The morphology and degradation behavior of electrospun poly(3‐hydroxybutyrate)/Magnetite and poly(3‐hydroxybutyrate‐co‐3‐hydroxyvalerate)/Magnetite composites

Electrospinning of biodegradable poly(3‐hydroxybutyrate) (PHB)/magnetite and poly(3‐hydroxybutyrate‐co‐3‐hydroxyvalerate) (PHBV)/magnetite composites in 2,2,2‐trifluoroethanol (TFE) and chloroform are investigated to develop nonwoven nanofibrous structure. Ultrafine PHB/magnetite fibers are obtained and the resulting fiber diameters are in the range of 690–710 nm and 8.0–8.4 µm for the polymer dissolved in TFE and chloroform. The surface of PHB composites fiber fabricated in chloroform contains porous structures, which are not observed for the sample of PHB composites fiber dissolved in TFE. The fiber diameters for PHBV5/magnetite composites are in the range of 500–540 nm and 2.3–2.5 µm, depending on the use of TFE and chloroform. The average diameters of PHBV5/magnetite composite fibers are smaller than those of PHB/magnetite composites fiber. All electrospun PHB/magnetite and composite fibers are superparamagnetic. The degradation behaviors of PHB/magnetite and PHBV5/magnetite composite fibers were investigated using Caldimonas manganoxidans. For the fabricated composite fibers, it is found that the degradation rate increased with the increasing loading of magnetite nanoparticles. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2014 , 131, 41070.     

Effect of Echinacea purpurea L. on oxidative status and meat quality in Arbor Acres broilers

BACKGROUND: Echinacea purpurea L. (EP) is a popular herbal antioxidant and immunomodulator. The present study was conducted to evaluate the effects of EP on meat quality and oxidative status in broilers. Two hundred and fifty (1‐day‐old) male broilers (Arbor Acres) were randomly allocated to five groups including the control (corn‐soybean meal diet) and 0.1, 0.5, 1.0 and 2.0% EP powder groups, with two replicates per treatment group. RESULTS: The results indicated that the addition of 0.5% and 1.0% EP significantly increased water‐holding capacity and decreased storage loss of breast and thigh fillets at 35 days old. For fillet colour, L* (lightness) values were lower, and a* (redness) and b* (yellowness) values were higher with EP supplementation. Lower crude fat contents were observed in EP groups in comparison with control at 35 days of age in breast and thigh fillets, respectively. Production of malondialdehyde was slightly reduced in serum of EP supplemented birds compared to the control group. Results for Trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity, catalase and superoxide dismutase were significantly higher for the 0.5, 1.0 and 2.0% EP supplemental groups than control group in serum. Liver and spleen tissues results showed that the antioxidative enzymes activities were higher with EP powder at 35 days of age. CONCLUSION: Dried EP can be used as a feed additive to improve the meat quality and oxidative status in Arbor Acres broilers. Copyright © 2012 Society of Chemical Industry     

Synthesis and characterization of alternating copolymers containing bipyridine and phenylene vinylene for fluorescent chemosensors

Alternating copolymers containing bipyridine and phenylene vinylene were synthesized through a Wittig condensation reaction of their corresponding diphosphonium salts and dialdehydes. The molecular weights of the resulting polymers were relatively low because of the low solubility in the reaction solvents. The optical properties of the polymers were substantially affected by the repeating units of phenylene vinylene. The absorption spectra of the copolymers in the solid state exhibited a bathochromic shift compared to those carried out in solution. The effective conjugation length could be extended with the addition of Cu²⁺, Ni²⁺, and Zn²⁺ ions into the polymer solutions in a 1 : 1 ratio of the bipyridine to the phenylene vinylene units. All of the polymer solutions behaved as a turn‐off fluorescent chemosensor upon the addition of a variety of the metal ions. The sensing behavior to various metal ions revealed that the polymers were highly sensitive to the Cu²⁺, Ni²⁺, and Zn²⁺ ions. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2015 , 132, 42795.     

Behaviors and mechanism of electrolyte electrophoresis during electrophoretic deposition

Electrochemical experiments, including cyclic voltammetry (CV) experiments, galvanostatic experiments, potentiostatic experiments, and kinetic experiments of the LSM electrode, were used to investigate the influence of a deposit on the electrode surface on the electrophoresis of protons in a porous media during electrophoretic deposition (EPD).     

The mathematical expression for kinetics of electrophoretic deposition and the effects of applied voltage

Electrophretic deposition (EPD) is a ceramic process. Although the kinetics for EPD have been established. However, there are still some ambiguities. In present study, a modified kinetic model was applied to describe the completely different behavior of EPD at −10 and −40 V respectively. The variation of the concentration profile during electrophoretical deposition at −10 and −40 V was simulated to explain what affected the EPD process. Based on the simulation, the depletion of colloidal particles near the electrode may be responsible for the EPD kinetic behaviors.     

