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Frequent oil spills have caused severe environmental pollution and ecological issues. Conventional adsorption materials are attractive candidates for oil spills, but their effectiveness is hindered primarily by certain high-viscosity oils. In this work, we fabricated a bio-based aerogel which is composed of sodium alginate and polyaniline-modified attapulgite, with photothermal conversion and water repellency (water contact angle > 138°) via freeze-drying and hydrophobic modification with polydimethylsiloxane. The composite aerogel has strong chemical stability, with a maximum absorption capacity of 32 g/g. Furthermore, the aerogel exhibits exceptional photothermal performance, achieving a surface temperature increase to 85 °C within 3 min under 1.0 sun irradiation. This capability reduces silicone oil absorption time from 4 to 1 min, conserving 75% of absorption time and reaching a silicone oil absorption capacity of 21 g/g. The separation efficiency of the aerogel for emulsions is also satisfactory, which greatly broadens its application range. The preparation of solar heated aerogels provides a potential solution for exploring biomass materials to solve the problem of oil spill recovery on a large scale. [Display omitted] • Bio-based aerogel with high hydrophobicity and photothermal performance is created. • ATP modified by PANI is used as the reinforcing material for SA aerogel. • A desirable absorption capacity of oil and organic solvents is presented. • The absorption of highly viscous oil is facilitated by solar-thermal conversion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Early fire warning holds immense potential for achieving more efficient fire-safety management. Despite the emergence of numerous fire-alarm sensors in recent years, they display deficiencies in providing prompt and repeatable early detection during fire accidents, thus failing to mitigate potential losses. Herein, we demonstrated a bio-based fire-warning film with chitosan (CS) and amino trimethylene phosphonic acid (ATMP) prepared by an environmental-friendly water evaporation method. The transparency, thermal stability, flame retardancy and fire-warning performances of CS and CS-ATMP films were comprehensively investigated. Remarkably, the inclusion of ATMP results in a significant improvement in the thermal stability and char yield. Moreover, the total heat release value of CS-ATMP-1 film exhibits a remarkable 35.7% reduction compared to that of pure CS film, demonstrating a substantial enhancement in flame retardancy. The thermosensitive properties of CS endow it with fire-warning capabilities. The CS-ATMP-2 film triggers an alarm signal within 0.3 s and the signal maintains for 196.0 s under alcohol flame attack, indicating its high sensitivity and stable alarm signal. Furthermore, the possible flame-retardant and fire-alarm mechanisms are proposed. This bio-based CS-ATMP film with excellent flame-retardant and repeatable early warning capacities manifests promising applications in building fire prevention and detection. [Display omitted] • Transparent bio-based CS-ATMP films were prepared by water evaporation method. • Fire-retardant and fire early-warning performances of films were investigated. • Fire-retardant and proton conductivity mechanisms were explored. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the development of modern electronic technology, there is an urgent demand for the fabrication of multifunctional composites with electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding and flame-retardant properties. Herein, a novel microcapsule structure is formulated by modifying the hydrophilicity of polypropylene (PP) micro-powder surface and wrapped with graphene oxide to modulate the distribution state of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs). The modified PP/reduced graphene oxide/MWCNTs (mPP/RGO/MWCNTs) composite with a distinctive segregated structure is obtained by hot-pressing of the microencapsulated PP micro-powder. The influence of the contents of MWCNTs and RGO on composite's EMI shielding and flame-retardant properties are further investigated. Interestingly, the results show remarkable synergistic effect between MWCNTs and RGO, enhancing the electrical conductivity and EMI shielding property of the composites. Moreover, the segregated structure of mPP/RGO/MWCNTs composite enhances EMI shielding and flame-retardant properties compared with pure PP and mPP/MWCNTs. Therefore, this work provides new insights into the rational design of EMI shielding polymer composite with segregated structures to realize high EMI shielding performances and good flame-retardant properties. [Display omitted] • A microcapsule structure was prepared by GO and MWCNTs wrapping on the mPP surface. • mPP/RGO/MWCNTs with the segregated structure were fabricated by hot-pressing method. • The synergistic effect between RGO and MWCNTs improves EMI shielding performance. • Remarkable electrical conductivity is achieved by a dual conductive network. • The composites possess good EMI shielding and fire-retardant properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Developing thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) composites with excellent fire-safe properties is greatly significant to expand the application fields. Two-dimensional MXene has been proven effective in reducing fire hazards of TPU whereas its poor dispersion in TPU is a serious concern. Herein, benzyl trimethyl ammonium chloride and victoria blue B modified Ti 3 C 2 were synthesized through interface engineering methods and TPU composites were prepared via severally introducing the two modified Ti 3 C 2 by solvent mixing and hot pressing measures. No apparent agglomeration is observed, suggesting uniform dispersion of functionalized Ti 3 C 2 in TPU. The TPU composites present superior performances in flame retardancy and smoke suppression, and the distinguished fire safety can be attributed to the physical barrier and catalytic charring effect of functionalized Ti 3 C 2 and TiO 2. This research presents a convenient way to obtain functionalized Ti 3 C 2 , enriching the future applications of MXene as flame retardant and reducing the fire hazards of TPU. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The eco-friendly and simple layer-by-layer (LbL) self-assembly process is used to create a graphene oxide (GO) and aluminum oxide hydroxide (AlOOH) functional coating on melamine foam (MF) by utilizing the hydrogen bonding interaction. The manufactured composite foam exhibits good hydrophobicity and structural stability in the both strong acidic and alkaline solutions. The AlOOH-GO composite coating's electrical resistance is susceptible to flame and high temperature, allowing for ultra-fast fire detection and efficient fire-warning response. When the composite foam is attacked by flame, it triggers an alarm signal within 2.5 s and a continuous alarm time access of 256 s, demonstrating exceptional early fire-warning capability. The thermal stability of this combustible foam is improved by the optimized AlOOH-GO composite coating. The AlOOH-GO composite coating endows MF with exceptional flame-retardant properties, including self-extinguishing and structural integrity after combustion. This work proposes an efficient method for considerably reducing the fire hazard of flammable materials and expanding the applications in a fire early detection and warning. [Display omitted] • A novel early fire-alarm sensor was designed based on AlOOH-GO nano-coating. • The sensitivity and stability of this novel fire sensor were excellent. • The fire-alarm and flame-retardant mechanisms of AlOOH-GO nano-coating were studied. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]