Leakage Proof,Flame-Retardant,and Electromagnetic Shield Wood Morphology Genetic Composite Phase Change Materials for Solar Thermal Energy Harvesting

Phase change materials(PCMs)offer a promising solution to address the challenges posed by intermittency and fluctuations in solar thermal utilization.However,for organic solid-liquid PCMs,issues such as leakage,low thermal conductivity,lack of efficient solar-thermal media,and flamma-bility have constrained their broad applications.Herein,we present an innova-tive class of versatile composite phase change materials(CPCMs)developed through a facile and environmentally friendly synthesis approach,leveraging the inherent anisotropy and unidirectional porosity of wood aerogel(nanowood)to support polyethylene glycol(PEG).The wood modification process involves the incorporation of phytic acid(PA)and MXene hybrid structure through an evaporation-induced assembly method,which could impart non-leaking PEG filling while concurrently facilitating thermal conduction,light absorption,and flame-retardant.Consequently,the as-prepared wood-based CPCMs showcase enhanced thermal conductivity(0.82 W m^(-1)K^(-1),about 4.6 times than PEG)as well as high latent heat of 135.5 kJ kg^(-1)(91.5%encapsula-tion)with thermal durability and stability throughout at least 200 heating and cooling cycles,featuring dramatic solar-thermal conversion efficiency up to 98.58%.In addition,with the synergistic effect of phytic acid and MXene,the flame-retardant performance of the CPCMs has been significantly enhanced,showing a self-extinguishing behavior.Moreover,the excellent electromagnetic shielding of 44.45 dB was endowed to the CPCMs,relieving contemporary health hazards associated with electromagnetic waves.Overall,we capitalize on the exquisite wood cell structure with unidirectional transport inherent in the development of multifunctional CPCMs,showcasing the operational principle through a proof-of-concept prototype system.

Study on the Flame-retardant Properties of High Flame-retardant Acrylic Fiber Knitted Fabrics

This paper involved five kinds of weft-knitted fabrics made from high flame-retardant acrylic/cotton(0/100,30/70,50/50,70/30,100/0).The article adopted the vertical burning method,limiting oxygen index method and Cone Calorimeter test method for testing fabric flame retardant property.By comparison with these five fabrics,the effects on the properties of high flame-retardant acrylic fiber knitted fabrics due to the content of high flame-retardant acrylic fiber were analyzed.

Flame-retardant ammonium polyphosphate/MXene decorated carbon foam materials as polysulfide traps for fire-safe and stable lithium-sulfur batteries

Lithium-sulfur(Li-S)batteries are one of the most promising modern-day energy supply systems because of their high theoretical energy density and low cost.However,the development of high-energy density Li-S batteries with high loading of flammable sulfur faces the challenges of electrochemical performance degradation owing to the shuttle effect and safety issues related to fire or explosion accidents.In this work,we report a three-dimensional(3D)conductive nitrogen-doped carbon foam supported electrostatic self-assembled MXene-ammonium polyphosphate(NCF-MXene-APP)layer as a heat-resistant,thermally-insulated,flame-retardant,and freestanding host for Li-S batteries with a facile and costeffective synthesis method.Consequently,through the use of NCF-MXene-APP hosts that strongly anchor polysulfides,the Li-S batteries demonstrate outstanding electrochemical properties,including a high initial discharge capacity of 1191.6 mA h g^(-1),excellent rate capacity of 755.0 mA h g^(-1)at 1 C,and long-term cycling stability with an extremely low-capacity decay rate of 0.12%per cycle at 2 C.More importantly,these batteries can continue to operate reliably under high temperature or flame attack conditions.Thus,this study provides valuable insights into the design of safe high-performance Li-S batteries.

Intumescent Flame-retardant Modification of Polypropylene/Carbon Fiber Composites

To improve the flame resistance of polypropylene(PP)/carbon fiber(CF)composite materials,triazine char-forming agent(TCA)was compounded with ammonium polyphosphate(APP)or modified APP(CS-APP)in a 2:1 ratio to prepare intumescent flame retardant(IFR)and the modified intumescent flame retardant(CS-IFR)in this paper.Flame retardancy and thermal degradation behaviors of the composites modified by IFR and CS-IFR were characterized by Fourier Transform Infrared(FTIR),contact angle measurement,oxygen index(OI),vertical burning tests(UL-94),thermogravimetric analyer(TGA),and thermogravimetric analyzer coupled with Fourier transform infrared(TG-FTIR).It was found that 25.0 phr of IFR and 24.0 phr of CS-IFR could improve the LOI value of PP/CF composites to 28.3%and 28.9%,respectively.At the same time,a UL-94 V-0 rating was achieved.The experimental results show that the IFR and CS-IFR prepared could effectively improve the flame retardancy and thermostability of PP/CF composites,and they would greatly expand the application range of PP/CF composite materials.

