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Developing advanced engineering polymers that combine high strength and toughness represents not only a necessary path to excellence but also a major technical challenge. Here for the first time a rigid‐flexible interlocking polymer (RFIP) is reported featuring remarkable mechanical properties, consisting of flexible polyurethane (PU) and rigid polyimide (PI) chains cleverly woven together around the copper(I) ions center. By rationally weaving PI, PU chains, and copper(I) ions, RFIP exhibits ultra‐high strength (twice that of unwoven polymers, 91.4 ± 3.3 MPa), toughness (448.0 ± 14.2 MJ m−3), fatigue resistance (recoverable after 10 000 cyclic stretches), and shape memory properties. Simulation results and characterization analysis together support the correlation between microstructure and macroscopic features, confirming the greater cohesive energy of the interwoven network and providing insights into strengthening toughening mechanisms. The essence of weaving on the atomic and molecular levels is fused to obtain brilliant and valuable mechanical properties, opening new perspectives in designing robust and stable polymers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Addressing the demand for integrating strength and durability reinforcement in shape memory polyurethane (SMPU) for diverse applications remains a significant challenge. Here a series of SMPUs with ultra‐high strength, self‐healing and recyclability, and excellent shape memory properties through introducing dynamic boron–urethane bonds are synthesized. The introducing of boric acid (BA) to polyurethane leading to the formation of dynamic covalent bonds (DCB) boron–urethane, that confer a robust cross‐linking structure on the SMPUs led to the formation of ordered stable hydrogen‐bonding network within the SMPUs. The flexible crosslinking with DCB represents a novel strategy for balancing the trade‐off between strength and durability, with their strengths reaching up to 82.2 MPa while also addressing the issue of durability in prolonged usage through the provision of self‐healing and recyclability. The self‐healing and recyclability of SMPU are demonstrated through rapid dynamic exchange reaction of boron–urethane bonds, systematically investigated by dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA). This study sheds light on the essential role of such PU with self‐healing and recyclability, contributing to the extension of the PU's service life. The findings of this work provide a general strategy for overcoming traditional trade‐offs in preparing SMPUs with both high strength and good durability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Material extrusion additive manufacturing provides an effective solution for fabrication of highly customized polyether ether ketone (PEEK) composite parts with any complex shape. Nevertheless, compared with conventional methods, the mechanical strength of 3D printed carbon fiber reinforced PEEK (CF/PEEK) composites is unsatisfactory due to the weak interface bonding strength and high voids content induced by the temperature difference. To overcome this challenge, a temperature‐control 3D printer was used to investigate the effects of ambient temperature and annealing temperature on the microstructure, crystallization behavior and mechanical properties of 3D printed parts. Moreover, the tribological properties of parts printed at different ambient temperature were also studied under various contact pressure. Experimental results showed that the ambient temperature and annealing treatment directly affected the interfacial bonding (fiber/matrix, filament/filament, layer/layer), crystallinity of printed samples, thus affecting their mechanical and tribological properties. The CF/PEEK parts printed at high ambient temperature of 200°C exhibited outstanding mechanical and tribological properties. This study has positive significance for promoting the application of 3D printed PEEK composites in the field of structural load‐bearing and friction materials. Highlights: Structure–property relationships for 3D printed CF/PEEK composites.The ambient temperature strongly affects the thermal and microstructural propertiesInteraction between crystallization and molecular interface diffusion.Interfacial bonding and crystallinity determine the mechanical properties.Tribological properties are highly dependent on applied pressures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Carbon fiber reinforced polyether ether ketone (CF/PEEK) composites are widely used as tribo‐materials in the aerospace and automotive industry. To amplify the industrial utilization of extrusion‐based additive manufacturing fused deposition modeling in fabricating CF/PEEK tribo‐composites, the composites' microstructure–property relationship was studied with respect to carbon fiber content varying between 5 wt% and 30 wt%. This revealed that the incorporation of carbon fibers helped enhance the mechanical strength of PEEK greatly with an optimal content of 5 wt%, at which the composite material exhibited the highest crystallinity as well as the best mechanical performance. Tribological tests indicated that CF/PEEK composites were more suitable for high speed and heavy load conditions especially for 20 wt% CF/PEEK, which was associated with the establishment of high quality transfer films covered on counter steel surfaces. The