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A ternary Ag@ZnO@Ti 3 C 2 MXene heterojunction (AZM) is synthesized by hybridizing ZnO and Ag nanoparticles with the MXene via a simple hydrothermal and chemical deposition method. The addition of ZnO and Ag can effectively compensate for MXene's narrow bandgap property, promote charge carrier separation, and improve visible light absorption, thereby enhancing photocatalytic activity. The photocatalytic activity of the AZM is evaluated through the removal efficiency of methylene blue (MB) dye and levofloxacin (LVX) under visible light irradiation. The results show that the optimized ternary AZM heterojunction photocatalysts (AZM-15) possesses the maximum degradation of MB (90.54%) with a reaction rate constant of 0.0473 min−1, while the maximum degradation of LVX (86.76%) has a reaction rate constant of 0.0408 min−1. Moreover, the AZM composite exhibits excellent stability, which explains its MB removal rate of 83.59% and LVX removal rate of 80.03% after five cycles. The results of trapping experiments and EPR demonstrated that the main active species in the MB and LVX photodegradation process are·OH and·O 2 -. This work not only elucidates a possible mechanism of photocatalytic degradation of organic pollutants but also provides a pathway to design new bandgap photocatalysts for mitigating environmental pollution. [Display omitted] • Synthesis of Ag@ZnO@MXene heterojunction photocatalyst by facile process. • Ag@ZnO@MXene exhibits high catalytic activity for Methylene Blue(MB) and Levofloxacin (LVX) removal. • Ag@ZnO@MXene boosts charge separation and redox capability. • OH and·O 2 - are confirmed to play the most direct role in MB and LVX degradation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Castor oil-based waterborne polyurethane/silver-halloysite (WPU/Ag-HNT) antibacterial nanocomposites were prepared by incorporating silver-halloysite composite (Ag-HNT) into WPU via in situ polymerization. Ag-HNT was successfully synthesized by modification of halloysite nanotubes (HNTs) with 3-(2-Aminoethylamino) propyldimethoxymethylsilane (AEAPTMS) and chitosan, and then mixed with silver nitrate for combining silver ions, finally the silver nanoparticles were loaded on the surface of HNTs by reducing silver ions with NaBH 4 . The morphology, thermal properties and mechanical properties of WPU/Ag-HNT nanocomposites films were characterized by SEM, TGA, DMA, DSC and tensile testing. The results were shown that the thermal and mechanical properties of WPU/Ag-HNT nanocomposites were improved. The antibacterial test indicated that the nanocomposites exhibited excellent antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli . The obtained nanocomposites will have promising applications in high performance antibacterial coatings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel silanized CoFe 2 O 4 /fluorinated waterborne polyurethane (SC/FWPU) pressure sensitive adhesive was synthesized and characterized by atomic force microscopy (AFM), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) and contact angle tester. The adhesive properties were measured in a test machine. Experimental results showed that the hydrophobicity, thermal stability, dynamic mechanical properties, as well as adhesive properties of SC/FWPU were improved with the incorporation of SC into FWPU. The dynamic hydrophobicity can be well described by the wetting kinetic model. The spreading-penetration parameter increased with an increase in SC content. The higher the spreading-penetration parameter is, the faster the contact angle reaches equilibrium, and the faster the SC/FWPU pressure sensitive adhesive penetrates and spreads. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The inorganic/organic waterborne polyurethane (WPU) hybrid dispersions modified by organic montmorillonite (OMMT) and end-capped by 2-hydroxyethyl acrylate (HEA) were prepared. A series of novel organic montmorillonite/fluorinated waterborne polyurethane (OMMT/FWPU) nanocomposite emulsions with core–shell particle structure were synthesized via seed emulsion polymerization with 2,2,3,4,4,4-hexafluorobutyl methacrylate (HFBMA) by using OMMT/WPU hybrid dispersions as seed emulsions and macromonomers. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), Wide-angle X-ray diffraction (WXRD), Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and gel permeation chromatography (GPC) were utilized to analysis the structural properties of OMMT/FWPU nanocomposite. And the influences of OMMT and HFBMA contents on the thermal stability, dynamic mechanical properties and surface properties of OMMT/FWPU nanocomposite films were examined by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA), tensile test machine and static contact angle tester, respectively. The results showed that the OMMT/FWPU nanocomposites exhibited an improved thermal stability, dynamic mechanical properties and surface properties when the content of OMMT was 2wt% and HFBMA was 15wt%. