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To further improve the photocatalytic techniques for water purification and wastewater treatment, we successfully prepared a new type of TiO(2)/Ti mesh photoelectrode, by anodization in ethylene glycol solution. The three-dimensional arrays of nanotubes formed on Ti mesh show a significant improvement in photocatalytic activity, compared to the nanotube arrays formed on foil. This can be demonstrated by about 22 and 38% enhancement in the degradation efficiency per mass and per area, respectively, when TiO(2)/Ti mesh electrode was used to photocatalyze methyl orange (MO). Furthermore, the effects of different parameters on MO photodegradation were investigated, such as different photoelectrode calcination temperature, the initial pH value of MO solution, and the present of hydrogen peroxide. The superior photocatalytic activity could be achieved by the TiO(2)/Ti mesh photoelectrode calcinated at 550 °C, due to the appearance of mixed crystal phases of anatase and rutile. In strong acidic or caustic conditions, such as pH 1 or 13, a high degradation efficiency can be both obtained. The presence of H(2)O(2) in photocatalytic reactions can promote photocatalytic degradation efficiencies. Moreover, the experimental results demonstrated the excellent stability and reliability of the TiO(2)/Ti mesh electrode.

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Here, we report novel lignin-poly­(ε-caprolactone)-based polyurethane bioplastics with high performance. The poly­(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) was incorporated as a biodegradable soft segment to the lignin by the bridge of hexamethylene diisocyanate (HDI) with long flexible aliphatic chains and high reactivity. The effects of -NCO/-OH molar ratio, content of lignin, and molecular weight of the PCL on the properties of the resultant polyurethane plastics were thoroughly evaluated. It is important that the polyurethane film still possessed high performance in the tensile strength, breaking elongation, and tear strength, which could reach 19.35 MPa, 188.36%, and 38.94 kN/m, respectively, when the content of lignin reached as high as 37.3%; moreover, it was very stable at 340.8 °C and presented excellent solvent-resistance. The results demonstrated that the modification of the lignin based on the urethane chemistry represents an effective strategy for developing lignin-based high-performance sustainable materials.

A highly oriented BaTiO3 film was assembled using an interfacial method, and a piezoelectric generator was fabricated to harvest wind energy.

Organic electrochemical transistors (OECTs) are promising devices for applications in in vitro and in vivo measurements. OECTs have two important sensing interfaces for signal monitoring: One is the gate electrode surface; the other is the channel surface. This mini review introduced the new developments in chemical and biological detection of the two sensing interfaces. Specific focus was given on the modification technological approaches of the gate or channel surface. In particular, some unique strategies and surface designs aiming to facilitate signal-transduction and amplification were discussed. Several perspectives and current challenges of OECTs development were also briefly summarized.

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