Highly Aligned Graphene Aerogels for Multifunctional Composites

Stemming from the unique in-plane honeycomb lattice structure and the sp^(2)hybridized carbon atoms bonded by exceptionally strong carbon–carbon bonds,graphene exhibits remarkable anisotropic electrical,mechanical,and thermal properties.To maximize the utilization of graphene’s in-plane properties,pre-constructed and aligned structures,such as oriented aerogels,films,and fibers,have been designed.The unique combination of aligned structure,high surface area,excellent electrical conductivity,mechanical stability,thermal conductivity,and porous nature of highly aligned graphene aerogels allows for tailored and enhanced performance in specific directions,enabling advancements in diverse fields.This review provides a comprehensive overview of recent advances in highly aligned graphene aerogels and their composites.It highlights the fabrication methods of aligned graphene aerogels and the optimization of alignment which can be estimated both qualitatively and quantitatively.The oriented scaffolds endow graphene aerogels and their composites with anisotropic properties,showing enhanced electrical,mechanical,and thermal properties along the alignment at the sacrifice of the perpendicular direction.This review showcases remarkable properties and applications of aligned graphene aerogels and their composites,such as their suitability for electronics,environmental applications,thermal management,and energy storage.Challenges and potential opportunities are proposed to offer new insights into prospects of this material.

Intelligent Recognition Using Ultralight Multifunctional Nano‑Layered Carbon Aerogel Sensors with Human‑Like Tactile Perception

Humans can perceive our complex world through multi-sensory fusion.Under limited visual conditions,people can sense a variety of tactile signals to identify objects accurately and rapidly.However,replicating this unique capability in robots remains a significant challenge.Here,we present a new form of ultralight multifunctional tactile nano-layered carbon aerogel sensor that provides pressure,temperature,material recognition and 3D location capabilities,which is combined with multimodal supervised learning algorithms for object recognition.The sensor exhibits human-like pressure(0.04–100 kPa)and temperature(21.5–66.2℃)detection,millisecond response times(11 ms),a pressure sensitivity of 92.22 kPa^(−1)and triboelectric durability of over 6000 cycles.The devised algorithm has universality and can accommodate a range of application scenarios.The tactile system can identify common foods in a kitchen scene with 94.63%accuracy and explore the topographic and geomorphic features of a Mars scene with 100%accuracy.This sensing approach empowers robots with versatile tactile perception to advance future society toward heightened sensing,recognition and intelligence.

Multifunctional Integrated Organic-Inorganic-Metal Hybrid Aerogel for Excellent Thermal Insulation and Electromagnetic Shielding Performance

Vehicles operating in space need to withstand extreme thermal and electromagnetic environments in light of the burgeoning of space science and technology.It is imperatively desired to high insulation materials with lightweight and extensive mechanical properties.Herein,a boron-silica-tantalum ternary hybrid phenolic aerogel(BSiTa-PA)with exceptional thermal stability,extensive mechanical strength,low thermal conductivity(49.6 mW m^(-1)K^(-1)),and heightened ablative resistance is prepared by an expeditious method.After extremely thermal erosion,the obtained carbon aerogel demonstrates noteworthy electromagnetic interference(EMI)shielding performance with an efficiency of 31.6 dB,accompanied by notable loading property with specific modulus of 272.8 kN·m kg^(-1).This novel design concept has laid the foundation for the development of insulation materials in more complex extreme environments.

2D multifunctional devices:from material preparation to device fabrication and neuromorphic applications

Neuromorphic computing systems,which mimic the operation of neurons and synapses in the human brain,are seen as an appealing next-generation computing method due to their strong and efficient computing abilities.Two-dimensional (2D) materials with dangling bond-free surfaces and atomic-level thicknesses have emerged as promising candidates for neuromorphic computing hardware.As a result,2D neuromorphic devices may provide an ideal platform for developing multifunctional neuromorphic applications.Here,we review the recent neuromorphic devices based on 2D material and their multifunctional applications.The synthesis and next micro–nano fabrication methods of 2D materials and their heterostructures are first introduced.The recent advances of neuromorphic 2D devices are discussed in detail using different operating principles.More importantly,we present a review of emerging multifunctional neuromorphic applications,including neuromorphic visual,auditory,tactile,and nociceptive systems based on 2D devices.In the end,we discuss the problems and methods for 2D neuromorphic device developments in the future.This paper will give insights into designing 2D neuromorphic devices and applying them to the future neuromorphic systems.

