-Qin Liu ,&nbsp;Jiao Zou ,&nbsp;Jin-Gang Yu","doi":"10.1016/j.jtice.2025.106111","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jtice.2025.106111","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>Amino acids (AAs) are important enantiomeric compounds which are used as important biomarkers for various metabolic diseases. Electrochemical sensor is one of the most important methods for chiral recognition of AAs. However, lots of electrochemical chiral sensors have exhibited some disadvantages such as low selectivity and repeatability. To over these obvious shortages, a facile and efficient electrochemical chiral sensing platform based on adonitol (Adonitol/GCE) was constructed for the recognition of tyrosine (Tyr) enantiomers with good identification efficiency (I_L/I_D = 1.67, ΔE_p = 12 mV).</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>A relatively high recognition selectivity of 1.67 for Tyr enantiomers could be observed at the developed sensor by square wave voltammetry (SWV). The recognition mechanism was also proposed, the smaller steric hindrance and more appropriate intermolecular distance for selective formation of hydrogen bonds between Adonitol and l-Tyr contributed a lot to the higher affinity of the chiral interface for l-Tyr, which could be further verified by wettability measurements, CVs at different scan rates, UV–Vis spectroscopy and DFT calculations.</div></div><div><h3>Significant Findings</h3><div>A good linear relationship between the peak currents and Tyr enantiomer concentrations could be obtained, and the <em>LOD</em> (S/<em>N</em> = 3) values of l-Tyr and d-Tyr at Adonitol/GCE were 4.26 μM and 6.85 μM, respectively. Importantly, Adonitol/GCE also had the ability to predict the mass ratios of l-/D-Tyr enantiomers in the mixed solutions of known concentration. The facilely prepared chiral sensor also possesses excellent anti-interference ability, high stability, and good producibility. The pioneered fabrication of polyol-based electrochemical sensor could actuate the rational selection and construction of multifunctional chiral selectors.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":381,"journal":{"name":"Journal of the Taiwan Institute of Chemical Engineers","volume":"172 ","pages":"Article 106111"},"PeriodicalIF":5.5,"publicationDate":"2025-04-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143747423","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Tailoring the surface topography and crystallinity of Au0 sensitized ZnO Schottky heterojunction for enhanced photocatalytic degradation of tetracycline","authors":"L. Sabariselvan ,&nbsp;Asad Syed ,&nbsp;Abdallah M. Elgorban ,&nbsp;Alanoud T. Alfagham ,&nbsp;Meenakshi Verma ,&nbsp;Ling Shing Wong ,&nbsp;S. Sudheer Khan","doi":"10.1016/j.jtice.2025.106078","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jtice.2025.106078","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>The release of antibiotics into the soil and aquatic ecosystem has become the main concern leading to significant ecological imbalance and adversely affect human health. Unlike other pollutants, antibiotics are designed in such a way with good stability to treat human diseases. Even though it has several advantages, the prolonged existence and resistance to breakdown in environmental settings is a major concern.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>In this work, Au⁰ sensitized ZnO Schottky heterojunction was engineered for the enhanced photocatalytic degradation of tetracycline (TC) under visible light irradiation. Here, ZnO was synthesized by simple co-precipitation method and the incorporation of Au onto the ZnO was performed via a double boiling-assisted reflow method.</div></div><div><h3>Significant findings</h3><div>The crystalline structure of Au@ZnO yolk in shell (AZYIS) was validated by XRD analysis and the HR-TEM imaging. The other characteristic properties such as structural, optical properties, etc., were demonstrated by SEM, UV–Vis DRS, XPS, EIS, PL and BET analysis. Here, ATYIS outperformed than pristine ZnO by achieving higher degradation rate of TC. The performance of the nanomaterial after six cycles were almost identical to the first cycle of degradation. The degradation of TC was enhanced by the participation of photogenerated radical species. The degradation pathway and the toxicity of the intermediates were analyzed using GCMS/MS analysis and ECOSAR, respectively. Further, the work conducted on AZYIS signifies that the unique design and the Schottky heterojunction significantly enhanced the stability, performance and reusability for sustainable wastewater remediation.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":381,"journal":{"name":"Journal of the Taiwan Institute of Chemical Engineers","volume":"172 ","pages":"Article 106078"},"PeriodicalIF":5.5,"publicationDate":"2025-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143747424","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Designing, modeling, and multi-response optimization of Ni/Co-coated carbon fibers for electromagnetic shielding and electrothermal applications","authors":"Hamidreza Moradi ,&nbsp;Komeil Nasouri ,&nbsp;Gholamreza Askari","doi":"10.1016/j.jtice.2025.106116","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jtice.2025.106116","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>Magnetic nanoparticle-coated carbon fibers have attracted lots of research for their electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding applications. This research is focused on optimizing the coating process of Ni/Co alloy nanoparticles on carbon fiber surfaces to achieve suitable properties including electrical conductivity, EMI shielding, and electrothermal.