Self-Repairing Humidity-Adjustable Anisotropic Adhesion Switch for Smart Manipulation.

Stimuli-responsive surface adhesion regulation is widely used in automated assembly systems, intelligent pick-up and placement systems, and soft crawling robots. However, in the actual separation process, it tends to produce separation residue or excessive adhesion. Therefore, how to regulate surface adhesion on demand is a significant challenge. Herein, inspired by the anisotropic adhesion behavior of butterflies and the controlled adhesion behavior of octopuses, based on molecular conformational rearrangement and anisotropic structures, a humidity-responsive PES-PI/PDMS composite surface is achieved to meet the needs of controllable adhesion orientation and strength, which could be used for an intelligent transfer system (grasping and releasing and anisotropic transporting). Humidity can effectively tune the hydrogen bonding and the interaction between polymers, resulting in excellent self-healing and durability properties of the composite surface. Moreover, humidity could adjust the surface transmittance as well, making it possible to be used in humidity sensing and in a detection and encryption/decryption system to enhance environmental monitoring and information protection capabilities. This work not only establishes a method for the fabrication of innovative "high-flexibility" adhesive materials but also provides approaches for the design and development of intelligent response devices.

Formulating Self-repairing Solid Electrolyte Interface via Dynamic Electric Double Layer for Practical Zinc ion Batteries.

Zinc ion batteries (ZIBs) encounter interface issues stemming from the water-rich electrical double layer (EDL) and unstable solid-electrolyte interphase (SEI). Herein, we propose the dynamic EDL and self-repairing hybrid SEI for practical ZIBs via incorporating the horizontally-oriented dual-site additive. The rearrangement of distribution and molecular configuration of additive constructs the robust dynamic EDL under different interface charges. And, a self-repairing organic-inorganic hybrid SEI is constructed via the electrochemical decomposition of additive. The dynamic EDL and self-repairing SEI accelerate interfacial kinetics, regulate deposition and suppress side reactions in the both stripping and plating during long-term cycles, which affords high reversibility for 500 h at 42.7% depth of discharge or 50 mA·cm-1. Remarkably, Zn//NVO full cells deliver the impressive cycling stability for 10000 cycles with 100% capacity retention at 3 A·g-1 and for over 3000 cycles even at lean electrolyte (7.5 µL·mAh-1) and high loading (15.26 mg·cm-2). Moreover, effectiveness of this strategy is further demonstrated in the low-temperature full cell (-30 oC).

Bio-inspired compensatory strategies for damage to flapping robotic propulsors.

Natural swimmers and flyers can fully recover from catastrophic propulsor damage by altering stroke mechanics: some fish can lose even 76% of their propulsive surface without loss of thrust. We consider applying these principles to enable robotic flapping propulsors to autonomously repair functionality. However, direct transference of these alterations from an organism to a robotic flapping propulsor may be suboptimal owing to irrelevant evolutionary pressures. Instead, we use machine learning techniques to compare these alterations with those optimal for a robotic system. We implement an online artificial evolution with hardware-in-the-loop, performing experimental evaluations with a flexible plate. To recoup thrust, the learned strategy increased amplitude, frequency and angle of attack (AOA) amplitude, and phase-shifted AOA by approximately 110°. Only amplitude increase is reported by most fish literature. When recovering side force, we find that force direction is correlated with AOA. No clear amplitude or frequency trend is found, whereas frequency increases in most insect literature. These results suggest that how mechanical flapping propulsors most efficiently adjust to damage may not align with natural swimmers and flyers.

Solvent-Directed Bioactive Supramolecular Zinc(II)-Metallogels: Exploring Semiconducting Aptitudes of Fabricating p-n Junction and Schottky Devices.

