Polyoxometalates-Modulated Hydrophilic-Hydrophobic Composite Interfacial Material for Efficient Solar Water Evaporation and Salt Harvesting in High-Salinity Brine

Solar vapor generation(SVC)represents a promising technique for seawater desalination to alleviate the global water crisis and energy shortage.One of its main bottleneck problems is that the evaporation efficiency and stability are limited by salt crystallization under high-salinity brines.Herein,we demonstrate that the 3D porous melamine-foam(MF)wrapped by a type of self-assembling composite materials based on reduced polyoxometalates(i.e.heteropoly blue,HPB),oleic acid(OA),and polypyrrole(PPy)(labeled with MF@HPB-PPy_(n)-OA)can serve as efficient and stable SVC material at high salinity.Structural characterizations of MF@HPB-PPy_(n)-OA indicate that both hydrophilic region of HPBs and hydrophobic region of OA co-exist on the surface of composite materials,optimizing the hydrophilic and hydrophobic interfaces of the SVC materials,and fully exerting its functionality for ultrahigh water-evaporation and anti-salt fouling.The optimal MF@HPB-PPy_(10)-OA operates continuously and stably for over 100 h in 10wt%brine.Furthermore,MF@HPB-PPy_(10)-OA accomplishes complete salt-water separation of 10wt%brine with 3.3kgm^(-2)h^(-1)under 1-sun irradiation,yielding salt harvesting efficiency of 96.5%,which belongs to the record high of high-salinity systems reported so far and is close to achieving zero liquid discharge.Moreover,the low cost of MF@HPB-PPy_(10)-OA(2.56$m^(-2))suggests its potential application in the practical SVC technique.

DESIGN AND CONTROL OF SOAP-FREE HYDROPHILIC-HYDROPHOBIC CORE-SHELL LATEX PARTICLES WITH HIGH CARBOXYL CONTENT IN THE CORE OF THE PARTICLES

Soap-flee hydrophilic-hydrophobic core-shell latex particles with high carboxyl content in the core of the particles were synthesized via the seeded emulsion polymerization using methyl methacrylate （MMA）, butyl acrylate （BA）, methacrylic acid （MAA）, styrene （St） and ethylene glycol dimethacrylate （EGDMA） as monomers, and the influences of MMA content used in the core preparation on polymerization, particle size and morphology were investigated by transmission electron microscopy, dynamic light scattering and conductometric titration. The results showed that the seeded emulsion polymerization could be carried out smoothly using ＂starved monomer feeding process＂ when MAA content in the core preparation was equal to or less than 24 wt%, and the encapsulating efficiency of the hydrophilic P（MMA-BA-MAA- EGDMA） core with the hydrophobic PSt shell decreased with the increase in MAA content. When an interlayer of P（MMA- MAA-St） with moderate polarity was inserted between the P（MMA-BA-MAA-EGDMA） core and the PSt shell, well designed soap-free hydrophilic-hydrophobic core-shell latex particles with 24 wt% MAA content in the core preparation were obtained.

A Highly Ordered Hydrophilic–Hydrophobic Janus Bi-Functional Layer with Ultralow Pt Loading and Fast Gas/Water Transport for Fuel Cells

One of the critical challenges that limit broad commercialization of proton exchange membrane fuel cells(PEMFC)is to reduce the usage of Pt while maintaining high power output and sufficient durability.Herein,a novel bifunctional layer consisting of vertically aligned carbon nanotubes(VACNTs)and nanoparticles of Pt-Co catalysts(Pt-Co/VACNTs)is reported for highperformance PEMFCs.Readily prepared by a two-step process,the Pt-Co/VACNTs layer with a hydrophilic catalyst-loaded side and a hydrophobic gas diffusion side enables a PTFE-free electrode structure with fully exposed catalyst active sites and superior gas–water diffusion capability.When tested in a PEMFC,the bi-functional Pt-Co/VACNTs layer with ultralow Pt loading(~65μgcathodecm-2)demonstrates a power density of 19.5 kW gPt cathode-1 at 0.6 V,more than seven times that of a cell with commercial Pt/C catalyst(2.7 kW gPt cathode-1 at 0.6 V)at a loading of 400μgcathodecm-2 tested under similar conditions.This remarkable design of VACNTs-based catalyst with dual functionalities enables much lower Pt loading,faster mass transport,and higher electrochemical performance and stability.Further,the preparation procedure can be easily scaled up for low-cost fabrication and commercialization.

