The excellent mechanical property and light weight of protective materials are vital for practical application in body armor. In this study, O₂-plasma-modified multi-walled carbon nanotubes (M-MWNTs) were introduced into shear-thickening fluid (STF)-impregnated Kevlar woven fabrics to increase the quasi-static stab resistance and decrease the composite weight. The rheological test showed that the addition of 0.06 wt. % M-MWNT caused a marked increase in the peak viscosity from 1563 to 3417 pa·s and a decrease in the critical shear rate from 14.68 s⁻¹ to 2.53 s⁻¹. The storage modulus (G′) and loss modulus (G″) showed a higher degree of abrupt increase with the increase of shear stress. The yarn pull-out test showed that the yarn friction of M-MWNT/STF/Kevlar fabrics was far superior to the original fabrics. Importantly, under similar areal density, the M-MWNT/STF/Kevlar fabrics could resist 1261.4 N quasi-static stab force and absorb 41.3 J energy, which were much higher than neat Kevlar fabrics. The results of this research indicated that quasi-static stab resistance was improved by M-MWNTs, which was attributed to the excellent shear-thickening effect and the high yarn friction. Therefore, M-MWNT/STF/Kevlar fabrics have a broad prospect in the fields of body protection.

The mechanical behavior of phase-change microcapsules (microPCMs) is of vital significance for practical applications in thermal energy storage. Hence, a new type of microPCMs based on an n-octadecane (C18) core and a melamine-urea-formaldehyde (MUF)/diatomite hybrid shell was developed through in situ polymerization. Based on SEM micrographs, most microPCMs exhibited a nearly spherical and smooth microstructure, with broadened particle size distributions. It was confirmed by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) that successful polymerization of diatomite into the microPCMs occurred, and that additional diatomite had no effect on the core coated by the shell. In addition, the results of the differential scanning calorimeter (DSC) and Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) demonstrated that the mechanical properties of the microPCMs were remarkably improved by the addition of a moderate amount of diatomite, but that the heat enthalpy and encapsulated efficiency (η) decreased slightly. The incorporation of 2 wt % diatomite resulted in the average Young’s modulus of microPCMs, which was 1.64 times greater than those of microPCMs without diatomite. Furthermore, the melting and crystallization enthalpies and the encapsulated efficiency of the microPCMs were as high as 237.6 J/g, 234.4 J/g and 77.90%, respectively. The microPCMs with a polymer/diatomite hybrid shell may become the potential materials in the application of thermal energy storage.

Constructing highly efficient catalysts for the degradation of organic pollutants driven by solar light in aquatic environments is a promising and green strategy. In this study, a novel hexagonal sheet-like Pt/SnS₂ heterojunction photocatalyst is successfully designed and fabricated using a hydrothermal method and photodeposition process for photocatalytic tetracycline (TC) degradation. The optimal Pt/SnS₂ hybrid behaves with excellent photocatalytic performance, with a degradation efficiency of 91.27% after 120 min, a reaction rate constant of 0.0187 min⁻¹, and durability, which can be attributed to (i) the formation of a metal/semiconductor interface field caused by loading Pt nanoparticles (NPs) on the surface of SnS₂, facilitating the separation of photo-induced charge carriers; (ii) the local surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) effect of Pt NPs, extending the light absorption range; and (iii) the sheet-like structure of SnS₂, which can shorten the transmission distance of charge carriers, thereby allowing more electrons (e⁻) and holes (h⁺) to transfer to the surface of the catalyst. This work provides new insights with the utilization of sheet-like structured materials for highly active photocatalytic TC degradation in wastewater treatment and environmental remediation.