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Emissions of polychlorinated debenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs) from the stack gas, fly ashes of steel and nonferrous productions, including iron ore sintering process (Sinter), electric arc furnace (EAF), secondary copper production (SCu), secondary aluminum production (SAl) and secondary lead production (SPb) were investigated. The concentrations of PCDD/Fs in stack gases of various sources ranging form high to low were as follow: SCu> SAl> EAF> Sinter> SPb, while those in fly ashes were: SCu> SAl> SPb> EAF> Sinter. It is worth noting that the toxic equivalency quantity (TEQ) in fly ash from SCu rotary kiln, at 40352ng TEQ/kg, was relatively higher than the value of municipal waste incinerator fly ashes. Due to the ratio of PCDF/PCDD>1 both in stack gases and fly ashes of this study, the de novo synthesis may be the dominant mechanism of formation of PCDD/Fs in those processes. For PCDD/Fs congeners profiles, 2,3,7,8-TCDF was the most abundant congener in stack gases from Sintering, SCu and SAl, while the major congeners in EAF and SPb were 1,2,3,4,6,7,8-HpCDD and 1,2,3,4,6,7,8- HpCDF, respectively. The emission factors and total emission amounts of PCDD/Fs released to air from these industries were calculated. Noteworthily, the average PCDD/Fs emission factors of secondary copper and aluminum production were 2.94 and 0.291mg TEQ/ton production, higher than those from other industries. The emission factors of Sinter, EAF, SPb were 800.1, 3160 and 4297 ng TEQ/t, respectively. For the two iron ore sintering machines, the total emission amounts of PCDD/Fs reached 100.49g TEQ/year. Due to the high emission factors or total emission amounts, eliminating the releases of PCDD/Fs from steel and secondary nonferrous productions should attract more attentions. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The skin, the primary barrier of the body, is inevitably broken. However, the development of materials that facilitate wound healing with sustained antimicrobial, hemostatic, and biocompatible properties remains a formidable challenge. In this article, we prepared a photopolymerizable composite hydrogel consisting of a hydrogel matrix, a hemostatic/antibacterial agent, and a photothermal therapy agent. The photopolymerizable hydrogel matrix was prepared by grafting the photoinitiator and polymerizable active monomer onto the chitosan chain segment, which exhibits excellent biocompatibility. Furthermore, linalool is adsorbed on the surface of halloysite nanotubes (HNTs) to form a hemostatic and antibacterial. Meanwhile, dopamine is employed as a coating material for hollow glass microsphere (HGM), which enables them to function as photothermal therapy agents. Upon exposure to near-infrared radiation, the PHA hydrogel releases linalool molecules from the surface of the HNTs, which diffuse into the hydrogel matrix, resulting in a sustained antimicrobial effect. At the same time, rapid curing of the photopolymerizable hydrogel under UV light forms a physical barrier that synergistically enhances the hemostatic properties of the HNTs. From the above, the results pave the way to develop a potential hemostatic antimicrobial dressing for clinical use in wound healing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently, thin, lightweight, wide and strong microwave absorption performance are the main targets for researchers to design high-performance absorbers. A new two-dimension MXene material has attracted significant attention because of its unique hierarchical structure, large specific surface area and special metallic features. However, its improperly high electrical conductivity of MXene causes the bad microwave absorption performance. To meet the needs of practical application, the sandwich-like NiFe 2 O 4 @SiO 2 @MXene nanocomposites were fabricated via multilayered MXene and core-shell NiFe 2 O 4 @SiO 2 nanoparticles. By the synergistic effects from the SiO 2 (transparent medium) improving impedance matching and the two-dimensional laminated MXene increasing conductive loss, the microwave absorption performance of NiFe 2 O 4 @SiO 2 @MXene can be effectively regulated and optimized. As a result, the minimum reflection loss of NiFe 2 O 4 @SiO 2 @MXene reaches −52.8 dB at 11.6 GHz with a thickness of 2 mm, and the maximum effective absorption bandwidth is 7.2 GHz (10.8–18 GHz) covering the whole Ku-band with only a 1.5 mm thickness. It has proved that microcosmic