The persistent challenge of overcoming the strength-toughness trade-off in structural materials has motivated extensive research into bioinspired design strategies. Herein, a nacre-inspired aramid nanofiber (ANF)/mica nanosheets (MNS) composite bulk that simultaneously achieves ultrahigh toughness, high strength, low density, and exceptional environmental adaptability through an interface-enhanced directed assembly (IEDA) strategy is reported. During a stepwise structural evolution from dispersion to hydrogel to bulk, the composite progressively develops a highly oriented brick-mortar structure with maximized fiber entanglement and crosslinking density. This brick-mortar structure dissipates mechanical energy via coordinated sliding, crack deflection, and nanofiber bridging, effectively overcoming the intrinsic brittleness of pure ANF bulk. The ANF/MNS composite bulk exhibits a compressive strength of 96.21 MPa, an ultrahigh toughness of 1826.35 kJ m−3, representing a 163% improvement over pure ANF bulk, and a low density of 0.88 g cm−3, yielding a specific strength of 78.22 MPa cm3/g that surpasses most engineering plastics. Furthermore, the composite maintains structural integrity up to 200 °C, demonstrates self-extinguishing flame retardancy, and resists harsh chemical environments. These attributes position the ANF/MNS composite bulk as a promising candidate for impact-resistant thermal protection systems, lightweight aerospace structural components, and protective equipment for extreme-environment operations.

Phase change materials (PCMs) are extensively utilized in energy storage and thermal regulation due to their superior energy density, tunable response temperature, and environmental friendliness. However, the leakage susceptibility, inferior electrical conductivity, and solar harvesting ability significantly limit their practical application. To address these issues, we propose encapsulating PCMs with aramid nanofibers/MXene hybrid shells by Pickering emulsion templates to prevent leakage, and the obtained PCMs-loaded microcapsules are further processed into phase change films. Aramid nanofibers were chosen as stabilizers and film-forming substances due to their appropriate wettability and outstanding mechanical strength. Hexadecanol (HD), possessing high enthalpy, was employed as the PCM. MXene served as photothermal and electrothermal additives, endowing PCMs with enhanced thermal conductivity and the capacity to convert sunlight and electricity into heat. The obtained HD@ANF/MXene PCM films exhibited excellent shape stability, mechanical properties, high latent heat, and efficient heat uptake/release. Under the optimized conditions, the HD encapsulation content exceeded 68.6 wt.%, and the corresponding latent heat exceeded 110 J/g. After 50 heating-cooling cycles, the enthalpy of HD@ANF/MXene PCM films still remained stable, which is expected to significantly expand the application of PCMs in electric, thermal, solar energy storage, and thermal management.

Poly (p-phenylene benzobisoxazole) (PBO) nanofiber (PNF) holds great promise for high-safety lithium-ion battery separators due to its exceptional mechanical strength and thermal stability, as well as desirable solution processability derived from its rigid-rod molecular structure. However, the strong it-it interactions among PNFs often lead to excessively dense packing and low porosity in sol-gel derived PNF separators, which severely restricts Li+ transport. Herein, we design a hierarchical micro-branched fiber architecture as a structural spacer to proactively engineer the pore microstructure. The introduced PBO branched fibers (PBF) effectively disrupt the dense stacking of nanofibers through physical entanglement and steric hindrance, yielding a PNF/branched (PNB) separator with a significantly enhanced porosity of 58%. Benefiting from this well-tailored structure, the PNB separator exhibits remarkable thermal stability with a decomposition temperature above 650 degrees C, high ionic conductivity of 0.59 mS cm-1, and an elevated Li+ transference number of 0.64. In Li||LFP cells, the PNB separator enables excellent rate capability and cycling stability, retaining 95.6% of its initial capacity after 800 cycles at 0.3 C. This work presents a feasible strategy to optimize the porous structure of nanofibers, offering a promising route for the application of PBO nanofibers in LFP-based battery separators.

