In this study, we developed UV-laser-induced carbon nanosphere/graphene (UV-LICNG) composites using a single-step ablation technique. This method employs UV-laser-induced forward transfer (UV-LIFT) to directly fabricate line-patterned UV-LICNG composites on silane-terminated polyurethane (S-PU) substrates with excellent mechanical properties. The unique structure of UV-LICNG, comprising conjugated carbon nanospheres and graphene with a large surface area, enables outstanding strain and humidity sensing performance. Owing to a separation-based sensing mechanism, the UV-LICNG-based strain sensor exhibits highly sensitive strain detection in the low-strain regime, achieving a high gauge factor (GF ≈ 146.5 within the 0–2

Hierarchical micro/nano porous patterning on cyclic olefin copolymer (COC) surfaces facilitate controlled micro-water droplet transfer, expanding their utility across various applications, e.g. self-cleaning, anti-icing coatings surfaces, as well as water harvesting systems. Despite classical chemical approaches, the precise engineering of hierarchically porous surfaces remains challenging. To address this issue, we propose the utilization of supercritical CO2 (scCO2) foaming of COCs, leveraging a nano-scaled interphase-observed at the interface between the matrix and dispersed phase-to successfully fabricate a COC foam with hierarchical pores. As the minor phase content increases from 5% to 25%, the interphase thickness decreases from 54.4 nm to 19.6 nm, while the domain size of the minor phase increases from 17.4 nm to 78.5 nm. As a result, the molecular entanglement can be improved, the glass transition temperature (Tg) of the system increases from 97.9 degrees C to 104.6 degrees C, as well as the melt strength and rigid amorphous fraction (RAF) can be also significantly enhanced when the minor phase content reaches 15%. The second phase serves as heterogeneous nucleation sites, effectively enhancing expansion ratio from 2.1 to 15.4-folds, as well as the cell density increases from 3.02 & times; 106 cells/cm3 to 5.46 & times; 108 cells/cm3. Tunable hierarchical micro/nano porous COC can be achieved with microcellular ranging from 21.04 to 192.29 mu m and nanocells ranging from 19.72 to 408.16 nm. Remarkably, hydrophobicity (water contact angle of 121.9 degrees) with water adhesion can be simultaneous obtained in COC porous surface, which exhibit a great potential for micro-water droplet transfer application.

Bio-inspired micro/nanostructuring of UV laser-induced highly graphitic carbon (UV-LIHGC) with a carbon content exceeding 98.5 wt% was achieved via a one-step process under ambient conditions, enabling precise control over surface morphology and hierarchical porosity. By systematically tuning laser parameters, diverse carbon architectures exhibiting structural coloration and distinct photothermal-electrothermal functionalities were realized. Under solar irradiation (1 sun), the optimized porous graphitic structure, with carbon nanoparticles contributing to an absorptivity of similar to 98% across a broad solar spectral range, achieved a maximum photothermal evaporation rate of similar to 2.47 kg m(-2) h(-1), benefiting from enhanced light scattering and efficient heat localization. Under electrothermal heating (3 V), Metal-like bilayer UV-LIHGC achieved an enhanced evaporation rate reaching similar to 5.29 kg m(-2) h(-1). Notably, under combined photo-electrothermal operation (1 sun +3 V), the butterfly-inspired structure with a solid-porous alternating architecture achieved the highest evaporation rate of similar to 9.51 kg m(-2) h(-1), demonstrating a strong synergistic heating effect. This superior performance originates from its bio-inspired solid-porous alternating architecture, which simultaneously promotes broadband solar absorption, localized photothermal heating, and efficient Joule heating through continuous conductive pathways. These findings position UV-laser-engineered graphitic carbon as a scalable and versatile framework for high-efficiency solar-thermal energy conversion under diverse environmental conditions.

Isotactic polybutene-1 (PB-1) shows peculiar crystallization behavior during crystallization from the melt, the metastable form II is always obtained. During aging at room temperature, the metastable crystals further undergo a solid-solid transition into the stable form I with a corresponding change in volume. Therefore, direct formation of the stable crystalline form I' in PB-1 has attracted significant attention in research. In this work, we report a molar mass (Mw) dependency of polymorph selection in PB-1 under compressed carbon dioxide (CO2). PB-1 with a lower Mw exhibited a larger fraction of form II than the higher Mw PB-1 at the same CO2 pressure, and the former required a higher pressure to completely suppress the formation of form II. It was shown that differences in chain morphologies in the formed crystals played a decisive role in polymorph selection. PB-1 with a lower Mw crystallized into form II with chain-extended crystals, whereas PB-1 with a higher Mw crystallized into form II with folded-chain crystals. A lower nucleation free energy barrier was expected in the former than in the latter, weakening the suppression of form II in a lower Mw PB-1 under compressed CO2.

