High-strength,multifunctional and 3D printable mullite-based porous ceramics with a controllable shell-pore structure

The quest for lightweight and functional materials poses stringent requirements on mechanical performance of porous materials.However,the contradiction between high strength and elevated porosity of porous materials severely limits their application scenarios in emerging fields.Herein,high-strength multifunctional mullite-based porous ceramic monoliths were fabricated utilizing waste fly ash hollow microspheres(FAHMs)by the protein gelling technique.Owing to their unique shell-pore structure inspired by shell-protected biomaterials,the monoliths with porosity of 54.69%–70.02% exhibited a high compressive strength(32.3–42.9 MPa)which was 2–5 times that of mullite-based porous ceramics with similar density reported elsewhere.Moreover,their pore structure and properties could be tuned by regulation of the particle size and content of the FAHMs,and the resultant monoliths demonstrated superior integrated performances for multifunctional applications,such as broadband sound insulation,efficient thermal insulation,and high-temperature fire resistance(>1300℃).On this basis,mullite-based porous ceramic lattices(porosity 68.28%–84.79%)with a hierarchical porous structure were successfully assembled by direct ink writing(DIW),which exhibited significantly higher compressive strength(3.02–10.77 MPa)than most other ceramic lattices with comparable densities.This unique shell-pore structure can be extended to other porous materials,and our strategy paves a new way for cost-effective,scalable and green production of multifunctional materials with well-defined microstructure.

Photo-cured phase change energy storage material with photo-thermal conversion, self-cleaning and electromagnetic shielding performances via the lamellar structure strengthened by segment rearrangement of dynamic disulfide bond

At present,phase change materials(PCMs)with single function hardly meet the needs of advanced intelligent materials in practical applications,and the multifunction integration is the current trend.However,photo-cured multifunctional PCMs are hampered by insufficient transparency due to adding functional fillers,such as carbon and metal materials.The novel strategy is necessary to overcome this limitation.Here,a photo-cured multifunctional PCM is prepared by using the design of a lamellar structure composing the photo-cured phase change polymer layer and the functional fillers layer.The curing of the phase change polymer is realized by the photo-induced"thiol-ene"click reaction,and reversible dynamic disulfide bonds are introduced into the PCM,which not only gives the phase change crosslinked network reprocessability,but also strengthens the interface layer by the chain rearrangement to form a stable composite structure.The carboxylated multiwalled carbon nanotubes(CCNTs)and silver nanowires(AgNWs),as functional fillers,give the PCM photo-thermal conversion,self-cleaning and electromagnetic shielding(EMI SE)performances.Its phase change latent heat and photo-thermal conversion can reach 105.2 J/g and 78.5%,and the water contact angle is 142°with self-cleaning performance.In addition,due to the dense and well-developed conductive path formed by AgNWs layer on the PCM surface,the EMI SE effect can reach 39 dB with only 6.3%(in mass)filler content and 7.2%phase change latent heat loss.As far as we know,this is the first report about photo-cured PCMs with self-cleaning,photo-thermal conversion and EMI SE performances.

Simultaneous evaluation of two branches of a multifunctional integrated optic chip with an ultra-simple dual-channel configuration

We propose an ultra-simple dual-channel configuration for simultaneously evaluating two branches of a multifunctional integrated optic chip(MFIOC). In the configuration, the MFIOC is employed as a beam splitter to construct the demodulation interferometer together with a 2 × 2 fiber coupler. Interference happens between polarization modes traveling through different channels of the MFIOC. The cross-couplings of each channel are respectively characterized by the interference peaks which distribute on opposite sides of the central interference peak. Temperature responses of the MFIOC are experimentally measured from-40°C to 80°C. Results show that the proposed configuration can achieve simultaneous dual-channel transient measurements with resolution of-90 d B and dynamic range of 90 d B. In addition, the two channels of the configuration have consistent measuring performance, and the two branches of the MFIOC have different responses to temperature variation.

Recent progress of unconventional and multifunctional integrated supercapacitors

Integration can diversify the function of a device with the same volume, therefore it facilitates the development of portable, wearable and flexible electronics. In this review, we described several kinds of novel and unconventional multifunctional integrated supercapacitors which can not only be used to storage energy but also be applied to other fields such as photodetecting, electrochromics, monitoring physiological/mechanical activities, gas sensor, and so on. First, a brief introduction of the significance and advantages of multifunctional integrated supercapacitors was presented. Then we outlined the enormous progress which has been made in the area of multifunctional integrated supercapacitors. In the end, the prospects and further developments in this exciting field were also suggested.

A novel COB structure with integrated multifunction

A novel COB （chip-on-board） structure with integrated multifunction is presented. The structure is prepared by laminating copper plate with FR4 board and then coating with a silver layer to offer high reflectivity and high conductivity. In comparison with MCPCB （aluminum） and ceramics （Al2O3） board, the substrate brings about 10% higher light extracting efficiency than aluminum board and 5% higher flux maintenance ratio than ceramics （Al2O3） board at 3000 h. With integrated multifunction, through an IC component driving high voltage serial LED chips, the COB can be directly connected to AC 110 V or 220 V power supply in lighting application.

Smart aggregation-induced emission polymers:Preparation,properties and bio-applications

Owing to the outstanding photophysical properties,organic luminescent materials featuring aggregation-induced emission(AIE)characteristics have attracted wide attention in various fields.Numerous researches focused on low-mass AIE luminogens,and relatively less attention has been paid on AIE polymers and the related applications,in spite of the fact that AIE polymers exhibit excellent advantages of processability,multifunctional integration and synergistic effects.In this review,we briefly summarize and discuss the superiorities of AIE polymers in preparation,properties and bio-applications,and the considerable progress in these aspects are introduced as well.Finally,the structure-property relationship,challenges and opportunities are also discussed.Hopefully,this review will be a trigger for smart AIE polymer research and further broaden their applications.