Covalently crosslinked carboxymethyl chitosan beads containing SiO and ionic polymer for efficient adsorptive removal of methylene blue.

The carboxymethyl chitosan (CMCS)-based porous beads are still criticized for their limited number of binding sites, which impairs their efficacy in removing aqueous pollutants. To overcome this challenge, this work introduces the production of covalently crosslinked CMCS-based beads containing SiO and poly(2-acrylamido-2-methylpropanesulfonic acid) (PAMPS). The porous composite beads not only possess remarkable stability under acidic conditions, but also have abundant active binding sites for adsorption.

Polyurethane Based Smart Composite Fabric for Personal Thermal Management in Multi-Mode.

Textiles with thermal/moisture managing functions are of high interest. However, making the textile sensitive to the surrounding environment is still challenging. Herein, a multimodal smart fabric is developed by stitching together the Ag coated thermal-humidity sensitive thermoplastic polyurethane (Ag-THSPU) and the hybrid of polyvinylidene fluoride and polyurethane (PU-PVDF).

Eco-Friendly Fabrication of Highly Stable Silica Aerogel Microspheres with Core-Shell Structure.

Silica aerogel microspheres show great potential in various fields as fillings in different materials. It is important to diversify and optimize the fabrication methodology for silica aerogel microspheres (SAMS). This paper presents an eco-friendly synthetic technique for producing functional silica aerogel microspheres with a core-shell structure.

Pruney Finger-Inspired Switchable Surface with Water-Actuated Dynamic Textures.

Switchable surfaces play an important role in the development of functional materials. However, the construction of dynamic surface textures remains challenging due to the complicated structural design and surface patterning. Herein, a pruney finger-inspired switchable surface (PFISS) is developed by constructing water-sensitive surface textures on a polydimethylsiloxane substrate by taking advantage of the hygroscopicity of the inorganic salt filler and the 3D printing technology.