Convenient design of anti-wetting nano-Al/WO_(3)metastable intermolecular composites(MICs)with an enhanced exothermic life-span

For solving the dilemma of the short exothermic life-span of WO_(3)based metastable interstitial composites(MICs)with extensive application prospect,this paper has firstly designed the promising antiwetting Al/WO_(3)MICs via electrophoresis assembly of nano-Al and WO_(3)particles fabricated by hydrothermal synthesis method,followed by the subsequent fluorination treatment.A combination of X ray diffraction(XRD),field emission scanning electron microscope(FESEM),energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy(EDX),and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy(FT-IR)techniques were utilized in order to characterize the crystal structure,microstructure,and elemental composition distribution of target films after different natural exposure tests.The product with uniform distribution and high purity possesses a high contact angle of~170°and a minute sliding angle of~1°,and displays the outstanding anti-wetting property using droplets with different surface tensions.It also shows great moisture stability in high relative-humidity circumstances after one year of the natural exposure experiment.Notably,the heat output of a fresh sample can reach up to 2.3 kJ/g and retain 96%after the whole exposure test,showing outstanding thermo-stability for at least one year.This work further proposed the mechanism of antiwetting Al/WO_(3)MICs considering the variation tendency of their DSC curve,providing a valuable theoretical reference for designing other self-protected MICs with a long exothermic life-span applied in wide fields of national defense,military industry,etc.

Innovative hydrophobic/hydrophilic perfluoropolyether(PFPE)/polyvinylidene fluoride(PVDF)composite membrane for vacuum membrane distillation

Though membrane distillation(MD)has gained more and more attention in the field of desalination,the wetting phenomenon was still a non-negligible problem.In this work,a method combined dip-coating and UV in situ polymerization for preparing hydrophobic/hydrophilic perfluoropolyether(PFPE)/polyvinylidene fluoride composite membranes.This composite membrane consisted of a top thin hydrophobic coating layer and hydrophilic substrate membrane.In terms of anti-wetting properties,contact angle and liquid entry pressure of all composite membranes(except for those based on 0.45μm)exceeded 160°and 0.3 MPa,respectively.In particular,the desalination performance was tested in vacuum membrane distillation tests by feeding 3.5%(mass)saline solution(NaCl)at 60℃.The composite membranes with larger support pore size and lower PFPE content had higher membrane distillation flux.And for stability tests(testing the 0.22μm membrane coated by 5%(mass)PFPE),the highest MD flux29.08 kg·m^(-2)·h^(-1) and stable salt rejection(over 99.99%)during the period.Except that,the effects of coating material concentration and pore sizes of substrate membrane were also investigated for surface morphology and topography,porosity,mechanical strength and pore size characteristics.This work provided a simple and effective alternative to prepare excellent hydrophobic composite membranes for MD applications.

Omniphobic membranes for distillation:Opportunities and challenges

As an emerging thermal-driven membrane technology,membrane distillation(MD)has attracted immense attention for desalination and water purification.The membranes for MD generally have hydrophobic or superhydrophobic properties to enable vapor permeation without liquid passage(e.g.,wetting).However,conventional MD membranes cannot undergo long term stable operations due to gradual wetting in practical applications where the feed solution often contains multiple low-surface tension contaminants(e.g.,oil).Recently,omniphobic membranes repelling all sorts of liquids and typically having ultralow surface energy and re-entrant structures have been developed for robust MD to mitigate wetting and fouling.In this paper,we aim to provide a comprehensive review of recent progress on omniphobic membranes.Fundamentals,desirable properties,advantages and applications of omniphobic membranes are discussed.We also summarize the research efforts and methods to engineer omniphobic membranes.Finally,the challenges and future research directions on omniphobic membranes are discussed.