Xylene isomers are notorious chemical hazards, and their efficient removal from water solutions is still challenging. The current study reports a polymer nanocomposite as a potential adsorbent for successfully removing dissolved xylene isomers from contaminated water. Polystyrene-1D multiwall carbon nanotube nanocomposite (PS-MWCNT) adsorbent was prepared using the one-step bulk polymerization method. Mesoporous PS-MWCNT was prepared using the nano-crystallization phase separation method. The sulfonation of the mesoporous PS-MWCNT nanocomposites was carried out by treating the samples with concentrated sulfuric acid at elevated temperatures. The sulfonated PS-MWCNT (HO₃S-PS-MWCNT) was found to be a potential adsorbent for dissolved xylene isomers from water solution. In addition, the HO₃S-PS-MWCNT can be efficiently recycled for up to 10 consecutive cycles with negligible decline in adsorption values. The exhibited equilibrium adsorption, rate of adsorption, and rapid regeneration of the HO₃S-PS-MWCNT are clear indications for the possibility of practical utilization of these adsorbents in large-scale water treatment plants.

Stimuli-responsive, smart, or intelligent polymers are materials that significantly change their physical or chemical properties when there is a small change in the surrounding environment due to either internal or external stimuli. In the last two decades or so, there has been tremendous growth in the strategies to develop various types of stimuli-responsive polymer (SRP) materials/systems that are suitable for various fields, including biomedical, material science, nanotechnology, biotechnology, surface and colloid sciences, biochemistry, and the environmental field. The wide acceptability of SRPs is due to their availability in different architectural forms such as scaffolds, aggregates, hydrogels, pickering emulsions, core-shell particles, nanogels, micelles, membranes, capsules, and layer-by-layer films. The present review focuses on different types of SRPs, such as physical, chemical, and biological, and various important applications, including controlled drug delivery (CDD), stabilization of colloidal dispersion, diagnostics (sensors and imaging), tissue engineering, regenerative medicines, and actuators. The applications of SRPs have immense potential in various fields, and the author hopes these polymers will add a new field of applications through new concepts.

Recent research efforts have increasingly concentrated on creating innovative biomaterials to improve bone tissue engineering techniques. Among these, hybrid nanomaterials stand out as a promising category of biomaterials. In this study, we present a straightforward, cost-efficient, and optimized hydrothermal synthesis method to produce high-purity Ta-doped potassium titanate nanofibers. Morphological characterizations revealed that Ta-doping maintained the native crystal structure of potassium titanate, highlighting its exciting potential in bone tissue engineering.