Electrochromic microsupercapacitors (EC-MSCs) featuring in-plane interdigital electrodes are multifunctional energy storage devices capable of real-time visualization of their charge state within a compact footprint. In particular, redox-active organic EC molecules possess high optical modulation and high structural tunability, enabling diverse color expression and electrochemical properties. Despite these advantages, the correlation between the diffusive flux behavior of redox species and the resulting electrochemical performance within interdigitated electrode architectures remains unclear. In this study, we systematically elucidate the correlation between key factors governing diffusive flux, namely, electric field distribution and concentration gradient, and energy storage performance. The electrode gap size and redox species concentration were systematically varied, and the ionic motion and redox species transport during device operation were decoupled for separate analysis. Our results suggest that energy storage performance, while linearly dependent on the concentration gradient, can exhibit nonlinear behavior depending on the electric field distribution, highlighting the dominance of electric field configuration in diffusion-controlled EC-MSCs. This work provides a design framework for future development of compact and multifunctional energy storage systems.

Cyclic olefin copolymer (COC) foams are promising candidates in various fields, such as aerospace, new energy and construction, due to their remarkable thermal and chemical resistance. However, low melt strength of COC limits foaming expansion, thereby hindering the develop thermal insulative foam. Herein, we utilize the nano-scaled interphase in self-reinforced partially compatible COC blends to obviously enhance melt strength and cell density, and develop COC foams with remarkable thermal insulating performance via supercritical CO2 (sc-CO2) foaming techniques. Specifically, COC-36 with a norbornene (NB) content of 36% as the matrix and COC-51 with an NB content of 51% as the minor phase, respectively. The phase separation can be clearly observed with size ranging from 20 nm to 100 nm by increasing minor phase ratio from 15% to 25%. Atomic force microscopy characterization further confirms the presence of COC nano-interphase. The nano-interphase could substantially increase COC melt strength and enhance viscosity (eta(0.01)) (at the frequency of 0.01 Hz) from 2.4 & times; 10(4) Pa & centerdot;s to 3.7 & times; 10(5) Pa & centerdot;s, which leads to well expansion of resultant COC foam with expansion ratio rising up to 14. Moreover, the cell density is elevated from 1.3 & times; 10(7) cells/cm(3) to 9.1 & times; 10(7) cells/ cm(3) due to heterogeneous nucleation effect. Therefore, due to the increase in foam porosity, this contributes to enhancing the thermal insulation performance of the COC foam, achieving a thermal conductivity of 36.1 mW & centerdot;m(-)& sup1;K-& sup1; . This work provides a recyclable and eco-friendly route to develop thermal insulated foam via sc-CO2 foaming from COC nano-interphase.

This work overcomes density-performance challenges in manufacturing mechanically robust engineering materials for automotive and aerospace applications, using an industrially scalable low-pressure foam injection molding approach. Drawing inspiration from plant-xylem tissue, hierarchically structured foams were developed from multi-phase polymer blends of co-continuous polycarbonate (PC) and selectively toughened polylactide (PLA). Microcomputed tomography revealed that blend foams exhibit bimodal microcell networks (BMN)s with fine cells of mean similar to 4.2-7.4 mu m surrounding larger cells of mean similar to 38.7-61.8 mu m, in the PC and PLA phases, respectively. These bio-inspired foams exhibit exceptional mechanical performance, with specific flexural modulus, specific flexural strength, and impact strength improvements up to 20%, 42%, and 34% relative to the solid PC control, with up to a 24% density reduction. Beyond mechanical performance, these bio-inspired foams exhibit fantastic thermal insulation ability (lambda similar to 11.6 cW.m(-1).K-1, 48% improvement relative to solid PC) with up to a 30% increase in thermal shielding, in addition to great geometric-shape stability. This micro-structuring strategy is a low-cost and scalable approach to manufacture low-density, impact-resistant thermal insulation materials to meet the ever-increasing demand for lightweight, functional engineering polymers that achieve climate goals in automotive and aerospace sectors.

