Constructing Robust and Multifunctional Superamphiphobic Surfaces by Using Two Different Nanostructures of Silicon Dioxide.

Superamphiphobic surfaces, combining both superhydrophobic and superoleophobic properties, show tremendous potential applications in various fields. However, the complicated procedures, expensive equipment, and poor mechanical robustness and durability seriously limit their commercialization. In this study, superamphiphobic surfaces have been fabricated by a simple spraying method using two different nanostructures of silicon dioxide.

Achieving High-Performance Organic Long Persistent Luminescence Materials via Manipulation of Radical Cation Stability.

Organic long persistent luminescence (OLPL) materials, with their hour-long afterglow, hold great promise across numerous applications, yet their performance lags behind that of inorganic counterparts. A deeper understanding of the underlying photophysical mechanisms, particularly the effective control of radical intermediates, is essential for developing high-performance OLPL materials; while systematic studies on the intrinsic stability of radical intermediates and their impact on OLPL performance remain scarce. Here biphenyl groups is introduced into a luminophore-matrix-donor three-component OLPL system.

Polymer-Based Room-Temperature Phosphorescence Materials Exhibiting Emission Lifetimes up to 4.6 s Under Ambient Conditions.

The long-emission-lifetime nature of room-temperature phosphorescence (RTP) materials lays the foundation of their applications in diverse areas. Despite the advantage of mechanical property, processability and solvent dispersity, the emission lifetimes of polymer-based room-temperature phosphorescence materials remain not particularly long because of the labile nature of organic triplet excited states under ambient conditions. Specifically, ambient phosphorescence lifetime (τ) longer than 2 s and even 4 s have rarely been reported in polymer systems.

Visible-light-excitable aqueous afterglow exhibiting long emission wavelength and ultralong afterglow lifetime of 7.64 s.

We utilize the dopant-matrix strategy and emulsion polymerization to obtain aqueous afterglow dispersions from a liquid precursor, which avoids the processing of solid materials, protects organic triplets and achieves long phosphorescence lifetime of 7.64 s. The aqueous afterglow dispersions display great potential for biomedical applications due to their ultralong-lived excited states.

Effect of Cosolvent on the Vesicle Formation Pathways under Solvent Exchange Process: A Dissipative Particle Dynamics Simulation.

The effective control over the vesicle formation pathways is vital for tuning its function. Recently, a liquid-liquid phase-separated intermediate (LLPS) is observed before a vesicular structure during the solvent exchange self-assembly of block copolymers. Though the understanding of polymer structures and chemical compositions on the competition between LLPS and micellization has made some progress, little is known about the role of cosolvent on it.

A DOPO-Based Compound Containing Aminophenyl Silicone Oil for Reducing Fire Hazards of Polycarbonate.

A novel P/N/Si-containing flame retardant (marked as DASO) was synthesized through an Atherton-Todd reaction between 9,10-dihydro-9-oxa-10-phospha-phenanthrene-10-oxide and aminophenyl silicone oil, and further used for reducing fire hazards of polycarbonate (PC). The chemical structure of DASO was verified via FTIR, H, and P NMR. Upon the incorporation of 2 wt% DASO, the FRPC composite achieved a high limiting oxygen index (LOI) of 32.

A Nitrogen-Rich DOPO-Based Derivate for Increasing Fire Resistance of Epoxy Resin with Comparable Transparency.

To endow synergistically epoxy resin (EP) with excellent fire resistance and high optical transparency, a nitrogen-rich DOPO-based derivate (named as FATP) was synthesized and incorporated into EP. It showed that the incorporation of the FATP reduced the fire hazard of the EP, as demonstrated by the fact that the EP/4% FATP blends gained a UL-94 V-0 rating and an LOI value of 35%, with the lowest values of the THR (86.7 MJ/m), the PHRR (1059.

Facile Preparation of a Novel Vanillin-Containing DOPO Derivate as a Flame Retardant for Epoxy Resins.