α-Ketoglutaric acid-based supramolecular Zn(II) metallogels in N,N'-dimethylformamide (DMF) and dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) solvent (i.e., Zn-α-Glu-DMF and Zn-α-Glu-DMSO) were successfully achieved. Zinc(II) acetate salt and α-ketoglutaric acid directed a three-dimensional noncovalent supramolecular network individually entrapped with N,N'-dimethylformamide (DMF) and dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) solvent to accomplish their respective semisolid flexible metallogel frameworks. The gel features of these synthesized materials were verified by rheological experiments such as amplitude sweep and frequency sweep measurements. The discrete morphological arrangements were analyzed for these metallogel samples through field emission scanning electron microscopic (FESEM) analysis. Highly stacked interconnected blocks of Zn-α-Glu-DMF with hierarchical arrays are found due to the occurrence of diverse noncovalent supramolecular interactions present in the metallogel framework. A distinct spherical shaped microstructure with interconnected hierarchical assembly has been observed for the FESEM pattern of Zn-α-Glu-DMSO. FTIR spectroscopic measurement was carried out to detect some important stretching vibrations of xerogel samples of different metallogels as well as gel-constructing chemical ingredients. A substantial amount of peak shifting of xerogel samples for both metallogels is observed in FTIR analysis, indicating the presence of different noncovalent interactions. ESI-mass analysis portrays a possible metallogel-constructing strategy. The antibacterial potentialities of both metallogels were investigated. These materials exhibited good antimicrobial efficacy toward Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacterial strains (including Escherichia coli, Bacillus cereus, Staphylococcus aureus, Listeria monocytogenes, and Salmonella typhimurium). Both synthesized metallogels were successfully implemented to fabricate the photoresponsive semiconducting diode. These materials offer excellent photodiode parameters including an ideality factor and rectification ratio (ON/OFF ratio). Synthesized metallogels are used to successfully fabricate photodiodes with an Al/p-Si/metallogel/Au structure. The ideality factors (η) for Zn-α-Glu-DMF and Zn-α-Glu-DMSO are found as 1.3 and 2.3, respectively, in dark conditions. The rectification ratios for Zn-α-Glu-DMF and Zn-α-Glu-DMSO metallogels are also determined, and these are found as 40 and 10, respectively.

Damage-Tolerant and Self-Repairing Web-Like Borate Type Binder Enable Stable Operation of Efficient Si-Based Anodes.

Novel binder designs are shown to be fruitful in improving the electrochemical performance of silicon (Si)-based anodes. However, issues with mechanical damage from dramatic volume change and poor lithium-ion (Li+) diffusion kinetics in Si-based materials still need to be addressed. Herein, an aqueous self-repairing borate-type binder (SBG) with a web-like architecture and high ionic conductivity is designed for Si and SiO electrodes. The 3D web-like architecture of the SBG binder enables uniform stress distribution, while its self-repairing ability promotes effective stress dissipation and mechanical damage repair, thereby enhancing the damage tolerance of the electrode. The tetracoordinate boron ions ( - BO 4 - $ - {\mathrm{BO}}_4^ - $ ) in the SBG binder boosts the Li transportation kinetics of Si-based electrodes. Based on dynamic covalent and ionic conductive boronic ester bonds, the diverse requirements of the binder, including uniform stress distribution, self-repairing ability, and high ionic conductivity, can be met by simple components. Consequently, the proposed straightforward multifunction design strategy for binders based on dynamic boron chemistry provides valuable insights into fabricating high-performance Si-based anodes.

Biologically produced and metal-organic framework delivered dual-cut CRISPR/Cas9 system for efficient gene editing and sensitized cancer therapy.

