Preparation and Investigation of Temperature-Responsive SiO-PSBMA Janus Nanosheet with Salt-Tolerant Properties for Enhanced Recovery of Heavy Oil.

Enhancing heavy oil recovery is crucial to ensuring stable crude oil production. The development of stimulus-responsive Janus Pickering emulsifiers tailored for a reservoir environment has garnered significant attention in the field of reservoir production, emerging as a promising alternative to traditional surfactants. In this study, silica-based Janus nanosheets with temperature-responsive properties (OH-SiO-PSBMA JNs) are synthesized using sol-gel process and atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) method.

Autonomous self-healing and superior tough polyurethane elastomers enabled by strong and highly dynamic hard domains.

Self-healing materials show exceptional application potential for their high stability and longevity. However, a great challenge of the application of self-healing materials is the tradeoff between mechanical robustness and room temperature self-healing. In order to address this tradeoff, inspired by the characteristic that small molecules of living organisms self-assemble into large protein molecules by non-covalent interactions, we constructed polyurethane with highly dynamic and strong hard domains composed of dense hydrogen bonds and π-π interactions between the phenylurea groups at the end of the side chain.

pH-responsive β-cyclodextrin-grafted chitosan microspheres: Dual-action smart carriers for enhanced corrosion inhibition.

Micro/nanocontainers, as smart carriers of corrosion inhibitors, capable of intelligently detecting corroded areas and dispensing inhibitors precisely for targeted corrosion control. Here, pH-responsive chitosan-grafted-β-cyclodextrin (CS-g-β-CD) microspheres (CgCM) loaded with various corrosion inhibitors are prepared via an emulsification cross-linking method. By FT-IR and H NMR characterizations, the successful loading of corrosion inhibitor BTA into β-CD is achieved, with the obtained BTA@β-CD being further grafted on the CS chain by degree 28.

Multi-responsive Pickering emulsifiers: a comprehensive study on the emulsification-demulsification behavior of modified chitosan-coated FeO nanocomposites.

The surface characteristics of stimuli-responsive Pickering emulsifiers can be modified by external environmental triggers, making them highly versatile in various applications. In this study, we report three novel organic-inorganic composite structure emulsifiers. These emulsifiers were designed with a core of magnetic FeO particles, surrounded by a protective silica layer, and coated on the exterior with three distinct types of modified chitosan (CS).

Temperature-responsive salt-resistant poly(sulfobetaine methacrylate)-based emulsifiers for heavy oils.

The emulsions prepared with most currently reported emulsifiers are stable only at room temperature and are susceptible to demulsification at higher temperatures. This thermal instability prevents their use in high-temperature and high-salt environments encountered oilfield extraction. To address this issue, in this study, two temperature-responsive emulsifiers, PSBMA and CS-PSBMA, were synthesized.

Core-Shell ZIF-8@ZIF-67-Derived Cobalt Nanoparticle-Embedded Nanocage Electrocatalyst with Excellent Oxygen Reduction Performance for Zn-Air Batteries.

Metal-nitrogen-carbon (M-N-C) catalysts obtained from zeolitic imidazolate frameworks (ZIFs) have great potential in the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). Herein, based on the same three-dimensional (3D) topological structure of ZIF-67 and ZIF-8, ZIF-67 is grown on the ZIF-8 surface by the epitaxial growth method, and ZIF-8 is used as a sacrificial template to obtain a Co-embedded layered porous carbon nanocage (CoPCN) electrocatalyst. Meanwhile, the self-sacrificing template effectively improves the specific surface area of the porous structure and reduces the depletion of active sites.

A dissipative particle dynamics simulation of controlled loading and responsive release of theranostic agents from reversible crosslinked triblock copolymer vesicles.

To control the transport stability and release efficiency of loaded theranostic drugs in triblock copolymer carriers, the reversible crosslinking ability is of great significance. A molecular level exploration of such a function is needed to extend existing stabilizing and responsive dissociation mechanisms of carriers. Here, dissipative particle dynamics simulations were used to first demonstrate the formation of triblock copolymer vesicular carriers.

pH/magnetic dual responsive Pickering emulsion stabilized by FeO@SiO@chitosan nanoparticles.