“Zero‑Strain” NiNb_(2)O_(6) Fibers for All‑Climate Lithium Storage

Niobates are promising all-climate Li^(+)-storage anode material due to their fast charge transport,large specific capacities,and resistance to electrolyte reaction.However,their moderate unit-cellvolume expansion(generally 5%–10%)during Li^(+)storage causes unsatisfactory long-term cyclability.Here,“zero-strain”NiNb_(2)O_(6) fibers are explored as a new anode material with comprehensively good electrochemical properties.During Li^(+)storage,the expansion of electrochemical inactive NiO_(6) octahedra almost fully offsets the shrinkage of active NbO_(6) octahedra through reversible O movement.Such superior volume-accommodation capability of the NiO_(6) layers guarantees the“zero-strain”behavior of NiNb_(2)O_(6) in a broad temperature range(0.53%//0.51%//0.74%at 25//−10//60℃),leading to the excellent cyclability of the NiNb_(2)O_(6) fibers(92.8%//99.2%//91.1%capacity retention after 1000//2000//1000 cycles at 10C and 25//−10//60℃).This NiNb_(2)O_(6) material further exhibits a large reversible capacity(300//184//318 mAh g−1 at 0.1C and 25//−10//60℃)and outstanding rate performance(10 to 0.5C capacity percentage of 64.3%//50.0%//65.4%at 25//−10//60℃).Therefore,the NiNb_(2)O_(6) fibers are especially suitable for large-capacity,fast-charging,long-life,and all-climate lithium-ion batteries.

Flame-retardant Mechanism of Magnesium Oxychloride in Epoxy Resin

Flame-retardant mechanism of magnesium oxychloride （M OC） in EP was in-vestigated by limiting oxygen index （LOI）, XRD, SEM, TG-DTG and DSC. The results show that MOC performed well as an inorganic flame-retardant in EP. When the content of MOC is 50%, the LOI of EP reaches 29.6% and mass of residual char reaches 9.6%. The flame retarde mechanism of MOC is due to the synergies of diluting, cooling, catalyzing char forming and obstructing effects.

3D flame-retardant skeleton reinforced polymer electrolyte for solid-state dendrite-free lithium metal batteries

For solid polymer electrolytes(SPEs),improving their mechanical and electrochemical properties is the key to obtaining batteries with higher safety and higher energy density.Herein,a novel synergistic strategy proposed is preparing a 3D flame-retardant skeleton(3DPA)and adding nano-multifunctional fillers(Li-ILs@ZIF-8).In addition to providing mechanical support for the polyethylene oxide(PEO)matrix,3DPA also has further contributed to the system’s flame retardancy and further improved the safety.Simultaneously,the electrochemical performance is fully guaranteed by rigid Li-ILs@ZIF-8,which provides fast migration channels forLi^(+),reduces the crystallinity of PEO and effectively inhibits lithium dendrites.The limiting oxygen index of the optimal sample(PL3Z/PA)is as high as 20.5%,and the ionic conductivity reaches 2.89×10^(-4) and 0.91×10^(-3) S cm^(-1) at 25 and 55°C,respectively.The assembled Li|PL3Z/PA|Li battery can be cycled stably for more than 1000 h at a current density of 0.1 m A cm^(-2) without short circuit being pierced by lithium dendrites.The specific capacity of the LFP|PL3Z/PA|Li battery was 160.5 m Ah g^(-1) under a current density of 0.5 C,and the capacity retention rate was 90.0%after 300 cycles.

Comparison of Flame-retardancy Property and Mechanism between a Phosphate Ester and a Phosphoramine Flame-retardants

A halogen-free flame-retardant (hydroquinone bis (N,N’-diarylphosphoramidate),4N-HDP) containing phosphorus-nitrogen was synthesized.Its structure was characterized by infrared spectroscopy (IR),nuclear magnetic resonance (^(1)H-NMR and^(31)P-NMR).Thermogravimetric analysis (TG),limiting oxygen index (LOI),UL-94 vertical burning test (UL-94),thermogravimetric-infrared instrument (TG-IR) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were used to compare the flame-retarding performance and mechanism of hydroquinone bis (diphenyl phosphate) (HDP) and 4N-HDP.TG,IR and TG-IR were used for comparative analysis,indicating that both HDP and 4N-HDP are flame-retardants,and the gas phase and condensed phase act synergistically.In the pyrolysis process,it is divided into two steps:the first step is the breakage of large molecules to small molecules;the second step is the gasification and carbonization of small molecules,and eventually produces phosphate ester and non-flammable gases.Through the comparison of various results,it could be found that 4N-HDP has better flame-retarding performance compared to HDP in the composite with polycarbonate (PC).

