Air-Drying for Rapid Manufacture of Flexible Aramid Nanofiber Aerogel Fibers with Robust Mechanical Properties and Thermal Insulation in Harsh Environments.

Aerogel fibers uniting characteristics of both aerogels (lightweight and porosity) and fibers (flexibility and wearability) exhibit a great potential for the production of the next generation of thermal protection textiles; still, the complex drying procedures and mechanical brittleness remain the main obstacles toward further exploitation. Herein, flexible and robust aramid nanofiber aerogel fibers (ANAFs) are scalably prepared by continuous wet-spinning coupled with fast air-drying. This synthesis involves calcium ions (Ca⁺) cross-linking and solvent displacement by low surface tension solvents, to enhance skeleton strength and reduce the capillary force during evaporation, respectively, thus minimizing shrinkage to 29.

Centrifugal Inertia-Induced Directional Alignment of AgNW Network for Preparing Transparent Electromagnetic Interference Shielding Films with Joule Heating Ability.

Transparent electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding is highly desired in specific visual scenes, but the challenge remains in balancing their EMI shielding effectiveness (SE) and optical transmittance. Herein, this study proposed a directionally aligned silver nanowire (AgNW) network construction strategy to address the requirement of high EMI SE and satisfactory light transmittance using a rotation spraying technique. The orientation distribution of AgNW is induced by centrifugal inertia force generated by a high-speed rotating roller, which overcomes the issue of high contact resistance in random networks and achieves high conductivity even at low AgNW network density.

Construction of Fire Safe Thermoplastic Polyurethane/Reduced Graphene Oxide Hierarchical Composites with Electromagnetic Interference Shielding.

Incorporating outstanding flame retardancy and electromagnetic interference shielding effectiveness (EMI SE) into polymers is a pressing requirement for practical utilization. In this study, we first employed the principles of microencapsulation and electrostatic interaction-driven self-assembly to encapsulate polyethyleneimine (PEI) molecules and TiCT nanosheets on the surface of ammonium polyphosphate (APP), forming a double-layer-encapsulated structure of ammonium polyphosphate (APP@PEI@TiCT). Subsequently, flame-retardant thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) composites were fabricated by melting the flame-retardant agent with TPU.

Ultrafine Aramid Nanofiber-Assisted Large-Area Dense Stacking of MXene Films for Electromagnetic Interference Shielding and Multisource Thermal Conversion.

Polymers are often used as adhesives to improve the mechanical properties of flexible electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding layered films, but the introduction of these insulating adhesives inevitably reduces the EMI performance. Herein, ultrafine aramid nanofibers (UANF) with a diameter of only 2.44 nm were used as the binder to effectively infiltrate and minimize the insulating gaps in MXene films, for balancing the EMI shielding and mechanical properties.

Realizing balanced flame retardancy and electromagnetic interference shielding in hierarchical elastomer nanocomposites.

The combination of electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding performance and flame-retardant property is essential for applications in the field of electronics and electrics. To date, there have been few successful cases in achieving such portfolios, due to the different mechanisms and even mutual exclusivity of these two attributes. Herein, an ammonium polyphosphate@chitosan@carbon nanotube (APP@CS@MWCNT) core-multishell hybrid was synthesized by microencapsulation technology.

Reinforcing and toughening bacterial cellulose/MXene films assisted by interfacial multiple cross-linking for electromagnetic interference shielding and photothermal response.

Ultrathin MXene composite films, with their flexibility, metal-level conductivity, and multifunction compatibility, are an ideal choice for electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding materials in future developments. Nonetheless, the dilemma between electrical conductivity and robustness in these composite films remains a challenge. Herein, an ammonium polyphosphate (APP) assisted interfacial multiple cross-linking strategy, achieved via simple solution blending and filtration, was employed to reinforce and toughen the "brick-mortar" layered MXene/bacterial cellulose (MBCA) films without compromising their conductivity and EMI shielding ability.

Tunable construction of fire safe and mechanically strong hierarchical composites towards electromagnetic interference shielding.

Cotton fabric composites were designed to be protected by fire safe thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) composites for developing electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding polymer composites with superior mechanical properties. Herein, the as-prepared MXene was coated onto the fiber surface of cotton and then thermally compressed with TPU composites, which were filled with the sodium dodecyl sulfate modified layered double hydroxides functionalized the short carbon fiber hybrids through melt blending method. Then, a series of highly fire safe cotton/TPU hierarchical composites were constructed by a designed thermal compression technique.

Multifunctional magnetic sponge with outstanding solar/electro-thermal performance for high-efficiency and all-day continuous cleanup of crude oil spills.

The high-efficient, eco-friendly and low-energy cleanup of viscous crude oil spills is still a global challenge. Emerging absorbents with self-heating function are promising candidates due to that they can significantly decrease crude oil viscosity via in-situ heat transfer so as to accelerate remediation. Herein we developed a novel multifunctional magnetic sponge (P-MXene/FeO@MS) with outstanding solar/electro-thermal performance by facilely coating TiCT MXene, nano-FeO and polydimethylsiloxane onto melamine sponge for fast crude oil recovery.