sandwich-like structure design is an efficient approach to achieving excellent microwave absorption performance. The multiple components and unique structure generate heterogeneous interfaces, multiple reflections, polarization features and well-matched impedance. This work provides an insight for rationally constructing hybrid materials with a complex structure in the application of microwave absorption field. [Display omitted] • The synergistic microstructure of sandwich-like NiFe 2 O 4 @SiO 2 @MXene nanocomposites were facilely fabricated. • The relationship between refection loss and filler loading was carefully revealed. • The strong microwave absorption and broad bandwidth of NiFe 2 O 4 @SiO 2 @MXene nanocomposites were simultaneously demonstrated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The incorporation of polymers into MXene-based functional materials has been proven to be an effective strategy for improving their flexibility and mechanical properties. However, insulating polymers inevitably sacrifice the conductivity of MXene, resulting in a deterioration of electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding performance. In this work, inspired by Janus structure, an asymmetric flexible film composed of the carboxylated styrene-butadiene rubber (XSBR) with magnetic boron nitride nanosheets (mBNNS) layer and the MXene layer is developed through a casting plus spraying approach. The resulting mBNNS/XSBR@MXene (BXM) Janus film demonstrates the characteristic of "one side insulation, one side conductivity", with the conductivity of 2746 S cm−1 on the MXene side and surface resistivity of 4.9 × 1013 Ω on the mBNNS/XSBR side. Profit from the designed Janus architecture, the EMI shielding effectiveness and in-plane thermal conductivity of the BXM Janus film reach 74.55 dB and 8.45 W m−1 K−1 when the total mass fraction of mBNNS and MXene is 50 wt%, which is 148 % and 43.46 % higher than that of the BXM blend film without Janus structure. Moreover, the BXM Janus film exhibits low applied voltage (∼3.0 V) driven Joule heating performance with a response time of less than 10 s, a saturation temperature of 133.7 °C, and long-term steady reliability. Meanwhile, the BXM Janus film possesses good mechanical properties and excellent EMI shielding stability. Therefore, this work provides an effective strategy to fabricate flexible MXene-based multifunctional film for EMI shielding, heat dissipation, and thermal management applications. [Display omitted] • A flexible MXene-based Janus film is produced by a facile approach. • The BXM Janus film exhibits a "one side insulating, one side conducting" performance. • Excellent EMI SE (74.55 dB) and in-plane TC (8.45 W m−1 K−1) are realized. • The "Absorption-reflection-reabsorption" mechanism is clarified. • A satisfactory trade-off between mechanical properties and EMI SE is obtained. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tough, self-adhesive and conductive hydrogels have recently attracted considerable interest due to their promising applications in electronic skins, wearable devices and flexible sensors. In this work, we designed a mussel-inspired nanocomposite hydrogel derived from water-soluble tannic acid/polyaniline coated cellulose nanocrystals (TA/PANI@CNCs) and various functional acrylic monomers. The incorporated TA/PANI@CNCs not only endowed the nanocomposite hydrogels with enhanced electrical conductive network and mechanical performance, but also played an important role in repeatable and durable adhesiveness to human skin without additional fixation. By taking the advantage of double networks based on various supramolecular interactions and dynamic borate ester bonds, the hydrogels exhibited a dramatic breaking strain of 974%, fracture stress of 759 kPa and rapid self-healing ability at room temperature without external stimuli. In addition, the as-prepared nanocomposite hydrogels had great strain sensitivity and excellent electrical conductivity, which can be employed as flexible strain sensors for tracking human body motion with a broad range of strain or directly assembled on other materials surfaces as electrical circuits. Compared with previous conductive hydrogels, this work will provide a novel pathway to fabricate nanocomposite hydrogels with self-healing, self-adhesive, strain sensitive and robust mechanical properties for potential applications in wearable strain sensors, flexible electrical interconnection and human motion monitoring. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The combination of microwave absorption performance and self-healing function is of great practical significance. In this paper, first, ZnO@MWCNTs nanoparticle is prepared by loading Zinc oxide (ZnO) on the surface of the multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) as microwave absorbers. Then, the thermoreversible self-healing DA-PDMS is prepared by using polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) as raw material based on Diels-Alder (DA) reaction. Finally, a kind of novel multifunctional ZnO@MWCNTs/DA-PDMS nanocomposite with self-healing and microwave absorption properties is synthesized with the addition of ZnO@MWCNTs nanoparticle. When the cracked ZnO@MWCNTs/DA-PDMS nanocomposite is maintained at 120 °C for 10 min, it can recover more than 90% of the original mechanical strength. Even after three healing cycles, the ZnO@MWCNTs/DA-PDMS nanocomposite also displays excellent healing efficiency (about 90%). On the other hand, when the content of ZnO@MWCNTs nanoparticle is 10 wt%, ZnO@MWCNTs/DA-PDMS nanocomposite exhibits an effective absorption bandwidth from 8.2 to 12.4 GHz (full X-band) at a thickness of 3 mm and the minimum reflection loss of −20.1 dB. Even after the 3rd healing cycle, the minimum reflection loss of the healed samples can still maintain −20.0 dB at a thickness of 3 mm. ZnO@MWCNTs/DA-PDMS nanocomposite will have good development prospect in the field of intelligence and microwave absorption materials. Image 1 • A self-healing nanocomposite with microwave absorption could be healed at 110 °C for 10 min. • The minimum RL of nanocomposite is up to −20.1 dB. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, Al 2 O 3 @PPy@rGO composites were successfully synthesized by a "coating-coating" route. The structure of Al 2 O 3 @PPy@rGO composites was characterized by XRD, Raman and SEM. The coaxial wire method was used to measure the electromagnetic properties of Al 2 O 3 @PPy@rGO composites, which was carried on the vector network analyzer (VNA, 3672A/B/C-S) over the 2–18 GHz frequency range. Compared with Al 2 O 3 (about 50 nm), the particle size of Al 2 O 3 @PPy composites (about 70 nm) enhanced, which verified the alumina was coated by PPy. In addition, the Al 2 O 3 @PPy composites are tightly attached by the rGO with a diameter of about 30 nm Al 2 O 3 @PPy@rGO composites have excellent thermal stability, and they remain 53 wt% when the temperature is up to 800 °C. When the thickness of Al 2 O 3 @PPy@rGO composites is 3.0 mm, they reach the maximum reflection loss of −39.7 dB at 13.2 GHz with 15 wt% Al 2 O 3 @PPy@rGO-wax. And the broad effective microwave absorption bandwidth of Al 2 O 3 @PPy@rGO composites is 5.5 GHz in 10.5–16.0 GHz. In addition, the electromagnetic wave absorption mechanism of Al 2 O 3 @PPy@rGO composites was analyzed. • A low cost and environment-friendly method of in situ polymerization was used to prepare of Al 2 O 3 @PPy@rGO composites with microwave absorption properties. • The maximum reflection loss of the Al 2 O 3 @PPy@rGO composites with a thickness of 3.0 mm reach −39.7 dB at 13.18 GHz with 15 wt% Al 2 O 3 @PPy@rGO-wax and the broad effective microwave absorption bandwidth is 5.5 GHz in 10.5–16.0 GHz. • The Al 2 O 3 @PPy@rGO composites remain 53 wt% when the temperature is up to 800 °C which shows the excellent thermal stability. • The Al 2 O 3 @PPy@rGO composites are promising for application in military equipment and civil health products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Innovative use of Nano Ni@C particles that are commonly used as electrode materials as filler to strengthen polyurethane materials. • The synthesized polyurethane nanocomposites also have adjustable magnetic properties due to the loading of magnetic particles. • The synthesized polyurethane nanocomposites combines good mechanical properties and self-healing properties. Widely employed as polymers, polyurethanes also struggle to strike a balance between mechanical and self-healing qualities. Extrinsic self-healing can readily result in the production of material defects and stress concentration, which can result in the loss of mechanical property. In this study, self-healing and mechanical properties were combined to create a self-healing polyurethane nanocomposite film (PUHN) with good fatigue resistance. Reversible hydrogen and disulfide bonds were introduced to the polyurethane film, meanwhile, carbon-coated nickel nanoparticles were dispersed into the matrix as fillers during the early stage of polymerization. The results showed that PUHN combines outstanding mechanical properties with excellent self-healing properties, while the tensile strength of PUHN was increased by 38 % to 2.32 MPa due to the small-size effect caused by the introduction of nanoparticles. The introduction of reversible disulfide bonding and the presence of abundant hydrogen bonding give PUHN excellent self-healing properties, which can reach 91.2 % self-healing efficiency after 3 h in an oven at 80℃. Meanwhile, the fatigue resistance of the composite material also shows considerable application potential for use in packaging. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aldol condensation reaction is considered as a typical process to form C–C single bonds and result in long-length chain, however, the selectivity of aldol reaction is too complicated to understand. Among the kinetic steps of typical catalytic reactions, diffusion affects the behavior of both reactants and products, subsequently plays a decisive role in the selectivity of reaction path. Herein, molecular dynamics simulation was used to study the adsorption and diffusion behavior of the key components (i.e. , reactants, intermediates, aldehydes and α,β-unsaturated ketones product) in the aldol condensation reaction of benzaldehyde with 2-butanone catalyzed by hierarchical ZSM-5 zeolite at 373 K. The results show that as small products, 2-hydroxy-1-butene, 3-hydroxy-2-butene will tend to form via 2-butanone in the micropores; while as intermediates, 2-hydroxy-1-butene, 3-hydroxy-2-butene will continue to react with benzaldehyde to form large products 1-phenyl-pentan-1-ol-3-one, 4-phenyl-3-methyl-butan-4-ol-one, 1-phenyl-1-pentan-3-one and 3-methyl-4-phenyl-3-butan-2-one in the mesopores. Additionally, the presence of water will slow down the diffusion of reactants, which might be the main reason why aldol condensation reaction is commonly inhibited with the presence of water. This work can not only provide a basis understanding for mechanism of aldol condensation reaction from the perspective of diffusion, but also guide the design of hierarchical zeolite catalysts. Investigation on diffusion mechanism of aldol condensation reaction in hierarchical ZSM-5 zeolite proposes double reactors respectively in micropores and mesopores. [Display omitted] • Diffusion-reaction relationship in aldol reaction has been investigated. • Molecular dynamics associated with density functional theory is employed. • Hierarchical ZSM-5 zeolite can perform as a double-reactor. • Both size and electrostatic effects affect the reaction selectivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The development of coatings with flame retardancy and superhydrophobicity is of great importance in practical application. Herein, a fluorine-free superhydrophobic and halogen-free flame retardant coating was constructed via simple dip-coating and efficient ultraviolet (UV) curing methods, using heavy cross-linking polydimethylsiloxane networks (HCPDMS) as low-surface-energy materials and hierarchical-structured layered double hydroxide-ammonium polyphosphate (LDH-APP) as organic-inorganic composite flame retardants. Owing to the such combination of hierarchical structure and low surface energy, these prepared coatings show striking repellency to various liquids, great self-cleaning and antifouling ability. Besides, they can resist the abrasion test by sandpaper for 30 cycles, the tape-peeling test for 200 cycles, and repeatedly kneading test. Meanwhile, these coatings offer good thermal stability and flame retardant, exhibiting an enhanced limiting oxygen index (LOI) from 18.0 % to 29.0 %. Moreover, a high oil/water separation efficiency of these coatings is over 95 % even after 16 separation cycles. Equipped with harmless to environment, facile preparation process, and excellent comprehensive performances, these coatings will have the potential for widespread application. • These coatings have good super-hydrophobicity and flame retardance • The treated cotton has good anti-fouling and water-oil separation abilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Polymer matrix composite with a physical barrier network can efficiently inhibit corrosion on carbon steel. In this paper, 3-(2-Aminoethylamino) propyldimethoxymethylsilane modified graphene oxide (A-GO) and glass fiber (GF) were incorporated into Epoxy (EP) matrix, and EP/GF/A-GO composite coating with dual physical barrier network was prepared. The electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) showed that the impedance modulus of EP/GF/A-GO composite coating was highest among the different coatings, indicting EP/GF/A-GO composite coating with dual physical barrier network could significantly enhance the corrosion protection properties. Even after 45 days of immersion, the value of impedance modulus of the EP/GF/A-GO composite coating was above 3.9 × 107 Ω cm2. Moreover, the anti-corrosion protection mechanism of EP/GF/A-GO composite coating was investigated. EP/GF/A-GO composite coating has excellent anti-corrosion protection performance. [Display omitted] • A novel epoxy curing strategy based on GO and CF was used. • The synthesis process of the new