Developing durable protective cotton fabrics (CF) against potential environmental dangers such as fire hazards and bacterial growth remains an imperative but tough challenge. In this study, flame retardant, antibacterial and hydrophobic CF were successfully prepared via two-step coating. The inner coating entailed polyelectrolyte complexes consisting of polyethyleneimine and ammonium polyphosphate with the goal of enhancing the flame retardancy of CF. Halloysite nanotubes (HNTs), a kind of tubular silicate mineral, were creatively modified and introduced to multifunctional coatings to improve flame retardant and antibacterial properties of CF. N-halamine modified HNTs (HNTs-EA-Cl) and polydimethylsiloxane were applied as the outer coating to endow CF with antibacterial and hydrophobic properties and further improve the flame retardancy of CF. After halloysite-based inorganic-organic hybrid coatings, the limiting oxygen index of the treated samples (PAHP-CF) was over 28 %, and the release of heat and smoke was significantly inhibited. PAHP-CF could inactivate 100 % E. coli and S. aureus within 2 h. More importantly, PAHP-CF showed excellent hydrophobicity with a water contact angle of 148° and exhibited great prevention of bacterial adhesion. PAHP-CF exhibited excellent washing durability undergoing 5 washing cycles. This study promotes the development of multifunctional coatings and offers a new way to manufacture multifunctional cotton fabrics.

This clinical trial aimed to evaluate and compare the retention and cariostatic effects of hydrophilic and hydrophobic resin-based sealants (RBSs) for sealing pits and fissures in the permanent molars of uncooperative children. A split-mouth and double-blind randomized clinical trial (RCT) was conducted among 6- to 9-year-old uncooperative children. One hundred and four sound mandibular and maxillary first permanent molars were randomly allocated to be sealed with group I (UltraSeal XT® hydro™) or group II (Helioseal-F) in 34 uncooperative children. Clinical evaluation was performed by two investigators using the Color, Coverage and Caries system to assess sealant retention and cariostatic effect at 3-, 6- and 12-month intervals. Data analysis was performed using Friedman\'s and Mann-Whitney U tests. The final analysis included 31 children with 49 pairs of teeth. No significant differences were observed between the retention and cariostatic effects of hydrophilic and hydrophobic RBSs at the 3-, 6- and 12-month intervals (p = 0.23, p = 0.638, and p = 0.706, respectively) (p = 0.175, p = 0.065, and p = 0.171, respectively). After 12 months of follow-up, the hydrophilic RBSs showed an outcome equivalent to that of conventional hydrophobic RBSs in terms of retention and cariostatic effects. Therefore, hydrophilic RBSs could be considered as the sealing material of choice when isolation is difficult, particularly in uncooperative children.

In this study, various chitosan-based films such as chitosan (C), chitosan-condensed tannin (CT), chitosan-casein (CC), and chitosan-casein-condensed tannin (CCT) films were prepared for the purpose of food packaging. In order to improve the hydrophobicity of these films, carnauba wax was blended into CCT to produce CCTW film. Properties such as morphology, UV resistance, water solubility, barrier performance, tensile strength, antioxidant, antibacterial and its performance as food packaging were evaluated. Compared with other chitosan-based films, CCTW films exhibited higher UV resistance, tensile strength, thermal stability and hydrophobicity. The addition of both condensed tannin and carnauba wax has significantly decreased the water vapor and oxygen permeability of the CCTW films. The CCTW films were proved capable of repelling most daily consuming liquids. Besides, CCTW films displayed outstanding free radical scavenging rate and antibacterial properties. Meanwhile, bananas wrapped with CCTW films remained fresh for seven days without any mold growth and outperformed other types of films. Apart from that, the CCTW films also showed biodegradable characteristics after exposure to Penicillium sp. These distinguished characteristics made the CCTW films a promising packaging material for long-term food storage.