Ultrafine aramid nanofibers prepared by high-efficiency wet ball-milling-assisted deprotonation for high-performance nanopaper.

Aramid nanofibers (ANFs) with a nanoscale diameter, large aspect ratio, and exposed electronegative surface, as well as ultrahigh thermal/chemical inertness and extreme mechanical properties, provide promising applications in many emerging fields, but these are greatly limited by the low preparation efficiency and broad diameter distribution. Herein, we put forward a high-efficiency wet ball milling-assisted deprotonation (BMAD) strategy to rapidly prepare ANFs with an ultrafine diameter. The strong shear and collision forces from ball-milling induced stripping and splitting effects on the macroscopic fibers, which promoted the penetration and expanded the contact interfaces between reactants, thus accelerating the deprotonation reaction and refining the ANF diameter.

Transparent and Stretchable Electromagnetic Interference Shielding Film with Fence-like Aligned Silver Nanowire Conductive Network.

Flexible transparent conductive electrodes (TCEs) that can be used as electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding materials have a great potential for use as electronic components in optical window and display applications. However, development of TCEs that display high shielding effectiveness (SE) and good stretchability for flexible electronic device applications has proven challenging. Herein, this study describes a stretchable polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS)/silver nanowire (AgNW) TCE with a fence-like aligned conductive network that is fabricated via pre-stretching method.

Vanadium fluorophosphates: advanced cathode materials for next-generation secondary batteries.

Next-generation secondary batteries including sodium-ion batteries (SIBs) and potassium-ion batteries (PIBs) are considered the most promising candidates for application to large-scale energy storage systems due to their abundant, evenly distributed and cost-effective sodium/potassium raw materials. The electrochemical performance of SIBs (PIBs) significantly depends on the inherent characteristics of the cathode material. Among the wide variety of cathode materials, sodium/potassium vanadium fluorophosphate (denoted as MVPF, M = Na and K) composites are widely investigated due to their fast ion transportation and robust structure.

Molecular Engineering on Solvation Structure of Carbonate Electrolyte toward Durable Sodium Metal Battery at -40 °C.

Carbonate electrolytes have excellent chemical stability and high salt solubility, which are ideally practical choice for achieving high-energy-density sodium (Na) metal battery at room temperature. However, their application at ultra-low temperature (-40 °C) is adversely affected by the instability of solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) formed by electrolyte decomposition and the difficulty of desolvation. Here, we designed a novel low-temperature carbonate electrolyte by molecular engineering on solvation structure.

Architecting fire safe hierarchical polymer nanocomposite films with excellent electromagnetic interference shielding via interface engineering.

Integrating high flame retardancy and excellent electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding into polymetric materials is extremely necessary, and well dispersing conductive fillers into polymeric materials is still a great challenge because of incompatible interfacial polarity between polymer matrix and conductive fillers. Therefore, under the premise of maintaining integral conductive films in the process of hot compression, constructing a novel EMI shielding polymer nanocomposites where conductive films closely adhere to polymer nanocmposites layers should be a fascinating stratety. In this work, salicylaldehyde-modified chitosan decorated titanium carbide nanohybrid (TiCT-SCS) was combined with piperazine-modified ammonium polyphosphate (PA-APP) to fabricate thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) nanocomposites, which were used for construction of hierarchical nanocomposite films by inserting reduced graphene oxide (rGO) films into TPU/PA-APP/TiCT-SCS nanocomposite layers through our self-developed air assisted hot pressing technique.

A Multifunctional Interphase Layer Enabling Superior Sodium-Metal Batteries under Ambient Temperature and -40 °C.

The sodium (Na)-metal anode with high theoretical capacity and low cost is promising for construction of high-energy-density metal batteries. However, the unsatisfactory interface between Na and the liquid electrolyte induces tardy ion transfer kinetics and dendritic Na growth, especially at ultralow temperature (-40 °C). Herein, an artificial heterogeneous interphase consisting of disodium selenide (Na Se) and metal vanadium (V) is produced on the surface of Na (Na@Na Se/V) via an in situ spontaneous chemical reaction.

Synergistic Function between Phosphorus-Containing Flame Retardant and Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotubes towards Fire Safe Polystyrene Composites with Enhanced Electromagnetic Interference Shielding.

As a universal polymer material, polystyrene (PS) is widely applied in electrical devices and construction. Thus, it is necessary to improve the flame retardancy and electromagnetic shielding properties of PS material. In this work, PS/silicon-wrapped ammonium polyphosphate/Inorganic acid-treated multi-walled carbon nanotubes composites (PS/SiAPP/aMWCNT, abbreviated as PAC) were prepared via methods of filtration-induced assembly and hot-pressing.

Multi-component surface engineering of NaV(PO)OF for low-temperature (-40 °C) sodium-ion batteries.