curing agent is easy and environmental friendly. • AGO nanosheets and CF interweave in the composite coating to form a barrier layer. • The composite coating has excellent anti-corrosion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Alkylation reaction of benzene and methanol produces desirable product p-xylene, thus understanding the structure-performance relationship in alkylation reaction is significant. Herein, the diffusion behavior of representative components (i.e. benzene, methanol, olefin and alkylbenzene) involved in the alkylation reaction catalyzed by Al-substituting ZSM-5 (H-ZSM-5) zeolite at 673 K was studied based on molecular dynamics simulations. As a result, the self-diffusion coefficients (D s) of methanol and benzene at 673 K in H-ZSM-5 zeolite are 2.97 × 10−8 and 6.50 × 10−12 m2 s−1, respectively; while in CH 3 -ZSM-5 zeolite, the presence of CH 3 O- intermediates does favor to the diffusion of benzene and alkylbenzene, especially p-xylene. Furthermore, due to the distinguished dynamic diameters compared with pore sizes, the reaction species exhibit anisotropic diffusion along x-, y- and z- direction of zeolite channel. This work may not only provide an insight into the diffusion mechanism for alkylation reaction of benzene and methanol, but also help guide the design of zeolite catalysts. A theoretical insight into diffusion dependence of benzene-methanol alkylation reaction in ZSM-5 zeolite. [Display omitted] • Diffusion-reaction relationship in alkylation reaction has been investigated. • Molecular dynamics associated with density functional theory is employed. • Both size and electrostatic effects induce the selectivity towards desirable p-xylene. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A self-healing composite hydrogel with conductivity was prepared by PVA-borax and ZnFe 2 O 4 /Multiwalled Carbon Nanotube (MCNT)/ polypyrrole (PPy). • The fractured hydrogel could be healed for 10 min. • The composite hydrogel could serve as a conductor to lighten a bulb in a closed loop and a self-healing process had no effect on electrical performance. • The maximum saturation magnetization of composite hydrogel could be up to 4.10 emu/g. • Even after being made into various shapes, the composite hydrogel still maintains great stretchability up tp 800%. [Display omitted] Self-healing hydrogel has become a hot spot for various practical applications such as biomedical materials and electron devices. However, developing composite hydrogels with self-healing, conductive, magnetic and other properties still remains a serious challenge. In this paper, we developed self-healing, conductive and magnetic ZnFe 2 O 4 /MCNT/PPy ternary composite hydrogels based on PVA. The composite hydrogels possessed several features including a high stretchability (about 800%), good electrical conductivity (0.3465 S m−1) and nice magnetism (4.10 emu g−1). Furthermore, the composite hydrogels exhibited excellent self-healing property owed to the dynamic interactions (boric acid ester bonds and hydrogen bonds). Due to the conductivity, magnetism, self-healing and other properties, the novel composite hydrogels were expected to be a promising material in many advanced applications, such as electronic skins, drug delivery carriers and electromagnetic interference shielding. In addition, we have reason to believe that the biocompatibility and easy-remolding property of the composite hydrogels would make them a great candidate for 3D printing technique of human organs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The multiple interfacial polarization from 3D net-like ZnO@MWCNTs@NiFe 2 O 4 nanocomposites was facilely fabricated. • The relationship between refection loss and filler loading was carefully revealed. • The strong microwave absorption and broad bandwidth of ZnO@MWCNTs@NiFe 2 O 4 nanocomposites were simultaneously demonstrated. [Display omitted] The design of multiple heterogeneous interfaces has been proven to be a successful strategy to boost microwave absorption performance. However, the synthesis of magnetic microwave absorber with wide absorption bandwidth is still a challenge. In this work, ZnO@MWCNTs@NiFe 2 O 4 nanocomposites are fabricated by introducing ZnO on the surface of MWCNTs and subsequent anchoring of NiFe 2 O 4. The minimum reflection loss can reach − 45.5 dB at 12.4 GHz with a thickness of 2 mm, while the broadest efficient absorption bandwidth is above 6.4 GHz at only a 3 mm thickness. Furthermore, the microwave absorption performance of ternary nanocomposites can be optimized by tunable the content of ZnO and NiFe 2 O 4 , whose microwave absorption mechanism depends on the synergy of dielectric loss and magnetic loss. The formation of 3D conductive network and heterogeneous