The use of toxic components and short longevity greatly restricted the commercial application of superhydrophobic surfaces in oil−water separation, antifouling, and self-cleaning. To address these concerns, a durable, robust, and fluorine-free superhydrophobic fabric is prepared on account of inspiration of nature. In this work, submicrometer-sized silica particles with different particle sizes are deposited onto cotton fabrics, followed by hydrophobic modification of poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS), and consequently bonded the substrate and coating via powerful covalent bonds through a simple dip-coating technique. The rough surface with an imitated lotus-leaf-like hierarchical protrusion structure is constructed by deposited submicrometer-sized particles with different particle sizes, while the fabric with a low surface energy is achieved by the hydrophobic modification of PDMS. Ultimately, the fabricated fabric exhibits extraordinary superhydrophobicity with a high water contact angle (WCA) of 161°and a small sliding hysteresis angle (SHA) of 2.4°. Besides, considerable mechanical stability to withstand 130 sandpaper abrasion cycles and 40 washing cycles, and chemical resistance with sustained superhydrophobic property in various harsh environments (e.g., boiling water, strong acid/base solutions, and various organic solvents), are presented. Moreover, higher than 90% separation efficiency with a contact angle >150 °is produced even after 50 cycles when the fabricated fabric serves as a filter during the oil−water separation besides its outstanding staining resistance and self-cleaning property.

Fe2O3 as anode for lithium-ion batteries has attracted intense attention because of its high theoretical capacity, natural abundance and good safety. However, the inferior cycling stability, low-rate performance and limited...

In this study, necklace-like NiCo2O4@carbon composite nanofibers (NCO@CNFs) anode hatched by metal-organic frameworks, featuring low volume expansion and superior high rate properties, are prepared for anode of lithium-ion batteries. By...

Transition metal oxides (TMOs) are considered as promising anode materials for lithium-ion batteries in comparison with conventional graphite anode. However, TMO anodes suffer severe volume expansion during charge/discharge process. In this respect, a porous Fe2O3 nanorod-decorated hollow carbon nanofiber (HNF) anode is designed via a combined electrospinning and hydrothermal method followed by proper annealing. FeOOH/PAN was prepared as precursors and sacrificial templates, and porous hollow Fe2O3@carbon nanofiber (HNF-450) composite is formed at 450 °C in air. As anode materials for lithium-ion batteries, HNF-450 exhibits outstanding rate performance and cycling stability with a reversible discharge capacity of 1398 mAh g−1 after 100 cycles at a current density of 100 mA g−1. Specific capacities 1682, 1515, 1293, 987, and 687 mAh g−1 of HNF-450 are achieved at multiple current densities of 200, 300, 500, 1000, and 2000 mA g−1, respectively. When coupled with commercial LiCoO2 cathode, the full cell delivered an outstanding initial charge/discharge capacity of 614/437 mAh g−1 and stability at different current densities. The improved electrochemical performance is mainly attributed to the free space provided by the unique porous hollow structure, which effectively alleviates the volume expansion and facilitates the exposure of more active sites during the lithiation/delithiation process. Graphical abstract Porous Fe2O3 nanorod-decorated hollow carbon nanofibers exhibit outstanding rate performance and cycling stability with a high reversible discharge capacity.

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