Bioinspired on-off switchable multi-level responsiveness for ultralong fire-warning, super-sensitive solvent/humidity and light-driven behaviors

• Published in: Chemical engineering journal (Lausanne, Switzerland : 1996) Switzerland : 1996), 2024-07, Vol.492, p.152188, Article 152188
• Main Authors: Yang, Xue-Min, Lv, Jing-Xiang, Zheng, Meng-Ting, Wang, Qian-Ting, Gohs, Uwe, Harre, Kathrin, Xiao, Dan
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Early fire-warning; Multi-driven; Multi-level responsiveness; Phospholipid biomolecules
• ISSN: 1385-8947
• DOI: 10.1016/j.cej.2024.152188

[Display omitted] •A multi-level responsiveness smart structures (VBGO) inspired by phospholipid biomolecules is self-assembled.•The designed VBGO exhibits the super-sensitive fire alarm time (only 0.17 s) and super-along sustained fire alarm time (up to 249 s).•The VBGO displays significant increment in thermal stability and film-forming properties.•The VBGO exhibits the unique minutes change in their surrounding environments like fire, heat, light, humidity, and solvent vapor.•The on–off switchable mechanisms of fire-warning responsiveness, solvent-/humidity-/light-driven, shape memory and environmental awareness are presented systematically. The prospects of endowing the omnipresent hazardous substances with sensitive, safe, and stable life-like behaviors poses significant for the development of on–off switchable smart materials. Herewith, based on material-structural synergistic design, a multi-level responsiveness smart structures (VBGO) inspired by phospholipid biomolecules is self-assembled through asymmetric swelling and smart supramolecular nano-structures. Due to the outstanding sensitive of fire-warning nano-hybrid of functionalized cyclodextrin-graphene and highly stable substrate of vermiculite, the designed VBGO exhibits the high-sensitively fire alarm time (only 0.17 s) and super-along sustained fire alarm time (up to 249 s). Moreover, the VBGO displays significant increment in thermal stability and film-forming properties. Besides, given the asymmetrical and self-assembled smart structures, the VBGO exhibits the unique fast responses in their surrounding environments like fire, heat, light, humidity, and solvent vapor. Additionally, the on–off switchable mechanisms of fire-warning responsiveness, solvent-/humidity-/light-driven, shape memory and environmental awareness are presented systematically. This work introduces a sensitive, safe, and stable approach to designing multi-level responsive smart materials by modifying fire-warning bioinspired structures.