Nickel supported over MCM-41 coated ceramic membrane for steam reforming of real tar

A novel catalyst, Nickel supported over MCM-41 coated ceramic membrane (NMC), was developed using coating method and deposition-precipitation method and applied for steam reforming of real tar in fixed bed. The effects of reaction conditions such as Ni loading amount, reaction temperature and mass ratio of steam to tar were also studied. The good dispersion of Ni nanoparticles and the strong interaction between Ni particles and the support were identified by BET, XRD, H₂-TPR and SEM/EDS, resulting in the excellent performance of NMC catalysts. Maximum tar conversion of 96.4% and H₂ yield of 98.7 mmol g^?1 were obtained using 20NMC with a mass ratio of steam to coal tar of 2 at 800 °C. Moreover, 20 NMC exhibited a good stability in 10 h of lifetime test and the resistance of graphitic carbon formation prone to easier regeneration of catalysts illustrated by Raman spectroscopy. It indicates that the utilization of NMC catalysts for tar steam reforming is a promising way.     

Informative and corrective responsive packaging: Advances in farm-to-fork monitoring and remediation of food quality and safety

Microbial growth and fluctuations in environmental conditions have been shown to cause microbial contamination and deterioration of food. Thus, it is paramount to develop reliable strategies to effectively prevent the sale and consumption of contaminated or spoiled food. Responsive packaging systems are designed to react to specific stimuli in the food or environment, such as microorganisms or temperature, then implement an informational or corrective response. Informative responsive packaging is aimed at continuously monitoring the changes in food or environmental conditions and conveys this information to the users in real time. Meanwhile, packaging systems with the capacity to control contamination or deterioration are also of great interest. Encouragingly, corrective responsive packaging attempting to mitigate the adverse effects of condition fluctuations on food has been investigated. This packaging exerts its effects through the triggered release of active agents by environmental stimuli. In this review, informative and corrective responsive packaging is conceptualized clearly and concisely. The mechanism and characteristics of each type of packaging are discussed in depth. This review also summarized the latest research progress of responsive packaging and objectively appraised their advantages. Evidently, the mechanism through which packaging systems respond to microbial contamination and associated environmental factors was also highlighted. Moreover, risk concerns, related legislation, and consumer perspective in the application of responsive packaging are discussed as well. Broadly, this comprehensive review covering the latest information on responsive packaging aims to provide a timely reference for scientific research and offer guidance for presenting their applications in food industry.     

Adaptive finite-time tracking control for parameterized nonlinear systems with full state constraints

In this article, the issue of adaptive finite-time dynamic surface control (DSC) is discussed for a class of parameterized nonlinear systems with full state constraints. Using the property of logarithmic function, a one-to-one nonlinear mapping is constructed to transform a constrained system into an unconstrained system with the same structure. The nonlinear filter is constructed to replace the first-order linear filter in the traditional DSC, and the demand on the filter time constant is reduced. Based on finite-time stable theory and using modified DSC, the finite-time controller is designed via DSC. Theoretical analysis shows that all the signals in the closed-loop system are semiglobal practical finite-time stable. Furthermore, none of the states are outside the defined open set. In the end, simulation results are presented to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed control schemes with both linear filters and nonlinear filters.     

Electrocaloric effect and pyroelectric energy harvesting in diffuse ferroelectric Ba(Ti 1-x Ce x )O 3 ceramics

In the present work Ba(Ti1-xCex)O3 ceramics are prepared through a standard solid-state sintering process. Crystal structures, dielectric properties, ferroelectric properties and electrocaloric...     

Ni-Foam Structured Ni-Phyllosilicate Ensemble as an Efficient Monolithic Catalyst for CO2 Methanation

This work proposed a new path to synthesize Ni-phyllosilicate through the reaction of nickel hydroxide and silica sol on the surface of Ni-foam to form the monolithic Ni-phyllosilicate/Ni-foam catalyst. Ni-phyllosilicate could reprint the morphology of nickel hydroxid and firmly anchor on the framework of Ni-foam, which obtained fine Ni particles of 2.8 nm after reduction in H₂ at 650 °C, resulting in high catalytic activity for CO₂ methanation. In addition, the Ni-phyllosilicate/Ni-foam catalyst showed high long-term stability in a 100 h-lifetime test owing to the combined effects of surface confinement of Ni-phyllosilicate, firm anchoring between Ni-phyllosilicate and Ni-foam, as well as the high heat transfer property of Ni-foam.

Graphical Abstract

     

Tuning the magnetic properties of Zr2N MXene by biaxial strain

The effects of strain on the magnetic properties of Zr₂N MXene have been investigated by the first-principles calculations. The ground state of strain-free Zr₂N MXene is intrinsically antiferromagnetic. However, the magnetic state of Zr₂N MXene tends to be ferromagnetic when the applied strain is higher than 4%. The transition of magnetic orderings from antiferromagnetism to ferromagnetism under tensile strains can be understood from the Stoner criterion. Besides, the critical temperature (T_c) is about 470 K for the strain-free Zr₂N MXene, indicating that the antiferromagnetic ordering can be robust and maintained at room temperature. The T_c of antiferromagnetic states begins to decrease once the strain is exerted. As the FM ordering is favored, however, the T_c then increases with the applied strain. Under 8% tensile strain, the T_c comes to room temperature (300 K). In addition, both the orientation of easy-axis and the magnetic anisotropy energy (MAE) of Zr₂N MXene fluctuate with the strain. At the strain of 2%, the MAE reaches the largest (203 μeV per Zr atom), mainly resulting from the spin-orbit interactions between occupied and unoccupied p_x/p_y states of Zr atoms. All these tunable and appealing properties make Zr₂N MXene desirable for spintronic applications.     

