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Interfacial solar-driven steam generation is one of the most promising techniques used to produce clean water. However, achieving rapid water evaporation using solar steam generation devices is challenging because of their two-dimensional (2D) planar structures and confined evaporation areas. The three-dimensional (3D) structural design of evaporation devices improves water evaporation rates, thereby enhancing solar-driven steam generation. This study developed a 3D wood-based evaporator through 3D structure shaping and the flexible treatment of wood that involved coating photothermal materials with tannic acid. Because of the ampliative evaporation area and outstanding absorption, the water evaporation rate of the prepared 3D wood-based evaporator was as high as 2.5 kg m−2 h−1, and the efficiency of energy transformation was up to 101 % under simulated 1-sun irradiation; the evaporation rate and efficiency of energy transformation were considerably higher than those of 2D planar wood evaporators. Furthermore, the effective seawater desalination performance and good durability of the 3D wood-based evaporator were demonstrated. This study provides different insights into the fabrication of high-efficiency wood-based solar steam generators with high prospects for application in seawater desalination.

Polyurethane (PU) prepared by blending rosin base and CO2-polyol already has good mechanical properties and hydrophobic effect and has powerful benefits in acid and alkali resistance and salt resistance.

Hydrogels have attracted growing attention in electronics due to the soft, flexible nature and the ion-rich physiological environment. Herein, we reported a strategy to not only enhance a tradition...

An efficient and durable flame-retardant coating was constructed on wood via a layer-by-layer (LBL) self-assembly approach by using a chitosan (CS), graphene oxide (GO), and ammonium polyphosphate (APP) ternary flame-retardant system. Both scanning electron microscopy (SEM) characterization and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) analysis indicated that CS-GO and APP polyelectrolytes were successfully deposited on wood, and the deposition amount was increased with the numbers of the LBLs. Thermogravimetric analysis revealed that the CS-GO-APP coating could decrease the initial and maximum thermal decomposition temperature of the coated wood while increase the char residue significantly, which may be attributed to the earlier degradation of CS and APP and effective heat barrier of the incorporated GO, thus increasing the thermal stability of the modified wood. The limited oxygen index (LOI) and cone calorimeter analysis results of the pristine and coated wood indicated that the fire resistance was significantly improved after CS-GO-APP modification; when 15 BLs were deposited on the wood, the LOI was increased from pristine 22 to 42, while the heat release rate and total heat release decreased from pristine 105.50 kW/m

Taking inspiration from skeletal muscle with highly oriented myofibers, we developed a tough wood aerogel/poly(ionic liquid) (WA/PIL) hydrogel directly from wood via delignification, impregnation and gelation for the formation of a tactile sensor of electric double-layer capacitive configuration. The WA/PIL hydrogels integrated the representative properties of both wood and ionic liquids, being a promising candidate for both polyelectrolyte and separator materials. The influences of the wood texture and cross-linker (Bis) content on the mechanical and sensing performances of the hydrogels were investigated. The results showed that the tangential hydrogel slice with a 1.0 mol% Bis content (tan 1.0) displayed the most significant improvement in compressive stress (1.65 MPa) and deformation (73.3%) at fracture, suggesting the best compressibility. Electrodes also played a significant role in the sensitivity and stability of the sensor devices. While tan 1.0 with reduced graphene oxide (rGO) electrodes displayed the largest sensitivities (1.13–19.70 MPa−1), tan 1.0 with Ni foams possessed much more stable ionic signals within the whole stress range with sensitivities of 0.33–9.67 MPa−1. Due to the wide-stress-range responsiveness of our hydrogel sensor from gentle finger contact to vigorous hitting modes, it will find promising applications in various human–machine interfaces in the fields of electronics, recreation, sports, etc.

