Sustainable Radiative Cooling of Microstructure Modulated Flexible poly(lactic Acid) Films.

The optimization of polymer microstructures to enable resonant light scattering within the solar spectrum offers significant potential for passive cooling, however, achieving precise microstructural control remains technically challenging. Herein, we present a strategy for fabricating polylactide radiative cooling film with adjustable microstructure. The surface pore structure and internal spherical structure of the film are precisely controlled by polyethylene glycol, which in turn modulates the film's optical properties.

Innovative 3D-Printed Superhydrophobic Porous Architectures for Continuous Oil-Water Separation.

Efficient superhydrophobic oil-water separation materials are essential for environmental remediation and industrial wastewater treatment. In this study, by optimizing printing parameters, such as printing speed, extrusion multiplier, and layer height, we achieved high-precision 3D porous architectures with uniform pore sizes. The pore size could reach 677.

Mechanosensing of Stimuli Changes with Magnetically Gated Adaptive Sensitivity.

Inspired by biological sensors that characteristically adapt to varying stimulus ranges, efficiently detecting stimulus changes sooner than the absolute stimulus values, we propose a mechanosensing concept in which the resolution can be adapted by magnetic field () gating to detect small pressure-changes under a wide range of compressive stimuli. This is realized with resistive sensing by pillared -driven assemblies of soft ferromagnetic electrically conducting particles between planar electrodes under a voltage bias. By modulation of , the pillars respond with mechanically adaptable sensitivity.

A Transparent Polymer-Composite Film for Window Energy Conservation.

As living standards improve, the energy consumption for regulating indoor temperature keeps increasing. Windows, in particular, enhance indoor brightness but also lead to increased energy loss, especially in sunny weather. Developing a product that can maintain indoor brightness while reducing energy consumption is a challenge.

Template-Thermally Induced Phase Separation-Assisted Microporous Regulation in Poly(lactic acid) Aerogel for Sustainable Radiative Cooling.

Herein, an eco-friendly and degradable poly(lactic acid) aerogel was prepared by combining a poly(ethylene glycol) template material with thermally induced phase separation. Due to the tailored pore size introduced by the template material, the aerogel exhibits high solar reflectance (92.0%), excellent thermal emittance (90.

Kinetically Controlled Direct Synthesis of Ag Nanoclusters as Precursor of Luminescent AgAu Alloy Nanoclusters for Aluminum Ions Detection.

Direct preparation of silver nanoclusters is of great significance for their applications. In this work, by selecting sodium cyanoborohydride as a weak reducing agent to control the kinetics of the reduction reaction, we successfully prepared silver nanoclusters protected by thiol-containing ligands, including mercaptosuccinic acid, cysteine, and glutathione. Based on the silver nanoclusters protected by mercaptosuccinic acid, silver-gold alloy nanoclusters were obtained through a gold doping reaction.

Temperature-dependent luminescent copper nanoclusters with noncovalent interactions for determination of β-galactosidase activity.

The synthesis of a novel bidentate ligand-protected copper nanocluster via a solid-state strategy is reported. Single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis result reveals that the copper nanocluster features an octahedral core (Cu) coordinated by six ligands. Noncovalent interactions (C-Hπ and ππ) exist between the copper nanoclusters.

MoS Decorated on 1D MoS@Co/NC@CF Hierarchical Fibrous Membranes for Enhanced Microwave Absorption.

The design and development of high-quality electromagnetic waves (EMW) absorbing materials play a vital role in combating the escalating negative effects of microwave radiation and interference. Herein, MoS@Co/NC@CF fibrous membranes are successfully fabricated by electrospinning technology and carbonization, and a molybdenum disulfide (MoS) layer is synthesized on the surface of these fibers via hydrothermal method. The seed-assisted growth method not only effectively avoids the accumulation and improves the loading of ZIF-67 particles, so as to ensure that the magnetic components in the fibers are evenly distributed in a wider range, rather than only intermittently present in some sites.

Green Electromagnetic Interference Shielding Material Based on Thermally Expandable Microspheres.

With the aggravation of electromagnetic pollution, electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding materials have received enormous attention. However, most of the current EMI shielding materials only focus on the shielding effectiveness (SE), neglecting the electromagnetic pollution brought by secondary reflection. In this work, a method of preparing absorption-dominated EMI shielding materials, which are also called green EMI materials, using thermally expandable microspheres (TEMs) and expanded graphite (EG), is proposed.

Enhanced Charge-Carrier Dynamics and Efficient Photoelectrochemical Nitrate-to-Ammonia Conversion on Antimony Sulfide-Based Photocathodes.

The photoelectrochemical reduction of nitrate to ammonia (PEC NORR) has emerged as a promising pathway for facilitating the natural nitrogen cycle. The PEC NORR can lower the reduction potential needed for ammonia synthesis through photogenerated voltage, showcasing the significant potential for merging abundant solar energy with sustainable nitrogen fixation. However, it is influenced by the selective photocathodes with poor carrier kinetics, low catalytic selectivity, and ammonia yields.

