Preparation and Characterization of Nanocrystalline Cellulose/Poly(lactic acid) Composite Membranes

Nanocrystalline cellulose(NCC)/poly(lactic acid)(PLLA) composite membranes were prepared by the solution casting method.Physical and chemical modifications were performed to improve the compatibility of NCC and PLLA.The results indicated that the NCC dispersibility of the composite membranes with chemical modification were superior to that of the composite membranes with physical modification.Moreover,the chemical modification NCC not only had a large effect on the nucleation and growth of the crystals,but also affected the crystal forms of PLLA.This was because chemical reactions took place between the silicone of silane coupling agent(KH-570) and the hydroxyl groups of NCC during blending.The chemical modification NCC could be dispersed stably in the PLLA matrix,and it played the role of a nucleating agent.

Multifunctional high-performance pressure/proximity/temperature sensors enabled by hybrid resistive-supercapacitive response

The issue of sensitivity attenuation in high-pressure region has been a persistent concern for pressure-sensitive electronic skins.In order to tackle such trade-off between sensitivity and linear range,herein,a hybrid piezoresistive-supercapacitive(HRSC)strategy is proposed via introducing a piezoresistive porous aerogel layer between the charge collecting electrodes and iontronic films of the pressure sensors.Surprisingly,the HRSC-induced impedance regulation and supercapacitive behavior contribute to significant mitigation in sensitivity attenuation,achieving high sensitivity across wide linear range(44.58 kPa^(−1)from 0 to 3 kPa and 23.6 kPa^(−1)from 3 to 12 kPa).The HRSC pressure sensor exhibits a low detection limit of 1 Pa,fast responsiveness(~130 ms),and excellent cycling stability,allowing to detect tiny pressure of air flow,finger bending,and human respiration.Meanwhile,the HRSC sensor exhibits exceptional perception capabilities for proximity and temperature,broadening its application scenarios in prosthetic perception and electronic skin.The proposed HRSC strategy may boost the ongoing research on structural design of high-performance and multimodal electronic sensors.

Highly efficient three-dimensional solar evaporator for zero liquid discharge desalination of high-salinity brine

Solar-driven interfacial evaporation is a promising technology for freshwater production from seawater,but salt accumulation on the evaporator surface hinders its performance and sustainability.In this study,we report a simple and green strategy to fabricate a three-dimensional porous graphene spiral roll(3GSR)that enables highly efficient solar evaporation,salt collection,and water production from near-saturated brine with zero liquid discharge(ZLD).The 3GSR design facilitates energy recovery,radial brine transport,and directional salt crystallization,thereby resulting in an ultrahigh evaporation rate of 9.05 kg m^(-2) h^(-1) in 25 wt%brine under 1-sun illumina-tion for 48 h continuously.Remarkably,the directional salt crystallization on its outer surface not only enlarges the evaporation area but also achieves an ultrahigh salt collection rate of 2.92 kg m^(-2) h^(-1),thus enabling ZLD desalination.Additionally,3GSR exhibits a record-high water production rate of 3.14 kg m^(-2) h^(-1) in an outdoor test.This innovative solution offers a highly efficient and continuous solar desalination method for water production and ZLD brine treatment,which has great implications for addressing global water scarcity and environmental issues arising from brine disposal.