Vapor generation by means of harvesting solar energy is an energy-saving, environmentally friendly and efficient method to achieve seawater desalination and water purification. However, solar vapor generation is subjected to poor utilization efficiency of solar energy or it depends on expensive solar absorption materials and complex processes. In this work, inspired by tree transpiration in nature, a novel wood-based vapor generator composed of wood substrates with 3D microchannels and a candle soot decoration surface was designed and developed. Profiting from the simultaneous optimization of the candle soot-decorated wood (CS-wood) properties (hydrophilic wood substrates with microchannels for water transportation and escape, low heat conduction value, and a black CS decoration surface with high solar absorbing abilities), the as-fabricated CS-wood vapor generation material achieved a relatively high net evaporation rate value of 0.950 kg m−2 h−1 when being illuminated at one sun. This bilayer wood-based vapor generator exhibited good capacities of desalination (seawater) and purification (lake water). Such wood-based material as a high-performance, cost-efficient and scalable vapor generator can be a potential candidate for the production of clean water to alleviate the global clean water shortage crisis via the effective utilization of green energy.

High-strength and water resistant lignocelluloses based composites (LC) were fabricated using branched polyethylenimine (PEI) as the main bonding agent combined with glutaraldehyde cross-linking reaction and grinding pre-treatment. Physical and mechanical properties of different composites prepared were measured and investigated. It is evident that PEI was efficient in endowing LC with high strength and excellent water resistance. The obtained physical and mechanical properties of LC were complied with the requirement of the Chinese national standard for medium-density fiberboard (MDF). Most notably, the glutaraldehyde cross-linking and grinding pre-treatment could further improve these properties. When 5% PEI and 2.5% glutaraldehyde were incorporated, together with 2-hour grinding treatment, the LC prepared exhibited the optimum modulus of rupture (MOR) 58.1 MPa, modulus of elasticity (MOE) 5077 MPa, internal bonding strength (IB) 2.14 MPa, and thickness swell (TS) 30.2%. The excellent properties obtained could be attributed to the cross-linking effect and Schiff's base addition reaction among lignocelluloses, PEI and glutaraldehyde, which were confirmed by the Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis. The high-strength LC prepared in this study is expected to be used as load-bearing material in structural application.

Designing bifunctional non-noble metal electrocatalysts with excellent hydrogen and oxygen evolution performances is a promising candidate for sustainable generation of renewable and clean hydrogen energy. Herein, an atomically thin Ni3S2/MnO2 heterogeneous nanoarray located on Ni foam (NF-Ni3S2/MnO2) is developed for overall water splitting. The construction strategy involves a simple two-step hydrothermal conversion, and the morphology and composition of the hybrid nanoarray can be easily customized. The fabricated NF-Ni3S2/MnO2 with a certain exposed interface and active sites perfectly integrated and optimized the advantages of both several layered Ni3S2 and MnO2, realizing the desired fast kinetics and outstanding performance for overall water splitting in alkaline media. Consequently, the constructed NF-Ni3S2/MnO2 reveals a low overpotential (η10) of 102 mV and 260 mV at a 10 mA cm−2 current density in 1.0 M KOH for HER and OER, respectively. Moreover, it achieves a current density of 10 mA cm−2 at a low voltage of only 1.52 V throughout the overall water splitting, which is outperforming the currently reported Pt/C-IrO2/C couple. Furthermore, density functional theory calculations evidence that the excellent total hydrolysis of NF-Ni3S2/MnO2 is attributed to the hierarchical heterointerfaces, which results in effective adsorption and cleavage of H2O molecule on the catalyst surface.

Underwater superoleophobic membranes as an effective means of resisting oil stains are often subjected to cumbersome modification procedures, limited stability, and difficult expansion of assembly. To develop simple, green, stable, and scalable underwater superoleophobic films, herein, cellulose-based oil-water separators with high-efficiency oil purification were constructed by using commercial carboxymethocel (CMC) as a solute and a dimethyl sulfoxide-modified ionic liquid as a solvent. Owing to the superior dissolution, regenerability, and gelation of CMC, the metal mesh and gauze can be imparted with an excellent oleophobic ability through simple dipping, spraying, and coating of the CMC solution. As a result, these modified functionalized devices exhibit a purification capacity of more than 99.5% for various oil-water mixtures. Unexpectedly, the CMC gel coating also shields the gloves from organic solvents. Significantly, when the CMC solution is applied to an adsorption membrane, it not only endows the film with excellent oil-water separation characteristics but also enhances the adsorption amount and rate of the adsorbent. Therefore, CMC-based oleophobic materials can be widely developed and applied to a variety of fields that require oleophobic properties.