A new flame-retardant polymer electrolyte with enhanced Li-ion conductivity for safe lithium-sulfur batteries

Flame-retardant polymer electrolytes(FRSPEs)are attractive due to their potential for fundamentally settling the safety issues of liquid electrolytes.However,the current FRSPEs have introduced large quantity of flame-retardant composition which cannot conduct lithium ions,thus decreasing the Li-ion conductivity.Here,we synthesize a novel liquid monomer 2-((bis((2-oxo-1,3-dioxolan-4-yl)methoxy)phosphoryl)oxy)ethyl acrylate(BDPA)for preparing FRSPE by in-situ polymerization,in which PBDPA polymer can not only conduct lithium ions,but also prevent burning.The prepared FRSPE demonstrated outstanding flame-retardant property,favorable lithium-ion conductivity of 5.65×10^(-4) S cm^(-1) at ambient temperature,and a wide electrochemical window up to 4.5 V.Moreover,the Li/in-situ FRSPE/S@pPAN cell exhibited favorable electrochemical performances.We believe that this work provides an effective strategy for establishing high-performance fireproof quasi-solid-state battery system.

Property of Polyimide/Flame-Retardant Viscose Blended Fabrics

Although polyimide fibers are excellent intrinsic flame-retardant fibers, their price is so high that they are rarely used in clothing. To expand their application, the polyimide fibers were blended with flame-retardant viscose fibers at a ratio of 30∶70, and the blended yarns were woven with flame-retardant polyester filaments. Fabrics with different parameters, including fabric weaves, warp yarn densities, and fabric layers, were designed, and the effects of those fabric parameters on mechanical properties and flame-retardant properties were tested and analyzed. The results show that the tearing load of the fabrics is affected by fabric weaves, warp yarn densities, and fabric layers, and the tearing load of the weft mountain weave fabric and the twill weave fabric is higher than that of the plain weave fabric. The bursting load of the fabric increases with the increase of warp yarn densities and layers. Among the tested fabric samples, the triple-layer twill fabric has the best flame-retardant performance, which meets the standard of flame-retardant protective fabric Grade B1 level. The research of this paper would provide guidance for the development and production of polyimide blended fabrics.

High‑Performing Semiconductor Fibers Set a New Stage for Ambient Intelligence

An advance in the integration of high-performing semiconductors into fibers enables innovative fiber devices and fabric systems that sense,communicate and interact,paving the way for unprecedented applications in wearable technology,fabric computation,and ambient intelligence.

SYNTHESES AND CHARACTERIZATION OF CYCLIC ORGANIC BORONATE ESTERS AS FLAME-RETARDANTS

Some organoboron compounds as flame-retardants for fiber materials were prepared.Flame-retarding properties of these compounds determined by the Oxygen-Index Method weregood.These new compounds were characterized by IR,~1H NMR spectrum and elementalanalysis.

A Review of Multifunctional Nanocomposite Fibers:Design,Preparation and Applications

Nanocomposite fibers are fibrous materials with specific properties and functionalities,which are prepared by introducing nanomaterials or nanostructures in the fibers.Polymeric nanocomposite fibers exhibit multiple functionalities,showing great application potential in healthcare,aerospace,mechanical engineering,and energy storage.Here,six functionalities of polymer nanocomposite fibers are reviewed:mechanical reinforcement,resistance to electromagnetic interference and flame,thermal and electrical conduction,generation of far-infrared ray,negative ion and electricity,energy storage,and sensing.For each functionality,the fiber component selection and preparation methods are summarized.The commonly used polymers comprise natural and synthetic polymers,and typical nanomaterials include carbon-based,polymer-based,metal-based,and metal oxide-based ones.Various compounding strategies and spinning approaches,such as wet-spinning,melt-spinning,and electrospinning,are introduced.Moreover,the functional properties of fibers fabricated from different constituents and by different strategies are compared,providing a reference for performance optimization.Finally,the prospective directions of research and application are discussed,and possible approaches are suggested to facilitate the development of advanced nanocomposite fibers.