Nanofibrillated cellulose (NFC) has found extensive potential and existing utilizations across various industries. Nonetheless, a notable constraint of NFC lies in its inherent hydrophilic nature, which restricts its suitability for non-aqueous application. This study aims at synthesising hydrophobic NFC through a two-step surface modification by reacting NFC with tannic acid and amine group. The study also investigated the effect of using various alkylamines on the properties of modified NFC. The hydrophobic NFC was characterized using various analytical techniques namely Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA), X-Ray Diffraction analysis (XRD), Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM), Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), elemental analysis, and contact angle measurements. The present study also looked into the possible use of modified NFC as a pharmaceutical excipient for the delivery of water insoluble curcumin. The analysis of curcumin binding onto the modified NFC was conducted using UV-Visible spectrophotometry. The findings from the study indicated that the modified NFC effectively bound a substantial quantity of curcumin (80 % - 87 %) and the binding varied for samples of different degree of substitution.

This work aims to investigate the effects of deep eutectic solvents (DES) on the chemical and physical structure of cellulose. Choline chloride-oxalic acid and choline chloride-oxalic acid-glycerol were selected as solvents and cotton fibers was sued as raw materials to explore the difference between cotton fibers treated separately with two different DES. According to yield analysis, ternary solvents alleviated the degradation of cellulose when comparing to binary solvents, resulting in over 90 % of cellulose being obtained. Particularly, there is an esterification reaction of cellulose during treatment with the DES system, which also affects the performance of the subsequent products. Through the simple use of mechanical foaming with polyvinyl alcohol and the palm wax impregnation process, foams with a water contact angle greater than 140° and excellent mechanical properties can be obtained. The resultant foam material has 5 % linear elastic area, and prominent compressive strength providing potential use in the packaging industry in the replacement of plastic.

Ferro hydrophobic particles possess essential properties for controlling the behavior of suspended substances in water. By adjusting the concentration of these particles, the magnetic force within the fluid carrier can be modified, leading to the emergence of distinct flow structures and patterns on the water\'s surface. This study examines the cloaking phenomenon exhibited by different ferroparticle conditions, employing both experimental and numerical approaches. Under the magnetic influence, hydrophilic particles can attain cloaking velocities of up to 35 mm/s, while hydrophobic particles remain unaffected by the magnetic force, remaining suspended on the water\'s surface. Hydrophobization of ferroparticles not only decreases their water-cloaking ability but also alters their magnetic properties. The inherent hydrophobic nature of these particles enhances water surface stability, rendering them valuable in various applications, including biomedical and self-cleaning technologies. This research holds particular significance for manipulating suspended particles in water, particularly in biomedical applications like drug delivery and tissue engineering, as well as for advancing self-cleaning technologies.

Corrosion protection technology plays a crucial role in preserving infrastructure, ensuring safety and reliability, and promoting long-term sustainability. In this study, we combined experiments and various analyses to investigate the mechanism of corrosion occurring on the epoxy-based anticorrosive coating containing the additive of two-dimensional (2D) and water-stable zirconium-based metal-organic frameworks (Zr-MOFs). By using benzoic acid as the modulator for the growth of the MOF, a 2D MOF constructed from hexazirconium clusters and BTB linkers (BTB = 1,3,5-tri(4-carboxyphenyl)benzene) with coordinated benzoate (BA-ZrBTB) can be synthesized. By coating the BA-ZrBTB/epoxy composite film (BA-ZrBTB/EP) on the surface of cold-rolled steel (CRS), we found the lowest coating roughness (RMS) of BA-ZrBTB/EP is 2.83 nm with the highest water contact angle as 99.8°, which represents the hydrophobic coating surface. Notably, the corrosion rate of the BA-ZrBTB/EP coating is 2.28 × 10-3 mpy, which is 4 orders of magnitude lower than that of the CRS substrate. Moreover, the energy barrier for oxygen diffusion through BA-ZrBTB/EP coating is larger than that for epoxy coating (EP), indicating improved oxygen resistance for adding 2D Zr-MOFs as the additive. These results underscore the high efficiency and potential of BA-ZrBTB as a highly promising agent for corrosion prevention in various commercial applications. Furthermore, this study represents the first instance of applying 2D Zr-MOF materials in anticorrosion applications, opening up new possibilities for advanced corrosion-resistant coatings.

Triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) has been demonstrated as a sustainable energy utilization method for waste mechanical energy and self-powered system. However, the charge dissipation of frictional layer materials in a humid environment severely limits their stable energy supply. In this work, a new method is reported for preparing polymer film as a hydrophobic negative friction material by solution blending poly(vinylidene fluoride-co-hexafluoropropylene) (PVDF-HFP) and polyvinyl chloride (PVC), doping with titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanoparticles, and further surface patterning modification. The P-TENG composed of the PVDF-HFP/PVC/TiO2 composite film with optimized hydrophobic performance (WCA = 124°) achieved an output voltage of 235 V and a short-circuit current of 35 μA, which is approximately three times that of the bare PVDF-HFP-based TENG. Under charge excitation, the transferred charge of the P-TENG can reach 35 nC. When the external load resistance is 5.5 MΩ, the output peak power density can reach 1.4 W m-2. Meanwhile, the hydrophobic surface layer with a rough surface structure enables the device to overcome the influence of water molecules on charge transfer in a humid environment, quickly recover, and maintain a high output. The P-TENG can effectively monitor finger flexibility and strength and realize real-time evaluation of the exercise state and hand fatigue of the elderly and rehabilitation trainers. It has broad application prospects in self-powered intelligent motion sensing, soft robotics, human-machine interaction, and other fields.

Developing plastic/fluorine/silicon-free and degradable water/oil-resistant coatings for paper-based packaging materials to replace disposable plastic products is a very effective way to solve the problem of \'white pollution\' or microplastics pollution. A novel water/oil-resistant coating was developed by alkyl ketene dimer (AKD)-based Pickering emulsion and chitosan in this work. Cellulose nanofibrils (CNF) were used as a stabilizing solid for AKD emulsion, with the addition of chitosan as an oil-resistance agent. The coating provides excellent hydrophobicity, water/oil resistance as well as good barrier properties. The water contact angle was as high as 130° and the minimum Cobb60 value was 5.7 g/m2, which was attributed to the hydrophobicity of AKD. In addition, the kit rating reached maximum 12/12 at coating weight of 8.26 g/m2 and the water vapor transmittance rate (WVTR) was reduced to 153.4 g/(m2⋅day) at the coating weight of 10.50 g/m2. The tensile strength of the paper was increased from 28.1 to 43.6 MPa after coating. Overall, this coating can effectively improve the performance of paper-based materials, which may play an important role in the process of replacing disposable plastic packaging with paper-based materials.

Ionogel-based sensors have gained widespread attention in recent years due to their excellent flexibility, biocompatibility, and multifunctionality. However, the adaptation of ionogel-based sensors in extreme environments (such as humid, acidic, alkaline, and salt environments) has rarely been studied. Here, thermoplastic polyurethane/carbon nanotubes-ionic liquids (TPU/CNTs-ILs) ionogels with a complementary sandpaper morphology on the surface were prepared by a solution-casting method with a simple sandpaper as the template, and the hydrophobic flexible TPU/CNTs-ILs ionogel-based sensor was obtained by modification using nanoparticles modified with cetyltrimethoxysilane. The hydrophobicity improves the environmental resistance of the sensor. The ionogel-based sensor exhibits multimode sensing performance and can accurately detect response signals from strain (0-150%), pressure (0.1-1 kPa), and temperature (30-100 °C) stimuli. Most importantly, the hydrophobic TPU/CNTs-ILs ionogel-based sensors can be used not only as wearable strain sensors to monitor human motion signals but also for information transfer, writing recognition systems, and underwater activity monitoring. Thus, the hydrophobic TPU/CNTs-ILs ionogel-based sensor offers a new strategy for wearable electronics, especially for applications in extreme environments.