ABSTRACT The present study prepared NBR/POM blends with varying rubber‐plastic ratios of 90/10, 80/20, 70/30 through a two‐stage blending approach involving internal/open‐mill blending and melt blending. The compatibilization performance of various compatibilizers polyether polyol (KGF‐400D), thermoplastic phenolic resin (PR‐12686E), thermosetting phenolic resin (SP‐1045), and epoxide resin (E51) was systematically evaluated at a fixed rubber/plastic ratio. Our findings demonstrated that all the investigated compatibilizers clearly improved the compatibility of the blends to varying degrees, among which SP‐1045 exhibited the most pronounced compatibilization effect. Both mechanical analysis and rubber process analysis (RPA) characterizations clearly indicated the mechanism of compatibility improvement. In the NBR/POM blend compatibilized with SP‐1045, the phenolic hydroxyl groups were found to in situ form hydrogen bonds with the ether oxygen in POM, enabling a considerable enhancement in compatibility with the POM phase. Meanwhile, the highly polar nitrile groups in NBR can interact strongly with the phenolic resin, further strengthening interfacial interactions. This work proposes an effective approach to enhance the compatibility of NBR/POM blends, which offers a promising strategy for developing high‐performance rubber‐plastic blends with tailored properties for demanding industrial applications.

Solid-state electrolytes (SSEs) offer a safer alternative to flammable liquids but face challenges like high interfacial resistance, low ionic conductivity, and inferior mechanical strength. Herein, a molecular bridging and interfacial stitching strategy is employed to construct a synergistically interlocked composite electrolyte, where a robust aramid nanofiber (ANF) network serves as a multifunctional molecular bridge that weaves a resilient network to securely anchor rigid Li6.5La3Zr1.5Ta0.5O12 (LLZTO) particles in the soft poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) matrix. This architecture provides robust mechanical integrity and dual-channel Li-ion conduction, overcoming the rigidity-flexibility trade-off in SSEs. The resulting ultrathin (similar to 3 mu m) composite electrolyte (denoted as ANF@PLL) exhibits high ionic conductivity (0.68 mS cm-1 at 30 degrees C), exceptional mechanical strength (similar to 20 MPa), and a wide electrochemical stability window (5.7 V). Li||ANF@PLL||Li symmetric cells achieve stable cycling over 2500 h, while the Li||ANF@PLL||LFP full cells deliver remarkable long-term cycling stability (101.2 mAh g-1 after 1000 cycles at 0.5C) and rate performance (up to 10C). Furthermore, flexible pouch cells assembled with this electrolyte maintain stable electrochemical performance under high temperature (similar to 180 degrees C) and harsh mechanical deformation, highlighting the significant potential of this molecular-scale interface engineering strategy for practical high-performance all solid-state lithium metal batteries (ASSLMBs).

Polylactic acid (PLA) has been widely utilized in modern industries; however, during practical processing operations such as extrusion and injection molding, it consistently exhibits a sufficiently slow crystallization rate and low crystallinity. This study intends to investigate the influence of processing conditions on the solidification behavior of PLA during the injection molding process. The enthalpy transformation method (ETM) was employed to analyze the temperature decays throughout the entire injection process, with a focus on the effects of different cooling parameters on solidification kinetics. Four cooling conditions (denoted as Cases A-D) were compared, and the analysis results of these cases revealed that the melt cooling rate was heavily influenced by the mold temperature. The movement of the phase interface during melt solidification under various scenarios was also examined. Based on the experimental results, position-dependent characteristics of the phase transition plateau were identified. It was found that its width gradually increased from the wall to the sample centerline. This finding can be utilized in designing the cooling parameters for crystalline polymers during the injection operation. A comparative analysis was conducted between experimental cooling time and predicted cooling curves of PLA. Under varying cooling conditions, a generalized equation derived from fitting parameters using TPM (Three-Parameter Model) II was found to provide reasonably accurate estimates for injection-molded crystalline polymers, as supported by both experimental and calculated results. The present work offers valuable insights for designing cooling parameters for crystalline polymers in injection molding processes and provides a theoretical foundation for the future development of PLA composites.

