Ultrafast Fabrication of a Robust Superwetting Coating

Superwetting surface has attracted extensive attention because of its wide potential applications. However, its application is still restricted by its complex fabrication, time-consuming preparation, high cost, and poor mechanical or chemical stability. Herein, it only took ∼14 min to fabricate a robust superwetting coating via a successively spraying and pressing process. The resulting coating exhibited excellent mechanical stability, good anticorrosion, and chemical durability by pressing various micro-/nanoparticles such as montmorillonite (MMT), sepiolite (SEP), or TiO2 nanoparticles into the epoxy-based coating. Besides the self-cleaning and wettability switch performance, the “E44 + TiO2” coating exhibited good separation performance for an oil–water mixture and emulsion. This strategy provides a simple and ultrafast route to fabricate a robust superwetting surface with multifunctions, which extend the range of the superwetting surface in practical applications

Ultrafast Fabrication of a Robust Superwetting Coating

Superwetting surface has attracted extensive attention because of its wide potential applications. However, its application is still restricted by its complex fabrication, time-consuming preparation, high cost, and poor mechanical or chemical stability. Herein, it only took ∼14 min to fabricate a robust superwetting coating via a successively spraying and pressing process. The resulting coating exhibited excellent mechanical stability, good anticorrosion, and chemical durability by pressing various micro-/nanoparticles such as montmorillonite (MMT), sepiolite (SEP), or TiO2 nanoparticles into the epoxy-based coating. Besides the self-cleaning and wettability switch performance, the “E44 + TiO2” coating exhibited good separation performance for an oil–water mixture and emulsion. This strategy provides a simple and ultrafast route to fabricate a robust superwetting surface with multifunctions, which extend the range of the superwetting surface in practical applications

Ultrafast Fabrication of a Robust Superwetting Coating

Superwetting surface has attracted extensive attention because of its wide potential applications. However, its application is still restricted by its complex fabrication, time-consuming preparation, high cost, and poor mechanical or chemical stability. Herein, it only took ∼14 min to fabricate a robust superwetting coating via a successively spraying and pressing process. The resulting coating exhibited excellent mechanical stability, good anticorrosion, and chemical durability by pressing various micro-/nanoparticles such as montmorillonite (MMT), sepiolite (SEP), or TiO2 nanoparticles into the epoxy-based coating. Besides the self-cleaning and wettability switch performance, the “E44 + TiO2” coating exhibited good separation performance for an oil–water mixture and emulsion. This strategy provides a simple and ultrafast route to fabricate a robust superwetting surface with multifunctions, which extend the range of the superwetting surface in practical applications

Effects of CeO₂ geometry on corrosion resistance of epoxy coatings

Effects of CeO2 geometry, including functionalised CeO2 nanospheres (FCNS) and nanorods (FCNS), on corrosion resistance of organic silicon epoxy (EP) composite coatings were investigated. The CeO2 nanoparticles were functionalised with γ-(2,3-epoxypropoxy)propytrimethoxysilane and characterised by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The corrosion resistance of EP composite coatings was evaluated by polarisation curve analysis, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and salt spray test. It was found the incorporation with CeO2 nanoparticles improved the corrosion resistance of EP coatings, and the optimum dosage was 3 wt-%. FCNR outperformed FCNS in enhancing corrosion resistance.</p

Toward Easily Enlarged Superhydrophobic Materials with Stain-Resistant, Oil–Water Separation and Anticorrosion Function by a Water-Based One-Step Electrodeposition Method

One-step fabrication methods toward superhydrophobic (SH) coatings are recognized as very cost-efficient. However, most of the emerged one-step methods rely on the organic solvents to dissolve low surface energy material, which might bring serious environmental issues. In this work, a water-based one-step electrodeposition route was provided to obtain high-performance SH coating on various materials and output functional products such as the mesh used for oil–water separation, a self-cleaning “blackboard”, or stain-resistant cloth; all can be prepared within 5 min. An unconventional lauric acid emulsion containing metal ions served as the electrolyte, and with the appearance of an ultrasonic field, the organic part was effectively co-deposited. The coated SH surface enjoyed excellent mechanical stability and corrosion-resistance property. Profitably, the electrolyte can be repeatedly utilized for several cycles. Besides, our experiment proved that this technique was really scalable, rendering it with great potential for quantity production

Durable Polycationic Superhydrophilic Membrane toward Excellent Antibacterial Performance and Oil–Water Separation

Polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) membranes have been widely used as ultrafiltration and microfiltration membranes for water treatment due to their excellent chemical stability and mechanical strength. However, the low separation efficiency arising from the contamination and the poor reproducibility limit the development of current PVDF-based membranes. Inspired by the offensive and defensive characteristics of spines of a hedgehog, a spinous polycationic polymer, which is synthesized by the polymerization of dopamine (DA) and subsequent grafting of dendritic polyethylenimine (PEI) and 2,3-epoxypropyltrimonium chloride (EPTAC) molecules, is grafted on the surface of the PVDF membrane. The composite PVDF membrane with a stinging structure and superhydrophilic polycations enables long-term protection against bacteria (such as E. coli) and high oil–water separation efficiency, as well as strong antiemulsification ability. The permeation flux of pure water is up to 4777.1 L m–2 h–1 bar–1 and the oil–water separation efficiency is no less than 99.1%. More interestingly, the membrane still retained a good antifouling performance after being recycled through a remolding process. The facile fabrication strategy can be expanded to construct other separation membranes, enabling them to be next-generation separation membranes for high-efficiency water purification

Durable Polycationic Superhydrophilic Membrane toward Excellent Antibacterial Performance and Oil–Water Separation

Polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) membranes have been widely used as ultrafiltration and microfiltration membranes for water treatment due to their excellent chemical stability and mechanical strength. However, the low separation efficiency arising from the contamination and the poor reproducibility limit the development of current PVDF-based membranes. Inspired by the offensive and defensive characteristics of spines of a hedgehog, a spinous polycationic polymer, which is synthesized by the polymerization of dopamine (DA) and subsequent grafting of dendritic polyethylenimine (PEI) and 2,3-epoxypropyltrimonium chloride (EPTAC) molecules, is grafted on the surface of the PVDF membrane. The composite PVDF membrane with a stinging structure and superhydrophilic polycations enables long-term protection against bacteria (such as E. coli) and high oil–water separation efficiency, as well as strong antiemulsification ability. The permeation flux of pure water is up to 4777.1 L m–2 h–1 bar–1 and the oil–water separation efficiency is no less than 99.1%. More interestingly, the membrane still retained a good antifouling performance after being recycled through a remolding process. The facile fabrication strategy can be expanded to construct other separation membranes, enabling them to be next-generation separation membranes for high-efficiency water purification

Na⁺ Migration Mediated Phase Transitions Induced by Electric Field in the Framework Structured Tungsten Bronze

Framework structured tungsten bronzes serve as promising candidates for electrode materials in sodium-ion batteries (SIBs). However, the tungsten bronze framework structure changes drastically as mediated by the sodium ion concentration at high temperatures. While the three-dimensional ion channels facilitate fast ion storage and transport capabilities, the structural instability induced by Na+ migration is a big concern regarding the battery performance and safety, which unfortunately remains elusive. Here, we show the real-time experimental evidence of the phase transitions in framework structured Na0.36WO3.14 (triclinic phase) by applying different external voltages. The Na+-rich (Na0.48WO3, tetragonal phase) or -deficient (NaxWO3, x < 0.36, hexagonal phase) phase nucleates under the positive or negative bias, respectively. Combined with the theoretical calculations, the atomistic phase transition mechanisms associated with the Na+ migration are directly uncovered. Our work sheds light on the phase instability in sodium tungsten bronzes and paves the way for designing advanced SIBs with high-stability

Na⁺ Migration Mediated Phase Transitions Induced by Electric Field in the Framework Structured Tungsten Bronze

Framework structured tungsten bronzes serve as promising candidates for electrode materials in sodium-ion batteries (SIBs). However, the tungsten bronze framework structure changes drastically as mediated by the sodium ion concentration at high temperatures. While the three-dimensional ion channels facilitate fast ion storage and transport capabilities, the structural instability induced by Na+ migration is a big concern regarding the battery performance and safety, which unfortunately remains elusive. Here, we show the real-time experimental evidence of the phase transitions in framework structured Na0.36WO3.14 (triclinic phase) by applying different external voltages. The Na+-rich (Na0.48WO3, tetragonal phase) or -deficient (NaxWO3, x < 0.36, hexagonal phase) phase nucleates under the positive or negative bias, respectively. Combined with the theoretical calculations, the atomistic phase transition mechanisms associated with the Na+ migration are directly uncovered. Our work sheds light on the phase instability in sodium tungsten bronzes and paves the way for designing advanced SIBs with high-stability

Grain-Boundary-Rich Copper for Efficient Solar-Driven Electrochemical CO₂ Reduction to Ethylene and Ethanol

The grain boundary in copper-based electrocatalysts has been demonstrated to improve the selectivity of solar-driven electrochemical CO2 reduction toward multicarbon products. However, the approach to form grain boundaries in copper is still limited. This paper describes a controllable grain growth of copper electrodeposition via poly­(vinylpyrrolidone) used as an additive. A grain-boundary-rich metallic copper could be obtained to convert CO2 into ethylene and ethanol with a high selectivity of 70% over a wide potential range. In situ attenuated total reflection surface-enhanced infrared absorption spectroscopy unveils that the existence of grain boundaries enhances the adsorption of the key intermediate (*CO) on the copper surface to boost the further CO2 reduction. When coupling with a commercially available Si solar cell, the device achieves a remarkable solar-to-C2-products conversion efficiency of 3.88% at a large current density of 52 mA·cm–2. This low-cost and efficient device is promising for large-scale application of solar-driven CO2 reduction