Flame-retardant oligomeric electrolyte additive for self-extinguishing and highly-stable lithium-ion batteries:Beyond small molecules

Preparing both safe and high-performance lithium-ion batteries(LIBs) based on commonly used commercial electrolytes is highly desirable,yet challenging.To overcome the poor compatibility of conventional small-molecular flame-retardants as electrolyte additives for safe LIBs with graphite anodes,in this study,we propose and design a novel low-cost flame-retardant oligomer that achieves an accurate and complete reconciliation of fire safety and electrochemical performance in LIBs.Owing to the integration of phosphonate units and polyethylene glycol(PEG) chains,this oligomer,which is a phosphonatecontaining PEG-based oligomer(PPO),not only endows commercial electrolytes with excellent flame retardancy but also helps stabilize the electrodes and Li-ion migration.Specifically,adding 15 wt% of PPO can reduce 70% of the self-extinguishing time and 54% of total heat release for commercial electrolytes.Moreover,LiFePO_(4)/lithium and graphite/lithium cells as well as LiFePO_(4)/graphite pouch full cells exhibit good long-term cycling stability.

Strigolactones modulate cotton fiber elongation and secondary cell wall thickening

Cotton is one of the most important economic crops in the world,and it is a major source of fiber in the textile industry.Strigolactones(SLs)are a class of carotenoid-derived plant hormones involved in many processes of plant growth and development,although the functions of SL in fiber development remain largely unknown.Here,we found that the endogenous SLs were significantly higher in fibers at 20 days post-anthesis(DPA).Exogenous SLs significantly increased fiber length and cell wall thickness.Furthermore,we cloned three key SL biosynthetic genes,namely GhD27,GhMAX3,and GhMAX4,which were highly expressed in fibers,and subcellular localization analyses revealed that GhD27,GhMAX3,and GhMAX4 were localized in the chloroplast.The exogenous expression of GhD27,GhMAX3,and GhMAX4 complemented the physiological phenotypes of d27,max3,and max4 mutations in Arabidopsis,respectively.Knockdown of GhD27,GhMAX3,and GhMAX4 in cotton resulted in increased numbers of axillary buds and leaves,reduced fiber length,and significantly reduced fiber thickness.These findings revealed that SLs participate in plant growth,fiber elongation,and secondary cell wall formation in cotton.These results provide new and effective genetic resources for improving cotton fiber yield and plant architecture.

Thermo-hydro-poro-mechanical responses of a reservoir-induced landslide tracked by high-resolution fiber optic sensing nerves

Thermo-poro-mechanical responses along sliding zone/surface have been extensively studied.However,it has not been recognized that the potential contribution of other crucial engineering geological interfaces beyond the slip surface to progressive failure.Here,we aim to investigate the subsurface multiphysics of reservoir landslides under two extreme hydrologic conditions(i.e.wet and dry),particularly within sliding masses.Based on ultra-weak fiber Bragg grating(UWFBG)technology,we employ specialpurpose fiber optic sensing cables that can be implanted into boreholes as“nerves of the Earth”to collect data on soil temperature,water content,pore water pressure,and strain.The Xinpu landslide in the middle reach of the Three Gorges Reservoir Area in China was selected as a case study to establish a paradigm for in situ thermo-hydro-poro-mechanical monitoring.These UWFBG-based sensing cables were vertically buried in a 31 m-deep borehole at the foot of the landslide,with a resolution of 1 m except for the pressure sensor.We reported field measurements covering the period 2021 and 2022 and produced the spatiotemporal profiles throughout the borehole.Results show that wet years are more likely to motivate landslide motions than dry years.The annual thermally active layer of the landslide has a critical depth of roughly 9 m and might move downward in warmer years.The dynamic groundwater table is located at depths of 9e15 m,where the peaked strain undergoes a periodical response of leap and withdrawal to annual hydrometeorological cycles.These interface behaviors may support the interpretation of the contribution of reservoir regulation to slope stability,allowing us to correlate them to local damage events and potential global destabilization.This paper also offers a natural framework for interpreting thermo-hydro-poro-mechanical signatures from creeping reservoir bank slopes,which may form the basis for a landslide monitoring and early warning system.