Commercial polyolefin separators suffer from inherent thermal instability, poor electrolyte wettability, and sluggish ion transport, posing critical safety and performance limitations for high-energy lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). Herein, we present a synergistic nanofiber-nanoparticle hybrid coating strategy to construct a robust aramid nanofiber (ANF)/ZrO2 functional layer on a polypropylene (PP) separator. The rationally designed architecture leverages the three dimensional (3D) interconnected ANF network for mechanical and thermal stability, while the ZrO2 nanoparticles are strategically embedded as nanoscale spacers to optimize the pore structure and surface polarity of the composite separator. The resulting AZ@PP separator achieves a dramatically reduced contact angle of 33.2°, negligible thermal shrinkage at 170 °C, a high tensile strength of 118.7 MPa, a high lithium-ion transference number of 0.89, and an ionic conductivity of 0.71 mS cm−1. LiFePO4 half-cells assembled with this separator deliver a high initial capacity of 166.6 mAh g−1 at 0.5C, retain 98.49% capacity after 200 cycles with a Coulombic efficiency exceeding 99.6%, and exhibit superior rate capability. This work establishes an effective material design approach based on nanofiber-nanoparticle hybrid coatings, effectively addressing the critical trade-offs between safety, stability, and ion-transport kinetics for next-generation high-performance batteries.

The efficient removal of low-concentration volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in indoor and industrial environments remains a significant challenge. Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are potential oxidation catalysts due to their superior adsorption enrichment capability for low-concentration VOCs. In this work, hydroxyl-containing ligands were introduced into UiO-66, and the as-synthesized UiO-66-OH catalyst exhibited exceptional photothermal catalytic performance on oxidation of flowing low-concentration VOCs (initial concentrations of 0.075 mg/L for toluene and 0.064 mg/L for benzene, a weight hourly space velocity (WHSV) of 30000 mL/(g & centerdot; h)), achieving 97% and 90% conversion of toluene and benzene, respectively, surpassing the reported photothermal catalysts such as metal oxides and noble-metal-loaded catalysts. Such impressive activity is attributed to the synergy of thermal catalysis and photocatalysis. Ligand hydroxylation optimizes the electron structure and the ligand-to-metal charge transfer (LMCT) effect, enhancing light absorption, improving electron-hole separation efficiency and photothermal properties of UiO-66. Hydroxyl introduction promotes the formation of oxygen vacancies, facilitating oxygen adsorption/activation to sustain lattice oxygen (Olatt) and generate superoxide radical (& centerdot;O2-), which are the dominant reactive species in VOCs oxidation. This work not only presents the potential of MOFs as efficient photothermal catalysts for the oxidation of low-concentration VOCs but also shows prospects on facile modulation of electron structure by ligand engineering to enhance the photothermal properties of MOFs.

Phase-change materials (PCMs) have demonstrated significant potential in solar energy utilization and thermal management owing to their high energy density and isothermal phase transition. Nevertheless, inherent leakage risks and limited energy sources hinder their widespread application. Herein, multifunctional heterocyclic aramid-based phase-change films doped with n-octadecane (OD) were prepared using an oil-in-oil emulsion template and an emulsion coating technique. In this process, OD was encapsulated using a composite matrix composed of heterocyclic aramid (HA), carbon fibers and carbon nanotubes, forming an OD-in-HA/C non-aqueous emulsion, followed by emulsion coating to yield flexible HA/C/OD phase-change films. The resulting HA/C/OD films exhibited good mechanical strength (5.1 MPa), high enthalpy (92.8 J g-1), minimal supercooling, and almost no leakage. Their superior phase-transition properties remained stable even after 80 thermal cycles. Moreover, the embedded carbon nanotubes and carbon fibers imparted high electrical conductivity, efficient electro- and photo-thermal conversion, and hydrovoltaic electricity generation. By leveraging their combined latent heat and conductivity, these films also served as ideal candidates for information encryption and electromagnetic shielding. This research provides an innovative and scalable strategy for preparing multifunctional polyamide-based PCMs, paving the way for efficient energy utilization and conversion.