Probabilistic modeling of multifunction radars with autoregressive kernel mixture network

The task of modeling and analyzing intercepted multifunction radars(MFRs)pulse trains is vital for cognitive electronic reconnaissance.Existing methodologies predominantly rely on prior information or heavily constrained models,posing challenges for non-cooperative applications.This paper introduces a novel approach to model MFRs using a Bayesian network,where the conditional probability density function is approximated by an autoregressive kernel mixture network(ARKMN).Utilizing the estimated probability density function,a dynamic programming algorithm is proposed for denoising and detecting change points in the intercepted MFRs pulse trains.Simulation results affirm the proposed method's efficacy in modeling MFRs,outperforming the state-of-the-art in pulse train denoising and change point detection.

Divergent changes in diversity and network complexity across different trophic-level organisms drive soil multifunctionality of fire-impacted subtropical forests

Widespread forest fires pose significant challenges to the diverse communities of soil-dwelling organisms and the multiple ecosystem functions they support.However,whether the biodiversity and interactions of various taxonomic groups respond to fire consistently in terms of direction and extent,and their relative role in regulating post-fire soil functioning,remains largely unexplored.In this study,we investigated whether the diversity and co-occurrence networks of soil organisms across various trophic levels(including bacteria,fungi,protists,and invertebrates)in subtropical forests exhibit consistent responses to fire.Furthermore,we investigated their contribution to regulating soil multifunctionality,which is measured by a range of soil extracellular enzyme activities,available nutrients and reduced potential fungal plant pathogens.Our findings revealed that fire led to a decline in the richness of fungi,protists,and invertebrates,without significantly impacting bacterial richness.Fire also simplified the microbial co-occurrence networks while complexifying the invertebrate networks.Interestingly,soil multifunctionality tended to decrease with the richness of lower-trophic communities(i.e.,bacteria),whereas it increased with that of high-trophic communities(i.e.,protists and invertebrates).Moreover,fire indirectly influenced soil multifunctionality by altering biodiversity and network complexity,particularly pronounced in high-trophic communities.Overall,our results underscored the divergent vulnerability of biodiversity and networks to fires across taxa groups,highlighting the crucial role of biodiversity and interactions of higher trophic taxa groups in shaping the recovery and functionality of fire-affected soils.

Enhancing multifunctional photocatalysis with acetate-assisted cesium doping and unlocking the potential of Z-scheme solar water splitting

Graphitic carbon nitride(g-C_(3)N_(4))has been extensively doped with alkali metals to enlarge photocatalytic output,in which cesium(Cs)doping is predicted to be the most efficient.Nevertheless,the sluggish diffusion and doping kinetics of precursors with high melting points,along with imprecise regulation,have raised the debate on whether Cs doping could make sense.For this matter,we attempt to confirm the positive effects of Cs doping on multifunctional photocatalysis by first using cesium acetate with the character of easy manipulation.The optimized Csdoped g-C_(3)N_(4)(CCN)shows a 41.6-fold increase in visible-light-driven hydrogen evolution reaction(HER)compared to pure g-C_(3)N_(4) and impressive degradation capability,especially with 77%refractory tetracycline and almost 100%rhodamine B degradedwithin an hour.The penetration ofCs+is demonstrated to be a mode of interlayer doping,and Cs–N bonds(especially with sp^(2) pyridine N in C═N–C),along with robust chemical interaction and electron exchange,are fabricated.This atomic configuration triggers the broadened spectral response,the improved charge migration,and the activated photocatalytic capacity.Furthermore,we evaluate the CCN/cadmium sulfide hybrid as a Z-scheme configuration,promoting the visible HER yield to 9.02 mmol g^(−1) h^(−1),which is the highest ever reported among all CCN systems.This work adds to the rapidly expanding field of manipulation strategies and supports further development of mediating served for photocatalysis.

