Leśniewski Bartosz, Kopani Martin, Szczurek Anna, Matczak Michał, Dubowik Janusz, Kotula Martyna, Kubiak Anita, Tsurkan Dmitry, Romańczuk-Ruszuk Eliza, Nowicki Marek, Nowacki Krzysztof, Petrenko Iaroslav, Ehrlich Hermann
Center for Advanced Technologies, Adam Mickiewicz University, Uniwersytetu Poznańskiego 10, 61-614 Poznań, Poland.
Faculty of Chemistry, Adam Mickiewicz University, Uniwersytetu Poznańskiego 8, 61-614 Poznań, Poland.
Biomimetics (Basel). 2025 May 28;10(6):350. doi: 10.3390/biomimetics10060350.
This study presents a novel approach to fabricating magnetic sponge-like composites by melting various types of steel onto three-dimensional (3D) carbonized spongin scaffolds under extreme biomimetic conditions. Spongin, a renewable marine biopolymer with high thermal stability, was carbonized at 1200 °C to form a turbostratic graphite matrix capable of withstanding the high-temperature steel melting process (1450-1600 °C). The interaction between molten steel vapors and the carbonized scaffolds resulted in the formation of nanostructured iron oxide (primarily hematite) coatings, which impart magnetic properties to the resulting composites. Detailed characterization using SEM-EDX, HRTEM, FT-IR, and XRD confirmed the homogeneous distribution of iron oxides on and within the carbonized fibrous matrix. Electrochemical measurements further demonstrated the electrocatalytic potential of the composite, particularly the sample modified with stainless steel 316L-for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER), offering promising perspectives for green hydrogen production. This work highlights the potential of extreme biomimetics to create functional, scalable, and sustainable materials for applications in catalysis, environmental remediation, and energy technologies.
本研究提出了一种在极端仿生条件下,通过将各类钢熔覆到三维(3D)碳化海绵骨胶原支架上,来制备磁性海绵状复合材料的新方法。海绵骨胶原是一种具有高热稳定性的可再生海洋生物聚合物,在1200℃碳化形成了一种能承受高温钢熔覆过程(1450 - 1600℃)的乱层石墨基体。钢水蒸汽与碳化支架之间的相互作用导致形成了纳米结构的氧化铁(主要是赤铁矿)涂层,赋予了所得复合材料磁性。使用扫描电子显微镜-能谱仪(SEM-EDX)、高分辨率透射电子显微镜(HRTEM)、傅里叶变换红外光谱(FT-IR)和X射线衍射(XRD)进行的详细表征证实了氧化铁在碳化纤维基体内外的均匀分布。电化学测量进一步证明了该复合材料,特别是用316L不锈钢改性的样品,对于析氢反应(HER)的电催化潜力,为绿色制氢提供了有前景的展望。这项工作突出了极端仿生在制造用于催化、环境修复和能源技术应用的功能性、可扩展且可持续材料方面的潜力。