Lotus leaf hydrophobic surface-mediated fabrication of stretchable, self-healing MnO2 microcapsules for controlled release of chlorine dioxide

Based on a bio-derived superhydrophobic interface of lotus leaf, this study reported in-situ synthesis of ε-MnO 2 microcapsules via a gas-liquid-solid three-phase interfacial reaction. X-ray diffraction (XRD), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), and selected-area electron diffraction (SAED), unambiguously confirmed that the microcapsule shell consisted exclusively of crystalline ε-MnO 2 (JCPDS No. 30–0820) and exhibited a well-defined heterogeneous bilayer network architecture. The inner layer comprised a resilient, entangled nanowire network formed through gas-liquid interface-directed self-assembly, while the outer layer featured densely packed, raft-like MnO 2 nanoplates. Under mild thermal stimulation, MnO 2 microcapsules demonstrated reversible stretchable and self-healing capability. Encapsulated manganese chlorate (Mn(ClO 3 ) 2 ) underwent interfacially confined decomposition at the solid-liquid interface, enabling controlled, and sustained release of chlorine dioxide (ClO 2 ). Antibacterial assays against Bacillus anthracis revealed a time-dependent inhibitory effect, achieving 72.9% growth inhibition after 7 days of exposure.