Tianyi Sun

The frequent leakage of organic solvents necessitates the development of intelligent monitoring systems and solvent‐responsive actuators. Conventional actuators, however, often rely on “on/off” switching of external stimuli, typically resulting in passive and unidirectional deformation, which is insufficient for continuous actuation applications. This study introduces graphitic carbon nitride (g‐C ₃ N ₄ ), a two‐dimensional layered material, into a polylactic acid (PLA)‐poly(propylene carbonate) (PPC) system, successfully constructing an asymmetrically structured g‐C ₃ N ₄ /PLA‐PPC composite film. The film exhibited continuous and autonomous bidirectional deformation in a constant organic solvent environment, overcoming the limitation of unidirectional response typical of conventional materials. The bidirectional actuation performance was systematically investigated with respect to g‐C ₃ N ₄ content, polymer blending ratio, film geometry, and type of layered inorganic materials. The mechanism underlying the continuous bidirectional deformation of the film in a constant organic solvent environment was elucidated through systematic adsorption and structural analyses. Finally, utilizing this characteristic, biomimetic butterflies, artificial octopuses, intelligent protective devices, and smart alarms were designed, demonstrating potential application scenarios for bidirectional intelligent actuators.

A simple strategy was adopted for the preparation of an antimicrobial natural rubber/graphene oxide (NR/GO) composite film modified through the use of zwitterionic polymer brushes. An NR/GO composite film with antibacterial properties was prepared using a water-based solution-casting method. The composited GO was dispersed uniformly in the NR matrix and compensated for mechanical loss in the process of modification. Based on the high bromination activity of α–H in the structure of cis-polyisoprene, the composite films were brominated on the surface through the use of N-bromosuccinimide (NBS) under the irradiation of a 40 W tungsten lamp. Polymerization was carried out on the brominated films using sulfobetaine methacrylate (SBMA) as a monomer via surface-initiated atom transfer radical polymerization (SI-ATRP). The NR/GO composite films modified using polymer brushes (PSBMAs) exhibited 99.99% antimicrobial activity for resistance to Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus. A novel polymer modification strategy for NR composite materials was established effectively, and the enhanced antimicrobial properties expand the application prospects in the medical field.

The double-layer PVDF-PVC (D-PP/PP) super-hydrophobic composite membrane was prepared by the coating immersion phase separation method to enhance the mechanical properties of the composite membrane. The D-PP/PP super-hydrophobic membrane was prepared using the casting solution concentration of 12 wt% PVDF-PVC composite membrane as basement and 4% casting of PVDF-PVC coating. The contact angle of the D-PP/PP membrane was 150.4 ± 0.3°, and the scanning electron microscope showed that the surface of the D-PP/PP membrane was covered by a cross-linked micro–nano microsphere. The mechanical properties showed that the maximum tensile force of the D-PP/PP composite membrane was 2.34 N, which was 19.4% higher than that of PVDF-PVC (1.96 N). Nano-graphite was added to the coating layer in the experiment. The prepared double-layer PVDF-PVC-nano-graphite/PVDF-PVC (D-PPG/PP) composite membrane reached 153.7 ± 0.5°, the contact angle increasing by 3.3°. The SEM comparison showed that the D-PPG/PP composite membrane had a more obvious micro–nano level microsphere layer. The mechanical properties are also superior. By preparing the D-PP/PP membrane, the mechanical properties of the membrane were improved, and the super-hydrophobic property of the coating was also obtained. At the same time, it was found that adding nano-graphite to the coating layer can better improve the hydrophobic, mechanical, and self-cleaning properties of the D-PP/PP composite membrane.

The intelligent response actuators based on bilayer polymer can deform under the stimulation of temperature, humidity, light, and other external environment, which is the focus of research. However, achieving multiple responses, high deformation, and programmability is still one of the challenges for these actuators. Herein, a nondetachable bilayer structure, polylactic acid–polypropylene carbonate/polyvinyl alcohol–polydopamine (PLA–PPC/PVA–PDA) multiresponse programmable actuator is prepared by a simple scraping film method. Using PLA–PPC as the solvent‐driven response layer, the effects of length, thickness, shape, and solvent vapor on the deformation of PLA–PPC/PVA–PDA actuators are studied. Among them, the high curvature of the film stimulated by ethyl acetate (EA) solution is 29.85 cm⁻¹. Using PVA–PDA as the response layer to water molecules and infrared (IR) light, the bilayer film shows excellent curling performance. Moreover, the dynamic processes of human clothing and biomimetic squid under solvent stimulation, the picture rolling motion under water molecule stimulation, the biomimetic flower blooming and merging under the synergistic of water molecules and IR light, and the deformation process of biomimetic mimosa under the competition between water molecules and IR light are simulated, which broadens the road for the development of intelligent driving materials.

An environmentally friendly pore size-controlled, superhydrophobic polylactic acid (PLA) membrane was successfully prepared by a simpler freeze solidification phase separation method (FSPS) and solution impregnation, which has application prospects in the field of oil–water separation. The pore size and structure of the membrane were adjusted by different solvent ratios and solution impregnation ratios. The PLA-FSPS membrane after solution impregnation (S-PLA-FSPS) had the characteristics of uniform pore size, superhydrophobicity and super lipophilicity, its surface roughness Ra was 338 nm, and the contact angle to water was 151°. The S-PLA-FSPS membrane was used for the oil–water separation. The membrane oil flux reached 16,084 L·m⁻²·h⁻¹, and the water separation efficiency was 99.7%, which was much higher than that of other oil–water separation materials. In addition, the S-PLA-FSPS membrane could also be applied for the adsorption and removal of oil slicks and underwater heavy oil. The S-PLA-FSPS membrane has great application potential in the field of oil–water separation.

This paper presents a highly efficient porous adsorbent PGMA-N prepared through a series of amination reactions between polyglycidyl methacrylate (PGMA) and different polyamines. The obtained polymeric porous materials were characterized using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), specific surface area test (BET), and elemental analysis (EA). Thereinto, the PGMA-EDA porous adsorbent exhibited excellent ability to synergistically remove Cu(II) ions and sulfamethoxazole from aqueous solutions. Moreover, we studied the effects of pH, contact time, temperature, and initial concentration of pollutants on the adsorption performance of the adsorbent. The experimental results showed that the adsorption process of Cu(II) followed the pseudo-second-order kinetic model and Langmuir isotherm. The maximum adsorption capacity of PGMA-EDA for Cu(II) ions was 0.794 mmol/g. These results indicate that PGMA-EDA porous adsorbent has great potential for application in treating wastewater coexisting with heavy metals and antibiotics.