Manipulation of the lactate metabolism is an efficient way for cancer treatment given its involvement in cancer development, metastasis, and immune escape. However, most of the inhibitors of lactate transport carriers suffer from poor specificity. Herein, we use the CRISPR/Cas9 system to precisely downregulate the monocarboxylate carrier 1 (MCT1) expression. To avoid the self-repairing during the gene editing process, a dual-Cas9 ribonucleoproteins (duRNPs) system is generated using the biological fermentation method and delivered into cells by the zeolitic imidazolate framework-8 (ZIF-8) nanoparticles, enabling precise removal of a specific DNA fragment from the genome. For efficient cancer therapy, a specific glucose transporter 1 inhibitor (BAY-876) is co-delivered with the duRNPs, forming BAY/duRNPs@ZIF-8 nanoparticle. ZIF-8 nanoparticles can deliver the duRNPs into cells within 1 h, which efficiently downregulates the MCT1 expression, and prohibits lactate influx. Through simultaneous inhibition of the lactate and glucose influx, BAY/duRNPs@ZIF-8 prohibits ATP generation, arrests cell cycle, inhibits cell proliferation, and finally induces cellular apoptosis both in vitro and in vivo. Consequently, we demonstrate that the biologically produced duRNPs delivered into cells by the nonviral ZIF-8 carrier have expanded the CRISPR/Cas gene editing toolbox and elevated the gene editing efficiency, which will promote biological studies and clinical applications. STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE: The CRISPR/Cas9 system, widely used as an efficient gene editing tool, faces a challenge due to cells' ability to self-repair. To address this issue, a strategy involving dual-cutting of the genome DNA has been designed and implemented. This strategy utilizes biologically produced dual-ribonucleoproteins delivered by a metal-organic framework. The effectiveness of this dual-cut CRISPR-Cas9 system has been demonstrated through a therapeutic approach targeting the simultaneous inhibition of lactate and glucose influx in cancer cells. The utilization of the dual-cut gene editing strategy has provided valuable insights into gene editing and expanded the toolbox of the CRISPR/Cas-based gene editing system. It has the potential to enable more efficient and precise manipulation of specific protein expression in the future.

Crosslinking of Epoxidized Natural Rubber with Borax for Self-Healing and Self-Repairing Properties: pH Dependence.

Epoxidized natural rubber (ENR) crosslinked using borax, which exhibits self-healing and self-repairing properties, is successfully developed. The crosslink formation of ENR by using borax under neutral and alkaline conditions is investigated. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) shows that the borate-ester bond is formed in ENR prepared under both neutral and alkaline conditions, whereas boron nuclear magnetic resonance (11 B-NMR) results exhibit that the ENR prepared under alkaline conditions more actively forms crosslink networks with borax. Moreover, the crosslink density and gel content increase significantly with the presence of borax in alkaline conditions. The crosslink density and gel content of ENR with 10 phr borax are higher by 155% and 36%, respectively, than those of neat ENR. Furthermore, the formation of the crosslinking ENR by borax enhances self-healing and self-repairing properties. The healing efficiency significantly increases from 1.09% to 85.90%, when ENR is developed under alkaline conditions with 30 phr borax. These results represent the first successful demonstration of the efficient use of borax as a crosslinker in ENR, which exhibits its promising self-healing and self-repairing properties under atmospheric conditions without the need for external stimuli. The ENR prepared in this work holds great promise for various self-healing rubber applications.

Experimental Investigation of Cumulative Damage and Self-Healing Properties of Smart Cementitious Composite under Continuous Compression Load.

This study investigated the effect of sustained loading on the cumulative damage of a newly developed smart cement-based self-healing composite material (SMA-ECC). SMA-ECC is composed of engineered cementitious composite (ECC) and shape memory alloy (SMA) fibers. A uniaxial compressive test with five predefined loading levels (0%, 30%, 40%, 50%, and 60% of compressive strength) was conducted on SMA-ECC hollow-cylindrical specimens and ECC control hollow-cylindrical specimens. The cumulative damage was mainly determined by changes in the total water absorption of different groups of specimens during three different periods (not loaded, at a predefined loading level, and after unloading). A normalized water content index was proposed to couple the effects of self-healing, sustained loading, and cumulative damage. The test results indicate that the cumulative water absorption of SMA-ECC was 35% lower than that of ECC, which may indicate less irreparable damage. In addition, the self-healing ability of SMA-ECC specimens under different compression load levels was evaluated through normalized water content analysis. SMA-ECC exhibited a 100% repair rate at load levels of 30% and 40%. At a higher load level of 60%, the repair rate of SMA-ECC was 76%. These results collectively emphasize the significant impermeability and self-healing performance of SMA-ECC after unloading.

Highly Robust and Strain-Resilient Thin Film Conductors Featuring Brittle Materials.