A novel bio-based flame retardant designated AVD has been synthesized in a one-pot process via the reaction of 9,10-dihydro-9-oxa-10-phospha-phenanthrene-10-oxide (DOPO), vanillin (VN), and 2- aminobenzothiazole (ABT). The structure of AVD was confirmed using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and H and P nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR). The curing process, thermal stability, flame retardancy, and mechanical properties of the epoxy resin (EP) modified with AVD have been investigated comprehensively.

Preparation of Mn Doped Piperazine Phosphate as a Char-Forming Agent for Improving the Fire Safety of Polypropylene/Ammonium Polyphosphate Composites.

A piperazine phosphate doped with Mn (HP-Mn), as a new char-forming agent for intumescent flame retardant systems (IFR), was designed and synthesized using 1-hydroxy ethylidene-1,1-diphosphonic acid, piperazine, and manganese acetate tetrahydrate as raw materials. The effect of HP-Mn and ammonium polyphosphate (APP) on the fire safety and thermal stability of polypropylene (PP) was investigated. The results showed that the combined incorporation of 25 wt.

Manipulation of Organic Afterglow by Thermodynamic and Kinetic Control.

The fabrication of room-temperature organic phosphorescence and afterglow materials, as well as the transformation of their photophysical properties, has emerged as an important topic in the research field of luminescent materials. Here, we report the establishment of energy landscapes in dopant-matrix organic afterglow systems where the aggregation states of luminescent dopants can be controlled by doping concentrations in the matrices and the methods of preparing the materials. Through manipulation by thermodynamic and kinetic control, dopant-matrix afterglow materials with different aggregation states and diverse afterglow properties can be obtained.

Cross-Linking Modification of Ammonium Polyphosphate via Ionic Exchange and Self-Assembly for Enhancing the Fire Safety Properties of Polypropylene.

Modified ammonium polyphosphate (MAPP) was prepared as a novel mono-component intumescent flame retardant (IFR) via the ionic exchange between ammonium polyphosphate (APP) and piperazine sulfonate, which is synthesized by self-assembly using 1-(2-aminoethyl) piperazine (AEP) and -aminobenzene sulfonic acid (ASC) as raw materials. This all-in-one IFR integrating three functional elements (carbon, acid, and gas source) showed more efficient flame retardancy and excellent smoke suppression as well as better mechanical properties than the conventional APP. The incorporation of 22.

Improvement of Exciton Collection and Light-Harvesting Range in Ternary Blend Polymer Solar Cells Based on Two Non-Fullerene Acceptors.

A non-fullerene molecule named Y6 was incorporated into a binary blend of PBDB-T and IT-M to further enhance photon harvesting in the near-infrared (near-IR) region. Compared with PBDB-T/IT-M binary blend devices, PBDB-T/IT-M/Y6 ternary blend devices exhibited an improved short-circuit current density () from 15.34 to 19.

One-Step Synthesis of Highly Efficient Oligo(phenylphosphonic Dihydroxypropyl Silicone Oil) Flame Retardant for Polycarbonate.

A highly efficient flame retardant and smoke suppression oligomer, oligo(phenylphosphonic dihydroxypropyl silicone oil) (PPSO), was synthesized by a one-step reaction. The chemical structure of PPSO was confirmed by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), P nuclear magnetic resonance (P NMR), and Si nuclear magnetic resonance (Si NMR). The flame-retardant effect of PPSO on the polycarbonate (PC) matrix was investigated by limiting oxygen index, UL-94 vertical burning test, and cone calorimetry, respectively.

Design and Application of Highly Efficient Flame Retardants for Polycarbonate Combining the Advantages of Cyclotriphosphazene and Silicone Oil.

A novel flame retardant (HSPCTP) was successfully designed and incorporated into a polycarbonate (PC) matrix. Combining the advantages of cyclotriphosphazene and silicone oil, PC/HSPCTP composites passed UL-94 V-0 rating testing with only 3 wt% HSPCTP, and their LOI value increased from 25.0% to 28.