The development of morphology-controlled engineered fillers is critical for advancing high performance paper production. Herein, a mechanochemical approach was proposed to self-assemble precipitated calcium carbonate (PCC) and cellulose nanofibers (CNFs) into flexible composite fillers with tunable morphologies (granular, lamellar, and fibrous filler). By regulating the forces of composite formation, the filler morphology was precisely controlled, achieving a retention rate exceeding 90

Aqueous zinc-ion batteries (ZIBs) have emerged as promising candidates for next-generation energy storage systems, owing to the intrinsic-safety aqueous electrolyte and high-energy-density electrode materials. However, their electrochemical performance is limited by two critical interface issues: vulnerability to electrolyte corrosion and insufficient active material adhesion. Here, we develop a bifunctional hydrophobic conductive interface, which effectively mitigates electrode detachment and corrosion. The as-assembled MnO2//Zn batteries retain a high specific capacity of 141.6 mAh g-1 after 1500 cycles at 1.0 C. The prototype pouch cell with a high energy density of 100 Wh kg-1 delivers a long cycle life of 1000 cycles. This advancement not only enhances the electrochemical performance of ZIBs but also paves the way for safe, cost-efficient, and high-performance energy storage solutions.

The escalating integration density of electronic devices has made efficient heat dissipation a critical challenge, highlighting the urgent need for high-performance thermal interface materials (TIMs). This work developed a novel hybrid filler by coating cobalt nanoparticles onto graphene nanosheets and subsequently grafting maleimide to form Co@MI-GNS. The functionalized filler is uniformly dispersed into a carboxylated cellulose nanofiber (CNF) matrix, and a series of Co@MI-GNS/CNF composite films were successfully fabricated using a layer-by-layer (LBL) self-assembly technique. During the LBL process, in-situ formation of "C-N-C" covalent bonds facilitated stable hydrogen bonding between the filler and the matrix, significantly enhancing the interfacial adhesion. Consequently, the LBL-assembled composites exhibited superior thermal conductivity (TC) as compared to the films made by conventional methods such as blade coating or template drying. The interfacial thermal resistance (ITR), calculated using the Foygel model, was remarkably as low as 9.41 & times; 10-10 m2 K W- 1, indicating a substantial improvement in thermal transfer efficiency. The positive influence of filler loading on TC enhancement is further validated by experimental data, a four-parameter fitting method (FPM) coupled with an enthalpy transformation method (ETM) simulation. The reliability of these theoretical predictions is confirmed by thermal dissipation tests on light-emitting diodes (LEDs) and computer CPUs. Collectively, our findings establish that LBL self-assembly is a promising approach for fabricating polymer-based TIMs that combine ultrahigh in-plane thermal conductivity with excellent mechanical flexibility, making them highly suitable for nextgeneration flexible electronic devices.