Stretchable conductors with stable electrical conductivity under various deformations are essential for wearable electronics, soft robots, and biointegrated devices. However, brittle film-based conductors on elastomeric substrates often suffer from unexpected electrical disconnection due to the obvious mechanical incompatibility between stiff films and soft substrates. We proposed a novel out-of-plane crack control strategy to achieve the strain-insensitive electrical performance of thin-film-based conductors, featuring conductive brittle materials, including nanocrystalline metals (Cu, Ag, Mo) and transparent oxides (ITO). Our metal film-based conductors exhibit an ultrahigh initial conductivity (1.3 × 105 S cm-1) and negligible resistance change (R/R0 = 1.5) over wide strain range from 0 to 130%, enabled by film-induced substrate cracking and liquid metal-induced electrical self-repairing. They could function well under multimodal deformations (stretching, bending, and twisting) and severe mechanical damage (cutting and puncturing). We demonstrated the strain-resilient electrical functionality of metal film-based conductors in a flexible light-emitting diode display that shows high mechanical compliance.

Research Progress of Superhydrophobic Materials in the Field of Anti-/De-Icing and Their Preparation: A Review.

Accumulated ice has brought much damage to engineering and people's lives. The accumulation of ice can affect the flight safety of aircraft and lead to the failure of cables and power generation blades; it can even cause damage to human life. Traditional anti-icing and de-icing strategies have many disadvantages such as high energy consumption, low efficiency, or pollution of the environment. Therefore, inspired by animal communities, researchers have developed new passive anti-icing materials such as superhydrophobic material. In this paper, the solid surface wetting phenomenon and superhydrophobic anti-icing and de-icing mechanism were introduced. The methods of fabrication of superhydrophobic surfaces were summarized. The research progress of wear-resistant superhydrophobic coatings, self-healing/self-repairing superhydrophobic coatings, photothermal superhydrophobic coatings, and electrothermal superhydrophobic coatings in the field of anti-icing and de-icing was reviewed. The current problems and challenges were analyzed, and the development trend of superhydrophobic materials was also prospected in the field of anti-icing and de-icing. The practicality of current superhydrophobic materials should continue to be explored in depth.

Effect of Sandpaper Meshes on the Performance of Tilia Sp. Self-Repairing Coatings.

This study aimed to investigate the impact of different sandpaper sanding meshes on the mechanical and optical properties of microencapsulated Tilia sp. film. An orthogonal experiment revealed that sanding between primers had the most significant effect. Furthermore, an independent experiment implied that increasing the mesh size resulted in decreased surface roughness and decreased color difference, elongation at break, and gloss after liquid resistance. In the aging test, the color difference of the paint film increased with the aging time, and the gloss tended to stabilize. Additionally, the anti-aging gloss of 240 mesh sandpaper used between primers remained relatively stable. The paint film sanded with 240 mesh sandpaper between primers displayed small and regular cracks after temperature and UV aging. Overall, the paint film demonstrated good comprehensive performance when sanded with 240 mesh between primers, 240 mesh between primer/topcoat, and 1000 mesh for topcoat. Self-repairing microcapsules showed better repair efficacy on the coating. This study provides a technical reference for the development of self-repairing coatings.

Electronic-Control Friction Behavior of Porous Metal-Organic Framework@Ag Nanocrystals as Self-Repairing Lubricant Additive.

The low conductivity and poor antifriction performance of lubricants are the main causes of wear failure in mechanical equipment under electronic-control friction. Metal-organic framework (MOF) nanocomposites can be used to fabricate a new kind of lubricant additive. Herein, porous Cu-BTC@Ag MOF nanocrystals were successfully synthesized via an in situ generation method. Transmission electron microscopy results showed that the nano-Ag element was evenly dispersed throughout the Cu-BTC matrix. Cu-BTC@Ag nanocrystals can significantly improve the electrical conductivity of the EMI-BF4 ionic liquid, which increased by 38.8%. The average coefficients of friction (COF) and wear volume of EMI-BF4 ionic liquid with 0.5 wt % Cu-BTC@Ag decreased by 8.3 and 16% without applied voltage, respectively. This finding was due to the continuous extrusion of the EMI-BF4 stored in the Cu-BTC@Ag pores under external load. It entered the contact zone, thereby maintaining the continuous supply of lubricant. At 20 V applied voltage in the friction process, the COF of the EMI-BF4/2.0wt %Cu-BTC@Ag lubricant decreased by 18.8%, and its wear volume decreased by 32.7%. The Cu-BTC@ Ag nanocrystals adsorbed onto the metal surface to form a friction reaction film by the action of electric fields, which can repair the wear defects on the friction interface. Therefore, Cu-BTC@Ag nanocrystals acting as an additive in lubricant have remarkable prospects in the area of electronic-control friction.