Converting an O-vacancy-rich oxide into a multifunctional separator modifier for long-lifespan lithium metal batteries

The lithium metal anode is hailed as the desired "holy grail" for the forthcoming generation of highenergy-density batteries,given its astounding theoretical capacity and low potential.Nonetheless,the formation and growth of dendrites seriously compromise battery life and safety.Herein,an yttriastabilized bismuth oxide(YSB) layer is fabricated on the polypropylene(PP) separator,where YSB reacts with Li anode in-situ in the cell to form a multi-component composite interlayer consisting of Li_(3)Bi,Li_(2)O,and Y_(2)O_(3).The interlayer can function not only as a redistributor to regulate Li^(+) distribution but also as an anion adsorber to increase the Li^(+) transference number from 0.37 to 0.79 for suppressing dendrite nucleation and growth.Consequently,compared with the cell with a baseline separator,those with modified separators exhibit prolonged lifespan in both Li/Li symmetrical cells and Li/Cu half-cells.Notably,the full cells coupled with ultrahigh-loading LiFePO_(4) display an excellent cycling performance of 1700 cycles with a high capacity retention of ~80% at 1 C,exhibiting great potential for practical applications.This work provides a feasible and effective new strategy for separator modification towards building a much-anticipated dendrite-free Li anode and realizing long-lifespan lithium metal batteries.

Multifunctional phase change film with high recyclability, adjustable thermal responsiveness, and intrinsic self-healing ability for thermal energy storage

Phase change materials(PCMs) present promising potential for guaranteeing safety in thermal management systems.However,most reported PCMs have a single application in energy storage for thermal management systems,which does not meet the growing demand for multi-functional materials.In this paper,the flexible material and hydrogen-bonding function are innovatively combined to design and prepare a novel multi-functional flexible phase change film(PPL).The 0.2PPL-2 film exhibits solid-solid phase change behavior with energy storage density of 131.8 J/g at the transition temperature of42.1℃,thermal cycling stability(500 cycles),wide-temperature range flexibility(0-60℃) and selfhealing property.Notably,the PPL film can be recycled up to 98.5% by intrinsic remodeling.Moreover,the PPL film can be tailored to the desired colors and configurations and can be cleverly assembled on several thermal management systems at ambient temperature through its flexibility combined with shape-memory properties.More interestingly,the transmittance of PPL will be altered when the ambient temperature changes(60℃),conveying a clear thermal signal.Finally,the thermal energy storage performance of the PPL film is successfully tested by human thermotherapy and electronic device temperature control experiments.The proposed functional integration strategy provides innovative ideas to design PCMs for multifunctionality,and makes significant contributions in green chemistry,highefficiency thermal management,and energy sustainability.

Utilizing a defective MgO layer for engineering multifunctional Co-MOF hybrid materials with tailored leaf-like and polyhedral structures for optimal electrochemical and photocatalytic activities

The hybridization of metal-organic framework(MOF)with inorganic layers would lead to the discovery of novel hybrid materials that can provide a compelling strategy for enhancing its photocatalytic and electrochemical response.In the present study,a highly efficient multifunctional hybrid material was developed by exploiting the defective layer formed on AZ31 Mg alloy through plasma electrolytic oxidation(PEO)as a nucleation and growth site for Co-MOF.The concentrations of the organic linker 2-Methylimidazole(2,MIm)and cobalt nitrate as a source of Co^(2+) ions were varied to control the growth of the obtained Co-MOF.Lower concentrations of the 2,MIm ligand favored the formation of leaf-like MOF structures through an anisotropic,two-dimensional growth,while higher concentrations led to rapid,isotropic nucleation and the creation of polyhedral Co-MOF structures.The sample characterized by polyhedral Co-MOF structures exhibited superior electrochemical stability,with the lowest corrosion current density(3.11×10^(-9) A/cm^(2))and the highest top layer resistance(2.34×10^(6)Ωcm^(2)),and demonstrated outstanding photocatalytic efficiency,achieving a remarkable 99.98%degradation of methylene blue,an organic pollutant,in model wastewater.To assess the active adsorption sites of the Co-MOF,density functional theory(DFT)was utilized.This study explores the changes in morphologies of the coatings of Co-MOF with the change of solution concentration to form coatings with enhanced properties on the metallic substrate,which could establish the groundwork for the development of next-generation multifunctional frameworks with diverse applications.