This study demonstrates that interfacial stereocomplexation in poly(L-lactic acid) (PLLA)/poly(D-lactic acid) (PDLA) alternating multilayered structures offers a simple approach to tuning the mechanical properties and hydrolysis resistance of poly(lactic acid) (PLA). PLLA/PDLA multilayered sheets with various layer numbers were fabricated by sequential compression molding at a moderate temperature, enabling selective formation of stereocomplex crystals (SCs) while suppressing thermal degradation. Enzymatic etching visualized the internal morphology and confirmed that the interfacial area between PLLA and PDLA increased with increasing layer number. X-ray diffraction measurements further revealed that only SCs were formed across all layer numbers, and SC crystallinity increased as the number of layers increased. This enhanced SC content contributed to the development of interfacial anchoring structures, allowing the tensile modulus and strength to exceed rule-of-mixtures predictions by more than 15 and 17%, respectively, for high-layer-number sheets. Furthermore, hydrolysis tests revealed that amorphous structures, such as mobile amorphous fraction (MAF) and rigid amorphous fraction (RAF), are critical factors governing the degradation behavior. Above the polymer's glass transition temperature, T g, MAF reorganized into alpha-crystals via cold crystallization, generating RAF that accelerated hydrolysis due to increased chain defects and enhanced water diffusivity. In high-layer-number sheets, high SC content suppressed RAF formation and significantly reduced the hydrolysis rate. In contrast, below T g, restricted molecular mobility limited structural rearrangement, resulting in negligible dependence of degradation rate on layer number. These findings demonstrate that interfacial stereocomplexation not only reinforces PLA mechanically but also controls high-temperature hydrolysis pathways by regulating structural changes.

Increasingly strict environmental regulations and sustainability goals are driving global adoption of lightweight materials in advanced transportation and defense applications. Inspired by nature's unparalleled engineering, this work employs butterfly-hierarchical architectures to develop hybrid composites that emulate the synergy-induced multifunctional performance of natural materials. Specifically, these composites are reinforced with hierarchical fibrous assemblies comprised of nano-sized graphene nanoplatelets (GnPs) covalently bonded onto micro-sized glass fibers (GFs). In detail, this work showcases a novel approach to control the in situ self-assembly behavior of these reinforcements, achieved by tailoring the GFs' surface chemistry through functionalization, to maximize the density of covalently-bonded GnPs. Compared to the current industrial substitute for metallic structural components, the developed hybrid composites are tailorable to achieve improvements up to 29%, 116%, and 109% in specific tensile strength, flexural strength, and impact strength, respectively, as well as 22%, 42%, and 110% in thermal conductivity, thermal management performance, and processability, respectively, with an overall 18% weight-reduction. These advancements stem from the detailed structure-property designs, spanning across multiple length scales, encompassing crystal polymorphism, fiber alignment, and distribution, imparting a fundamental understanding of how to tune material performance to meet stringent requirements. Ultimately, these cost-effective, industry-ready butterfly-inspired hybrid composites can produce lightweight, multifunctional components, demonstrating the potential of hierarchical architecture in advancing sustainable engineering solutions for a greener future.

A flexible skin patch based on thermochromic liquid crystals (TLCs) embedded within a polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) elastomer is presented for passive visualization of skin-vein thermal contrasts. Five ternary TLC formulations composed of cholesteryl oleyl carbonate (COC), cholesteryl nonanoate (CN), and cholesteryl benzoate (CB) were systematically engineered to tune mesophase stability and helical pitch sensitivity within the physiological temperature range (32-37 °C). Small compositional adjustments (≤1 wt.%) produced pronounced and predictable shifts in color-play bandwidth and optical sensitivity, governed by thermally induced contraction of the cholesteric helix. Patterned TLC microdomains were integrated onto optically absorptive PDMS substrates and encapsulated within a transparent PDMS overlayer, yielding thin, mechanically compliant, and breathable films with uniform thermal transmission. Optical spectroscopy, optical microscopy, and RGB analysis revealed linear wavelength-temperature relationships (R2 > 0.9) and red-to-green sensitivities of up to ~87 nm °C-1, demonstrating high thermochromic sensitivity within the physiological skin temperature range. Mechanical characterization confirmed skin-matched elasticity, while preliminary sterilization studies indicated that the films retained their mechanical properties following ethanol immersion and UV exposure. As a feasibility study, the results demonstrate the potential of a compositionally tunable thermochromic elastomer platform for visualizing physiological skin temperature variations associated with superficial veins, providing a basis for further development toward wearable vein visualization for self-cannulation in home hemodialysis and related thermal sensing applications.