present work provides a simple and low cost way of fabricating high performance PEEK composites used as tribo‐materials. © 2024 Society of Industrial Chemistry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Towards the goal of developing renewable, biocompatible and intelligent polymer materials, natural Eucommia ulmoides gum (EUG) was modified via epoxidation and then the epoxidized EUG (EEUG) was compounded with another sustainable and biobased polymer, polylactic acid (PLA), to develop shape memory thermoplastic vulcanizates (TPVs) through reactive blending. The prepared PLA/EEUG TPVs displayed not only enhanced toughness but also greatly improved shape recovery ability, which was generated from the co‐continuous phase structure and excellent interfacial adhesion induced by in situ compatibilization during reactive blending. It is shown that dicumyl peroxide content exerted little influence on the toughness of the TPVs. However, heat‐triggered shape memory effects of the TPVs were significantly affected by the dicumyl peroxide content with a decrease in deformation ratio (Δε) from 163.51% to 128.36% and an increase in shape recovery ratio (Rr) from 73.32% to 91.93%. The findings of the present study offer an idea for the industrialization of biocompatible and smart materials for biomedical applications. © 2024 Society of Industrial Chemistry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although stimuli‐responsive gels have received significant attention due to their flexible structure and high tolerance to various stimuli, the high solvent content leads to relatively low mechanical properties and instability in performance due to water evaporation. This limits their application to some extent. Here, catkins enhanced ionogel is crafted that prevents solvent vaporization‐induced properties from abating yet remains humidity responsiveness. By using direct ink writing (DIW) 3D printing, the catkins can be aligned within the ionogel, resulting in a significant increase in ionic conductivity (0.17 S·cm−1) and mechanical properties (4.75 times). Moreover, the environment stability (−50–150 °C) and hygroscopicity of the ionic liquid (IL) allow the 3D‐printed composite to perform a controllable lubrication behavior in response to changes in humidity and temperature. This work demonstrates the significant enhancement of responsive ionogels through DIW 3D printing with aligned catkins and presents a new strategy for achieving the lubricating regulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The orientation of fibers in polymer matrix plays a crucial role in governing the performance of composites including friction and wear. In the present work, the effect of fiber orientation on tribological behavior of 3D printed short carbon fiber reinforced PEEK composites (CF/PEEK) was studied by two series of tribo‐tests, namely macro‐scale continuous sliding and micro‐scale multiple scratching. Fiber orientations studied included parallel, tilted and anti‐parallel relative to the sliding direction in both macro sliding and micro scratching. It was revealed that the effect of fiber orientation showed strong dependence on applied loads. In most cases, lower wear were obtained when the fiber orientation was tilted rather than parallel or anti‐parallel in macro continuous sliding. With tilted orientation, the composite also exhibited the best scratching behavior except for that at the lowest normal load. To reveal the mechanisms behind this orientation effects, the composite's worn surface, as well as those of the counter rings, were characterized. Findings of the present work indicates that scratching tests can help understand the macro sliding mechanisms and appropriate fiber orientation is beneficial in improving the tribological properties of polymer composites, which can be realized through 3D printing. Highlights: PEEK composites filled with highly oriented carbon fibers were manufactured by fused deposition modeling (FDM).Tribological anisotropy was studied through macro sliding and micro scratching measurements with respect to carbon fiber orientation.The coupling mechanism of load and fiber orientation was discussed in influencing the composites' friction and wear properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Polyurethane (PU) materials with high strength, toughness, anti‐wear properties, and high heat resistance are in high demand for dynamic sealing applications. In this study, a series of high‐performance crosslinking polyurethanes (CPUs) were prepared by pre‐polymerization of polycarbonate diol (PCDL) with toluene‐2,4‐diisocyanate (TDI), followed by crosslinking with trimethylolpropane (TMP). The molar ratio (R) of PCDL/ TDI and the degree of cross‐linking were found to significantly affect the microphase separation. The results indicate that as the R‐value increases, the transition temperature of CPUs increases from 6.0°C to 82.4°C, and the tensile strength increases from 21.1 ± 2.5 MPa to 46.0 ± 3.6 MPa. Moreover, the CPUs exhibit excellent heat resistance (with a heat resistance index of ~150°C) and hydrolysis resistance, attributed to the high crystallinity of PCDL and the synergistic effect of chemical crosslinking. Additionally, the CPUs demonstrate low friction coefficient (COF = 0.01–0.062), exceptional anti‐wear properties (Akron wear, 0.11–0.07 cm3/1.61 km), and outstanding fatigue resistance. These desirable characteristics make