This paper reports fast and efficient chemical decontamination of water within a tree-branched centimeter-scale microfluidic reactor. The microreactor integrates Zinc oxide nanowires (ZnO NWs) in situ grown acting as an efficient photocatalytic nanomaterial layer. Direct growth of ZnO NWs within the microfluidic chamber brings this photocatalytic medium at the very close vicinity of the water flow path, hence minimizing the required interaction time to produce efficient purification performance. We demonstrate a degradation efficiency of 95% in o 5 s of residence time in one-pass only. According to our estimates, it becomes attainable using microfluidic reactors to produce decontamination of merely 1 l of water per day, typical of the human daily drinking water needs. To conduct our experiments, we have chosen a laboratory-scale case study as a seed for addressing the health concern of water contamination by volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which remain difficult to remove using alternative decontamination techniques, especially those involving water evaporation. The contaminated water sample contains mixture of five pollutants: Benzene; Toluene; Ethylbenzene; m-p Xylenes; and o-Xylene (BTEX) diluted in water at 10 p.p.m. concentration of each. Degradation was analytically monitored in a selective manner until it falls below 1 p.p.m. for each of the five pollutants, corresponding to the maximum contaminant level (MCL) established by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). We also report on a preliminary study, investigating the nature of the chemical by-products after the photocatalytic VOCs degradation process.

This article presents the synthesis of a new family of synthetic isotactic polyesters derived from poly((S)‐3,3‐dimethylmalic acid) (PDMMLA). These polyesters are prepared via the lactone route bearing functionalized groups in its main or side chain. The aim of this work is twofold: metabolism and stereochemistry. First, the synthesis of these new polyesters is chosen to provide biodegradable polyesters biocompatible and bioassimilable by the human body. Next, the molecular chain of this family contains a stereogenic center in the aim to provide 100% isotactic homopolymers and copolymers (statistical and block). Finally, these polymers have been characterized by several analytical techniques: FTIR, 1H and 13C NMR, SEC, DSC, and TGA. The greatest importance will be given to the 13C NMR and DSC to principally confirm the stereoregularity and crystallinity of these stereopolyesters. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2016, 54, 1495–1507