In recent years, Pickering emulsifiers have been widely used in various production fields due to their excellent structural stability, biocompatibility and environmental friendliness. For some applications, it is required that the emulsifier can quickly respond to environmental stimuli and control the transition between stable and unstable emulsions. In this paper, we report a novel composite Pickering emulsifier with FeO as the core and magnetic response recognition body, silica as the intermediate protective layer, and chitosan (CS) of different molecular weights to endow solid particles with surface activity and pH-responsive properties.

A novel epoxy coating with nanocatalytic anticorrosion performance achieved by single-atom Fe-N-C catalyst.

In view of the critical importance of oxygen to corrosion evolution, to starve corrosion via depleting oxygen in coatings is a promising strategy. In this work, a novel nanocatalytic anticorrosion concept is proposed to design new coating with outstanding corrosion resistance. Different from the passive barrier of traditional coatings and self-repair after corrosion of current stimuli-feedback coatings, such coating could spontaneously eliminate internal diffused oxygen and greatly suppress the corrosion process.

Designing polymersomes with inhomogeneous membranes by co-assembly of block copolymers for controlled morphological reversibility.

Polymersomes with inhomogeneous membranes in composition and structure have generated widespread interest for the preparation of functionalized nanocarriers. We propose a simple but versatile strategy to manipulate inhomogeneous subdomains on polymersome membranes by the co-assembly of block copolymer blends with varied molecular architectures and chemistries. Both binary and ternary copolymer blends are considered to construct polymersomes, and the subdomains of the membranes are formed by controlling the difference in the flexibility and rigidity of different blocks.

Interplay of distributions of multiple guest molecules in block copolymer micelles: A dissipative particle dynamics study.

Hypothesis: Delivery of multiple payloads using the same micelle is of significance to achieve multifunctional or synergistic effects. The interacting distribution of different payloads in micelles is expected to influence the loading stability and capacity. It is highly desirable to explore how intermolecular interactions affect the joint distribution of multi-payloads.

Improved Performance of Polysulfone Ultrafiltration Membrane Using TCPP by Post-Modification Method.

Ultrafiltration (UF) membranes have found great application in sewage purification and desalination due to their high permeation flux and high rejection rate for contaminants under low-pressure conditions, but the flux and antifouling ability of UF membranes needs to be improved. Tetrakis (4-carboxyphenyl) porphyrin (TCPP) has good hydrophilicity, and it is protonated under strongly acidic conditions and then forms strong hydrogen bonds with N, O and S, so that the TCPP would be well anchored in the membrane. In this work, NaHCO was used to dissolve TCPP and TMC (trimesoyl chloride) was used to produce a strong acid.

Harnessed Dopant Block Copolymers Assist Decorating Membrane Pores: A Dissipative Particle Dynamics Study.

Self-assembly of asymmetric block copolymers (BCPs) around active pore edges has emerged as an important strategy to produce smart membranes with tunable pathways for solute transport. However, thus far, it is still challenging to manipulate pore shape and functionality for directional transformation under external stimuli. Here, a versatile strategy by mesoscale simulations to design stimuli-responsive pores with various edge decorations in hybrid membranes is reported.

Theoretical Prediction of Mechanical Strength and Desalination Performance of One-Atom-Thick Hydrocarbon Polymer in Pressure-Driven Separation.

One-atom-thick materials hold promise for the future of membrane-based gas purification and water filtration applications. However, there are a few investigations on the mechanical properties of these materials under pressure-driven condition. Here, by employing molecular simulation techniques and continuum mechanics simulation, we investigate the mechanical strength of two-dimensional hydrocarbon polymers containing sub-nanometer pores with various topologies.

Effect of Carbon Nanotube Addition on the Interfacial Adhesion between Graphene and Epoxy: A Molecular Dynamics Simulation.

The pullout process of graphene from an epoxy/graphene composite filled with a carbon nanotube (CNT) was simulated by molecular dynamics simulations. The interaction energy and the interfacial adhesion energy were calculated to analyze the effect of CNT addition on the interfacial adhesion between the graphene and the epoxy matrix, with varying CNT radii, distances between the CNT and the graphene sheet, CNT axial directions, and the number of CNT walls. Generally, the addition of a CNT strengthens the interfacial adhesion between the graphene and the polymer matrix.