Facile Preparation of Highly Conductive Poly(amide-imide) Composite Films beyond 1000 S m through Ternary Blend Strategy.

Highly conductive thin films with suitable mechanical performances play a significant role in modern electronic industry. Herein, a series of ternary conductive polymer composites were fabricated by incorporating carbon black (CB) into binary conductive polymer composites of poly(amide-imide) (PAI) and polyaniline (PANI) to enhance their mechanical and conductive properties simultaneously. By varying the composition of PAI/PANI/CB ternary films, the conductivity enhanced by two orders of magnitude compared with the sum of PAI/PANI and PAI/CB binary conductive polymer composites, and a high conductivity of 1160 S m was achieved.

A glucose modified filter paper for effective oil/water separation.

Efficient and low-cost oil/water separation remains a great challenge for industries. Natural cellulose-based filter paper, because of its abundance, low cost, biodegradability and excellent chemical stability, has been developed as an oil/water separator in recent years. In the present study, a superhydrophilic and underwater superoleophobic filter paper is successfully prepared by an aldol condensation reaction to crosslink glucose molecules with filter paper.

Fabrication of a superhydrophobic mesh based on PDMS/SiO nanoparticles/PVDF microparticles/KH-550 by one-step dip-coating method.

In this study, a facile one-step dip-coating approach was reported for fabrication of superhydrophobic copper mesh by using PDMS, SiO nanoparticles, PVDF microparticles and a couple agent 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane (KH-550). It is found that undesirable SiO agglomeration was obviously reduced by introducing KH-550 and PVDF microparticles. The KH-550 acts as the bridge-linker and binds SiO, PVDF and PDMS together.

A facile approach to a silver conductive ink with high performance for macroelectronics.

An unusual kind of transparent and high-efficiency organic silver conductive ink (OSC ink) was synthesized with silver acetate as silver carrier, ethanolamine as additive, and different kinds of aldehyde-based materials as reduction agents and was characterized by using a thermogravimetric analyzer, X-ray diffraction, a scanning electron microscope, and a four-point probe. The results show that different reduction agents all have an important influence on the conductive properties of the ink through a series of complex chemical reactions, and especially when formic acid or dimethylformamide was used as the reduction agent and sintered at 120°C for 30 s, the resistivity can be lowered to 6 to 9 μΩ·cm. Furthermore, formula mechanism, conductive properties, temperature, and dynamic fatigue properties were investigated systematically, and the feasibility of the OSC ink was also verified through the preparation of an antenna pattern.

High-reproducibility, flexible conductive patterns fabricated with silver nanowire by drop or fit-to-flow method.

An unusual strategy was designed to fabricate conductive patterns with high reproducibility for flexible electronics by drop or fit-to-flow method. Silver nanowire (SNW) ink with surface tension of 36.9 mN/m and viscosity of 13.

Postfabrication encapsulation of model protein drugs in a negatively thermosensitive hydrogel.

A postfabrication encapsulation technique was developed for loading model protein drugs into an intelligent and biodegradable hydrogel film, which exhibits negative thermosensitivity with a desirable phase transition temperature between refrigerator temperature and body temperature. The hydrogel comprises mainly poly(ethylene oxide)-poly(propylene oxide)-poly(ethylene oxide) block copolymer, and oligo(lactide). The model proteins Hemoglobin and Bovine Serum Albumin were loaded into the hydrogel films by soaking the gels at 4 degrees C, at which the hydrogel film was swollen.

A novel microgel and associated post-fabrication encapsulation technique of proteins.

A novel negatively thermo-sensitive and biodegradable microgel was prepared by combination of macromer synthesis and inverse suspension polymerization. A new post-fabrication encapsulation technique based upon this kind of intelligent microgel was developed. Model proteins (hemoglobin, bovine serum albumin and insulin) were encapsulated into the microgels at 4 degrees C and released in vitro at 37 degrees C.