Abstract Achieving a high β-phase content in poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) using low filler loadings remains a key challenge for flexible piezoelectric composites. Herein, a heterostructured MoS2/SnO2 nanofiller was designed to efficiently induce the nonpolar α-to-polar β-phase transition via interfacial charge transfer and built-in electric field effects. SnO2 nanoparticles were grown in situ onto the exfoliated MoS2 nanosheets to construct a 0D/2D heterojunction. At the interface, the work function difference drove charge transfer and interfacial polarization, which generated a strong built-in electric field, which synergistically promoted the alignment of PVDF’s-CF2-dipoles, in the presence of increased surface area and enhanced local stress transfer, thereby efficiently inducing the β-phase crystallization. PVDF/MoS2–SnO2 composite films containing 1.0 wt % heterostructured nanofiller were prepared by solution casting, and an optimal composite of PVDF/MoS2@SnO2 exhibited an ultrahigh β-phase content of 80.2% (in comparison to a typical 10% for neat PVDF) as well as a fracture elongation above 15% (demonstrating its good flexibility). Under periodic pressure, it showed significantly enhanced electrical output: an open-circuit voltage of 5.92 V and a short-circuit current of 365.70 nA, which were averagely three times those of neat PVDF. The present work confirmed the efficacy of the MoS2/SnO2 heterostructure, which could provide a filler design strategy for high-performance, flexible piezoelectric composite films, highlighting their potential in sensing and energy harvesting.

The solar-driven evaporation of water is deemed as the most promising technology for producing freshwater. However, the complex recalcitrant organic pollutants will contaminate and even shorten the life time of the photothermal materials. Herein, the vertically aligned Fe-doping carbon nanosheets (Fe/CNSs) aerogel were constructed to produce fresh-water from sewage. The porous vertically oriented structure was built by using melem as carbon resource via the ice-templating method. The carbon nanosheets were grown in-situ on the vertically aligned skeletons of melem under the catalysis of ferrocene. The obtained Fe/CNSs composites exhibit excellent hydrophilicity and sunlight absorption as high as 97.3%, resulting in an outstanding solar evaporation efficiency of 91.7% and completely degradation of organic pollutants (methylene blue, methyl orange, tetracycline hydrochloride and bisphenol A) under 1 sun irradiation (1 kW m-2) synergistically. The Fe atoms doped in the carbon nanosheets, which accelerate the generation and transportation of radicals via the photo-Fenton, leading to a rapid degradation efficiency and address the issue of Fe recycling. This work provides a promising strategy for treating the wastewater containing refractory pollutants, such as industrial, dyeing and pharmaceutical wastewaters.

ABSTRACT Order‐aligned structures of thermally conductive fillers in the matrix are of great importance for the highly effective thermal interface materials (TIMs) in the fields of electronic devices, semiconductors, and electronic packaging. However, achieving high thermal conductivity via constructing ordered structures with low filler content remains challenging. Here, we construct vertically aligned Silicon nitride (Si 3 N 4 ) whiskers covered by the in situ growth of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) to form an efficient thermal conductive network. Owing to the successful construction of interconnected structures via thermally conductive Si 3 N 4 whiskers and CNTs, the Si 3 N 4 @CNTs/EP composite with filler content of 8.31 vol% exhibits high out‐of‐plane thermal conductivity of 1.54 W m −1 K −1 and excellent electrical insulation. This finding provides a promising strategy to design high‐performance thermal conductive composites for TIMs in high‐power devices.

Although the solar interfacial evaporation technology with the advantages of outstanding photothermal conversion, easy availability and high freshwater production, their photothermal materials still face the problem of contaminated by the organic pollutants in the raw waters such as sewage and natural water. Herein, we present a vertically oriented hierarchical C/TiO2 nanotubes with bifunction of photocatalytic degradation of pollutants and freshwater production via photothermal effect synchronously. The carbon nanoparticles of the hierarchical C/TiO2 nanotubes not only broaden the range of sunlight absorption to accelerate the water evaporation, but also reduced the recombination of electron-hole significantly to improve the photocatalytic efficiency. Meanwhile, the excellent water transportation via unique arranged arrays vertically, the abundant active sites derived from hierarchical structure, the vertical oriented C/TiO2 nanotubes exhibit a large solar-driven water evaporation rate of 1.59 kg m- 2 h- 1 and the methyl orange (MO) photodegradation efficiency of 92.9 % for the underneath sewage under 1 sun illumination synchronously. These findings have great potential applications in solarpowered production freshwater from wastewater and natural waters such as rain and river water.