interfaces contributes to the enhancement of conductive loss and polarization, respectively. The experimental results demonstrated that the ZnO@MWCNTs@NiFe 2 O 4 nanocomposites can provide a guide for microwave absorbers with wide absorption bandwidth in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A novel water-borne non-fluorinated liquid-repellent surface system is developed. • Dewetting behavior of various liquids on this coating surface has been investigated. • The coating surface exhibits chemical shielding ability and self-healing ability. • The coating surface can be used for anti-fingerprint and anti-graffiti purposes. • The coating surface shows advantages over commercial liquid-repellent surfaces. Existing approaches for the preparation of anti-smudge surfaces are prominently confined to the use of fluorinated materials and highly toxic organic solvents. Smooth water-borne non-fluorinated anti-smudge surfaces are highly desirable for their high safety, low cost and environmental friendliness, and they could also address the challenges plagued by the deficiencies in long-term stability, durability, and scalability existing in present coating systems. Herein, we, for the first time, develop a novel smooth non-fluorinated anti-smudge system by crosslinking the hydrophilic groups in two water-borne components. The resultant surfaces are highly transparent, and they show striking anti-smudge performance toward various liquids, including water, hexadecane, diiodomethane, decane, ethanol, etc. Besides, these surfaces demonstrate remarkable chemical shielding ability against acid solution and alkali solution and thus protect substrates against exposure to harsh chemical environments. Also, they exhibit self-healing ability against chemical and physical damages. Compared with commercial fluorinated amphiphobic surface and superhydrophobic surface, these non-fluorinated surfaces show incomparable advantages in anti-smudge performance, pump oil and crude oil droplets could slide off the surface without leaving any traces. Furthermore, these surfaces could be applied for anti-graffiti and anti-fingerprint purposes due to their outstanding anti-smudge performance toward water-borne and oil-borne paints, ink, and artificial fingerprint liquid. More strikingly, they could maintain anti-smudge performance even after being subjected to long-term UV irradiation and physical damages, such as impact and scratch, indicative of the remarkable weathering resistance and the outstanding mechanical durability of these coating surfaces. Therefore, excellent performances in addition to the cost-effective and environmentally-friendly features make these newly-developed smooth water-borne non-fluorinated anti-smudge surfaces promising for widespread applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A novel fluoride-free bio-based liquid-repellent coating system is first developed. • 0.5 wt% PDMS content is sufficient for striking liquid repellency. • The coating exhibits remarkable self-cleaning performance and corrosion resistance. • The coating can be used for anti-graffiti and anti-fingerprint purposes. • The coating can be dyed into various colors without compromising liquid repellency. In this work, a novel bio-based liquid-repellent coating system was first developed by using 2-mercaptoethanol-modified castor oil (COME) as a coating precursor, polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) as a liquid-repellent agent, and hexamethoxymethylmelamine (HMMM) as a curing agent. The resultant coatings demonstrate exceptional liquid repellency, and they exhibit striking anti-ink ability and self-cleaning performance. Besides, these bio-based coatings show remarkable repellency against water-borne and oil-borne paints as well as fingerprint liquid, indicating that they can potentially be used for anti-graffiti and anti-fingerprint purposes. Furthermore, due to their remarkable resistance against various corrosive agents, they can be employed to protect substrates against harsh chemical conditions. More strikingly, these coatings can be dyed into various colors without compromising their liquid repellency. Compared with commercial fluorinated amphiphobic coatings, silicone-based coatings, and Never Wet superhydrophobic coatings, these fluoride-free bio-based coatings show incomparable advantages in terms of liquid-repellent performances and application foreground. It is noteworthy that, they are able to maintain liquid repellency even after being subjected to 5000 abrasion cycles, indicative of their remarkable mechanical robustness. Therefore, these newly developed bio-based liquid-repellent coatings are promising for widespread applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]