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>The effects of deposition time (60–180 s) and current density (2–6 A/dm²) on Ni/Co loading amount, electrical conductivity, and shielding effectiveness (SE) are investigated using the response surface method (RSM). By using the RSM method, a mathematical model is introduced for each of the parameters of load value results, electrical conductivity, and SE and this model is validated with statistical methods.</div></div><div><h3>Significant findings</h3><div>The current density, contrary to the effect of plating time, SE value first developments with the increase of the current from 2 A/dm² to 4 A/dm², Then, by increasing the current density from 4 A/dm² to 6 A/dm², SE reaches its lowest level. The optimal sample is selected with a plating time of 180 s and a current density of 3.2 A/dm². The amount of Ni/Co loading, electrical conductivity, and SE of the optimal sample are 6.15 ± 0.11 %, 625.64 ± 39.55 S/cm, and 63.8 ± 0.8 dB, respectively. The electrothermal results show that voltage changes from 0.7 to 3.4 V lead to optimized sample temperature changes from 32.0 to 286.0 °C, thus making this fabric attractive for specific applications.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":381,"journal":{"name":"Journal of the Taiwan Institute of Chemical Engineers","volume":"172 ","pages":"Article 106116"},"PeriodicalIF":5.5,"publicationDate":"2025-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143738760","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Coincident augmentation and alignment of lamellar stacking structures for rapid fabrication of solid-state polymer photonic crystal films","authors":"Ahmed Gamal AboElsood ,&nbsp;Yuan Xiang ,&nbsp;I-Ming Lin ,&nbsp;Ci-Ren Chen ,&nbsp;Yeo-Wan Chiang","doi":"10.1016/j.jtice.2025.106107","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jtice.2025.106107","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>Microphase Separation from block copolymers can form ordered microstructures in different dimensionalities by controlling the chemical nature, degree of polymerization, as well as volume fractions of the constituent block. The block copolymer photonic crystal (PC) gels with ordered microstructures can be tailored to manipulate photonic bandgaps and light propagation characteristics for sensing various stimuli. To expand applications, the fabrication of the block copolymer PCs in the solid state is necessary. However, this challenge requires the synthesis of ultrahigh-molecular-weight (&gt; 1000 kg/mol) copolymers to increase the periodicity and control microstructural orientation.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>The generation of PC films in a solid state is carried out using ternary block copolymer supramolecules, poly(methyl methacrylate)-<em>block</em>-poly(2-vinyl pyridine) (PMMA-<em>b</em>-P2VP) cooperated with mesogens of cholesteryl hemisuccinate (CholHS) and poly(methyl methacrylate) homopolymer (hPMMA).</div></div><div><h3>Significant findings</h3><div>Without time-consuming multiple steps for the augmented periodicity and microstructural alignment, control over the photonic bandgap covering the entire visible spectrum, facilitated by the arrangement of alternating high- and low-refractive-index stacking layers, can be carried out through these innovative co-assembled supramolecules. The photonic bandgap of the PC can be simply adjusted by the structural periodicity through manipulating the quantities of mesogens due to the stretching of the P2VP block chain by hydrogen bonding interaction. Also, the included liquid crystalline mesogen can induce parallel alignment of the lamellae such that large-area block copolymer PCs in the solid state can be rapidly fabricated, promising in sensing, display, and anti-counterfeit applications due to the ease of functionalized P2VP chains.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":381,"journal":{"name":"Journal of the Taiwan Institute of Chemical Engineers","volume":"172 ","pages":"Article 106107"},"PeriodicalIF":5.5,"publicationDate":"2025-03-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143738761","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Efficient and selective capture of lead ions by a covalent organic framework: Structure, performance and mechanism","authors":"Yongbing Yuan,&nbsp;Tinglu Wang,&nbsp;Liang He,&nbsp;Xingtong Ai,&nbsp;Lijun Li,&nbsp;Congshan Zhou,&nbsp;Tao Yang","doi":"10.1016/j.jtice.2025.106108","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jtice.2025.106108","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>In recent years, lead contamination in aquatic environments has become a significant concern. Covalent organic frameworks (COFs) have shown great potential in preventing and remediating water pollution due to their superior performance characteristics.