Self-Powered Temperature Electronic Skin Based on Island-Bridge Structure and Bi-Te Micro-Thermoelectric Generator for Distributed Mini-Region Sensing.

Thermoelectric (TE) effect based temperature sensor can accurately convert temperature signal into voltage without external power supply, which have great application prospects in self-powered temperature electronic skin (STES). But the fabrication of stretchable and distributed STES still remains a challenge. Here, a novel STES design strategy is proposed by combining flexible island-bridge structure with BiTe-based micro-thermoelectric generator (µ-TEG).

A Wax-Elastomer Superwetting Membrane with Controllable Permeability: Toward Separating a Crude Oil-in-Water Emulsion from an Oil Field.

Smart superwetting membranes with finely tunable properties have attracted increased attention recently. However, they mostly focus on controllable wettability rather than controllable permeability. Also, the oil/water separation performance is usually tested with laboratory-simulated samples, making it hard for the materials to meet practical applications.

Overview of Liquid Crystal Biosensors: From Basic Theory to Advanced Applications.

Liquid crystals (LCs), as the remarkable optical materials possessing stimuli-responsive property and optical modulation property simultaneously, have been utilized to fabricate a wide variety of optical devices. Integrating the LCs and receptors together, LC biosensors aimed at detecting various biomolecules have been extensively explored. Compared with the traditional biosensing technologies, the LC biosensors are simple, visualized, and efficient.

A Dually Charged Membrane for Seawater Utilization: Combining Marine Pollution Remediation and Desalination by Simultaneous Removal of Polluted Dispersed Oil, Surfactants, and Ions.

Shortage of freshwater and deterioration of the marine environment have a serious effect on the human body and ecological environment. Here, we demonstrated a facile way to prepare a multiple-target superwetting porous material to obtain available water without cumbersome steps. Through the facile immersion and hydrothermal method, a charge-enhanced membrane material combining superwettability, electrostatic interaction, and the steric effect is prepared.

Universal and tunable liquid-liquid separation by nanoparticle-embedded gating membranes based on a self-defined interfacial parameter.

Superwetting porous membranes with tunable liquid repellency are highly desirable in broad domains including scientific research, chemical industry, and environmental protection. Such membranes should allow for controllable droplet bouncing or spreading, which is difficult to achieve for low surface energy organic liquids (OLs). Here we develop an interfacial physical parameter to regulate the OL wettability of nanoparticle-embedded membranes by structuring synergistic layers with reconfigurable surface energy components.

A bifunctional β-MnO mesh for expeditious and ambient degradation of dyes in activation of peroxymonosulfate (PMS) and simultaneous oil removal from water.

Dual functional membranes that can simultaneously remove water-insoluble oil and degrade water-soluble dyes have received considerable attention. Nevertheless, there remain arduous challenges due to the critical restriction of slow degradation rate and the heavy dependence on external stimuli like light, electricity or heat. Herein, we report a superwetting and rapidly catalytic β-MnO mesh prepared by one-step hydrothermal method.

Superwetting Patterned Membranes with an Anisotropy/Isotropy Transition: Towards Signal Expression and Liquid Permeation.

Superwetting membranes with responsive properties have attracted heightened attention because of their fine-tunable surface wettability. However, their functional diversity is severely limited by the "black-or-white" wettability transition. Herein, we describe a coating strategy to fabricate multifunctional responsive superwetting membranes with SiO /octadecylamine patterns.

Peanut Leaf-Inspired Hybrid Metal-Organic Framework with Humidity-Responsive Wettability: toward Controllable Separation of Diverse Emulsions.

Damage to the responsive superwetting material by external stimuli during the responsive process has been a ticklish question in recent years. We overcome this barrier by imitating a peanut leaf and designing a humidity-responsive MIL-100 (Fe)/octadecylamine-coated stainless steel mesh (HR-MOS). Such a material shows superhydrophilicity when ambient humidity is higher than saturated humidity, while it shows superhydrophobicity and high adhesion to water when ambient humidity is lower than saturated humidity.

PG-PEI-Ag NPs-Decorated Membrane for Pretreatment of Laboratory Wastewater: Simultaneous Removal of Water-Insoluble Organic Solvents and Water-Soluble Anionic Organic Pollutants.

Generally, waste liquid in laboratory can be roughly classified into organic wastewater and inorganic wastewater. However, in some experiments, organic phase and water phase are inevitably mixed together, leaving the postclassification and disposal intractable. Traditionally, we used methods like distillation and extraction to separate these two phases, however, always consuming significant amounts of labor and time and meanwhile having an unsatisfactory separation efficiency.

Lotus- and Mussel-Inspired PDA-PET/PTFE Janus Membrane: Toward Integrated Separation of Light and Heavy Oils from Water.