An Fe3O4-modified lignocellulose (FeLC) composite was fabricated via a sol–gel-assisted hot-pressing process and used for microwave-absorbing and structural materials. The Fe3O4 nanoparticles could be formed in situ at the interface of the lignocellulose (LC) during sol–gel and hot-pressing processing. The obtained FeLC composites exhibited good mechanical and microwave absorption properties. The maximum reflection loss values of the FeLC composite reached − 10.97 dB at 17.04 GHz, and the effective electromagnetic wave absorption reached 90%. Compared with the modulus of rupture (MOR) and modulus of elasticity (MOE) of the LC composite, the maximum MOR and MOE values of the FeLC composite were 26.50 ± 1.16 MPa and 3.015 ± 0.25 GPa, respectively, increasing by 30.2% and 62.1%, respectively. Therefore, the properties of the FeLC could be enhanced via sol–gel assisted hot-pressing.

Microencapsulated phase change material (MPCM) has been recognized as one of the best technologies to improve energy efficiency and absorb redundant energy. However, magnetic phase change energy storage performance has rarely been applied on wood. In this paper, magnetic microencapsulated phase change energy storage composite wood was successfully prepared through a sol-gel method which microcapsules containing n-eicosane as the core and Fe3O4/SiO2 composite material as the shell were adhered on wood surface. As a result, microcapsules with an average diameter of 2.5 μm were adhered to the wood surface through hydrogen bonds. Magnetic microencapsulated phase change energy storage composite wood exhibited a magnetism of 3.7 emu/g and energy storage performance of ΔHc 172.5 J/g and ΔHm 170.9 J/g, suggesting the as-prepared composite wood is a probable candidate for temperature control application in furniture field.

Wood is gaining increasing attention in applications related to solar steam generation because of its porous structure with microchannels, low heat conduction properties, highly hydrophilic properties and renewability. Wood surface modification is required to improve steam generation performance because of its low optical absorptivity. Unfortunately, the high energy consumption fabrication process and high cost of current photothermal conversion coatings on wood impede its large-scale application. This study develops a facile pyrrole polymerization method to acquire polypyrrole decorated wood (PPy–wood) for solar evaporation enhancement. The black PPy decoration considerably improves the wood light absorption, resulting in a high absorbance (>90%) of PPy–wood within a broad wavelength range, from the ultraviolet region to the near infrared region (300–2500 nm). The combination of advantages related to wood (microchanneled porous structure, high hydrophilicity and thermal insulation) and PPy (broadband and high solar absorption capacity) for easy and fast steam generation makes PPy–wood an ideal solar steam generator, which shows rapid evaporation abilities (1.014 kg m−2 h−1) and high evaporation efficiency (72.5%) under simulated one sun irradiation. Moreover, the obtained clean water using PPy–wood as the steam generator shows low ion concentrations and high transmittance, demonstrating that PPy–wood possesses excellent potential for seawater desalination and sewage treatment. Thus, such PPy–wood is a potential candidate for water desalination and purification to address water scarcity issues through the effective utilization of clean energy.