CPUs suitable for use as dynamic sealing or lubricating materials in harsh conditions, thereby extending the service life of seals and preventing leakage and other related issues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is challenging to enhance the stress‐free two‐way shape memory (stress‐free TWSM) effect to obtain a wide range of response temperatures. Herein, a polycaprolactone (PCL)/poly(ω‐pentadecalactone) (PPDL) is photocured under UV light irradiation in the solvent of 1,1,2‐trichloroethane (TCA), to obtain a series of cross‐linked polyesters (CPES). Controlling solvent content (SC) which is removed after the polymerization allows the yielded CPES to perform a regulatable thermodynamic and stress‐free TWSM properties. High SC is beneficial to reduce the degree of chain overlap (C/C*) of PPDL chain segments in the PCL‐based CPES network, then causes the cocrystallization of PCL and PPDL and yielding an additional melting‐transitions (Tm). An enhanced stress‐free TWSM is obtained in high SC samples (CPES‐15‐90), reflected in the attainment of a wide range of response temperature, which means a wider service temperature. The enhancement is reflected in higher reversible strain of high SC samples compared with the samples prepared with low SC when varying high trigger temperature (Thigh). Even at high Thigh, the high SC sample still has reversible strain. Therefore, controlling SC strategy for photocuring copolyester not only provides a new preparation approach for high‐performance shape memory (SM) polymers, but also offers new condensed polymer structure to explore. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The synthetic vascular graft infection (SVGI) could cause a high mortality rate, that developing antibacterial vascular stents to prevent SVGI is highly demanded. Herein, we integrated shape memory polyurethane (PU) and gallic acid (GA) to obtain a small caliber scaffold with sufficient mechanical support through electrostatic spinning technology. The formation of hydrogen bonds between GA and PU facilitates the enhancement of the mechanical properties of PU/GA. The biocompatibility and antibacterial properties of the scaffolds were confirmed by using human endothelial cells in in‐vitro experiments and by co‐culturing with bacteria that cause common post‐operative stent infections. The electrospun porous structure and the antimicrobial activity of GA allow PU/GA to exhibit a dose‐dependency of cell viability, hemolysis, and antibacterial, the adding amount of GA with 2% presented the optimal properties. The shape memory effects of PU with the suitable transition temperature enable the electrospun stent to be able to reduce the size for deployment and recovery of the fabricated shape in a gentle environment. This work provides an efficient method for fabricating PU‐based antibacterial scaffolds by electrospinning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Polyhydroxyurethanes (PHUs), which are synthesized through the aminolysis of cyclic carbonates, avoid the use of toxic isocyanates compared with traditional polyurethanes (PUs) and have aroused great interest. The large number of hydroxyl groups in the network endows PHUs with unique features, such as recyclable properties and fluorescent properties. To establish the high performance and multifunctionality of PHUs, we designed a molecular structure to fabricate PHUs with mechanical robustness, shape memory properties, fluorescent properties, and recyclable properties. The yielded PHU crosslinked by the quaternary thiol and weak but dense hydrogen bonds (H‐bonds) shows unprecedented high mechanical properties with a tensile Young's modulus of 3.13 GPa, comparable to that of polyimide, a tensile strength of 59.2 MPa at room temperature and an excellent toughness of 27.9 MJ/m3 at 50°C, and good damping properties (tanδ ≥ 0.3, temperature range of 35.2°C). Interestingly, fluorescence caused by the aggregation of carbamate within PHUs allows it to be applied for damage self‐reporting to visualize tiny cracks or magnify fractures. Furthermore, both the thermosetting PHUs and recycled thermosetting PHUs presented excellent shape memory performance. This study provides certain inspiration for the design and development of highly rigid multifunctional polymers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To make full use of the renewability of polylactide (PLA) and natural Eucommia ulmoides gum (EUG), novel fully sustainable thermal plastic vulcanizates (TPVs) with high toughness were developed via dynamic vulcanization technique based on modified EUG (referred to as EUG‐GMA). The latter greatly improved the toughness of PLA and the mechanism was discussed with respect to micro structure analysis. Aiming at providing theoretical guidance for PLA/EUG‐GMA TPVs in scratch related applications, the scratch behavior of TPVs with different EUG‐GMA content was studied in single‐pass and multiple‐pass scratching mode, after which the tribological mechanisms were discussed based on worn surface morphology and contact area analysis. It is revealed that the promoted interfacial adhesion due to in‐situ compatibilization and the co‐continuous phase structure of PLA/EUG‐GMA TPVs played crucial roles in enhancing the TPVs' toughness. In addition to tribo‐conditions, the above mentioned interfacial performance was also responsible for the variation of scratch behavior of different TPVs. It is