Ecosystem service multifunctionality of mixed conifer-broad-leaved forests under climate change and forest management based on matrix growth modelling

Climate change and forest management are recognized as pivotal factors influencing forest ecosystem services and thus multifunctionality.However,the magnitude and the relative importance of climate change and forest management effects on the multifunctionality remain unclear,especially for natural mixed forests.In this study,our objective is to address this gap by utilizing simulations of climate-sensitive transition matrix growth models based on national forest inventory plot data.We evaluated the effects of seven management scenarios(combinations of various cutting methods and intensities)on the future provision of ecosystem services and multifunctionality in mixed conifer-broad-leaved forests in northeastern China,under four climate scenarios(SSP1-2.6,SSP2-4.5,SSP5-8.5,and constant climate).Provisioning,regulating,cultural,and supporting services were described by timber production,carbon storage,carbon sequestration,tree species diversity,deadwood volume,and the number of large living trees.Our findings indicated that timber production was significantly influenced by management scenarios,while tree species diversity,deadwood volume,and large living trees were impacted by both climate and management separately.Carbon storage and sequestration were notably influenced by both management and the interaction of climate and management.These findings emphasized the profound impact of forest management on ecosystem services,outweighing that of climate scenarios alone.We found no single management scenario maximized all six ecosystem service indicators.The upper story thinning by 5%intensity with 5-year interval(UST5)management strategy emerged with the highest multifunctionality,surpassing the lowest values by more than 20%across all climate scenarios.In conclusion,our results underlined the potential of climate-sensitive transition matrix growth models as a decision support tool and provided recommendations for long-term strategies for multifunctional forest management under future climate change context.Ecosystem services and multifunctionality of forests could be enhanced by implementing appropriate management measures amidst a changing climate.

Evaluating soil acidification risk and its effects on biodiversity–ecosystem multifunctionality relationships in the drylands of China

Background:Soil acidifcationn caused by anthropogenic activities may aft soil biochemical cydling,bidiversity,productivity,and multiple eosystem-related functions in drylands.However,to date,such information is lacking to support this hypothesis.Methods Based on a transect survey of 78 naturally assembled shrub communities,we caloulated acid deposition flux in Northwest China and evaluated its likely ecological ffets by testing three altemnative hypotheses,namely:.nidche complementarity,mass ratio,and vegetation quantity hypotheses Rao's quadratic entopy and community-weighted mean traits were employed to represent the complementary aspect of niche complementarity and mass ratio effects,respectively.Resulbs:We observed that in the past four decades,the concentrations of exchangeable base cations in soil in Northwest China have decreased significantly to the extent of having faced the risk of depletion,whereas changes in the calium carbonate content and pH of soil were not significant.Adid deposition primani ly increased the aboweground biomass and shrub density in shrublands but had no sigmificant effect on shrub richness and ecasystem multifunctionality(EMF),indicating that acid deposition had positive but weak ecological effects on dryland ecosystems.Community wd ghted mean of functional traits(representing the mass ratio hypothesis)correlated negatively with EMF,whereas both Rao's quadratic entropy(representing the niche complementarity hypothesis)and aboveground biomass(representing the vegetation quantity hypothesis)correlated positively but insignifcantly with EMF.These biodiversity-EMF relationships highlight the fragility and instability of drylands relative to forest ecasystems.Concuions:The findings from this study serve as important reference points to understand the ris of soil acidification in arid regions and its impacts on biodiversity-EMF relationships.

Multifunctional Film Assembled from N‑Doped Carbon Nanofiber with Co–N_(4)–O Single Atoms for Highly Efficient Electromagnetic Energy Attenuation

Single-atom materials have demonstrated attractive physicochemical characteristics.However,understanding the relationships between the coordination environment of single atoms and their properties at the atomic level remains a considerable challenge.Herein,a facile waterassisted carbonization approach is developed to fabricate well-defined asymmetrically coordinated Co–N_(4)–O sites on biomass-derived carbon nanofiber(Co–N_(4)–O/NCF)for electromagnetic wave(EMW)absorption.In such nanofiber,one atomically dispersed Co site is coordinated with four N atoms in the graphene basal plane and one oxygen atom in the axial direction.In-depth experimental and theoretical studies reveal that the axial Co–O coordination breaks the charge distribution symmetry in the planar porphyrin-like Co–N_(4) structure,leading to significantly enhanced dielectric polarization loss relevant to the planar Co–N_(4) sites.Importantly,the film based on Co–N_(4)–O/NCF exhibits light weight,flexibility,excellent mechanical properties,great thermal insulating feature,and excellent EMW absorption with a reflection loss of−45.82 dB along with an effective absorption bandwidth of 4.8 GHz.The findings of this work offer insight into the relationships between the single-atom coordination environment and the dielectric performance,and the proposed strategy can be extended toward the engineering of asymmetrically coordinated single atoms for various applications.