Suppression of Hypoxia-Inducible Factor 1α by Low-Molecular-Weight Heparin Mitigates Ventilation-Induced Diaphragm Dysfunction in a Murine Endotoxemia Model

Mechanical ventilation (MV) is required to maintain life for patients with sepsis-related acute lung injury but can cause diaphragmatic myotrauma with muscle damage and weakness, known as ventilator-induced diaphragm dysfunction (VIDD). Hypoxia-inducible factor 1α (HIF-1α) plays a crucial role in inducing inflammation and apoptosis. Low-molecular-weight heparin (LMWH) was proven to have anti-inflammatory properties. However, HIF-1α and LMWH affect sepsis-related diaphragm injury has not been investigated. We hypothesized that LMWH would reduce endotoxin-augmented VIDD through HIF-1α. C57BL/6 mice, either wild-type or HIF-1α–deficient, were exposed to MV with or without endotoxemia for 8 h. Enoxaparin (4 mg/kg) was administered subcutaneously 30 min before MV. MV with endotoxemia aggravated VIDD, as demonstrated by increased interleukin-6 and macrophage inflammatory protein-2 levels, oxidative loads, and the expression of HIF-1α, calpain, caspase-3, atrogin-1, muscle ring finger-1, and microtubule-associated protein light chain 3-II. Disorganized myofibrils, disrupted mitochondria, increased numbers of autophagic and apoptotic mediators, substantial apoptosis of diaphragm muscle fibers, and decreased diaphragm function were also observed (p < 0.05). Endotoxin-exacerbated VIDD and myonuclear apoptosis were attenuated by pharmacologic inhibition by LMWH and in HIF-1α–deficient mice (p < 0.05). Our data indicate that enoxaparin reduces endotoxin-augmented MV-induced diaphragmatic injury, partially through HIF-1α pathway inhibition.     

High-entropy ferroelastic rare-earth tantalite ceramic: (Y0.2Ce0.2Sm0.2Gd0.2Dy0.2)TaO4

In this study, high-entropy rare-earth tantalate ceramics (Y_0.2Ce_0.2Sm_0.2Gd_0.2Dy_0.2)TaO₄ ((5RE_0.2)TaO₄) have been successfully fabricated. The possibility of formation of (5RE_0.2)TaO₄ was verified via first-principles calculations. In addition, the phase structure, ferroelastic toughening mechanism, thermophysical, and mechanical properties were systematically investigated. The (5RE_0.2)TaO₄ ceramics have lower phonon thermal conductivity (1.2–2.6 W·m^–1·K^–1) in the entire temperature range than that of RETaO₄ and YSZ. (5RE_0.2)TaO₄ has a higher fracture toughness and lower brittleness index than YSZ. The thermal expansion coefficients of (5RE_0.2)TaO₄ are as high as 10.3 × 10^-6 K^–1 at 1200°C and Young's modulus is 66–189 GPa, and thus, (5RE_0.2)TaO₄ possesses great potential for application in thermal barrier coatings (TBCs).     

Biomimetic Lamellar Chitosan Scaffold for Soft Gingival Tissue Regeneration

Mucogingival surgery has become a common procedure for soft gingival tissue reparation in dental clinical practice, which mainly relies on autograft or commercial collagen membranes (CM). However, the autograft faces grand challenges in source availability and long-term post-surgery pain management, and the CM is restricted by its poor mechanical properties in an aqueous environment. Here, it is reported that a bio-inspired lamellar chitosan scaffold (LCS) with long range ordered porous structure, manufactured through a bidirectional freezing method, can serve as a promising gingival tissue engineering material. The LCS not only exhibits excellent mechanical properties in the hydrated state but also accelerates vessel formation and soft tissue regeneration in vivo. Most interestingly, the LCS is found to be capable of inducing macrophage differentiation to M2 macrophages, which is thought to play an important role in tissue regeneration. These advantages combined with its easy and low-cost preparation process make the LCS a promising candidate for dental clinical applications.     

Hierarchical composite of biomass derived magnetic carbon framework and phytic acid doped polyanilne with prominent electromagnetic wave absorption capacity

To solve the electromagnetic pollution,herein,a CoFe₂O₄/C/PANI composite was developed by a green route,which was constructed with spinel of metal oxide,graphitized carbon and conductive polymer composites.Benefiting from the designable interfaces and increased dipoles,the microwave dielectric response capability can be boosted significantly and resulted in the enhanced microwave absorbing performance.As revealed by the reflection loss curve,the minimum reflection loss(RLmin) reached-51.81 dB at 12.4 GHz under a matched thickness of 2.57 mm.At 2.5 mm,the effective absorbing band covered 8.88 GHz,suggesting the desirable wideband feature.In our case,the method of utilization of a novel green way to fabricate multiple-component EM absorber can be a promising candidate for high-performance EM absorber.