This research was guided by the technical requirements for bamboo to permanently maintain its dimensional stability and antifungal properties and focused on the green and environmentally friendly construction of a wax-based composite system and its effects. The wax-based system consisted of a physical combination of paraffin wax and bamboo and the chemical combination of paraffin/stearic acid. The heterogeneous interface characteristics of the wax-based composite system and bamboo were analyzed using Raman micro-spectroscopy, among other methods, to reveal its effects on the dimensional stability, antifungal, and mechanical properties of bamboo. Our results showed that the water absorption thickness swelling rate of the bamboo showed few changes, while the antifungal and hydrophobic properties also played a significant role. In addition, the mechanical properties improved compared to raw bamboo, offering a wider range of application prospects for bamboo products.

Natural lignocellulose has been a significant renewable raw material attributable to its high specific mechanical performance, compared to the benefits of traditional reinforcing fibers. However, the unsatisfactory mechanical performance of lignocellulose-based materials has limited applications in many advanced engineering domains. Herein, we demonstrate that layered bulk delignified nanolignocellulose/brushite composites with a multifold increase in strength and toughness. Our procedure contains the partially removable lignin and hemicellulose from the nanolignocellulose and the precipitating process of brushite on the nanolignocellulose surface via the mechanochemical process and flow-directed assembly followed by hot-pressing, resulting in the complete toppling of cell walls and the densification of the nanolignocellulose/brushite composites with highly ordered layered structures. This composite exhibits an ultrastrong specific strength 1.8-4.4 times higher than that of modified lignocellulose-based materials, which surpasses that of most natural structural materials and some metals and alloys, opening a path for production of ultrastrong lignocellulose-based load-bearing materials in practical applications by various farming and forestry surplus operations.

Carbon spheres have been synthesized from larch residue via ultrasonic spray pyrolysis. The morphology and porous structure of the carbon spheres can be tailored by different precursors and soft template. The carbon spheres prepared with liquefied larch show honeycomb-like morphology with a size of 0.5–1 μm, while the carbon spheres prepared with liquefied larch-based resins exhibit smooth surface. Furthermore, the carbon spheres prepared with F127 exhibit well-developed mesoporosity with two-dimensional hexagonal structure of P6mm symmetry whereas the carbon spheres prepared in the absence of F127 show the disordered porous structure. The carbon spheres (CS-R-F) prepared with liquefied larch-based resins and F127 display a high specific capacitance of 231 F g−1 at a current density of 0.2 A g−1. Specially, the specific capacitance still remains 146 F g−1 even at a current density as high as 10 A g−1. Importantly, above 97% of the maximum capacitance can be retained after 1000 cycles under a high current density of 10 A g−1.

The conversion of discarded biomass into biomass activated carbon is a major trend in its high-value use. Herein, a template-free, eco-friendly, simple, and scalable-produced hierarchical ordered p...

The serious agglomeration phenomenon of ultrafine nanoparticles is widespread, resulting in low utilization and poor performance of adsorbents in the scavenging of toxic ions. Herein, ultrafine MnFe2O4 (8–13 nm) are uniformly anchored onto the cellulose framework by fast hydrothermal and freeze-drying processes. The as-prepared super-hydrophilic MnFe2O4/cellulose aerogel (MCA) had a three-dimensional (3D) network structure with interconnected and forked fibrils, developed porous structure and high surface area. Combined with the adsorption-aggregation effect of cellulose and high surface activity of the low agglomerated ultrafine MnFe2O4, the adsorption efficiency of MCA was strongly improved and thus achieved a higher utilization. To enable its further use in a hostile environment for the treatment of severe oil pollution, FAS-17 was used to modify the MnFe2O4/cellulose aerogel (F-MCA) for achieving full utilization of their intrinsic structural features. The lipophilic F-MCA exhibited a large bearing capacity on the water and fast adsorption performance for oils/organic solvents.

Inspired by the borate cross-linking used by higher plants to strengthen their intercellular structure, high mechanical strength-layered composites based on borate cross-linked nanolignocellulose/graphene-oxide platelets were developed. Borate treatment and graphene deposition on nanolignocellulose surface were carried out by a mechanochemical method. The borate content is used in very low in these composites. The orderly layered structures produced by the flow-directed assembly of individual nanolignocellulose/graphene oxide platelets resulted in a synergistic toughening effect. The bending strength and elasticity modulus of the produced composites were ∼1.5 times higher than those of pure nanolignocellulose; they were also superior to those of lignin-based materials and comparable to those of medium density fiberboard (MDF) with resin. Such high-strength layered composites have potential as load-bearing materials in structural applications.