The performance of lithium-sulfur batteries (LSBs) is constrained by the shuttle effect of lithium polysulfides (LiPSs), the sluggish conversion kinetics of LiPSs, and high reaction barrier during Li2S deposition/dissolution. In this study, MXene is innovatively incorporated into the synthesis of Ce Metal-organic framework (Ce-BTC) for heterogeneous modification, resulting in a novel nanorod-shaped MXene-Ce-BTC materia. This material possesses more metal sites and functional groups, which not only facilitate the formation of surface defects and increase oxygen vacancies but also enhance the adsorption of LiPSs, thereby promoting their rapid conversion. Finally, MXene-Ce-BTC is incorporated into the prepared paper-based self-supporting cathode and subsequently assembled into LSBs, demonstrating remarkable electrochemical performance: it achieves an initial discharge specific capacity of 1195 mA h g- 1 at a sulfur loading of 3.5 mg cm- 2 and a current density of 0.2C. After 200 cycles, the capacity is 1148 mA h g- 1, with a retention rate of 96.1 %. Even at a high sulfur loading of 8.5 mg cm- 2, it delivers an initial specific capacity of 532 mA h g- 1, with a retention rate of 90.7 % after 100 cycles. This study develops a simple yet efficient MXene-Ce-BTC cathode material, offering novel insights into the design of cathode catalysts.

The (002) crystallographic plane-oriented hydroxyapatite (HA) and anatase TiO2 enable favorable hydrophilicity, osteogenesis, and biocorrosion resistance. Thus, the crystallographic plane control in HA coating and crystalline phase control in TiO2 is vital to affect the surface and interface bioactivity and biocorrosion resistance of titanium (Ti) implants. However, a corresponding facile and efficient fabrication method is absent to realize the HA(002) mineralization and anatase TiO2 formation on Ti. Herein, we utilized the predominant Ti(0002) plane of the fibrous-grained titanium (FG Ti) to naturally form anatase TiO2 and further achieve a (002) basal plane oriented nanoHA (nHA) film through an in situ mild hydrothermal growth strategy. The formed FG Ti-nHA(002) remarkably improved hydrophilicity, mineralization, and biocorrosion resistance. Moreover, the nHA(002) film reserved the microgroove-like topological structure on FG Ti. It could enhance osteogenic differentiation through promoted contact guidance, showing one order of magnitude higher expression of osteogenic-related genes. On the other hand, the nHA(002) film restrained the osteoclast activity by blocking actin ring formation. Based on these capacities, FG Ti-nHA(002) improved new bone growth and binding strength in rabbit femur implantation, achieving satisfactory osseointegration within 2 weeks.

Solid polymer electrolytes are promising candidates for solid-state Li metal batteries owing to their favorable rheological properties and interfacial compatibility with cathodes and Li anodes. However, their limited ionic conductivity and low modulus lead to inferior electrochemical performance and dendrite growth. Herein, we developed a composite solid-state electrolyte comprising vermiculite sheets and a poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) matrix with multivariate distribution and an anisotropic structure. Within this assembly, some vermiculite sheets were suspended in the PVDF matrix to facilitate Li salt dissociation and Li + transport, while others were tiled on the electrolyte surface, generating a dense, high-modulus Li 2 SiO 3 -rich solid electrolyte interphase via in situ electrochemical reduction, which further improved interfacial kinetics and suppressed dendrite growth. As a result, a high conductivity of 1.38 mS cm −1 was achieved at room temperature, and the Li||Li cells displayed robust stability over 3000 h. The LiNi 0.6 Co 0.2 Mn 0.2 O 2 ||Li full cells delivered a specific capacity of 172 mAh g −1 at 0.2 C and 86% capacity retention after 500 cycles at 0.5 C. Additionally, practical cycle performance at a high loading (4.4 mAh cm −2 ) was achieved in pouch cells. Overall, multivariate distribution and anisotropic structuring offers a novel perspective for the preparation of high-performance solid-state electrolytes.