expected that the present study would open up a new route of manufacturing sustainable composites combined with scratch resistance and toughness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High‐order finite element method (FEM) has recently achieved significant success in solving acoustic problems and has proved to be accurate, robust, and capable of reducing the pollution effect. Inspired by the high‐order FEM, this study presents a novel high‐order collocation indirect BEM for solving three‐dimensional high‐frequency exterior acoustic problems. Due to the difficulty of evaluating hypersingular integrals on curved surface elements with complex density functions, the high‐order BEM scheme for acoustic problems has long been a challenging task, especially for relatively large‐scale problems. In the developed scheme, the Leis formulation is used to overcome the well‐known nonuniqueness problem in the indirect BEM, and an auxiliary integral equation method is presented and employed to regularize the hypersingular integrals in this formulation. The derived regularized boundary integral formulation is mathematically simple and amenable to the elements of arbitrary shape and arbitrary variable interpolation order, and leads to a simple, efficient, and robust algorithm for the calculation of all integrals. Several benchmark examples are investigated to verify the performance of the proposed method. Results demonstrate that the present method is very effective in stimulating the far‐field solution with large wavenumber. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Towards the goal of improving the tribological properties of epoxy‐based composites, epoxy resin was firstly modified with carboxyl terminated butadiene acrylonitrile (CTBN), and then further modified by core–shell structured of SiO2@MoS2 fillers. The friction and wear properties of studied composites were tested on a Plate‐on‐Ring configuration under different loads and speeds. To reveal the tribological contribution of MoS2 and SiO2 in the hybrid fillers, tribo‐tests were also done on composites filled with single CTBN, MoS2 and SiO2. It is revealed that the transfer of both the EP/CTBN matrix and SiO2@MoS2 CSs fillers play an important role in governing the tribo‐properties of rubber toughened EP composites. Depending on contacting conditions, the SiO2@MoS2 CSs fillers might be released into the sliding interface and tribo‐chemical reactions might take place, both of which helped improve the tribo‐properties of studied composites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rapid development of 4D printing provides a potential strategy for the fabrication of deployable medical devices (DMD). The minimally invasive surgery to implant the DMD into the body is critical, 4D printing DMD allows the well‐defined device to be implanted with a high‐compacted shape and transformed into their designed shape to meet the requirement. Herein, a 4D printing tissue engineering material is developed with excellent biocompatibility and shape memory effect based on the photocrosslinked polycaprolactone (PCL). The fast thiol‐acrylate click reaction is applied for photocrosslinking of the acrylates capped star polymer (s‐PCL‐MA) with poly‐thiols, that enable the 3D printing for the DMD fabrication. The cell viability, erythrocyte hemolysis, and platelet adhesion results indicate the excellent biocompatibility of the 4D printing polymer, especially the biological subcutaneous implantation results confirm the promote tissue growth and good histocompatibility. A 4D printing stent with deformable shape and recovery at a temperature close to human body temperature demonstrated the potential application as DMD. In addition, the everolimus is loaded to the polymer (ps1‐PCL) through host‐guest coordination with β‐cyclodextrin as the core of the star polymer, which shows sustained drug release and improved body's inflammatory response. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Self‐rolling allows the bilayer to transform into a 3D structure in response to specific external stimulation, such as heat, humidity, ions, etc. Herein, we report a 4D printing bilayer with a top sodium alginate layer and bottom polycaprolactone layer that could be rolled up to a tubular structure upon exposure to heat and Ca2+ solution stimulation. The discrepancy in the swelling and thermal‐responsiveness between alginate and polycaprolactone induced the self‐rolling under different stimuli. The self‐rolling behavior of the bilayer depends on the aspect ratio, thickness ratio of the bilayer film, the pattern, and external stimuli. Thus, a tailorable surface of the self‐rolled tube was obtained by tuning the bilayer parameter and the stimuli medium to meet varied demands. This controllable shape changing provides a strategy for the preparation of well‐defined tubular structures. Besides, the biocompatibility of bilayer film suggests the potential application in the field of biomedical device such as vascular stent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Near‐infrared (NIR) light responsive shape memory polymers (SMPs) can realize remotely and regionally controlled shape changing that shows broad potential applications. Herein, an NIR‐responsive shape memory polymer (G/PNs) is prepared by introducing reduced graphene oxide to liquid crystal elastomers‐based polymer networks (PNs). The G/PNs present regulated reversible