Current special wetting materials designed for use with oily wastewater are usually classified as either the oil-removing type or the water-removing type, which are unifunctional and limited by the oil density. Inspired by the integrated Janus system of the lotus leaf as well as the mussel-like mollusks adhered to the lotus, we fabricated a Janus polydopamine (PDA)-polyethylene terephthalate/polytetrafluoroethylene (PET/PTFE) membrane by simple immersion and tape-peeling. This membrane shows a lotuslike Janus wettability, self-cleaning effect, and floating property.

Aminoazobenzene@Ag modified meshes with large extent photo-response: towards reversible oil/water removal from oil/water mixtures.

Photo-responsive materials with superwetting properties, especially in the azo-based class, have been used in water treatment because of their smart performance on wettability changes. However, their transformation extent in wettability has always troubled researchers. Here, we modified nano-Ag pine needles and aminoazobenzene (AABN) on polydopamine (PDA) pre-treated porous meshes, realizing a large-extent reversible photo-responsive wettability transformation from highly hydrophobic to highly hydrophilic.

Polymer-Decorated Filter Material for Wastewater Treatment: In Situ Ultrafast Oil/Water Emulsion Separation and Azo Dye Adsorption.

Aiming to realize the wastewater treatment of various pollutants simultaneously, a dual-functional poly(ether amine)-polydopamine (PEA-PDA)-modified filter material was fabricated in this work for in situ separation of stable oil-in-water emulsion and adsorption of anionic azo dyes. PEA and PDA could be copolymerized via the Michael addition reaction on a polyurethane sponge substrate firmly. The as-prepared filter shows superhydrophilic and underwater superoleophobic wettability.

Thermo-Driven Controllable Emulsion Separation by a Polymer-Decorated Membrane with Switchable Wettability.

A thermoresponsive Poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAAm)-modified nylon membrane was fabricated via hydrothermal route. Combining rough structure, proper pore size, and thermoresponsive wettability, the membrane can separate at least 16 types of stabilized oil-in-water and water-in-oil emulsions at different temperatures. Below the LCST (ca.

A versatile CeO/CoO coated mesh for food wastewater treatment: Simultaneous oil removal and UV catalysis of food additives.

Food waste water is one of the most urgent environmental problems for the close connection between food and our daily life. Herein, we use a simple hydrothermal method to prepare a highly efficient catalyst-CeO/CoO compound on the stainless steel mesh, aiming for food waste water treatment. Possessing the superhydrophilic property and catalytic ability under ultraviolet light, CeO/CoO coated mesh has successfully processed three representative contaminants in food wastewater, which are soybean oil (food oil), AR (food dye) and VA (food flavor) simultaneously with an one-step filtration.

Superwetting copper meshes based on self-organized robust CuO nanorods: efficient water purification for in situ oil removal and visible light photodegradation.

Water pollution has become a prominent environmental problem and insoluble oils and soluble dyes are the primary pollution sources. Herein, a facile and environment friendly method is proposed to fabricate robust CuO nanorod-covered meshes for dual-functional water purification. The as-prepared meshes can efficiently eliminate oils in wastewater and in situ photodegrade soluble organic dyes under visible light irradiation.

Nanocomposite Deposited Membrane for Oil-in-Water Emulsion Separation with in Situ Removal of Anionic Dyes and Surfactants.

The decontamination of various pollutants including oils, organic dyes, and surfactants from water is an unprecedented issue throughout the world. A facile filtration process for in situ multifunctional water purification by employing a low-cost and easy-made catechol-polyethylenimine (PEI) nanocomposite deposited membrane has been designed. In combination with the intrinsic hydrophilicity of amino-rich groups, the resultant membrane possesses superhydrophilicity and underwater superoleophobicity, which is simultaneously advantageous for capturing anionic pollutants due to the electrostatic interaction.

In situ dual-functional water purification with simultaneous oil removal and visible light catalysis.

Dual purification of both oily wastewater and dye-polluted water for enhancing the use of freshwater is an urgent task. We report herein, the facile synthesis of inorganic semiconductor nanomaterials anchored mesh for in situ dual-functional water purification. This resultant mesh combines the excellent capacity of oil removal and the advantage of photocatalytic performance for dye degradation under visible light irradiation at the same time.

Polyacrylamide-Polydivinylbenzene Decorated Membrane for Sundry Ionic Stabilized Emulsions Separation via a Facile Solvothermal Method.

Aiming to solve the worldwide challenge of stabilized oil-in-water emulsion separation, a PAM-PDVB decorated nylon membrane is fabricated via a facile solvothermal route in our group. The main composition is PAM, while the PDVB plays a role as cross-linker in order to improve the interaction between the polymer and the substrate. By the combination of the superhydrophilic and underwater superoleophobic wettability of the PAM polymer with the micropore size of the substrate, the as-prepared material is able to achieve the separation of various stabilized oil-in-water emulsions including cationic type, nonionic type, and anionic type.