Principles of Self-Repairing Ability of Tripodal Ligand-Stabilized Hybrid Cobalt Hydroxide Nanosheets for Alkaline Water Electrolysis.

Self-repairing catalysts are promising new materials for achieving long lifetime of alkaline water electrolyzers powered by renewable energy. Catalytic nanoparticles dispersed in an electrolyte were deposited on the anode to repair a catalyst layer by electrolysis. A hybrid cobalt hydroxide nanosheet modified with tris(hydroxymethyl)aminomethane on the surface (Co-ns) was used as a catalyst. Assuming a pseudo-first-order process, the rate constant of an electrochemical deposition was linearly correlated with the electrode potential during electrolysis. Thus, it is expected that the repair of the catalyst is automatically controlled by changes in the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) overpotential. The essential step of the electrochemical deposition was the anodic oxidation of Co2+ to Co3+ . Surface modification of Co-ns protects Co2+ against the autooxidation of Co2+ caused by the dissolved oxygen. The redox properties and organic modification of Co-ns make them well-suited for the self-repairing of anode catalysts.

Massive Fabrication of Flexible, Form-Stable, and Self-Repairing Brine Phase Change Material Gels toward Smart Cold Chain Logistics.

Cold chain logistics plays an extremely important role in the storage and transportation of perishable products. Nowadays, phase change materials (PCMs) have been applied in emerging cold chain logistics to overcome the problems of low stability, high energy consumption, and high cost in mechanical refrigeration-based cold chain logistics. Mass production of high-performance phase change cold storage materials toward cold chain logistics is still a major challenge. Herein, self-repairing brine phase change gels (BPCMGs) massively fabricated by ionic cross-linking, covalent cross-linking, and hydrogen bond cross-linking are proposed. Brine containing 23.3% sodium chloride (NaCl) is selected as the phase change component because its phase change temperature is suitable for the cold storage demand of aquatic products. The proposed BPCMGs demonstrate superior thermophysical properties in terms of no phase separation, no supercooling, high form stability, high latent heat, high thermal conductivity, high cyclic stability, and high self-repairing rate. Meanwhile, the BPCMGs present high cost-effectiveness. Given these advantages, BPCMGs are utilized to assemble smart cold storage equipment for the storage and transportation of aquatic products. The cold storage time reaches 36.73 h for aquatic products when the stored cold energy is 364078 J. The location and temperature of the refrigerated products are monitored in real-time. The state-of-the-art BPCMGs provide diversified possibilities for the advanced smart cold chain.

Photothermal Solid Slippery Surfaces with Rapid Self-Healing, Improved Anti/De-Icing and Excellent Stability.

Icing phenomenon that occurs universally in nature and industry gets a great impact on human life. Over the past decades, extensive efforts have been made for a wide range of anti-icing/deicing surfaces, but the preparation of anti-icing/deicing interfaces that combine stability, rapid self-healing and excellent anti-icing/deicing performance remains a challenge. In this study, a photothermal solid slippery surface with excellent comprehensive performance is prepared by integrating cellulose acetate film, carbon nanotubes with paraffin wax (CCP). Apart from the excellent anti-icing and deicing properties at -17 ± 1.0 °C under 1 sun illumination, the surface can further achieve deicing at temperatures as low as -22 ± 1.0 °C under infrared light. The fabricated surface also exhibits great stability when placed in harsh conditions such as underwater or ultra-low temperature environments for over 30 days. Even when suffering from physical damage, the prepared surface can rapidly self-repair under 1 sun illumination or near-infrared (NIR) illumination within 16.0 ± 1.5 s. Due to the rapid and repeatable self-healing performance, the lubricating properties of the interface material do not deteriorate even after 50 repeated abrasing-repairing cycles. The photothermal solid slippery surface possesses wide-ranging applications and commercial value at high latitude and altitude regions.