Synthesis and Properties of Fumed Silicas Modified with Mixtures of Poly(methylphenylsiloxane) and Dimethyl Carbonate

Effect of the concentration ratios of organosiloxane/initiator and treatment temperature on the characteristics of hydrophobic products obtained by modification of surface of fumed silica with poly(methylphenylsiloxane) (PMPS) in the presence of dimethyl carbonate has been studied. Morphology, particle size, surface area and coating microstructure of modified silicas were analyzed by methods of transmission electron and atomic force microscopies, nitrogen adsorption-desorption data. Carbon contents in the grafted modifying layer of organosilicas were determined using IR spectroscopy and elemental analysis. Hydrophilic-hydrophobic properties of surface of the obtained modified silicas were estimated by measurements of contact angles of wetting. It was shown that modification of pyrogenic silicas with mixtures of poly(methylphenylsiloxane) and dimethyl carbonate allows to obtain the homogeneous hydrophobic products and serve their nanodispersity.

A general method for growth of perovskite single-crystal arrays for high performance photodetectors

Perovskite single-crystal arrays have attracted intensive attention because of their great potentials for integrated optoelectronic devices.However,the traditional top-down lithography strategy requires complex processing and is detrimental to perovskite crystal structures,which is incompatible to directly pattern perovskite single crystals.Herein,we report a lithography-free method to realize the controllable growth of perovskite single-crystal arrays.Through introducing a printed hydrophilic-hydrophobic substrate into the crystallization system,the MAPbCl_(3) single-crystal arrays with precise location and uniform size are effectively fabricated.This method can be applied to prepare diverse perovskite single-crystal arrays,including MAPbBr_(3),CsPbCl_(3),CsPbBr_(3),Cs_(3)Cu_(2)I_(5),Cs_(3)Bi_(2)I_(9),and(BA)_(2)(MA)_(3)Pb_(4)I_(11).The perovskite single crystals can be selectively grown on the electrodes to fabricate ultraviolet photodetectors.The strategy demonstrates a facile approach to fabricate large-scale perovskite single-crystal arrays and opens a pathway to produce diverse perovskite optoelectronic devices.

Controlled Wettability of Polymers via Environmental Crazing

This work highlights the benefits of environmental crazing for the control over the hydrophilic-lipophilic balance of glassy amorphous and semicrystalline polymers:poly(ethylene terephthalate)(PET)and biodegradable polycaprolactone(PCL).Task-oriented encapsulation of diverse commercial and natural hydrophilic(polyethyleneoxide,polyvinylpyrrolidone,gelatin)and hydrophobic guest additives(perfluoroorgano siloxanes,water-repellent impregnation)into mesoporous host polymer(PET,PCL)matrixes allows targeted control over the wettability of the resultant nanocomposite materials.Depending on the nature of the guest additive,the properties of the modified polymers can be varied from hydrophilic to hydrophobic:contact angle(CA)of PET can be adjusted from 47_(⊥)/38_(||)to 130_(⊥)/117_(||)°(for initial PET,CA=82°)and CA of PCL from 40°to 114°(for initial PCL CA=75°).The unique benefits of environmental crazing for structural modification are related to the universal character of this approach which can be applied to a broad range of polymers and allows preparation of diverse high-performance materials with tunable hydrophilic-lipophilic balance.