Effects of parboiling and infrared radiation drying on the quality of germinated brown rice

This research investigated the physicochemical properties, bioactive compounds, and microstructure of brown rice (BR) and non-parboiled and parboiled germinated brown rice (GBR and PGBR). The GBR and PGBR were treated by sun, hot-air oven, or infrared irradiation (IR) drying. The results showed that IR drying enhanced the bioactive compounds of non-parboiled GBR, including γ-aminobutyric acid, α-tocopherol, and total phenolic compounds, while γ-oryzanol and antioxidant activity were comparable to BR. Meanwhile, IR drying significantly improved the head rice yield (HRY) of PGBR while reducing fissured grains. Parboiling also affected the color values of rice grains, suggesting the diffusion of husk color into endosperm and the formation of brown polymers by the Maillard reaction. In addition, IR drying altered the internal structure of rice grains, resulting in abundant intercellular voids. Specifically, the IR-dried non-parboiled GBR significantly enhanced essential bioactive compounds and improved HRY while maintaining the color of standard BR.     

Characterization of 0.93Pb(Zn1/3Nb2/3)O3–0.07BaTiO3 ceramics derived from a novel Zn3Nb2O8 B-site precursor

In this work, perovskite relaxor ferroelectric lead zinc niobate–barium titanate (0.93PZN–0.07BT) ceramics were fabricated by using a combination of Zn₃Nb₂O₈ B-site precursor and reactive sintering process. The effects of sintering condition on phase formation, densification, microstructure and dielectric properties of the final products have been investigated using a combination of X-ray diffraction, Archimedes density measurement, scanning electron microscopy and dielectric measurement techniques. It is seen that pure perovskite phase of PZN-BT solid solutions can be achieved in all samples. Density and average grain size values of sintered samples increased with sintering temperatures and dwell time. With appropriate sintering at 1150 °C for 5 h, 0.93PZN–0.07BT ceramics exhibited a peak dielectric constant of 11,497 and dielectric loss of 0.05 at the Curie temperature of 99 °C measured at 1 kHz.     

Highly Flexible Tribovoltaic Nanogenerator Based-on P-N Junction Interface: Comparative Study on Output Dependency Dominated by Photovoltaic Effect in Freestanding-Mode

The emergence of tribovoltaic nanogenerators (TVNGs) paves the way for developing a new kind of semiconductor-based energy harvester that overcomes the restriction of low output current in a conventional approach. The traditional TVNG generally depends on the frictional pair between two rigid semiconductors (or metal-semiconductor), limiting the practicability of flexible and portable electronics. Recent developments require the fundamental understanding of charge generation in diverse operating modes and structures. Here, a flexible TVNG based on the p-Cu₂O/n-g-C₃N₄ interface is presented. Operating in a freestanding mode, the proposed TVNG can generate a stable signal in any optical conditions including UV illumination, dark, and ambient. Under UV illumination, the electrical outputs of the TVNG reach 0.43 V and 2.1 µA cm⁻², which are significantly larger than those obtained from dark and ambient conditions. The results demonstrate the coupling effect of three phenomena: tribovoltaic, photovoltaic, and triboelectric effects, and the unique mechanism to the observed signal is proposed. Additionally, the TVNG shows the practical feasibility of energy harvesting with capacitor charging and charge-boosting circuits. This study showcases the unique concept with potential for developing a novel flexible nanogenerator in many aspects, including material, structure, and fundamental mechanism.