A functional NaV(PO)OF (NVPOF) cathode with a multi-component (NaV(PO), VO, and reduced graphene oxide) surface coating is developed a facile hydrothermal reaction followed by calcination, and exhibits high reversible capability, and long-term cycling stability even at a low temperature of -40 °C. It is demonstrated that the multi-component-coating layer can significantly accelerate the e/Na transport and reduce the interfacial resistance at low temperature. This work provides a novel strategy to boost the kinetics and stability of electrode materials for low-temperature sodium ion batteries.

Functional MXene-Based Materials for Next-Generation Rechargeable Batteries.

MXenes are seen as an exceptional candidate to reshape the future of energy with their viable surface chemistry, ultrathin 2D structure, and excellent electronic conductivity. The extensive research efforts bring about rapid expansion of the MXene families with enriched functionalities, which significantly boost performance of the existing energy-storage devices. In this review, the strategies that are developed to functionalize the MXene-based materials, including tailoring their microstructure by ions/molecules/polymers-initiated interaction or self-assembly, surface/interface engineering with dopants or functional groups, constructing heterostructures from MXenes with various materials, and transforming them into a series of derivatives inheriting the merits of the MXene precursors are highlighted.

A sodiophilic VN interlayer stabilizing a Na metal anode.

Sodium (Na) metal is a very encouraging anode material for next-generation rechargeable batteries owing to its high specific capacity, earth-abundance and low-cost. However, the application of Na metal anodes (SMAs) is hampered by dendrite growth and "dead" Na formation caused by the uncontrollable Na deposition, leading to poor cycle life and even safety concerns. Herein, a high-performance Na anode is designed by introducing an artificial VN interlayer on the Na metal surface (Na/VN) by a simple mechanical rolling process to regulate Na nucleation/deposition behaviors.

Structure Engineering of Vanadium Tetrasulfides for High-Capacity and High-Rate Sodium Storage.

Structure engineering of electrode materials can significantly improve the life cycle and rate capability of the sodium-ion battery (SIB), yet remains a challenging task due to the lack of an effective synthetic strategy. Herein, the microstructure of VS hollow spheres is successfully engineered through a facile hydrothermal method. The hollow VS microspheres possess rich porosity and are covered with 2D ultrathin nanosheets on the surface.

MXene-Coated Wrinkled Fabrics for Stretchable and Multifunctional Electromagnetic Interference Shielding and Electro/Photo-Thermal Conversion Applications.

Stretchability and multifunctional heating abilities are highly desired for wearable electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding fabrics to tackle the growing electromagnetic pollution for special crowd, such as pregnant women. Herein, we fabricated stretchable MXene-coated thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) fabrics by simple uniaxial prestretching and spraying methods. The obtained unique wrinkled structure endowed the film with effective strain-invariant electrical conductivity and EMI shielding properties.

Constructing segregated polystyrene composites for excellent fire resistance and electromagnetic wave shielding.

Electroconductive polystyrene (PS) composites with ideal flame-retardant properties are considered as potential electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding materials. In this work, PS/silicon wrapped ammonium polyphosphate/multi-wall carbon nanotubes (PS/SiAPP/MWCNT) composites with segregated structure were synthesized via the methods of balling mill and hot-pressing. The obtained results revealed that the SiAPP and MWCNT were successfully introduced onto PS spheres and showed uniform distribution on the PS surface.

Lightweight, amphipathic and fire-resistant prGO/MXene spherical beads for rapid elimination of hazardous chemicals.

Frequent leaks of hazardous chemicals have a huge impact on human lives, property and the ecological environment. Therefore, the three-dimensional functional porous materials with high absorption efficiency and special wettability for the disposal of hazardous chemical spills is an urgent demand. In this work, a series of spherical beads consisting of partially reduced graphene oxide (prGO) and MXene (TiCT) nanosheets were constructed by hydrogen bond induced self-assembly along with freeze-drying and thermal treatment.

Ultrafast Potassium Storage in F-Induced Ultra-High Edge-Defective Carbon Nanosheets.

Carbonaceous materials have been considered as promising anodes for potassium-ion batteries (PIBs) because of their high electronic conductivity, eco-friendliness, and structural stability. However, the small interlayer spacing and serious volume expansion caused by the repeated insertion/extraction of large K-ions restrict their potassium-ion storage performance. Herein, F and N codoped carbon nanosheets (FNCS) with rich-edge defects are designed to resolve these problems.

Electrolytes enriched by potassium perfluorinated sulfonates for lithium metal batteries.

Lithium (Li) metal is widely considered as a promising anode for next-generation lithium metal batteries (LMBs) due to its high theoretical capacity and lowest electrochemical potential. However, the uncontrollable formation of Li dendrites has prevented its practical application. Herein, we propose a kind of multi-functional electrolyte additives (potassium perfluorinated sulfonates) from the multi-factor principle for electrolyte additive molecular design (EDMD) view to suppress the Li dendrite growth.