Tribological Properties Study of Solid Lubrication with TiO2 Powder Particles.

Titanium dioxide (TiO2), by its tribological behavior, is known as a solid lubricant. TiO2 as a solid lubricant, together with tungsten disulfide (WS2) and molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) decreases friction and excessive wear. By compacting TiO2 powder, pellets are formed. Studies and research on the solid lubricant coatings were conducted with success on a tribometer with the possibility of making two simultaneous contacts, pellet/disk, and slider pad/disk. On the disk of a tribometer, we studied the lubrication characteristics of the TiO2 powder particles as the third body by intentionally transferring. Results show that the TiO2 pellet behaved like an effective oil-free lubricant by self-repairing and self-replenishing. In experiments, a TiO2 pellet is intentionally sheared against the surface of the disk, while the slider pad slips loaded on the lubricated surface until the deposited powder film is exhausted. A theoretical model control volume fractional coverage (CVFC) was used to estimate both the wear rate for the lubricated pellet/disk sliding contact and the friction coefficient at the pad/disk separation surface. According to materials properties, disk velocity, pellet and slider pad load, the pellet wear rate, and slider pad friction coefficient, using the CVFC model, can establish the pellet wear rate, and slider pad friction coefficient. The fractional coverage represents a parameter of the CVFC model that varies with time, and it is useful for estimating the film amount from the third body that covers the disk asperities. Model results well enough describe the tribological behavior of the sliding contacts in experiments, both qualitatively and quantitatively. In addition, the theoretical results obtained by modeling and the experimental those obtained in the process of friction, are compared.

The 5'-end motif of Senecavirus A cDNA clone is genetically modified in 36 different ways for uncovering profiles of virus recovery.

Senecavirus A (SVA) is an emerging picornavirus. Its genome is one positive-sense, single-stranded RNA. The viral protein (VPg) is covalently linked to the extreme 5' end of the SVA genome. A complex hairpin-pseudoknot-hairpin (HPH) RNA structure was computationally predicted to form at the 5' end of the SVA genome. A total of three extra "U" residues (UUU) served as a linker between the HPH structure and the VPg, causing putative UUU-HPH formation at the extreme 5' end of the SVA genome. It is unclear how the UUU-HPH structure functions. One SVA cDNA clone (N0) was constructed previously in our laboratory. Here, the N0 was genetically tailored for reconstructing a set of 36 modified cDNA clones (N1 to N36) in an attempt to rescue replication-competent SVAs using reverse genetics. The results showed that a total of nine viruses were successfully recovered. Out of them, five were independently rescued from the N1 to N5, reconstructed by deleting the first five nucleotides (TTTGA) one by one from the extreme 5' end of N0. Interestingly, these five viral progenies reverted to the wild-type or/and wild-type-like genotype, suggesting that SVA with an ability to repair nucleotide defects in its extreme 5' end. The other four were independently rescued from the N26 to N29, containing different loop-modifying motifs in the first hairpin of the HPH structure. These four loop-modifying motifs were genetically stable after serial passages, implying the wild-type loop motif was not a high-fidelity element in the first hairpin during SVA replication. The other genetically modified sequences were demonstrated to be lethal elements in the HPH structure for SVA recovery, suggesting that the putative HPH formation was a crucial cis-acting replication element for SVA propagation.

Mechanically Robust, Self-Repairable, Shape Memory and Recyclable Ionomeric Elastomer Composites with Renewable Lignin via Interfacial Metal-Ligand Interactions.