Encapsulation of MnS Nanocrystals into N,S-Co-doped Carbon as Anode Material for Full Cell Sodium-Ion Capacitors

Sodium-ion capacitors(SICs)have received increasing interest for grid stationary energy storage application due to their affordability,high power,and energy densities.The major challenge for SICs is to overcome the kinetics imbalance between faradaic anode and nonfaradaic cathode.To boost the Na+reaction kinetics,the present work demonstrated a high-rate MnS-based anode by embedding the MnS nanocrystals into the N,S-co-doped carbon matrix(MnS@NSC).Benefiting from the fast pseudocapacitive Na+storage behavior,the resulting composite exhibits extraordinary rate capability(205.6 mAh g−1 at 10 A g−1)and outstanding cycling stability without notable degradation after 2000 cycles.A prototype SIC was demonstrated using MnS@NSC anode and N-doped porous carbon(NC)cathode;the obtained hybrid SIC device can display a high energy density of 139.8 Wh kg−1 and high power density of 11,500 W kg−1,as well as excellent cyclability with 84.5%capacitance retention after 3000 cycles.The superior electrochemical performance is contributed to downsizing of MnS and encapsulation of conductive N,S-co-doped carbon matrix,which not only promote the Na+and electrons transport,but also buffer the volume variations and maintain the structure integrity during Na+insertion/extraction,enabling its comparable fast reaction kinetics and cyclability with NC cathode.     

Preparation and multifunctional application of meso‐chitosan for the woolen process

This study used chitosan deacetylated to different degrees to process woolen fabrics via the nanometrization of sodium hydroxide of different concentrations. The analysis and determination of the bacterial resistance, shrink resistance, Fourier transform infrared, and dyeability were then carried out for the processed substances. The particle diameter was measured with light scattering and scanning electron microscopy. It was then reduced with 5% and higher concentrations of NaOH, in which the particle diameter was 150–750 nm. As for bacterial resistance, the processed cloth that was not oxidized by H₂O₂ had better bactericidal and bacteriostatic effects than the cloth that underwent the oxidation process. Chitosan and meso‐chitosan had a bacterial‐resistance effect on the woolen fabrics. The processed cloth also had a better shrink‐resistance rate, but the effect of nanometrization was not obvious. For the dyeability of the woolen fabrics, meso‐chitosan was better than chitosan. The higher degree of deacetylation of chitosan slightly improved the dyeability. The dyeability increased a little as the temperature of the curing treatment rose and the time of the curing treatment was extended. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 103: 4080–4086, 2007     

A Tailorable Spray-Assembly Strategy of Silver Nanowires-Bundle Mesh for Transferable High-Performance Transparent Conductor

Achieving a well tradeoff between electrical and optical performances remains challenging for conventional silver nanowires (AgNWs) random network conductors. An innovative AgNW-bundle mesh (AgBM) composed of exquisite knots and abundant open area is realized by one-step spray-assembly at room temperature, showing high optoelectronic performance. A dynamic assembly mechanism based on the spray assembly of isopropanol-based AgNWs ink is revealed, ensuring a favorable coffee-ring effect dominated by the capillary flow rather than Marangoni reflux, driving the AgNWs to deposit at the edges of droplets. The initially formed AgNW-bundle rings serve as template to constrain the movement of AgNWs from the subsequent droplets, rendering scalable and continuous accumulation of nanowires to produce a connective AgBM. The controlling factors of surface tension of substrates and ink, wettability, spreading and pinning effect of the ink droplets, as well as tunable assembly driving force determined by spraying rate are revealed, realizing an universal spray-assembly strategy for tailorable fabrication of AgBMs using AgNWs with different sizes in diameter (20–120 nm) and length (20–200 µm). Thicker AgBMs could reduce the sheet resistance without severe sacrifice of transparency. Thinner AgNW-bundles/knots with better electrical connection can be realized from the finer and longer AgNWs, delivering higher optoelectronic performance.     

A Mini-Invasive Long-Term Bladder Urine Pressure Measurement ASIC and System

A mini-invasive system for long-term bladder urine pressure measurement system is presented. Not only is the design cost reduced, but also the reliability is enhanced by using a 1-atm canceling sensing instrumentation amplifier (IA). Because the urine pressure inside the bladder does not vary drastically, both the sleeping and working modes are required in order to save the battery power for long-term observation. The IA amplifies the signal sensed by the pressure sensor, which is then fed into the following analog-to-digital converter. Owing to the intrinsic 1-atm pressure existing inside the bladder, the IA must be able to cancel such a pressure from the signal picked up by the pressure sensor to keep the required linearity and the resolution for pressure measurement of the bladder urine. The pressure range of the proposed system is found out to be 14.7~19.7 Psi, which covers the range of all of the known unusual bladder syndromes or complications.