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Updated: Jul 19, 2025
Origami Inspired Self-assembly of Patterned and Reconfigurable Particles
Published on: February 4, 2013
A biomimetic closed-loop recyclable, long-term durable, extreme-condition resistant, flame-retardant nanocoating
Jiayan Zhang1, Furong Zeng1, Bowen Liu1
1The Collaborative Innovation Center for Eco-Friendly and Fire-safety Polymeric Materials, National Engineering Laboratory of Eco-Friendly Polymeric Materials (Sichuan), State Key Laboratory of Polymer Materials Engineering, College of Chemistry, Sichuan University, Sichuan 610064, China. haibor7@163.com.
Abstract:
Flame-retardant coatings have attracted increasing attention in mitigating the fire threat of flammable polymer materials. Their durable application inevitably provides high resistance to various complex environments, however, discarded stable materials will turn into another man-made waste disaster. The paradigm shift toward a sustainable future is to combine durability and recyclability of coatings. Herein, we demonstrate a biomimetic coating that reversibly captures active flame-retardant nanomaterials by flocculation assembly using anionic polyacrylamide covering the polyurethane foam surface. Strong hydrogen bonding and microstructural interlocking provide the coating with high durability under complex harsh conditions (underwater, chemical exposure, hydrothermal aging, long-term external extrusion, etc.). Meanwhile, the disassembly/reorganization of the coating can be easily repeated in response to pH stimulation with a recycling rate of 97%. The experiments and theoretical calculations reveal the mechanism of the reversible flocculation assembly. This biomimetic strategy of responsive flocculation assembly opens the way for functional coatings with integrated durability and recyclability.
