The development of stimuli-responsive materials with the ability of controllable oil/water separation is crucial for practical applications. Here, a novel pH responsive nonfluorine-containing copolymer was designed. The copolymer together with silica can be dip-coated on different materials including cotton fabric, filter paper, and polyurethane foam. The coated materials exhibit switchable superhydrophilicity and superhydrophobicity and can be applied in continuous separation of oil/water/oil three phase mixtures, different surfactant stabilized emulsion (oil-in-water, water-in-oil, and oil-in-acidic water) as well as oil uptake and release via in situ and ex situ pH change. We expect that the coatings highlight the practical applications because of the cost-effective preparation process and fluorine-free strategy.

Membranes with special functionalities, such as self-cleaning, especially those for oil/water separation, have attracted much attention due to their wide applications. However, they are difficult to recycle and reuse after being damaged. Herein, we put forward a new N-substituted polyurethane membrane concept with self-healing ability to address this challenge. The membrane obtained by electrospinning has a self-cleaning surface with an excellent self-healing ability. Importantly, by tuning the membrane composition, the membrane exhibits different wettability for effective separation of oil/water mixtures and water-in-oil emulsions, whilst still displaying a self-healing ability and durability against damage. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report to demonstrate a self-healing membrane for oil/water separation, which provides the fundamental research for the development of advanced oil/water separation materials.

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With the development of society, oil pollution has become more and more serious, it is becoming a global issue to separate oil and water mixture. Currently, a variety of functional materials have been successfully prepared for oil/water separation. Among them, polyurethane is an attractive candidate due to its low cost, wear-resistance and excellent mechanical properties. This report summarizes the design strategy of polyurethane-based materials and their applications in oil/ water separation. The progress made so far will guide further development of polyurethane-based materials for oil/water separation.

Plain weave fabrics of polyacrylonitrile pre-oxidation yarns (PANOF) were prepared by small rapier loom. The flame retardation properties, mechanical properties and wear behaviors of PANOF plain weave fabrics were tested. The limiting oxygen index (LOI) of these PANOF plain weave fabric samples was 31%, which meets the criterion of flame-retardant fabrics. These fabrics neither melt nor shrunk when left in flame for a short period of time and the fabric structures were well maintained. Compared with flammable polyacrylonitrile fabrics, the polyacrylonitrile pre-oxidation fabrics exhibited excellent flame retardation properties, with satisfactory mechanical properties and comfortable handle.

Basalt fiber is a novel high-performance inorganic material, recently has been well received as a reinforcement in China. However, the applications in civil engineering have been rather limited. The chemical compositions, the characteristics of basalt fibers, and the typical products of basalt, including chopped yarn of basalt fiber, basalt fiber geo-textiles and basalt fiber reinforced polymer, were introduced．The advantages of basalt fibers as a reinforcement of concrete were explored in comparison with the commonly used reinforcing fibers, which indicates that basalt fiber is the most promising reinforcement material for concrete and will significantly benefit civil construction industries in the future.

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A mathematical model was derived to describe knots in radiata pine logs and the boards quarter-sawn from these logs, based on the geometrical configuration and the growth features of the knots. Scenario simulations for the shape and the location of knots are presented, and the significance of studying knot architecture is discussed in the paper.