Integrating environmental robustness, energy-efficient recoatability and multi-scenario applicability into a single durable coating that can resist the accumulation of liquid, solid, and mold contaminants is critical for the sustainable development of the coatings industry, yet remains a significant challenge. Here, this issue is addressed by developing a novel hydrophilic-hydrophobic conversion strategy to engineer an environmentally robust organic/inorganic hybrid superhydrophobic coating with remarkable anti-soiling properties and pH-induced recoatability. This conversion, achieved through surface chemistry regulation incorporating hydrophobic hydrocarbon chains and aminopropyl functional groups, yields a coating with a high water contact angle (WCA) of 155.4 degrees and a low sliding angle (SA) of 1.3 degrees. Notably, the WCA can reversibly transition to 0 degrees within 15 s under pH adjustment. The wide range of the surface energy variations enables effective recoatability and restores surface wettability in damaged coatings, with an adhesion strength up to 5.34 MPa, allowing for the in-situ reuse of old coatings. The uniform distribution of modified silica nanoparticles within semi-cured epoxy matrix imparts satisfactory environmental durability, allowing the composite coating to retain its superhydrophobicity after enduring various harsh conditions, including 100 cycles of sandpaper abrasion, 70 cycles of tape-peeling, 120 h of water immersion, and 168 h of heat and humidity exposure. Additionally, the coating demonstrates enhanced anti-mold performance, achieving a grade 1 rating. This work introduces a novel design and fabrication method for multifunctional pH-triggered recoatable superhydrophobic coatings with enhanced environmental robustness that significantly extends their lifespan and adaptability.

In this study, the Pseudomonas fluorescens-based lipase enzyme was utilized to enhance the comfort and hydrophilic properties of polyester/cotton blend fabric. The experiment was set up, the major influencing elements were examined, and the appropriate operational parameter levels were established using the Box-Behnken design approach. To express the wettability and moisture regain of treated fabrics, temperatures, lipase enzyme concentrations, and treatment time were taken as independent variables. The ideal optimum lipase enzyme treatment parameters were found to be 30 degrees C temperature, 14% lipase concentration, and 50 min of treatment time. At optimal operating conditions, the moisture regain and wettability for lipase-treated p/c blend fabrics enhanced to 1.8 +/- 0.02% and 6.3 cm capillary rise(2-s drop test and 2-s sinking time), respectively. The lipase enzyme-treated p/c blend fabrics are characterized by a totally reduced susceptibility to fabric pilling which is 4-5 as well as a restricted ability to combine oily impurities and a high oil-soil-release capability of stain removal index of 95% and also showed a surface resistivity decreased by one order of magnitude under normal conditions which is 470 s of half-life decay time. Generally, the effects of the lipase enzyme treatment on the fabric properties were then assessed by FT-IR, TGA, DSC, moisture regain, tensile strength, stain repellency, pilling resistance and anti-static charge generation.

To reduce the amount of pesticides in the environment, it is necessary to consider the wettability properties of pesticide droplets on the leaf surface to improve the spraying effect. The wettability properties of the droplet on the leaf surface are related not only to the properties of the liquid itself but also to the properties of the leaf surface. It is typically believed that leaf surface properties are difficult to control, and thus research has generally ignored this aspect of pesticide use. However, in the field environment, the structure and properties of the leaf surface can be altered by changing the moisture content of the soil where plants are grown. In this study, the roughness, contact angle, and surface free energy of the leaf surface were measured and calculated under different soil moisture contents to study the changes in the leaf surface wettability properties, with the aim of achieving efficient pesticide spraying by adjusting the soil water content. The results showed that the surface composition and microstructure of leaves were altered by the change in the soil moisture content, and the wettability properties of leaves decreased initially and then increased with a decrease in the soil moisture content. When the amount of soil water was sufficient or seriously insufficient, the wettability properties of the leaves were increased, but a lack of soil water may lead to irreversible damage to the plants. Therefore, before spraying pesticides on the leaf surfaces, the plants should be fully watered to improve the wettability properties of the leaf surface, which is conducive to the deposition and adhesion of pesticide droplets on the leaf surface and improved application effectiveness. The results of this study can provide a useful reference for the theoretical research and practices of precision spraying.

Plastics fragment and threaten soil ecosystems. Degradation of soil structure is one of the risks. Despite this, data on impacts of different sized microplastics (MPs) on soil aggregates is lacking. This study systematically investigated the effects of pristine polyethylene powders of different sizes ( 4 mm) reduced with increasing MP exposure concentration and decreasing MP exposure size. MP incorporation decreased the water stability of aggregates (1-2 mm) in WS but increased it in AS. The particle density of aggregates (> 4 mm) significantly decreased with increasing MP concentration, whereas MP size had no effect. As MPs breakdown, fragment and become smaller over time, their potential risk to the aggregated structure of soil increases.