Self-Cleaning Antibacterial Composite Coating of Fluorinated Acrylic Resin and Ag/SiO Nanoparticles with Quaternary Ammonium.

With improvements in living standards, the demand for antibacterial self-cleaning coatings has significantly increased. In this work, self-cleaning coatings with antibacterial properties were fabricated by spray-coating a composite of fluorinated acrylic resin and Ag/SiO nanoparticles with quaternary ammonium salts. The synergistic action of the quaternary ammonium salts and silver nanostructures caused the coating to show a dual antibacterial effect.

Bioinspired Superhydrophobic All-In-One Coating for Adaptive Thermoregulation.

The development of scalable and passive coatings that can adapt to seasonal temperature changes while maintaining superhydrophobic self-cleaning functions is crucial for their practical applications. However, the incorporation of passive cooling and heating functions with conflicting optical properties in a superhydrophobic coating is still challenging. Herein, an all-in-one coating inspired by the hierarchical structure of a lotus leaf that combines surface wettability, optical structure, and temperature self-adaptation is obtained through a simple one-step phase separation process.

Salt-blocking three-dimensional Janus evaporator with superwettability gradient for efficient and stable solar desalination.

Solar interfacial steam power generation is a prospective method for seawater desalination. In this work, a salt-blocking three-dimensional (3D) Janus evaporator with a superhydrophobic to superhydrophilic gradient was fabricated by spraying a composite dispersion of multi-walled carbon nanotubes/polydimethylsiloxane (CNTs/PDMS) onto the top side of a polyurethane (PU) foam and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) solution onto the bottom side. The CNTs/PDMS composite dispersion with nanostructured CNTs and low surface energy PDMS combined with the porous structure of the PU foam rendered the top side superhydrophobic.

Au/FeO-based nanozymes with peroxidase-like activity integrated in immunochromatographic strips for highly-sensitive biomarker detection.

Because of their simplicity, rapidity, and cost-effectiveness, immunochromatographic strips (ICTs) have been widely used as an effective tool in various fields. However, typical strips for the preliminary screening suffer from limited detection sensitivity, particularly in biomarker detection with trace concentration. Herein, to tackle this challenge, we integrated homemade gold-decorated FeO nanoparticles (Au/FeO NPs) with flexible strips, exploring the excellent peroxidase-like activity of this labeled material, and then enhancing the detection sensitivity signal amplification.

Scalable and Mechanically Durable Superhydrophobic Coating of SiO/Polydimethylsiloxane/Epoxy Nanocomposite.

The mechanical durability of superhydrophobic surfaces is of significance for their practical applications. However, few reports about superhydrophobic coating on certain substrates took into consideration both the mechanical stability of the superhydrophobic coating and adhesion stability between the coating and the substrate. Herein, we put forward a facile and efficient strategy to construct robust superhydrophobic coatings by simply spray-coating a composite suspension of SiO nanoparticles, polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), and epoxy resin (EP) on substrates pretreated with an EP base-coating.

Superhydrophobic Porous Coating of Polymer Composite for Scalable and Durable Daytime Radiative Cooling.

Passive daytime radiative cooling (PDRC) technology provides an eco-friendly cooling strategy by reflecting sunlight reaching the surface and radiating heat underneath to the outer space through the atmospheric transparency window. However, PDRC materials face challenges in cooling performance degradation caused by outdoor contamination and requirements of easy fabrication approaches for scale-up and high cooling efficiency. Herein, a polymer composite coating of polystyrene, polydimethylsiloxane and poly(ethyl cyanoacrylate) (PS/PDMS/PECA) with superhydrophobicity and radiative cooling performance was fabricated and demonstrated to have sustained radiative cooling capability, utilizing the superhydrophobic self-cleaning property to maintain the optical properties of the coating surface.

A Superhydrophobic Dual-Mode Film for Energy-Free Radiative Cooling and Solar Heating.

Traditional electric cooling in summer and coal heating in winter consume a huge amount of energy and lead to a greenhouse effect. Herein, we developed an energy-free dual-mode superhydrophobic film, which consists of a white side with porous coating of styrene-ethylene-butylene-styrene/SiO for radiative cooling and a black side with nanocomposite coating of carbon nanotubes/polydimethylsiloxane for solar heating. In the cooling mode with the white side, the film achieved a high sunlight reflection of 94% and a strong long-wave infrared emission of 92% in the range of 8-13 μm to contribute to a temperature drop of ∼11 °C.

Modification of a nitrocellulose membrane with nanofibers for sensitivity enhancement in lateral flow test strips.

