SWUST research is published online in Advanced Materials

The research paper Superdurable Full-Life Superhydrophobic Composite Block (IF: 29.4) written by the team led by Professor Teng Yuancheng and Associate Professor Wang Shanlin from the School of Materials and Chemistry at SWUST, has recently been published in a top materials journal online. The first and exclusive corresponding author is Associate Professor Wang Shanlin, and the co-first author is Zhao Zhimeng, a 2020 master’s graduate of SWUST (now pursuing a doctoral degree at the National University of Defense Technology).

The pursuit of excellent mechanical properties have always been a cornerstone in material development, underpinning the reliability and stability during use. Failure of superhydrophobic materials due to poor mechanical properties has become one of the main obstacles hindering their development. Consequently, and how to improve the mechanical properties of these materials occupies an important position in their evolution. Currently, Remarkable strides have been made, and it has evolved from withstanding limited falling sand abrasion to enduring tens of sandpaper abrasion and even hundreds to thousands of Taber abrasion. However, challenges remain in fabricating superhydrophobic materials with superior mechanical properties to maintain superhydrophobicity over extended periods. The team has designed and fabricated an ultra-durable, full-life superhydrophobic composite block material that boasts superb mechanical stability, with ultra-low Taber wear. In addition, this composite block, with its distinctive structure, allows for efficient water collection capabilities, providing a new strategy for designing superhydrophobic materials capable of withstanding extreme conditions such as high temperatures, humidity, pressure, and abrasive wear.

Associate Professor Wang Shanlin joined SWUST in 2018, mainly engaged in the design and development of surface and interface protective materials. He holds esteemed positions as a committee member of the Materials Branch of the Chinese Society of Mechanical Engineering, an expert of the National Think Tank for Materials and Device Scientists for Functional Materials and Devices, and an expert of the National Expert Database for Postgraduate Education Assessment and Monitoring. He has presided over a dozen research projects, including those funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China’s General Program and Youth Fund. He has published more than 20 papers in top journals, including 2 cover papers, as the first author or corresponding author. Additionally, he has applied for more than 20 patents (with 4 successfully commercialized). His research results have been leveraged by enterprise to benefit a number of units.

In the realm of education, Associate Professor Wang has been awarded 1 provincial teaching team, developed 3 courses and won 5 prizes in teaching competitions; he has supervised students to preside over 3 technological projects and won more than 10 prizes in technological competitions; 2 of his students have been awarded as outstanding graduates and 3 of them have produced excellent dissertations.

Paper link:

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/adma.202403853  

Edited by Yang Shufan

Translated by Chen Yaqi

Drafted by the State Key Laboratory of Environment-friendly Energy Materials