Silica microfiber wool was systematically functionalized in order to provide an extremely water repellent and oleophilic material. This was carried out using a two-step functionalization that was shown to be a highly effective method for generating an intense water repulsion and attraction for oil. A demonstration of the silica wools application is shown through the highly efficient separation of oils and hydrophobic solvents from water. Water is confined to the extremities of the material, while oil is absorbed into the voids within the wool. The effect of surface functionalization is monitored though observing the interaction of the material with both oils and water, in addition to scanning electron microscope images, x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and energy dispersive x-ray analysis. The material can be readily utilized in many applications, including the cleaning of oil spills and filtering during industrial processes, as well as further water purification tasks-while not suffering the losses of efficiency observed in current leading polymeric materials.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1088/1468-6996/15/6/065003 | DOI Listing |
Nat Commun
January 2025
Department of Mechanical Science and Engineering, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, 61801, USA.
Condensation is a vital process integral to numerous industrial applications. Enhancing condensation efficiency through dropwise condensation on hydrophobic surfaces is well-documented. However, no surfaces have been able to repel liquids with extremely low surface tension, such as fluorinated solvents, during condensation, as they nucleate and completely wet even the most hydrophobic interfaces.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFInt J Biol Macromol
January 2025
Guangxi Key Laboratory of Clean Pulp & Papermaking and Pollution Control, School of Light Industry and Food Engineering, Guangxi University, Nanning 530004, PR China. Electronic address:
Microplastic contamination of low-density polyethylene mulch and nutrient loss from fertilizers present significant challenges in the crop-growing. In this study, the focus was on creating a biodegradable film that combines the advantages of plastic film, thermal insulation and water retention, as well as the controlled release of fertilizer. A key innovation was the efficient introduction of low molecular weight and low dispersibility of poplar lignin into chitosan and polyvinyl alcohol matrices.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNanotechnology
January 2025
Institute of Nano Science and Technology, Knowledge City, Sector 81, Mohali, 140306, INDIA.
This study investigates simple acetylenes substituted with phenylurea as a constant H-bonding unit (Alk-R) and varied hydrophobic units (R = H, Phenyl (Ph), Phenylacetylene (PA), Ph-NMe2) to understand self-assembly properties driven by synergistic non-covalent interactions. Our observations reveal hierarchical self-assembled fibrillar networks with luminescent needles, fibers, and flowers on nano- to micro-meter scales. Subtle changes in substituents led to significant differences: H, Ph, PA, and Ph-NMe2 produced needle-like crystals, dendritic nanofibers, microflakes, and no self-assembly, respectively.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFInt J Biol Macromol
January 2025
School of Pharmacy, Changzhou University, Changzhou 213164, China; State Key Laboratory of Biocatalysis and Enzyme Engineering, School of Life Sciences, Hubei University, Wuhan 430062, China. Electronic address:
Different molar ratio of choline chloride (ChCl) and p-toluenesulfonic acid (p-TsOH) (2: 1, 1: 1 and 1: 2, mol: mol) were used to prepare deep eutectic solvents (ChCl: p-TsOH) for pretreating cellulose fibers to elevate cellulose accessibility, enhance xylan elimination, increase lignin removal and promote enzymatic digestion. ChCl: p-TsOH (1: 1, mol: mol) could effectually destroy the dense layout of wheat straw (WS) at 80 °C for 60 min. Cellulose crystallinity declined from 43.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Phys Chem B
January 2025
Department of Chemistry, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, United States.
Computationally designed 29-residue peptides yield tetra-α-helical bundles with symmetry. The "bundlemers" can be bifunctionally linked via thiol-maleimide cross-links at their N-termini, yielding supramolecular polymers with unusually large, micrometer-scale persistence lengths. To provide a molecularly resolved understanding of these systems, all-atom molecular modeling and simulations of linked bundlemers in explicit solvent are presented.
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