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Schematic illustration showing the design of the bioinspired intelligent ANF‐PVA composite. a) Schematic illustration of the preparation process of the self‐monitoring ANF‐PVA sheet relying on spray‐assisted deposition and lamination process. b) Schematic illustration shows that when the intelligent ANF‐PVA sheet is undergoing an impact loading, the breaking and reforming of hydrogen bonds between ANFs and PVA molecules happen at the impact location, which is expected to dissipate a lot of impact energy. The coated AgNW network on the bottom film surface at the impact location will suffer from a disorganization, decreasing contact points due to the strain‐induced deformation. The destruction of AgNW network is expected to induce the variation of resistance (R) for real‐time health monitoring of the ANF‐PVA sheet.
Source publication
Lightweight and impact‐resistant materials with self‐monitoring capability are highly desired for protective applications, but are challenging to be artificially fabricated. Herein, a scalable‐manufactured aramid nanofiber (ANF)‐based composite combining these key properties is presented. Inspired by the strengthening and toughening mechanisms rely...
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A multifunctional soft material with high ionic and electrical conductivity, combined with high mechanical properties and the ability to change shape can enable bioinspired responsive devices and systems. The incorporation of all these characteristics in a single material is very challenging, as the improvement of one property tends to reduce other...
Citations
Traditional anti‐impact armors and shields are normally made of stiff and hard materials and therefore deficient in flexibility. This greatly limits their applications in protecting objects with complex geometries or significant deformability. Flexible armors can be developed with the application of hard platelets and soft materials, but the lower rigidity of the flexible armors renders them incapable of providing sufficient resistance against impact attacks. To address the inherent conflict between flexibility and impact resistance in traditional armors, here, a composite is developed by hybridizing a shear‐stiffening gel as the matrix and chemically‐strengthened ultrathin glass sheets (CSGS) as the reinforcement. The resulting laminate, termed PCCL, exhibits both high flexibility and high impact resistance. Specifically, at low strain rates, the high ductility of the gel combined with the high flexural strength of the CSGS enables the PCCL to undergo considerable deformation; at high strain rates, on the other hand, the shear stiffening behavior of the gel matrix endows the PCCL with excellent impact resistance manifested by its high performance in energy absorption and high rigidity. With the combination of high flexibility and high impact resistance, the PCCL is demonstrated to be an ideal armor for protecting curved vulnerable objects from impact attacks.
Inspired by the "brick-and-mortar" structure and the whole lifecycle eco-friendliness of seashells, we have constructed a proof-of-concept and environmentally friendly coating with switchable aqueous processability, complete biodegradability, intrinsic flame retardance, and high transparency, via using natural biomass and montmorillonite (MMT). We first designed and synthesized cationic cellulose derivatives (CCD) as the macromolecular surfactants, which effectively exfoliated MMT to obtain nano-MMT/CCD aqueous dispersions. Subsequently, via a simple spray-coating process and a post-treatment process with a salt aqueous solution, the transparent, hydrophobic, and flame-retardant coating was fabricated with a "brick-and-mortar" structure. The resultant coating exhibited an extremely low peak heat release rate (PHRR) of only 17.3 W/g, which is 6.3% of cellulose PHRR. Moreover, it formed a lamellar and porous structure once ignited. Thus, this coating could effectively protect combustible materials from fire. In addition, the coating had a high transparency (>90%) in the range of 400-800 nm. After use, the water-resistant coating was converted into a water-soluble material by using a hydrophilic salt aqueous solution, which then could be easily removed by water. Furthermore, the CCD/nano-MMT coating was completely degradable and nontoxic. Such a switchable and multifunctional coating with whole lifecycle environmental-friendliness exhibits huge application potential.