stress by tuning the NIR light irradiation. Furthermore, since the G/PNs are 3D‐printed with designed structure, the deformed 3D printing structure can be regionally patterned with varied shapes by controlling the moving path of NIR laser. In addition, the stress relaxation and cyclic stress–strain measurements are further studied to reveal the energy loss during the deformation and shape memory cycles. In compare with the previous work, the SMP networks provide a rather high reversible actuation stress and can realize remotely control by NIR. The NIR‐encoded shape memory effect can be used as actuators, artificial muscles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, thermosetting polyimide (TPI) composites based on two ideal ingredients (graphite/graphene‐like carbon nitride, g‐C3N4) were designed with different fibers and their tribological performance was comprehensively investigated at different high temperatures. It was found that the synergistic effect between solid lubricants graphite blended with g‐C3N4 and reinforced fibers on friction and wear performance. Extremely lower friction and wear behavior of TPI composite is attained with aramid pulps (APs) at high temperatures. More importantly, an obvious transition of wear rate and friction took place with aramid pulps under 200°C. When the cross‐sections of the transfer films were analyzed using focused ion beam transmission electron microscopy (FIB‐TEM) and X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), it was found that graphite and g‐C3N4 combined with APs led to simultaneous improvement in load‐carrying capability of TPI matrix and durability of tribofilms subjected to complex physical and chemical reaction. Our work discloses a route for developing the TPI composite exposed to high temperatures with extremely lower friction and wear rate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Shape memory epoxy resin (SMEP) with tailorable properties has gained wide attention. Herein, a series of photocured diphenyl epoxy with excellent shape memory effects, based on the epoxy monomer diglycidyl ether of biphenyl (DGEBP) and M‐xylylenediamine (MXDA), is fabricated. Fourier transform infrared spectrometer (FTIR) is used to verify the mix‐curing process. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA), polarized light microscope (POM), and X‐ray diffraction (XRD) are applied to analyze the microstructure of the film. The molar ratio of the raw material and the post‐heating could tune the crosslinking density, which allows the prepared epoxy resin to present a tailorable shape memory effect. Besides, this epoxy resin exhibits an excellent triple‐shape memory effect due to the wide transition temperature. It is worth of noting that post‐heating induced the self‐assembly of biphenyl unit of the lamellar structure due to π–π interactions that causes an adjustable shape memory effect. This work offers a novel SMEP with potential application in the thermal history trace field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The 4D‐printing technology is applied to fabricate a shape memory peripheral stent with good biocompatibility, which sustains long‐term drug release. The star polymer s‐PCL is prepared by ring opening polymerization of ε‐caprolactone with the ‐OH of β‐cyclodextrin (βCD) as initiator, and then the s‐PCL is modified with acrylate endgroup which allows the polymerization under UV light to form the crosslinking network c‐PCL. Attributed to the feature of the high crosslinked structure and chemical nature of polycaprolactone (PCL) and βCD, the composite exhibits appropriate tensile strength and sufficient elasticity and bursting pressure, and it is comparable with great saphenous vein in human body. The radial support of the 4D‐printed stent is 0.56 ± 0.11 N and is equivalent to that of commercial stent. The cell adhesion and proliferation results show a good biocompatibility of the stent with human umbilical vein endothelial cells. Due to the presence of βCD, the wettability and biocompatibility of the materials are improved, and the sustained paclitaxel release based on the host–guest complexion shows the potential of the drug‐loaded stent for long‐term release. This study provides a new strategy to solve the urgent need of small‐diameter scaffolds to treat critical limb ischemia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Single‐atom catalysts are promising platforms for heterogeneous catalysis, especially for clean energy conversion, storage, and utilization. Although great efforts have been made to examine the bonding and oxidation state of single‐atom catalysts before and/or after catalytic reactions, when information about dynamic evolution is not sufficient, the underlying mechanisms are often overlooked. Herein, we report the direct observation of the charge transfer and bond evolution of a single‐atom Pt/C3N4 catalyst in photocatalytic water splitting by synchronous illumination X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Specifically, under light excitation, we observed Pt−N bond cleavage to form a Pt0 species and the corresponding C=N bond reconstruction; these features could not be detected on the metallic platinum‐decorated C3N4 catalyst. As expected, H2 production activity (14.7 mmol h−1 g−1) was enhanced significantly with the single‐atom Pt/C3N4 catalyst as compared to metallic Pt‐C3N4 (0.74 mmol h−1 g−1). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: This paper presents a numerical framework for the highly accurate solutions of transient heat conduction problems. The numerical framework discretizes the temporal direction of the problems by introducing the Krylov deferred correction (KDC) approach, which is arbitrarily high order of accuracy while remaining the computational complexity same as in the time‐marching of first‐order methods. The discretization by employing the KDC method yields a boundary value problem of the inhomogeneous modified Helmholtz equation at each time step. The meshless generalized finite difference method (GFDM) or meshless finite difference method (MFDM), a meshless method, is then applied to the solution of resulting boundary value problems at each time step. Six numerical experiments in one‐, two‐, and three‐dimensional cases show that the proposed hybrid KDC‐GFDM scheme allows big time step size for a long‐time dynamic simulation and has a great potential for the problems with complex boundaries. In addition, some comparisons are also presented between the present method, the COMSOL software, and the GFDM with implicit Euler method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China is the world leader in several areas of clean energy, but not in Concentrating Solar Power ( CSP). Our analysis provides an interesting viewpoint to China's possible role in helping with the market breakthrough of CSP. We present a short overview of the state-of-the-art of CSP including the status in China. A blueprint for China's CSP development is elaborated based on China's 13th 5-year program, but also on China's previous success factors in PV and wind power. The results of this study suggest that China could play a more prominent global role in CSP, but this would require stronger efforts in several areas ranging from innovation to policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The cover image is based on the Research Article I A novel high-order collocation indirect boundary element method based on the Leis formulation for three-dimensional high frequency exterior acoustic problems i by Chao Zhang et al., https://doi.org/10.1002/nme.7138. [Extracted from the article]

This paper introduces the methods of integration of solar energy and low-temperature solid oxide fuel cells. On the one hand, we design the system that integrates the solar photovoltaic cells and fuel cells. On the other hand, solar energy is concentrated to heat up the fuel cell and supply the working temperature at hundreds Celsius degrees by Fresnel lens. Then the fuel conversion efficiency is increased because of gain from the solar energy. Moreover, integration of solar thermal energy power system with the fuel is a good method for resolving the instability of solar energy. CHP (combined heat and power) is another aspect to enhance the design hybrid system overall efficiency. Finally, we present a novel device but built on different scientific principle. It can convert solar energy and chemical energy of fuel to electric energy simultaneously within the same device to integrated solar cell and fuel cell from the device level. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A superhydrophobic surface was prepared by spin-coating trimethylsiloxane functionalized SiO2 (TMS-SiO2) solutions onto a precoated polyurethane (PU) layer. The superhydrophobic coatings showed high stability with time, and the prepared coatings remained superhydrophobicity even after 6 months. Furthermore, the as-prepared surface showed high transparency with a transmittance above 70% in visible light region (400-800 nm). The transition of the composite surface from superhydrophobicity to hydrophilicity can be achieved by increasing the drying temperature. More interestingly, the surface showed excellent fluorescent property by the incorporation of fluorescent Europium (Eu) complex into the surface and without deteriorating the superhydrophobic and transparent properties. It was believed that the superhydrophobic surface with multifunction would broaden the applications of superhydrophobic materials. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci., 2013 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The evolution of particle morphology occurring during polymerization‐induced self‐assembly (PISA) of a block copolymer poly(oligo(ethylene glycol) methacrylate)‐b‐poly(benzyl methacrylate) (POEGMA‐b‐PBzMA) is studied. A well‐controlled reversible addition–fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization yields nano‐objects with various morphologies: spheres, aggregates, worm‐like structures, and vesicles. A comparison of the morphology of the nano‐objects formed from two different chain‐length stabilizers established that the unreacted monomer played an important role during the morphology transitions, which is contrary to previous observations. In addition, morphology evolution to higher‐order structures could be attained simply by extending the reaction time, after reaching full monomer conversion. The evolution of morphology of POEGMA‐b‐PBzMA during polymerization‐induced self‐assembly (PISA) was studied. Various morphologies including spheres, worm‐like structures, and vesicles were obtained by PISA. The morphology evolution to higher‐order structures could be attained by extending the reaction time, after reaching full monomer conversion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]