Lignin, the most abundant aromatic polymer in nature, is one of the most promising renewable feedstocks for value-added polymer products. However, it is challenging to prepare high-performance and multifunctional polymer materials with renewable lignin because of its poor compatibility with the elastomer matrix. In fact, lignin often requires solvent fractionation, chemical modification, or prohibitively expensive additives. This work develops a cost-effective strategy to prepare ionomeric elastomer composites based on a commercial carboxyl elastomer and a high content of lignin without purification or chemical modification. The compatibility between the elastomer and lignin is improved by the incorporation of zinc oxide which creates metal-ligand coordination at the interfaces between the carboxyl groups of the elastomer and the oxygen-bearing groups of the lignin. This results in fine dispersion of the lignin in the elastomer matrix, even when its content reaches 50 wt %. The lignin/elastomer composites show excellent mechanical properties, which are attributed to the reinforcing effect of the lignin domains and the presence of abundant sacrificial coordination bonds. Moreover, ionic bonds and ionic aggregates created by the neutralization of the zinc ions with the carboxyl groups of the elastomer behave as physical crosslinks which endow the composites with excellent recyclability; namely, their mechanical properties are retained or even improved after multiple reprocessing cycles. They also show good self-repairability and shape memory. Hence, this work may open up new avenues to utilize lignin as a renewable alternative to petroleum derivatives for designing and fabricating high-performance and multifunctional elastomer materials.

Effect of Transparent, Purple, and Yellow Shellac Microcapsules on Properties of the Coating on Paraberlinia bifoliolata Surface.

In order to explore the applicability of the waterborne coating with self-repairing microcapsules based on the surface of wood boards and specify the optimal range of microcapsule content in the coating, three different kinds of shellac microcapsules (transparent shellac, purple shellac, and yellow shellac) were embedded in a waterborne acrylic coating at 0, 1.5 wt.%, 3.0 wt.%, 4.5 wt.%, 6.0 wt.%, and 7.5 wt.%. The Beli wood (Paraberlinia bifoliolata) boards were then covered with self-repairing coatings to investigate the self-repairing coating's physical and chemical properties, aging resistance, and scratch repair abilities. The findings demonstrated that the chromatic difference and gloss of surface coatings on Beli wood boards were significantly influenced by the content of microcapsules. The optical characteristics and cold liquid resistance performance of the coating on Beli wood were enhanced when the microcapsule content was 3.0 wt.%. Additionally, the mechanical qualities of the coating with 3.0 wt.% transparent shellac microcapsules on Beli wood surface were better, with an H hardness, grade 2 adhesion, and 8 kg·cm of impact strength. The studies on scratch repairing and aging resistance indicated that microcapsules helped to slow down the coating's damage and retard aging. After a microcrack appeared, the waterborne coating with microcapsules on Beli wood's surface had the capacity to repair itself. After aging, the coating with 3.0 wt.% transparent shellac microcapsule on Beli wood boards had a better performance on the comprehensive properties, with a 28.9% light loss rate and a 6 kg·cm impact resistance. It also had a 25.0% repairing rate in scratch width after being damaged for 5 d. This study advances the development of self-healing waterborne coatings on the wood board with shellac microcapsules by examining the effects of shellac in various colors and shellac microcapsule content in waterborne coatings.

Model Test Study on the Enhancement of Ecological Self-Repairing Ability of Surface Slope Soil by New Polymer Composites.

Plant-based ecological protection is one of the effective methods to improve the stability of slope soils. However, plants need a stable growth environment and water supply. Although it has been demonstrated that polymer materials can effectively enhance the stability and water retention of soils, their improvement mechanism and long-term effects are yet to be clear. In this paper, we use a new polymer composite material (ADNB), an optimized compound of nano-aqueous binder (NAB) and super absorption resin (SAR), to conduct outdoor model tests to study the effects of different ADNB ratios on soil compactness, biochemical properties, and plant growth at longer time scales, and to explore its action law and mechanism of enhancing the ecological self-repairing ability of surface slope soil. The results show that ADNB can effectively improve the soil structure, increase the compactness of the soil, increase the organic matter content, microbial population and available nutrient content in the soil, thus promoting plant growth. The adsorption and agglomeration effect of the NAB in ADNB on soil particles and its degradation in natural environment can be observed by SEM. In summary, ADNB can not only effectively enhance the ecological self-repairing ability of surface slope soil, but also has good environmental friendliness and can be completely degraded under natural conditions without additional adverse effects on soil and environment.