Droplets on artificially structured superhydrophobic surfaces represent quasi contact-free sample environments which can be probed by X-ray microbeams and nanobeams in the absence of obstructing walls. This review will discuss basic surface wettability concepts and introduce the technology of structuring surfaces. Quasi contact-free droplets are compared with contact-free droplets; processes related to deposition and evaporation on solid surfaces are discussed. Droplet coalescence based on the electrowetting effect allows the probing of short-time mixing and reaction processes. The review will show for several materials of biological interest that structural processes related to conformational changes, nucleation and assembly during droplet evaporation can be spatially and temporally resolved by raster-scan diffraction techniques. Orientational ordering of anisotropic materials deposited during solidification at pinning sites facilitates the interpretation of structural data.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1107/S1600577514009849 | DOI Listing |
ACS Appl Mater Interfaces
January 2025
Centre of Climate Studies, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Mumbai 400076, Maharashtra, India.
The immense energy footprint of desalination and brine treatment is a barrier to a green economy. Interfacial evaporation (IE) offers a sustainable approach to water purification by efficient energy conversion. However, conventional evaporators are susceptible to fluctuations in solar radiation and the salinity of handling liquid.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Colloid Interface Sci
January 2025
Liaoning Key Laboratory for Chemical Clean Production, Liaoning Key Laboratory for Surface Functionalization of Titanium Dioxide Powder, Institute of Ocean Research, Institute Environmental Research, College of Chemistry and Material Engineering, Bohai University, Jinzhou 121013 Liaoning, China. Electronic address:
Developing new conductive primers to ensure electrostatic spraying is crucial in response to the call for lightweight production of new energy vehicles. We report a stabilized material, Fe-T/G, of Fe-doped TiO composite graphene synthesized by a simple hydrothermal and electrostatic self-assembly method. The resistivity decreases from 0.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPolymers (Basel)
December 2024
Fujian Special Equipment Inspection and Research Institute, Fuzhou 350008, China.
The escalating demand for sustainable materials has been fueling the rapid proliferation of the biopolymer market. Biodegradable polymers within natural habitats predominantly undergo degradation mediated by microorganisms. These microorganisms secrete enzymes that cleave long-chain polymers into smaller fragments for metabolic assimilation.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMolecules
January 2025
Yunnan Provincial Key Laboratory of Energy Saving in Phosphorus Chemical Engineering and New Phosphorus Materials, Yunnan International Joint Laboratory of Sustainable Polymers, The Higher Educational Key Laboratory for Phosphorus Chemical Engineering of Yunnan Province, Faculty of Chemical Engineering, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming 650500, China.
The growing demand for sustainable energy storage solutions has underscored the importance of phase change materials (PCMs) for thermal energy management. However, traditional PCMs are always inherently constrained by issues such as leakage, poor thermal conductivity, and lack of solar energy conversion capacity. Herein, a multifunctional composite phase change material (CPCM) is developed using a balsa-derived morphology genetic scaffold, engineered via bionic catechol surface chemistry.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNanomaterials (Basel)
December 2024
School of Mechanical and Ocean Engineering, Mokpo National University, Muan-gun 58554, Jeollanam-do, Republic of Korea.
Superhydrophobic surfaces, known for their exceptional water-repellent properties with contact angles exceeding 150°, are highly regarded for their effectiveness in applications including self-cleaning, antifouling, and ice prevention. However, the structural fragility and weak durability of conventional coating limit their long-term use. In this research, a new approach is proposed for the fabrication of long-lasting superhydrophobic surfaces using ethyl cyanoacrylate (ECA) and a primer.
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