Lateral-flow analysis (LFA) is a convenient, low-cost, and rapid detection method, which has been widely used for screening of diseases. However, sensitivity enhancement in LFA is still a focus in this field and remains challenging. Herein, we propose an electrospinning coating method to modify the conventional nitrocellulose (NC) membrane and optimize the liquid flow rate for enhancing the sensitivity of the NC based LFA strips in the detection of human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG) and luteinizing hormone (LH).

An immunochromatography strip with peroxidase-mimicking ferric oxyhydroxide nanorods-mediated signal amplification and readout.

Immunochromatography testing strips (ICTs) promise to become the point-of-care test format for early diagnosis due to their convenience, low cost, and simplification. However, the insufficient signal intensity and limited sensitivity of this format hamper their application. Herein, we overcame these limitations by integrating rod-like ferric oxyhydroxide (β-FeOOH) nanoparticles with ICTs.

Hierarchically Hollow Microfibers as a Scalable and Effective Thermal Insulating Cooler for Buildings.

Daytime passive radiative cooling is a promising electricity-free pathway for cooling terrestrial buildings. Current research interest in this cooling strategy mainly lies in tailoring the optical spectra of materials for strong thermal emission and high solar reflection. However, environmental heat gain poses a crucial challenge to building cooling at subambient temperatures.

Microfluidic synthesis of chitosan-coated magnetic alginate microparticles for controlled and sustained drug delivery.

The present work aimed to assemble a simple, portable and economical L-junction microfluidic device to realize the adjustment and tunability of homogeneous round-shaped particles synthesis. In this study, we synthesize two kind of microparticles, including magnetic alginate microparticles (MAM) and chitosan-coated magnetic alginate (CMAM) used for controlling the drug release under a mild condition. Comparing to the traditional method, the MAM synthesized via this microfluidic approach has uniform size distribution, adjustable diameter as well as tunable magnetism.

Electrospun nitrocellulose membrane for immunochromatographic test strip with high sensitivity.

The main goal of this work is to develop an economical, portable, disposable, and reliable point of care paper biosensor based on visualization, which can be used to detect viruses, bacteria, and proteins. However, the sensitivity of immunochromatography test (ICT) strips based on nitrocellulose to target detection has always been a problem. Here, we use an electrospun nitrocellulose (ENC) fiber membrane instead of traditional nitrocellulose fiber membrane to construct ICT strips for early pregnancy detection.

The fabrication of mechanically durable and stretchable superhydrophobic PDMS/SiO composite film.

Stretchable superhydrophobic film was fabricated by casting silicone rubber polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) on a SiO nanoparticle-decorated template and subsequent stripping. PDMS endowed the resulting surface with excellent flexibility and stretchability. The use of nanoparticles contributed to the sustained roughening of the surface, even under large strain, offering mechanically durable superhydrophobicity.

Fabrication of mechanically resistant superhydrophobic synthetic suede materials.

Functionalization of synthetic suede materials with excellent superhydrophobicity can expand their application ranges. Superhydrophobic synthetic suede was obtained by coating with polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) and octadecyltrichlorosilane (OTS). Utilizing the synthetic suede effect of the fibrous rough structures in combination with the low surface energy micro-nano rough structure on fibers resulting from PDMS and OTS, the surface was easily turned superhydrophobic with self-cleaning properties.

Fabrication of PAN Electrospun Nanofibers Modified by Tannin for Effective Removal of Trace Cr(III) in Organic Complex from Wastewater.

Removal of chromium ions is significant due to their toxicity and harmfulness, however it is very difficult to remove trace Cr(III) complexed with organics because of their strong stability. Herein, a novel electrospun polyacrylonitrile (PAN) nanofibers (NF) adsorbent was fabricated and modified by tannic acid (TA) by a facile blend electrospinning approach for removal of trace Cr(III) in an organic complex. Utilizing the large specific area of nanofibers in the membrane and the good affinity of tannic acid on the nanofibers for hydrolyzed collagen by hydrophobic and hydrogen bonds, the as-prepared PAN-TA NFM exhibited good adsorption toward Cr(III)-collagen complexes and effective reduction of total organic carbon in tannage wastewater.

Fabrication of Impact-Resistant and Wear-Recoverable Superhydrophobic Surfaces.

Robustness of superhydrophobic materials has been gradually taken into consideration for practical applications; however, little attention has been paid to the impact resistance of the superhydrophobicity of the materials. The present study demonstrated a new route for improving the mechanical durability, especially the impact resistance, of the superhydrophobic materials. First, poly(styrene--butadiene)/poly(ethylene-vinyl acetate) (SBR/EVA) composite monoliths with microscale cellular structures were manufactured by vulcanization-foaming processes.