Tailored multifunctional hydrazine derivatives for efficient printable hole-conductive-free mesoscopic perovskite solar cells via enhancing defect passivation

The low-cost and easy large-scale fabrication advantages of printable mesoscopic perovskite solar cells(p-MPSCs)are overshadowed by their limited photovoltaic conversion efficiency(PCE).Here,we introduce the hydrazide derivative of 4-Hydroxybenzoylhydrazine(4-HBH)to improve the PCE of p-MPSCs by inducing enhanced defect passivation.Both carbonyl and hydrazine groups in hydrazide groups present strong interaction with perovskite.The hydroxyl group,as an electron donor group,increases the electron cloud density of the hydrazide group in 4-HBH under the conjugation of the benzene ring,and thus enhances its interaction with perovskite.Additionally,the hydroxy group itself interacts with perovskite and passivates defects synergistically.The hydrazine agents can also reduce I2and suppress the loss of iodine in perovskite films,which inhibits the formation of iodine-related defects.Consequently,p-MPSCs with 4-HBH achieve a high PCE of 19.21%,and present well improved stability.

Multifunctional catalytic sites regulation of atomic-scale iridium on orthorhombic-CoSe_(2)for high efficiency dual-functional alkaline hydrogen evolution and organic degradation

The earth-abundant and high-performance catalysts are crucial for commercial implementation of hydrogen evolution reaction(HER).Herein,a multifunctional site strategy to construct excellent HER catalysts by incorporating iridium(Ir)ions on the atomic scale into orthorhombic-CoSe2(Ir-CoSe_(2))was reported.Outstanding hydrogen evolution activity in alkaline media such as a low overpotential of 48.7 mV at a current density of 10 mA cm^(-2)and better performance than commercial Pt/C catalysts at high current densities were found in the Ir-CoSe_(2) samples.In the experiments and theoretical calculations,it was revealed that Ir enabled CoSe_(2)to form multifunctional sites to synergistically catalyze alkaline HER by promoting the adsorption and dissociation of H_(2)O(Ir sites)and optimizing the binding energy for H^(*)on Co sites.It was noticeable that the electrolytic system comprising the Ir-CoSe_(2)electrode not only produced hydrogen efficiently via HER,but also degraded organic pollutants(Methylene blue).The cell voltage of the dual-function electrolytic system was 1.58 V at the benchmark current density of 50 mA cm^(-2),which was significantly lower than the conventional water splitting voltage.It was indicated that this method was a novel strategy for designing advanced HER electrocatalysts by constructing multifunctional catalytic sites for hydrogen production and organic degradation.

A layered multifunctional framework based on polyacrylonitrile and MOF derivatives for stable lithium metal anode

Composite Li metal anodes based on three-dimensional(3D) porous frameworks have been considered as an effective material for achieving stable Li metal batteries with high energy density.However,uneven Li deposition behavior still occurs at the top of 3D frameworks owing to the local accumulation of Li ions.To promote uniform Li deposition without top dendrite growth,herein,a layered multifunctional framework based on oxidation-treated polyacrylonitrile(OPAN) and metal-organic framework(MOF) derivatives was proposed for rationally regulating the distribution of Li ions flux,nucleation sites,and electrical conductivity.Profiting from these merits,the OPAN/carbon nano fiber-MOF(CMOF) composite framework demonstrated a reversible Li plating/stripping behavior for 500 cycles with a stable Coulombic efficiency of around 99.0% at the current density of 2 mA/cm~2.Besides,such a Li composite anode exhibited a superior cycle lifespan of over 1300 h under a low polarized voltage of 18 mV in symmetrical cells.When the Li composite anode was paired with LiFePO_(4)(LFP) cathode,the obtained full cell exhibited a stable cycling over 500 cycles.Moreover,the COMSOL Multiphysics simulation was conducted to reveal the effects on homogeneous Li ions distribution derived from the above-mentioned OPAN/CMOF framework and electrical insulation/conduction design.These electrochemical and simulated results shed light on the difficulties of designing stable and safe Li metal anode via optimizing the 3D frameworks.

