Hierarchical carbon-coated Al based composite for energy storage/release and information protection

The development of advanced high-energy-density film hosts for next-generationdevices or chips requires integrating multifunctional, eco-friendly layers to overcome challengessuch as thermal energy conversion loss from stored chemical energy and ensuring informationsecurity. Herein, we introduce a novel approach combining electrophoretic assembly, surfacemodification, and in-situ heat-gas treatment to fabricate a smart Al-based metastable intermolecularcomposite (MIC). This composite features a carbon-based eco-friendly coating, endowing it withmultifunctional, heat-responsive, and wettability-switchable properties. The functionalized layerenhances waterproofing and provides robust information protection through secure entry andencryption mechanisms. The resulting MIC demonstrates remarkable stability in both crystalstructure and microstructure, exhibiting superior anti-wettability with a water contact angle of~165°, and shows excellent performance in immersion, aging, and self-cleaning tests. It alsodemonstrates outstanding energy conversion efficiency, effectively transforming stored chemicalenergy into thermal energy. Furthermore, key information was successfully encoded onto the nano-Al MIC substrate using a thermosolvent writing technique. Encryption is achieved via stimulationwith either hot solvent or hot gas. This work paves the way for deploying smart MICs in electronicsand power equipment applications.