This work investigates the adhesion dynamics and interfacial behavior of ethylene vinyl alcohol (EVOH) and a commercial tie layer based on polyethylene-grafted maleic anhydride (PE-g-MA) films, manufactured through a multilayer co-extrusion process. The interfacial morphology is significantly influenced by the co-extrusion parameters and the cooling conditions. Moreover, increasing the co-extrusion temperature leads to an increase in interface thickness and induces greater entanglement, thereby enhancing adhesion. Additionally, water quenching caused the interdiffusion of the adjacent polymers across the interface to freeze and, in turn, resulted in a strong adhesion between EVOH and the tie layer. The corresponding failure mode is predominantly cohesive, particularly at elevated temperatures (60 degrees C and 80 degrees C), where we observed a 250 % improvement in the peel strength. Conversely, air cooling (slow) yielded adhesive failures irrespective of the peel test temperature. This study demonstrates the importance of understanding the process and the interfacial behavior that drives the adhesion mechanism between EVOH and PE-g-MA at room and high temperatures.

Stringent environmental policies and sustainability targets are driving the adoption of lightweight materials in high-performance transportation and defense sectors. Inspired by nature's unparalleled engineering, this work introduces butterfly-inspired hybrid composites that emulate the multifunctional performance of natural architectures. Specifically, these composites are reinforced with hierarchical fibrous assemblies comprised of nano-sized graphene nanoplatelets covalently bonded onto micro-sized glass fibers, emulating the hierarchical architecture of butterfly legs. Additionally, sandwich-structured composites are designed to mimic the alternating rigid and porous layered scales of butterfly wings, featuring a foamed composite core sandwiched between solid composite skins, leading to superior mechanical and thermal management performance. Compared to the current industrial composite substitute for metallic structural components, these hybrid composites are tailorable to achieve improvements up to 32%, 36%, and 116% in specific tensile strength, specific flexural strength, and impact strength, respectively, as well as 66% in thermal insulation and 62% in thermal management performance, with a 38% weight reduction. These advancements stem from the detailed structure-property designs, spanning across multiple length-scales, formulating a fundamental understanding of how to tune performance to meet stringent requirements. Ultimately, these cost-effective, industry-ready butterfly-inspired materials produce lightweight, multifunctional components that showcase the potential of biomimicry in advancing sustainable engineering solutions.

Despite their promise as industrial materials, kimchi cabbage byproducts (KCBs) are typically disposed of through landfilling or incineration. Previous research on KCB recycling has primarily focused on low-value applications, which do not fully exploit the potential of these byproducts as sources of cellulose-rich biofiber (CRB). To bridge this gap, this study investigated the ability of CRB extracted from KCBs to enhance the mechanical properties of poly (butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) (PBAT) composites. High-purity CRB with an improved whiteness index and thermal stability was effectively extracted using citric acid/H2O2 pretreatment, an eco-friendly method outperforming conventional pretreatments based on strong acid- or halogen-containing chemicals in terms of toxicity and ease of operation. PBAT composite films with varying CRB contents (0-25 wt%) were fabricated using twin-screw compounding followed by compression molding. The mechanical and thermal property analyses of the PBAT/CRB composites revealed that the incorporation of 15 wt% CRB yielded an optimal balance between mechanical strength and flexibility, increasing Young's modulus and tensile strength without compromising elongation at break. The enhanced interfacial adhesion between CRB and PBAT revealed by morphological analysis was attributed to hydrogen bonding. These findings suggest that KCB-derived CRB is a promising biofiller for enhancing the mechanical properties of PBAT composites, offering a sustainable alternative for various industrial applications.

This study explores confined foaming in micro-/nano-layered (MNL) solid/porous alternating structures inspired by the hierarchical architecture of Ulysses butterfly wings. Biomimetic MNL films composed of alternating polycarbonate (PC) and polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) layers (17-513 layers) are fabricated via advanced coextrusion and foaming techniques. In situ visualization reveals confinement effects dependent on layer thickness; while nucleation primarily occurrs at PC/PMMA interfaces due to reduced energy barriers, a strong confinement zone within 10 µm of the interfaces significantly restricts cell growth, most notably in the 129-layer and 513-layer samples, where single-cell rows are observed. Thermal regulation tests show that the 513-layer bio-mimic structure reduces temperature rise by 80%, 65%, and 50% compared to polyethylene (PE) film, a three-layer sandwich structure, and butterfly wings, respectively. It also exhibits exceptional delay in heat accumulation under radiative conditions, with a time to reach half of the maximum temperature rise of 165 s, compared to 20 s (PE) and 40 s (both three-layer and butterfly wing). The bio-mimic architecture also exhibits strong anisotropic thermal conductivity, effectively suppressing through-thickness heat transfer while enhancing lateral dissipation. These results connect nature-inspired design and practical implementation, highlighting the potential of bio-mimic MNL structures for advanced thermal management applications.

