Shuliang Wang

Fabrication of superhydrophobic cotton textiles for water-oil separation based on drop-coating route.

In the present study, we are so excited to report a simple drop-coating method for fabricating the superhydrophobic cotton textiles which can remove the water in oil (or the oil in water). It is confirmed that the superhydrophobic composite thin film containing modified-ZnO nanoparticles and polystyren (PS) has been successfully fabricated on the cotton textiles surface by a single-step procedure, and the superhydrophobic cotton textiles displays an excellent property in water-oil separation which is rarely put forward and studied. The static water contact angle on the superhydrophobic cotton sample surface arranges from 153° to 155°, and stays almost the same after exposure to ambient air or immersion in the corrosive liquids and oil, indicating the considerable range of potential applications for the superhydrophobic cotton textiles fabricated by this simple method.

Improvement of wood properties by composite of diatomite and “phenol-melamine-formaldehyde” co-condensed resin

We improved the overall performance of fast-growing poplar by utilizing a low-cost, effective and simple method. The fast-growing poplar was modified by a vacuum-pressure impregnation method with three types of modification solutions composed of phenol-melamine-formaldehyde (PMF) co-condensed resin, diatomite, and 3-aminopropyl (diethoxy) methylsilane. We measured the weight percent gain (WPG), bulking, leaching, anti-swelling efficiency (ASE), water-repellent effectiveness (WRE), and oxygen index of the modified specimens. All of the wood physical properties, which are beneficial for human uses, were significantly improved by the treatment. We improved various characteristics of wood and the oxygen index of poplar above 48.6% after the modification using diatomite and PMF co-condensed resin.