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>DHTA-TAPA COF was synthesized via a solvothermal method through the condensation reaction between tris(4-aminophenyl) amine (TAPA) and 2,5-dihydroxyterephthalaldehyde (DHTA). The effects of parameters such as pH, initial ion concentration, temperature, and adsorption duration on the efficiency of Pb²⁺ removal by DHTA-TAPA COF were investigated.</div></div><div><h3>Findings</h3><div>A novel imine-linked covalent organic framework (DHTA-TAPA COF) has been successfully synthesized, which exhibits an exceptionally high theoretical Pb²⁺ adsorption capacity of 472.19 mg/g and demonstrates outstanding selective adsorption for lead ions, even in the presence of competing heavy metal ions. The unique structure of the COF, rich in nitrogen and oxygen functional groups, facilitates strong coordination and chelation interactions with Pb²⁺ during the adsorption process, ensuring stable immobilization of lead ions. Remarkably, after five consecutive adsorption-desorption cycles, the adsorption capacity decreased by only 15%, underscoring its excellent regenerability and practical potential as a high-performance adsorbent for the remediation of lead-contaminated water.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":381,"journal":{"name":"Journal of the Taiwan Institute of Chemical Engineers","volume":"172 ","pages":"Article 106108"},"PeriodicalIF":5.5,"publicationDate":"2025-03-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143735090","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Investigation of toluene-methyl isobutyl ketone mixed solvents as extractants for efficient separating ethylene carbonate from ethylene glycol","authors":"Haoru Tang ,&nbsp;Jing Ren ,&nbsp;Xuxu Shi ,&nbsp;Chuan Yi ,&nbsp;Man Zhang ,&nbsp;Binshen Wang","doi":"10.1016/j.jtice.2025.106113","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jtice.2025.106113","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>The separation of value-added glycerol carbonate, versatile commercial ethylene glycol (EG), and residual ethylene carbonate (EC) is crucial for further application after transesterification of glycerol and EC. However, the EC and EG form an azeotropic mixture, which cannot be separated by conventional distillation methods.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>To separate EC-EG azeotropic mixture, a mixed extractant of toluene and methyl isobutyl ketone (MIBK) was developed to extract EG and EC by liquid-liquid extraction. The selection of suitable extractants with high selectivity (<em>S</em>) and distribution coefficient (<em>D</em>) is key to achieving efficient separation. Herein, to evaluate the feasibility of extractive separation of EG and EC, the corresponding liquid−liquid equilibrium (LLE) data were measured at 313.2 K under atmospheric pressure.</div></div><div><h3>Significant findings</h3><div>The mixed extractant showed higher <em>D</em> than toluene alone and higher <em>S</em> than MIBK alone, which makes it a more suitable extractant for separating the EC-EG mixture. In addition, the radial distribution function showed that the peak height <em>g</em>(<em>r</em>) between extractants (MIBK and toluene) and EC (1.58–1.83) was higher than that between extractants and EG (1.01–1.15), suggesting that toluene and MIBK preferentially extracted EC from the EC-EG mixture. Herein, this study provided an effective strategy for separating EC and EG after transesterification of glycerol and EC.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":381,"journal":{"name":"Journal of the Taiwan Institute of Chemical Engineers","volume":"172 ","pages":"Article 106113"},"PeriodicalIF":5.5,"publicationDate":"2025-03-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143724958","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Online weighted dynamic time-difference neighborhood preserving embedding for dynamic process monitoring","authors":"Kun Wang,&nbsp;Hongbo Shi,&nbsp;Yang Tao,&nbsp;Bing Song","doi":"10.1016/j.jtice.2025.106035","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jtice.2025.106035","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background:</h3><div>Process monitoring is an important technology for ensuring the safety of the operating process. Recently, many methods based on neighborhood preserving embedding (NPE) are designed for extracting the local structure of data space. However, data collected in actual industrial processes usually exhibit serial correlation. These methods lack attention to time information and ignore the discrepancy in the discriminability of latent variables to faults.</div></div><div><h3>Methods:</h3><div>In order to alleviate the drawbacks for better monitoring performance, a novel online weighted dynamic time-difference neighborhood preserving embedding (OW-DTNPE) algorithm is proposed. Considering the serial correlation, the DTNPE is designed to construct the low-dimensional space based on a new neighborhood selection criterion, which preserves the global–local time information and local space information of process data. In addition, the online weighting strategy is designed based on the deviation degree of each latent variable in real-time. The different weights reflect the correlation between latent variables and faults.