Hyphae-mediated bioassembly of carbon fibers derivatives for advanced battery energy storage

Ingenious design and fabrication of advanced carbon-based sulfur cathodes are extremely important to the development of high-energy lithium-sulfur batteries,which hold promise as the next-generation power source.Herein,for the first time,we report a novel versatile hyphae-mediated biological assembly technology to achieve scale production of hyphae carbon fibers(HCFs)derivatives,in which different components including carbon,metal compounds,and semiconductors can be homogeneously assembled with HCFs to form composite networks.The mechanism of biological adsorption assembly is also proposed.As a representative,reduced graphene oxides(rGOs)decorated with hollow carbon spheres(HCSs)successfully co-assemble with HCFs to form HCSs@rGOs/HCFs hosts for sulfur cathodes.In this unique architecture,not only large accommodation space for sulfur but also restrained volume expansion and fast charge transport paths are realized.Meanwhile,multiscale physical barriers plus chemisorption sites are simultaneously established to anchor soluble lithium polysulfides.Accordingly,the designed HCSs@rGOs/HCFs-S cathodes deliver a high capacity(1189 mA h g^(-1)at 0.1 C)and good high-rate capability(686 mA h g^(-1)at 5 C).Our work provides a new approach for the preparation of high-performance carbon-based electrodes for energy storage devices.

Genome-wide identification of the pectate lyase(PEL)gene family members in Malvaceae,and their contribution to cotton fiber quality

Pectin is a major constituent of the plant cell wall.Pectate lyase(PEL,EC 4.2.2.2)uses anti-β-elimination chemistry to cleave theα-1,4 glycosidic linkage in the homogalacturonan region of pectin.However,limited information is available on the comprehensive and evolutionary analysis of PELs in the Malvaceae.In this study,we identified 597PEL genes from 10 Malvaceae species.Phylogenetic and motif analyses revealed that these PELs are classified into six subfamilies:Clades I,II,III,IV,Va,and Vb.The two largest subfamilies,Clades I and II,contained 237 and222 PEL members,respectively.The members of Clades Va and Vb only contained four or five motifs,far fewer than the other subfamilies.Gene duplication analysis showed that segmental duplication played a crucial role in the expansion of the PEL gene family in Gossypium species.The PELs from Clades I,IV,Va,and Vb were expressed during the fiber elongation stage,but nearly all PEL genes from Clades II and III showed no expression in any of the investigated fiber developmental stages.We further performed single-gene haplotype association analysis in 2,001G.hirsutum accessions and 229 G.barbadense accessions.Interestingly,14 PELs were significantly associated with fiber length and strength traits in G.barbadense with superior fiber quality,while only eight GhPEL genes were found to be significantly associated with fiber quality traits in G.hirsutum.Our findings provide important information for further evolutionary and functional research on the PEL gene family members and their potential use for fiber quality improvement in cotton.

Coherent optical frequency transfer via 972-km fiber link

We demonstrate coherent optical frequency dissemination over a distance of 972 km by cascading two spans where the phase noise is passively compensated for.Instead of employing a phase discriminator and a phase locking loop in the conventional active phase control scheme,the passive phase noise cancellation is realized by feeding double-trip beat-note frequency to the driver of the acoustic optical modulator at the local site.This passive scheme exhibits fine robustness and reliability,making it suitable for long-distance and noisy fiber links.An optical regeneration station is used in the link for signal amplification and cascaded transmission.The phase noise cancellation and transfer instability of the 972-km link is investigated,and transfer instability of 1.1×10^(-19)at 10^(4)s is achieved.This work provides a promising method for realizing optical frequency distribution over thousands of kilometers by using fiber links.

Non‑Enzyme,Temperature Calibrating,and Bioactive Fiber‑based Flexible Sensors for Dopamine and Lactic Acid Detection

Flexible electrochemical biosensors enable the in-situ monitoring and quantification of human biochemical constituents in molecular scale,spearheading and thriving the field toward precision medicine.However,specific biorecognition elements for multiplexed biomarkers detection,temperature stability and versatility need to be improved for higher adaption.Here,we propose a bioactive sensor patch comprising a non-enzyme Co_(3)O_(4)/carbon fiber-based biorecognition element and a temperature calibration unit.The optimized serpentine configuration renders the sensor intimate and seamless attachment with skin,operating robustly even subjected to 40%tensile strain.The fiber-based sensor could selectively monitor dopa-mine and lactic acid contents based on cyclic voltammetry and amperometry,respectively.The bioanalytical results at room temperature indicate that the electrochemical biosensor has a wide detection range(0.001–1.100 mM for dopamine and 2–35 mM for lactic acid),excellent selectivity and reproducibility(maximum error 3.2%for dopamine and 5.6%for lactic acid).In addition,temperature calibration contour maps of these two biomarkers are established in an ambient temperature range from 25 to 45℃.The continuously collected data could be aggregated and wirelessly transmitted to portable devices using an electrochemical signal transducer and an acquisition module,promising personalized and preventative health care in various scenarios.