Some disadvantages such as deformation after absorbing water and inflammability limit the large scale applications of lignocellulose composites. In this study, a facile method was provided to fabricate a superhydrophobic and flame retardant coating on lignocellulose composite by depositing polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) and stearic acid modified nano-Al(OH)3 (STA-ATH). The obtained superhydrophobic and flame retardant lignocellulose composite had a water contact angle (WCA) of ∼156°. The as-prepared coating was capable of maintaining the superhydrophobicity after mechanical damages and different temperatures aging. Furthermore, for the superhydrophobic lignocellulose composite, an excellent flame retardancy with a limiting oxygen index value of 36.0 was obtained by inheriting the flame retardancy of ATH particles. Cone calorimetry results indicated that the ignition time of the PDMS@STA-ATH coated samples increased by 16 s compared with that of the uncoated samples. Moreover, the coating of PDMS@STA-ATH made the peak heat release rate (PHRR) and the total smoke production (TSP) of lignocellulose composite reduced by 32.7% and 14.8%, respectively. This work offers a new strategy for improving hydrophobicity, decreasing flammability and smoke release, and promoting high value-added utilization of lignocellulose composites.

Most of high strength wood-based materials used for decoration contain adhesives. In this study, layered lignocelluloses material was successfully fabricated via grinding and hot pressing methods. The as-prepared materials exhibit high mechanical properties without adhesive. Abundant furfurals are released during hot pressing to connect lignocelluloses, and layered structure is discovered in layered lignocelluloses material. Therefore, layered lignocelluloses material showed high strength mechanical properties which modulus of elasticity (MOE) and modulus of rupture (MOR) reach to 3119 ± 309 MPa and 18.87 ± 4.770 MPa, respectively. This research may provide an inexpensive, high strength and green material to the field of furniture in the future.

Functionalized lignocellulose (LC) wrapped with aluminosilicate was fabricated via a facial mechanical grinding assisted hot-pressing method, which used for flame retardant composite. The aluminosilicate particles with an average size of 3 μm were distributed on the lignocellulose surface by hydrogen bonds and viscous polyacrylamide (PAM). The as-prepared aluminosilicate-PAM/lignocellulose (A-PAM/LC) composite exhibited the excellent flame-retardancy and mechanical properties. The thermal decomposition of A-PAM/LC composite delayed by 31 °C as the aluminosilicate was loaded. The heat release rate (HRR) and total heat release (THR) of A-PAM/LC composite was reduced by 20.6 and 41.1%, respectively. Meanwhile, the A-PAM/LC composite showed the maximum bending strength of 34.23 ± 1.52 MPa and increased by 67.3% compared to the PAM/LC composite. Aluminosilicate wrapped PAM/lignocellulose composite showed excellent flame-retardant and mechanical properties.

A series of soy protein-polyacrylate emulsions (SPCE) used for wood adhesives were synthesized by blending soy protein in aqueous solution and polyacrylate emulsion with various mass fractions. The chemical composition and performance properties of these blends were then characterized by FT-IR viscometry, contact angle analysis, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and shear strength. It was found that the apparent viscosity of these blended emulsions decreased with higher levels of polyacrylate emulsion, which could facilitate the wetting and penetrating of wood. FT-IR analysis suggested that hydrogen bonds were formed in the blends. The introduction of polyacrylate copolymers containing neutralized poly(acrylic acid), as well as a small amount of emulsifiers, can enhance the wettability of blended emulsions and facilitate their application as wood adhesives. The shear strength of plywood prepared using these adhesives and their thermal stability were improved after the introduction of the polyacrylate copolymers.