DNA and gelatin-a cool aerogel mix.

A degradable biopolymer is an effective radiative cooling material.

Trainable bioinspired magnetic sensitivity adaptation using ferromagnetic colloidal assemblies.

Nature has already suggested bioinspired functions. Beyond them, adaptive and trainable functions could be the inspiration for novel responsive soft matter beyond the state-of-the-art classic static bioinspired, stimulus-responsive, and shape-memory materials. Here, we describe magnetic assembly/disassembly of electrically conducting soft ferromagnetic nickel colloidal particles into surface topographical pillars for bistable electrical trainable memories.

Transparent ultrahigh-molecular-weight polyethylene/MXene films with efficient UV-absorption for thermal management.

The rational use and conversion of energy are the primary means for achieving the goal of carbon neutrality. MXenes can be used for photothermal conversion, but their opaque appearance limits wider applications. Herein, we successfully develop visible-light transparent and UV-absorbing polymer composite film by solution blending the MXene with polyethylene and then vacuum pressing.

Mesoporous silica nanospheres-mediated insecticide and antibiotics co-delivery system for synergizing insecticidal toxicity and reducing environmental risk of insecticide.

Mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs) are efficient carriers of drugs, and are promising in developing novel pesticide formulations. The cotton aphids Aphis gossypii Glover is a world devastating insect pest. It has evolved high level resistance to various insecticides thus resulted in the application of higher doses of insecticides, which raised environmental risk.

Stereo-complex polylactide composite aerogel for crude oil adsorption.

Adsorption materials are a cost-effective and simple method for oil spill remediation, but their efficiency is limited by high crude oil viscosity. Additionally, non-degradable materials pose another risk of secondary pollution, such as microplastic debris. Here, an environmentally-friendly stereo-complex polylactide composite (SCC) aerogel were developed via water-assisted thermally induced phase separation.

Polyethylene fibers containing directional microchannels for passive radiative cooling.

Passive radiative cooling (PRC) that realizes thermal management without consuming any energy has attracted increasing attention. Unfortunately, polymer fibers with radiative cooling function fabricated a facile, continuous, large-scale and eco-friendly method have been scarcely reported. Herein, polyethylene fibers containing directional microchannels (PFCDM) are facilely fabricated melt extrusion and water leaching.

Enhanced Thermal Conductivity of High-Density Polyethylene Composites with Hybrid Fillers of Flaky and Spherical Boron Nitride Particles.

The synergistic effect between different fillers plays a crucial role in determining the performance of composites. In this work, spherical boron nitride (BN) and flaky BN are used as hybrid fillers to improve the thermal conductivity (TC) of high-density polyethylene (HDPE) composites. A series of HDPE composites were prepared by adjusting the mass ratio (1:0, 4:1, 2:1, 1:1, 1:2, 1:4, and 0:1) of spherical BN and flaky BN.

Ag Nanoparticles-Coated Shish-Kebab Superstructure Film for Wearable Heater.

Passive and active wearable heaters have received widespread attention due to their efficient utilization of solar energy and all-weather heating capabilities, but the current challenges are their preparation processes being time-consuming and equipment expensive. Herein, a simple and facilitated preparation method for the multifunctional wearable heater was developed, which springs Ag nanoparticles on the shish-kebab superstructure film via deposited melanin-like polydopamine as the adhesive. The light absorption ability of the resultant wearable heater in the visible region can be significantly enhanced by the addition of polydopamine, realizing a highly efficient photothermal conversion ability.

Superhydrophilic CoFe Dispersion of Hydrogel Electrocatalysts for Quasi-Solid-State Photoelectrochemical Water Splitting.

Photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting is an attractive strategy to convert solar energy to hydrogen. However, the lifetime of PEC devices is restricted by the photocorrosion of semiconductors and the instability of co-catalysts. Herein, we report a feasible inherent cross-linking method for stabilizing semiconductors that uses a CoFe-dispersed polyacrylamide (PAM) hydrogel as a transparent protector.

Controllable-morphology polymer blend photonic metafoam for radiative cooling.

Incorporating radiative cooling photonic structures into the cooling systems of buildings presents a novel strategy to mitigate global warming and boost global carbon neutrality. Photonic structures with excellent solar reflection and thermal emission can be obtained by a rational combination of different materials. The current preparation strategies of radiative cooling materials are dominated by doping inorganic micro-nano particles into polymers, which usually possess insufficient solar reflectance.

Single-Atom Pt Embedded in Defective Layered Double Hydroxide for Efficient and Durable Hydrogen Evolution.

Electrocatalysis in neutral conditions is appealing for hydrogen production by utilizing abundant wastewater or seawater resources. Single-atom catalysts (SACs) immobilized on supports are considered one of the most promising strategies for electrocatalysis research. While they have principally exhibited breakthrough activity and selectivity for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) electrocatalysis in alkaline or acidic conditions, few SACs were reported for HER in neutral media.