A versatile and highly efficient method was developed to fabricate durable, superhydrophobic surfaces on various substrates, including wood, lignocellulosic fibers, cotton textiles, glass, and metals. This method employs various nanoparticles (i.e., SiO₂ and TiO₂) in combination with vinyltriethoxysilane (VTES) modification under gravity and pressure. The obtained superhydrophobic surfaces exhibited water contact angles greater than 150° and water sliding angles less than 4.5°. The superhydrophobicity of the coated surfaces was created by the random distribution of oligomer-wrapped nanoparticles having different sizes and shapes, and the oligomer originated from the hydrolyzed VTES. All superhydrophobic surfaces were able to sustain different types of abrasion, including finger wiping, brushing, and knife scratching. The mechanical durability of these superhydrophobic surfaces, with the exception of cloth and textiles, maintained the original superhydrophobicity even after intense sandpaper-induced abrasion. The excellent tolerance against vigorous abrasions was attributed to the hierarchical structure and strong interfacial adhesion of the coatings. Furthermore, all surfaces survived under the environmental conditions of 35 °C and 90% RH for 96 h. It was confirmed that these surfaces exhibited excellent self-cleaning and oil/water separation properties. The modification method developed in this work provides a facile, efficient route to fabricate large-scale, mechanically stable, and durable superhydrophobic surfaces for a wide range of potential applications.

A branch-like Mo-doped Ni₃S₂ nanoforest is presented as a robust electrocatalyst for boosted energy-saving H₂ production through the overall urea electrolysis.

Nickel–zinc (Ni–Zn) batteries are currently regarded as promising energy storage devices due to their high efficiency, high output voltage and good safety. However, the low energy density and poor rate performance caused by insufficient active sites and slow electron/ion transportation impede their future development in large-scale applications. To improve their electrochemical performance, we designed a new Ni-based composite with a unique structure by anchoring Ni–NiO nanoparticles onto a naturally derived and networked cellulose nanofiber carbon (denoted as Ni–NiO/CC), which can work as a robust cathode for Ni–Zn batteries. Benefiting from the elaborate structure that can speed up charge transportation and increase the number of active sites of cathode materials, the capacity of Ni–NiO/CC is remarkably improved from 2.3 mA h g⁻¹ to 184 mA h g⁻¹ at 0.625 A g⁻¹. The as-fabricated Ni–NiO/CC//Zn battery delivers high capacity (256 mA h g⁻¹ at 0.625 A g⁻¹), superior rate performance (68.5% capacity retention at 25 A g⁻¹), and good cycling durability (87.5% retention after 2000 cycles). More importantly, the maximum power density of the Ni–NiO/CC//Zn battery is 41.6 kW kg⁻¹, presenting a peak energy density of 441.7 W h kg⁻¹. This work promotes the facile manipulation of nanostructured electrodes based on sustainable biomass for green and advanced aqueous rechargeable batteries.