Triboelectrically active and wettability-swichable magnetic textile for self-powered intelligent marine conservation

Abstract

Intelligent materials that are built with reversibly switchable wettability between superhydrophilicity-hydrophobicity are crucial for combating environmental challenges such as spill oil cleanup and fuel purification. In this work, inspired by mussel, a robust magnetic textile was prepared by anchoring titanium dioxide and magnetic carbon nanotubes onto textile through Schiff condensation between the amine groups of dopamine and the carboxyl groups of lauric acid. Reversibly switchable wettability was presented on the as-fabricated textile, where superhydrophobic/oleophilic could be achieved at pH 3–7 and hydrophilic/underwater oleophobic were achieved at pH 13. With a maximum saturation magnetization of 17.99 emu/g, it achieves non-contact oil spill recovery through its response to pH and magnetic fields. Interestingly, the asymmetric electric field of M−TENG accelerate the coalescence of water on fabric and oil–water mixture separation. Furthermore, the output performance of M−TENG was dielectrically and magnetically enhanced, with a power density of 0.837 W·m−2. Additionally, a self-powered marine protection system was developed by integrating cathodic protection principles with M−TENG, where the three-dimensionally accommodated triboelectric unit enhanced the efficiency for collecting wave energy, thereby protecting marine vessel components effectively. This work provides guiding strategies for developing self-powered devices for marine conservation and protection based on smart materials and TENG.