Harnessing Biomimicry for Controlled Adhesion on Material Surfaces.

Nature serves as an abundant wellspring of inspiration for crafting innovative adhesive materials. Extensive research is conducted on various complex forms of biological attachment, such as geckos, tree frogs, octopuses, and mussels. However, significant obstacles still exist in developing adhesive materials that truly replicate the behaviors and functionalities observed in living organisms. Here, an overview of biological organs, structures, and adhesive secretions endowed with adhesion capabilities, delving into the intricate relationship between their morphology and function, and potential for biomimicry are provided. First, the design principles and mechanisms of adhesion behavior and individual organ morphology in nature are summarized from the perspective of structural and size constraints. Subsequently, the value of engineered and bioinspired adhesive materials through selective application cases in practical fields is emphasized. Then, a forward-looking gaze on the conceivable challenges and associated opportunities in harnessing biomimetic strategies and biological materials for advancing adhesive material innovation is highlighted and cast.

Perforated Pd Nanosheets with Crystalline/Amorphous Heterostructures as a Highly Active Robust Catalyst toward Formic Acid Oxidation.

Perforated ultrathin Pd nanosheets with crystalline/amorphous heterostructures are rationally synthesized to offer a large electrochemically active surface area of 172.6 m2 g-1 and deliver a 5.6 times higher apparent reaction rate in comparison to commercial Pd/C, thus offering a facile confined growth method to generate superior catalysts.

Hierarchical defective palladium-silver alloy nanosheets for ethanol electrooxidation.

Tuning the chemical composition and surface structure of electrodes is demonstrated as a feasible and effective strategy to tailor advanced catalysts for energy electrocatalysis. In this work, hierarchical palladium-silver alloy nanosheets (PdAg NS) with the thickness ~7 atoms and rich atomic defects are successfully prepared, using the carbon monoxide (CO) confinement approach. The optimized Pd7Ag3 NS/C exhibits 8.8 times higher catalytic peak current density and much better stability toward ethanol electrooxidation than Pd NS/C catalyst. The catalytic enhancement mechanism could be attributed to the synergetic effects among optimized electronic structure of Pd, novel architecture, and rich atomic defects.