Microwave-assisted rapid degradation of Methyl red dye using Polyfuran/Polythiophene and its Co-oligomers as catalysts.

The work reports for the first time microwave-assisted degradation of Methyl Red (MR) dye using polythiophene (PTh), polyfuran (PFu) and its co-oligomers. The co-oligomers were synthesized by sonication using varying mol ratios of PFu/PTh (80:20, 50:50 and 20:80). The polymers and its co-oligomers were analyzed for their spectral and morphological properties using FTIR, UV-visible and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) coupled with elemental mapping. The oligomers as well as pristine polymers were used as microwave active catalysts to degraded Methyl Red (MR) dye. The degradation was found to follow the pseudo-first-order model. Maximum degradation of 99% was achieved using PFu/PTh-50/50 as catalyst. Scavenging tests were also carried out to confirm the generation of radicals responsible for the effective degradation of the dye. The LCMS studies were used to explore the degraded fragments and a plausible mechanism was proposed to reveal the degradation pathway.

The reconstitution of reed cellulose by the hydrothermal carbonization and acid etching to improve the performance of photocatalytic degradation of antibiotics.

As an economical and environment-friendly material, hydrothermal carbonation carbon (HTCC) has been widely used in the field of adsorption and catalysis. Previous studies mainly used glucose as raw material to prepare HTCC. Cellulose in biomass can be further hydrolyzed into carbohydrate; however, there are few reports on the direct preparation of HTCC from biomass and the relevant synthesis mechanism is unclear. In this study, HTCC with efficient photocatalytic performance was prepared from reed straw using dilute acid etching under hydrothermal conditions and was used for the degradation of tetracycline (TC). The mechanism of photodegradation of TC by HTCC was systematically elucidated through various characterization techniques and density functional theory (DFT) calculations. This study provides a new perspective on the preparation of green photocatalysts and demonstrates their promising application in environmental remediation.

Poly([1,4]Dithiino[2,3-c]Furan): the synthesis, electrochemistry, and optoelectronic properties of a furan-containing polymer.

The chemical synthesis of a novel polyfuran, poly(2,3-bis(hexylthio)-[1,4]dithiino[2,3-c]furan) (PBDF), substituted at the 2,3-positions with an S-alkylated dithiin unit, is reported. The new polymer has been characterized in terms of its electronic absorption, electrochemical, and thermal properties. Employment of the dithiin moiety provides intrinsic additional electroactivity, as well as a functional handle for substitution with alkyl groups, enhancing the processability of the polymer. The new polymer is compared with the closely related and well-established literature compounds PEDOT and PEDTT as well-studied, highly chalcogenated polythiophenes.