</div></div><div><h3>Significant Findings:</h3><div>The effectiveness of the proposed algorithm is demonstrated by a real glycerol distillation process, a numerical case, and Tennessee Eastman (TE) process. The proposed OW-DTNPE outperforms the other comparison methods and shows great potential in real applications.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":381,"journal":{"name":"Journal of the Taiwan Institute of Chemical Engineers","volume":"172 ","pages":"Article 106035"},"PeriodicalIF":5.5,"publicationDate":"2025-03-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143705179","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Recent progress in ceramic heat exchangers","authors":"Maryam Saberinia ,&nbsp;Farhad Sadegh Moghanlou ,&nbsp;Mohammad Vajdi ,&nbsp;Amir Heydari ,&nbsp;Mehdi Shahedi Asl","doi":"10.1016/j.jtice.2025.106082","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jtice.2025.106082","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Ceramic heat exchangers have emerged as a promising solution for thermal energy recovery in diverse applications, including chemical processing, power generation, and air conditioning systems. Traditional metallic materials, such as copper, stainless steel, and aluminum, often encounter significant limitations in high-temperature and corrosive environments, resulting in decreased efficiency and shorter operational lifespans. This has led to a growing interest in ceramics, which exhibit superior thermal and mechanical properties, making them particularly suitable for demanding conditions.</div><div>This review offers a comprehensive analysis of ceramic composite heat exchangers, emphasizing the thermal and mechanical characteristics of various ceramic materials that enable them to endure harsh operational environments. It examines recent advancements in ceramic heat exchanger technology, incorporating insights from experimental, theoretical, and numerical studies. The review highlights progress in advanced ceramic materials, particularly novel composites that enhance thermal conductivity and mechanical strength. It also explores the effects of channel geometry and fluid dynamics on heat transfer performance, alongside innovative manufacturing techniques like additive manufacturing and sintering, which can enhance production consistency and reduce costs.</div><div>The findings underscore that ceramics provide significant advantages over metals under extreme conditions, achieving heat transfer efficiencies that markedly exceed those of traditional metal exchangers. Insights from the literature present valuable guidelines for design optimization and efficiency enhancement in ceramic heat exchangers, supporting their wider adoption in industrial applications and contributing to energy savings and improved sustainability in thermal management systems.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":381,"journal":{"name":"Journal of the Taiwan Institute of Chemical Engineers","volume":"172 ","pages":"Article 106082"},"PeriodicalIF":5.5,"publicationDate":"2025-03-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143703888","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Photodegradation of tetracycline and coupling photocatalytic H2O2 production driven by concave resins with different concavities under visible light irradiation","authors":"Xinyang He,&nbsp;Ying Tian,&nbsp;Weiwei Lu,&nbsp;Fangfen Jing,&nbsp;Mingzhu Jin,&nbsp;Jiahui Zhu,&nbsp;Qi Fong,&nbsp;Rongtai Yu","doi":"10.1016/j.jtice.2025.106101","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jtice.2025.106101","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>The widespread presence of antibiotics in aquatic environments poses severe ecological risks due to inadequate removal in conventional wastewater treatment. This study investigates morphology-controlled concave polymer nanospheres for simultaneous tetracycline (TC) degradation and photocatalytic H₂O₂ production.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>Synthesis of aminophenol-formaldehyde resins (APF) using 3-aminophenol (3-AP), ammonia water, and formaldehyde. Through precise acetone-mediated etching, three concave resin catalysts with distinct concavities (70–78 nm) and wall thicknesses (47–54 nm) were synthesized.</div></div><div><h3>Significant findings</h3><div>Systematic characterization revealed that increased wall thickness enhanced visible-light absorption (up to 700 nm), while higher concavity improved light reflection efficiency. The catalyst synthesized with 38 mL acetone demonstrated optimal H₂O₂ yield (168.5 mg g⁻¹), whereas the maximum TC degradation efficiency (106.57 % at 180 min) was achieved using the 32 mL acetone-etched catalyst with the deepest concavity. Mechanistic studies identified synergistic effects between light scattering geometry and charge carrier dynamics, where concave structures facilitated multi-directional photon utilization while thickened walls suppressed electron-hole recombination. This work provides new insights into morphology engineering for dual-functional photocatalytic systems in environmental remediation.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":381,"journal":{"name":"Journal of the Taiwan Institute of Chemical Engineers","volume":"172 ","pages":"Article 106101"},"PeriodicalIF":5.5,"publicationDate":"2025-03-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143685030","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}