Rational Design of Two-Dimensional Hydrocarbon Polymer as Ultrathin-Film Nanoporous Membranes for Water Desalination.

Membrane-based water desalination has drawn considerable attention for its potential in addressing the increasingly limited water resources, but progress remains limited due to the inherent constraints of conventional membrane materials. In this work, by employing state-of-the-art molecular simulation techniques, we demonstrated that two-dimensional hydrocarbon polymer membranes, materials that possess intrinsic and tunable nanopores, can provide opportunities as molecular sieves for producing drinkable water from saline sources. Moreover, we identified a unique relationship between the permeation and selectivity for membranes with elliptical pores, which breaks the commonly known trade-off between the pore size and desalination performance.

pH-Induced evolution of surface patterns in micelles assembled from dirhamnolipids: dissipative particle dynamics simulation.

Dissipative particle dynamics (DPD) simulation is used to study the effect of pH on the morphological transition in micelles assembled from dirhamnolipids (diRLs), and analyze the pH-driven mechanism and influence factors of micellar surface patterns. At pH < 4.0, various multilayer structures with homogeneous surface patterns are observed, whereas diRLs can self-assemble into novel anisotropic morphologies with phase-separated surface patterns at pH > 7.

Controllable Multigeometry Nanoparticles via Cooperative Assembly of Amphiphilic Diblock Copolymer Blends with Asymmetric Architectures.

Multigeometry nanoparticles with high complexity in composition and structure have attracted significant attention for enhanced functionality. We assess a simple but versatile strategy to construct hybrid nanoparticles with subdivided geometries through the cooperative assembly of diblock copolymer blends with asymmetric architectures. We report the formation of multicompartmental, vesicular, cylindrical, and spherical structures from pure AB systems.

Preparation of amino-functionalized FeO@mSiO core-shell magnetic nanoparticles and their application for aqueous Fe removal.

FeO nanoparticle with magnetic properties and nanoscale features has provoked wide research interest and great potential application. Herein, a modified Stober and template-removing method was adopted to prepare magnetic mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs), comprising a FeO core and a mesoporous silica shell. The shell was functionalized by amino-groups with tunable removal efficiency for aqueous heavy metals ions.

Controllable multicompartment morphologies from cooperative self-assembly of copolymer-copolymer blends.

Multicompartment nanostructures, such as microcapsules with clearly separated shell and core, are not easily accessible by conventional block copolymer self-assembly. We assess a versatile computational strategy through cooperative assembly of diblock copolymer blends to generate spherical and cylindrical compartmentalized micelles with intricate structures and morphologies. The co-assembly strategy combines the advantages of polymer blending and incompatibility-induced phase separation.

Tunable Permeability of Cross-Linked Microcapsules from pH-Responsive Amphiphilic Diblock Copolymers: A Dissipative Particle Dynamics Study.

Using dissipative particle dynamics simulation, we probe the tunable permeability of cross-linked microcapsules made from pH-sensitive diblock copolymers poly(ethylene oxide)-b-poly(N,N-diethylamino-2-ethyl methacrylate) (PEO-b-PDEAEMA). We first examine the self-assembly of non-cross-linked microcapsules and their pH-responsive collapse and then explore the effects of cross-linking and block interaction on the swelling or deswelling of cross-linked microcapsules. Our results reveal a preferential loading of hydrophobic dicyclopentadiene (DCPD) molecules in PEO-b-PDEAEMA copolymers.

Effect of Interfacial Bonding on Interphase Properties in SiO2/Epoxy Nanocomposite: A Molecular Dynamics Simulation Study.

Atomistic molecular dynamics simulations have been performed to explore the effect of interfacial bonding on the interphase properties of a nanocomposite system that consists of a silica nanoparticle and the highly cross-linked epoxy matrix. For the structural properties, results show that interfacial covalent bonding can broaden the interphase region by increasing the radial effect range of fluctuated mass density and oriented chains, as well as strengthen the interphase region by improving the thermal stability of interfacial van der Waals excluded volume and reducing the proportion of cis conformers of epoxy segments. The improved thermal stability of the interphase region in the covalently bonded model results in an increase of ∼21 K in the glass transition temperature (Tg) compared to that of the pure epoxy.