Is it possible to produce superhydrophobic surfaces from water-borne coatings?

Com o apoio RAADRI. Resumo de apresentação oral.Bio-inspired superhydrophobic surfaces have attracted considerable attention due to their excellent water repellent properties and their underlying potential applications. It is very well established in the state of the art that the production of superhydrophobic surfaces requires the use of low surface energy materials carefully tailored with micro/nanostructures to substantially increase the surface roughness. However, as hydrophobic materials are not soluble in water, superhydrophobic coatings are usually formulated with organic solvents, emitting large amounts of undesired volatile organic compounds (VOC) to the atmosphere upon application. The search for a superhydrophobic water-based coating seems contradictory, but is it really impossible to achieve? The goal of the present work is to develop a simple approach to manufacture superhydrophobic top-coats from water-based formulations, for anticorrosion applications. Low water adhesion is highly desirable, in order to achieve the Cassie-Baxter wetting regime and to observe the water roll-off effect

Cathodic electrodeposition and electrochemical response of manganese oxide pseudocapacitor electrodes

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NixCo1-x(OH)2 nanosheets on carbon nanofoam paper as high areal capacity electrodes for hybrid supercapacitors

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Layered Ni(OH)2-Co(OH)2 films prepared by electrodeposition as charge storage electrodes for hybrid supercapacitors

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Hydrogen bubbling-induced micro/nano porous MnO2 films prepared by electrodeposition for pseudocapacitor electrodes

International audienceMicro/nano porous manganese oxide MnO2 electrodes for electrochemical energy storage were prepared by cathodic electrodeposition over stainless steel collectors using hydrogen bubbling as dynamic template. The morphology of the resulting film consisted of nanoporous MnO2 crumpled nanosheets and homogeneously distributed micro-holes. The electrochemical studies revealed that the micro/nano porous MnO2 electrodes displayed good pseudocapacitive response. The specific capacitance of the electrode was 305 F g−1 at 1 A g−1 in a potential window of 1 V, and the rate capability was 61% when the current density increased from 1 A g−1 to 10 A g−1

Morphological changes and electrochemical response of mixed nickel manganese oxides as charge storage electrodes

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Antibacterial Activity of ZnO Nanoparticles in a <i>Staphylococcus</i>-<i>aureus</i>-Infected <i>Galleria mellonella</i> Model Is Tuned by Different Apple-Derived Phytocargos

This research investigates pH changes during the green synthesis of ZnO nanoparticles (NPs) and emphasises its importance in their physicochemical, antibacterial, and biological properties. Varying the synthesis pH from 8 to 12 using “Bravo de Esmolfe” apple extracts neither affected the morphology nor crystallinity of ZnO but impacted NP phytochemical loads. This difference is because alkaline hydrolysis of phytochemicals occurred with increasing pH, resulting in BE-ZnO with distinct phytocargos. To determine the toxicity of BE-ZnO NPs, Galleria mellonella was used as an alternative to non-rodent models. These assays showed no adverse effects on larvae up to a concentration of 200 mg/kg and that NPs excess was relieved by faeces and silk fibres. This was evaluated by utilising fluorescence-lifetime imaging microscopy (FLIM) to track NPs’ intrinsic fluorescence. The antibacterial efficacy against Staphylococcus aureus was higher for BE-ZnO12 than for BE-ZnO8; however, a different trend was attained in an in vivo infection model. This result may be related to NPs’ residence in larvae haemocytes, modulated by their phytocargos. This research demonstrates, for the first time, the potential of green synthesis to modulate the biosafety and antibacterial activity of NPs in an advanced G. mellonella infection model. These findings support future strategies to overcome antimicrobial resistance by utilizing distinct phytocargos to modulate NPs’ action over time

Structural evolution, magnetic properties and electrochemical response of MnCo 2 O 4 nanosheet films

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Hybrid nickel manganese oxide nanosheet–3D metallic dendrite percolation network electrodes for high-rate electrochemical energy storage

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