This study presents the first integration of spray dried (SD), non-modified, lignocellulosic nanofibrils (LCNF) into polylactic acid (PLA) by melt blending. Originating from industrial forestry waste, SD LCNFs are an inexpensive, non-toxic, and abundantly accessible drop-in filler whose production is facile, continuous, and highly scalable. Addition of SD LCNF into PLA yields enhanced barrier and mechanical performance due to SD LCNF's alteration of the crystalline microstructure and fracture dynamics. Incorporating 1-1.5 wt% of SD LCNFs into PLA results in significant enhancements: tensile strength by 32.8%, toughness by 44.6%, water vapor barrier performance by 38.8%, and oxygen barrier properties by 26.4%, compared to neat PLA. Their nucleating capability hastens isothermal crystallization of PLA composites by over 90%, enabling faster processing times. For the first time, insitu polarized optical microscopy is used to visualize fracture toughening mechanisms in PLA under strain, revealing a direct link between mechanical property improvements and the role of SD LCNFs as craze nucleators in PLA. Additionally, the in-situ observation of crystallization kinetics highlights how SD LCNFs influences PLA microstructure, correlating these structural changes with enhanced barrier and mechanical properties. The composite's optical clarity and UV shielding capabilities are assessed, confirming its potential for specialty packaging applications.

This study evaluated the effects of maleic anhydride (MA) coupling agent on the mechanical and thermal properties and long-term stability of post-consumer recycled (PCR) plastics. The addition of MA coupling agent increased the tensile strength by 32.12

In pursuit of lightweight, functional thermoplastic materials, novel monolithic aerogels composed entirely of poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) and its stereocomplex crystals are reported. Herein, PMMA aerogels are fabricated using a one-pot thermoreversible gelation procedure, coupled with supercritical CO2 (scCO2) drying. These aerogels exhibit either mixed macro- and mesoporous, or exclusively mesoporous character, with low densities (0.03-0.4 g cm-3) and high porosities (97.3-66.6%), depending on the concentration of PMMA used in sol-gel processing. These aerogels also exhibit among the highest melting temperature and enthalpy reported for PMMA stereocomplex crystals, a consequence of scCO2 drying that promotes chain reorganization processes. Despite the characteristically brittle nature of PMMA and aerogels with similar densities, these aerogels exhibit an unusually remarkable balance between stiffness, strength, and toughness that arises from their nanometric-crystalline-ligament-containing structure. These monoliths are also superoleophilic (sorption capacity: 2.9-29.8 g g-1), are well-suited for oil-water separation, and are effective thermal insulators (k: 24-65 mW m-1 K-1). Importantly, these aerogels can be easily recycled via chemical recycling and melt-processing. These findings provide the foundation for future fabrication of recyclable thermogel derivatives, and reveal process-structure-property relationships for stereocomplex crystal-based monoliths.

Pressing concerns regarding increasing industrial emissions and the spread of environmental pathogens have catalyzed substantial research into developing absorbents and antibacterial surfaces. Graphene-based composites incorporating metal oxide nanoparticles (MONPs) have recently gained significant attention for large-scale implementation, offering excellent absorbent behavior, photocatalytic performance, antibacterial properties, and straightforward fabrication pathways. However, the integration of heterogeneous ternary MONPs on highly porous graphene structures remains challenging. Laser-induced graphene (LIG) offers a promising avenue for customizing graphene-based composite materials, potentially transforming various industries through the rapid and cost-effective production of three-dimensional, multifunctional porous structures. This study pioneers the fabrication of nanocomposites composed of hetero-conjugated CuO, Fe3O4, and TiO2 ternary MONPs embedded in high-surface-area bilayer ultraviolet (UV)-LIG, targeting absorption, photocatalysis, and self-sterilization against foodborne pathogens. This hybrid nanocomposite demonstrates consistent absorption and photodegradation performance, making it a strong candidate for industrial waste absorption, photo- degradation of volatile organic compounds, and antibacterial surfaces for food packaging. For industrial waste adsorption, the adsorption kinetics of methylene blue (MB) was examined and followed a pseudo-second-order model with a maximum adsorption capacity of 402.9 mg/g according to the Langmuir isotherm. The ternary MONPs/UV-LIG photocatalyst exhibits outstanding performance, achieving approximately 95 % degradation efficiency of MB under visible light irradiation. The ternary MONPs/UV-LIG also demonstrated remarkable self- sterilization, achieving a 5-log cycle (99.999 %) reduction in foodborne pathogens in 60 s, making it ideal for applications necessitating antimicrobial surfaces. Ternary MONPs/UV-LIG composites exhibit exceptional adsorptive and photocatalytic efficiency under visible light, enabling sustainable degradation of organic pollutants and pathogens without external stimulation, making them ideal for environmental remediation and antimicrobial applications.