One-pot synthesis of poly (acrylic acid)-stabilized FeO nanocrystal clusters for the simultaneously qualitative and quantitative detection of biomarkers in lateral flow immunoassay.

Lateral flow immunoassay (LFIAs) has found widespread applications in point-of-care testing (POCT). However, conventional LFIAs based on gold nanoparticles can only provide limited information (qualitative or semi-quantitative information) and suffer from low sensitivity. To address this issue, we developed a FeO nanocrystal cluster-based highly sensitive LFIAs for the simultaneously qualitative and quantitative detection of trace-level biomarkers.

Study on the foot shape characteristics of the elderly in China.

Background: With aging, the feet of the elderly above 60 years old in China present degenerative changes, deformities, and diseases, which significantly affect their daily activities.

Objectives: The authors aimed to study the morphological characteristics of the feet and identify the foot type according to size (length and width) and defect characteristics of elderly feet in China.

Methods: A convenient sample of 1000 subjects above 60 years old was recruited mainly in the regions of Shanghai, Shaanxi, Henan, Hebei, and Sichuan in China.

The Synergy of Double Cross-linking Agents on the Properties of Styrene Butadiene Rubber Foams.

Sulfur (S) cross-linking styrene butadiene rubber (SBR) foams show high shrinkage due to the cure reversion, leading to reduced yield and increased processing cost. In this paper, double cross-linking system by S and dicumyl peroxide (DCP) was used to decrease the shrinkage of SBR foams. Most importantly, the synergy of double cross-linking agents was reported for the first time to our knowledge.

Surfaces with Sustainable Superhydrophobicity upon Mechanical Abrasion.

Surfaces with sustainable superhydrophobicity have drawn much attention in recent years for improved durability in practical applications. In this study, hollow mesoporous silica nanoparticles (HMSNs) were prepared and used as reservoirs to load dodecyltrimethoxysilane (DDTMS). Then superhydrophobic surfaces were fabricated by spray coating HMSNs with DDTMS as particle stacking structure and polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) as hydrophobic interconnection.

Robust, Self-Healing Superhydrophobic Fabrics Prepared by One-Step Coating of PDMS and Octadecylamine.

A robust, self-healing superhydrophobic poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) fabric was fabricated by a convenient solution-dipping method using an easily available material system consisting of polydimethylsiloxane and octadecylamine (ODA). The surface roughness was formed by self-roughening of ODA coating on PET fibers without any lithography steps or adding any nanomaterials. The fabric coating was durable to withstand 120 cycles of laundry and 5000 cycles of abrasion without apparently changing the superhydrophobicity.

Biomimetic superhydrophobic surfaces by combining mussel-inspired adhesion with lotus-inspired coating.

Superhydrophobic surfaces on PET textiles were fabricated by combined bioinspiration from the strong adhesion of marine mussels and the two-scale structure of lotus leaves under mild conditions. Dopamine can spontaneously polymerize in alkaline aqueous solution to form a thin adhesive layer of polydopamine (PDA) wrapping on the micro-scale fibers. The as-formed thin PDA layer worked as a reactive template to generate PDA nanoparticles decorated on the fiber surfaces, imparting the textiles with excellent UV-shielding properties as well as a hierarchical structure similar to the morphology of the lotus leaf.

Fabrication of Robust and Antifouling Superhydrophobic Surfaces via Surface-Initiated Atom Transfer Radical Polymerization.

Superhydrophobic surfaces were fabricated via surface-initiated atom transfer radical polymerization of fluorinated methacrylates on poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) fabrics. The hydrophobicity of the PET fabric was systematically tunable by controlling the polymerization time. The obtained superhydrophobic fabrics showed excellent chemical robustness even after exposure to different chemicals, such as acid, base, salt, acetone, and toluene.

Washable and wear-resistant superhydrophobic surfaces with self-cleaning property by chemical etching of fibers and hydrophobization.

Superhydrophobic poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) textile surfaces with a self-cleaning property were fabricated by treating the microscale fibers with alkali followed by coating with polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS). Scanning electron microscopy analysis showed that alkali treatment etched the PET and resulted in nanoscale pits on the fiber surfaces, making the textiles have hierarchical structures. Coating of PDMS on the etched fibers affected little the roughening structures while lowered the surface energy of the fibers, thus making the textiles show slippery superhydrophobicity with a self-cleaning effect.