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This paper examines the necessity and implementation of multidisciplinary integration in undergraduate environmental protection design innovation, using the 4th Urban Water Environment and Water Ecology Creative Competition as a case study. Firstly, it explores the significance of the innovation competition itself as a foundation for analyzing the impact of multidisciplinary integration on the development of participating students, faculty teams, and the advancement of disciplines. Secondly, it provides a detailed discussion on the outstanding achievements attained through the integration of three disciplines, namely environmental engineering, computer science, and art and design, within the context of the Water Environment and Water Ecology Creative Competition. Lastly, the paper concludes by summarizing the importance and value of multidisciplinary integration in undergraduate environmental protection design innovation. By presenting the insights and analysis outlined in this paper, readers can gain a comprehensive understanding of the role played by multidisciplinary integration in environmental protection design innovation, thereby offering valuable ideas and perspectives for teaching and research in related fields.

In this study, a facile formulation of near-infrared (NIR)-emitting CdHgTe/CdS/CdZnS quantum dots (QDs) was fabricated and coated with three different thiol ligands, N-acetyl-L-cysteine (NAC), 3-mercaptopropionic acid (MPA) and thioglycolic acid (TGA). The optical properties, morphology, hydrodynamic diameters, structure and surface chemistries of the developed QDs were comprehensively assessed. As a therapeutic drug, NAC provides excellent biocompatibility and anti-oxidant activity both in vitro and in vivo. Given their core–shell–shell structure, the QDs induced no toxicity in living bodies even at a concentration of 20 mg kg−1. Compared with NAC-capped QDs, TGA- and MPA-capped QDs demonstrated poor tumor-targeting capabilities because of their larger hydrodynamic diameters and inferior biocompatibility. Furthermore, the use of different stabilizing ligands resulted in various major changes in organ biodistribution and clearance from the body. In terms of rapid metabolization through renal clearance, the NAC-capped core–shell–shell QDs will be an alternative probe in cellular metabolism studies and image-guided surgery for tumor targeting and removal.

In this article, highly photoluminescent near-infrared (NIR)-emitting quantum dots (QDs) were directly synthesized in water by a fast, inexpensive and facile method. Unlike the conventional technique, biocompatible N-acetyl-L-cysteine (NAC) capped CdHgTe/CdS core/shell QDs were successfully synthesized through a one-pot sequential growth of the core and shell in a controlled manner. An additional ZnS shell was deposited around the outer layer of CdHgTe/CdS QDs to render the core/shell/shell QDs less sensitive to environmental changes and less toxic to living bodies. The experimental results from high resolution transmission electron microscopy and X-ray powder diffraction indicated the as-prepared QDs have a very small diameter and good monodispersity. Furthermore, the CdHgTe/CdS/ZnS core/shell/shell QDs were successfully applied for in vitro imaging, and the results demonstrated that the biocompatible NIR QDs exhibited highly spectrally and spatially resolved imaging. Moreover, the NAC capped QDs were directly used for in vivo tumor targeting of nude mice by passive targeting. The tumor was identified distinctly by the ultra-small QDs within only 2 h of blood circulation. Through the leakiness of the tumor vasculature, the QDs showed excellent accumulation in the tumor region for as long as 4 h. The results of acute toxicity tests showed that the biocompatible NIR QDs caused negligible harmful effects to the nude mice at experimental dosages, indicating that the high fluorescence probes can be highly effective in long-term diagnostics and therapy in in vivo observation.

Quasi core shell alloyed CdSeS quantum dots (QDs) have been prepared through a facile aqueous-phase route employing microwave irradiation technique. The optical spectroscopy and structure characterization evidenced the quasi core shell alloyed structures of CdSeS QDs. The X-ray diffraction patterns of the obtained CdSeS QDs displayed peak positions very close to those of bulk cubic CdS crystal structures and the result of X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy data re-confirmed the thick CdS shell on the CdSe core. The TEM images and HRTEM images of the CdSeS QDs ascertained the well-defined spherical particles and a relatively narrow size distribution. On the basis, the stability of the obtained QDs in an oxidative environment was also discussed using etching reaction by H2O2. The experiments result showed the as-prepared QDs present high tolerance towards H2O2, obviously superior to the commonly used CdTe QDs and core-shell CdTe/CdS QDs, which was attributed to the unique quasi core-shell CdSeS crystal structure and the small lattice mismatch between CdSe and CdS semiconductor materials. This assay provided insight to obtain high stable crystal structured semiconductor nanocrystals in the design and synthesis process.