Multifunctional AlPO_(4)reconstructed LiMn_(2)O_(4)surface for electrochemical lithium extraction from brine

LiMn_(2)O_(4)(LMO)electrochemical lithium-ion pump has gained widespread attention due to its green,high efficiency,and low energy consumption in selectively extracting lithium from brine.However,collapse of crystal structure and loss of lithium extraction capacity caused by Mn dissolution loss limits its industrialized application.Hence,a multifunctional coating was developed by depositing amorphous AlPO_(4)on the surface of LMO using sol-gel method.The characterization and electrochemical performance test provided insights into the mechanism of Li^(+)embedment and de-embedment and revealed that multifunctional AlPO_(4)can reconstruct the physical and chemical state of LMO surface to improve the interface hydrophilicity,promote the transport of Li^(+),strengthen cycle stability.Remarkably,after 20 cycles,the capacity retention rate of 0.5AP-LMO reached 93.6%with only 0.147%Mn dissolution loss.The average Li^(+)release capacity of 0.5AP-LMO//Ag system in simulated brine is 28.77 mg/(g h),which is 90.4%higher than LMO.Encouragingly,even in the more complex Zabuye real brine,0.5AP-LMO//Ag can still maintain excellent lithium extraction performance.These results indicate that the 0.5AP-LMO//Ag lithium-ion pump shows promising potential as a Li^(+)selective extraction system.

Characteristics and drivers of the soil multifunctionality under different land use and land cover types in the drylands of China

The drylands of China cover approximately 6.6×106 km2 and are home to approximately 5.8×10^(8)people,providing important ecosystem services for human survival and development.However,dryland ecosystems are extremely fragile and sensitive to external environmental changes.Land use and land cover(LULC)changes significantly impact soil structure and function,thus affecting the soil multifunctionality(SMF).However,the effect of LULC changes on the SMF in the drylands of China has rarely been reported.In this study,we investigated the characteristics of the SMF changes based on soil data in the 1980s from the National Tibetan Plateau Data Center.We explored the drivers of the SMF changes under different LULC types(including forest,grassland,shrubland,and desert)and used structural equation modeling to explore the main driver of the SMF changes.The results showed that the SMF under the four LULC types decreased in the following descending order:forest,grassland,shrubland,and desert.The main driver of the SMF changes under different LULC types was mean annual temperature(MAT).In addition to MAT,pH in forest,soil moisture(SM)and soil biodiversity index in grassland,SM in shrubland,and aridity index in desert are crucial factors for the SMF changes.Therefore,the SMF in the drylands of China is regulated mainly by MAT and pH,and comprehensive assessments of the SMF in drylands need to be performed regarding LULC changes.The results are beneficial for evaluating the SMF among different LULC types and predicting the SMF under global climate change.

Multifunctional mixed analog/digital signal processor based on integrated photonics

Photonic signal processing offers a versatile and promising toolkit for contemporary scenarios ranging from digital optical communication to analog microwave operation.Compared to its electronic counterpart,it eliminates inherent bandwidth limitations and meanwhile exhibits the potential to provide unparalleled scalability and flexibility,particularly through integrated photonics.However,by far the on-chip solutions for optical signal processing are often tailored to specific tasks,which lacks versatility across diverse applications.Here,we propose a streamlined chip-level signal processing architecture that integrates different active and passive building blocks in silicon-on-insulator(SOI)platform with a compact and efficient manner.Comprehensive and in-depth analyses for the architecture are conducted at levels of device,system,and application.Accompanied by appropriate configuring schemes,the photonic circuitry supports loading and processing both analog and digital signals simultaneously.Three distinct tasks are facilitated with one single chip across several mainstream fields,spanning optical computing,microwave photonics,and optical communications.Notably,it has demonstrated competitive performance in functions like image processing,spectrum filtering,and electro-optical bandwidth equalization.Boasting high universality and a compact form factor,the proposed architecture is poised to be instrumental for next-generation functional fusion systems.

Some Characterizations of Upper and Lower M-Asymmetric Preirresolute Multifunctions

In this present paper, we introduce and investigate a new form of mappings namely;upper and lower M-asymmetric preirresolute multifunctions defined between M-structural asymmetric topological spaces. The relationships between the multifunctions in our sense and other types of precountinuous and preirresolute multifunctions defined on both symmetric and asymmetric topological structures are discussed.