Physical and sensory properties of lemon-flavored acidic beverages formulated with nonfat dry milk during storage

Sensory and physical properties of 2 lemon-flavored beverages with 5% and 7.5% wt/wt nonfat dry milk (NFDM) at pH 2.5 were studied during storage. The 2 beverages had similar volatile compounds, but the 5% NFDM had higher aroma and lemon flavor, with a preferred appearance by consumers due to the lower turbidity and viscosity. After 28 d of storage at 4°C, lemon flavor decreased in the 5% NFDM beverage but was still more intense than the 7.5% one. During 70 d of storage, no microorganisms were detected, and the beverages were more stable when stored at 4°C than at room temperature according to changes of physical properties measured for appearance, turbidity, color, particle size, zeta potential, rheological properties, and transmission electron microscopy morphology. Findings of the present study suggest that NFDM may be used at 5% wt/wt to produce stable acidic dairy beverages with low turbidity when stored at 4°C.     

南方地区造纸车间钢屋面保温厚度的计算与分析

本文从内表面防结露、夏季隔热2个角度出发，对夏热冬冷及夏热冬暖地区代表城市采用的钢结构屋面的保温（隔热）层厚度进行计算分析。研究表明，在夏季室内温、湿度达到某一状态时，隔热厚度要大于冬季防结露的保温厚度。因此，夏热冬冷地区的造纸车间钢屋面保温层厚度应按夏季隔热计算确定，并进行冬季防结露验算；夏热冬暖地区按照冬季防结露计算即可。     

基于蜻蜓翅脉结构的连续碳纤维增强树脂基复合材料仿生设计与增材制造

以具有轻质高强优异性能的蜻蜓翅脉结构为设计灵感，在分析翅脉网格结构抗冲击原理的基础上，设计了传统和仿生两类对比结构。采用熔融挤出3D打印机成功制备了具有不同结构的连续碳纤维增强聚乳酸复合材料试样，并对不同结构复合材料试样的拉伸性能和抗冲击性能进行了测试和对比分析。研究分析结果表明：由于拉伸力方向上的连续碳纤维含量相对较少，限制了仿生结构复合材料抗拉强度的提高，但仿生结构的平均抗拉强度为传统结构的1.18倍；当仿生结构复合材料试样受到冲击力时，其内部六边形结构的连接角度会发生变化，从而极大消耗冲击能量，同时具有六边形网格结构的连续碳纤维可以有效阻碍裂纹的扩展，因此仿生结构的平均冲击韧性可以达到传统结构的2.46倍；仿生蜻蜓翅脉结构可以显著提高增材制造复合材料的综合力学性能，且对于抗冲击性能的提高具体突出效果。连续碳纤维增强树脂基复合材料的有效可行的仿生蜻蜓翅脉结构设计和增材制造，可极大扩展其在高冲击载荷领域中的相应应用。     

Porous agarose/Gd-hydroxyapatite composite bone fillers with promoted osteogenesis and antibacterial activity

Artificial bone fillers are essentially required for repairing bone defects, and developing the fillers with synergistic biocompatibility and anti-bacterial activity persists as one of the critical challenges. In this work, a new agarose/gadolinium-doped hydroxyapatite filler with three-dimensional porous structures was fabricated. For the composite filler, agarose provides three-dimensional skeleton and endows porosity, workability, and high specific surface area, hydroxyapatite (HA) offers the biocompatibility, and the rare earth element gadolinium (Gd) acts as the antibacterial agent. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy detection showed the doping of Gd in HA lattice with the formation of Gd-HA interstitial solid solution. Attenuated total reflection Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy imaging suggested chemical interactions between agarose and Gd-HA, and the physical structure of agarose was tuned by the Gd-doped HA. Cytotoxicity testing and alizarin red staining experiments using mouse pro-osteoblasts (MC3T3-E1) revealed remarkable bioactivity and osteogenic properties of the composite fillers, and proliferation and growth rates of the cells increased in proportion to Gd content in the composites. Antibacterial testing using the gram-positive bacteria S. aureus and the gram-negative bacteria E. coli indicated promising antibacterial properties of the fillers. Meanwhile, the antibacterial properties of composite filles were enhanced with the increase of Gd content. The antibacterial fillers with porous structure and excellent physicomechanical properties show inspiring potential for bone defect repair.     

Hydrangea like composite catalysts of ultrathin Mo2S3 nanosheets assembled on N,S-dual-doped graphitic biocarbon spheres with highly electrocatalytic activity for HER

Water electrolysis is the most clean and high-efficiency technology for production of hydrogen, an ultimate clean energy in future. Highly efficient non-noble electrocatalysts for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) are desirable for large scale production of hydrogen by water electrolysis. Especially, exposing as many active sites as possible is a vital way to improve activities of the catalysts. Herein, a series of new hydrangea like composite catalysts of ultrathin Mo₂S₃ nanosheets assembled uprightly and interlacedly on N, S-dual-doped graphitic biocarbon spheres were facilely prepared. The unique structure endowed the catalysts highly exposed edge active sites and prominently high activities for HER. Especially, the optimized catalyst Mo₂S₃/NSCS-50 exhibited as low as 106 mV of overpotential at 10 mA/cm² (denoted as ?₁₀). The catalyst also showed low Tafel slope of 53 mV/dec, low electron transfer resistance of 34 Ω and high stability evidenced by the result that the current density only attenuated 11.7% after 10 h i-t test. The catalyst has shown broad prospect for commercial application in water electrolysis.     

Nanofiber structured oxygen defective CoFe2O4-x catalyst for the water-gas shift reaction in waste-to-hydrogen processes

Waste-to-hydrogen processes are a way to produce hydrogen from waste and reduce the amount of landfill/incineration of wastes simultaneously through the gasification of waste. The water-gas shift (WGS) reaction is a key step in this waste-to-hydrogen process by removing the CO and producing additional H₂. A nanofiber-structured CoFe₂O₄ catalyst was synthesized by the electrospinning method, and the catalytic performance in WGS using waste-derived synthesis gas was compared with that of catalysts prepared by sol-gel, hydrothermal, and co-precipitation methods. The CoFe₂O₄ catalyst synthesized by the electrospinning method showed a clear nanofiber structure and revealed a superior redox property. This superior redox property, which has a large relation with the high oxygen storage capacity of the catalyst, induced the formation of an active phase (Co⁰ and Fe₃O₄) in CoFe₂O₄. As a result, the nanofiber structured oxygen defective CoFe₂O_4-x prepared by the electrospinning method showed the best catalytic activity in this study.     

Hydrogen production performance of a photovoltaic thermal system coupled with a proton exchange membrane electrolysis cell

As one of the cleanest energies, hydrogen has attracted much attention over the past decade. Hydrogen can be produced using water electrolysis in a Proton Exchange Membrane Electrolysis Cell (PEMEC). In the present study, the performance of the PEMEC, powered by the Photovoltaic-Thermal (PVT) system, is scrutinized. It is considered that the PVT system provides the required electrical power of the PEMEC and preheats the feedwater. A comprehensive numerical model of the coupled PVT-PEMEC system is developed. The model is used to investigate the effect of various operating parameters, including solar radiation intensity, inlet feedwater temperature, and feedwater mass flow rate, on the hydrogen production and operating voltage of the PEMEC at various Exchange Current Densities (ECDs). Furthermore, the effect of integration of Phase Change Material (PCM) and Thermoelectric Generator (TEG) on the hydrogen production of the system is evaluated. According to the obtained results, the PVT-TEG-PEMEC system outperforms other systems in hydrogen production. However, integration of the PVT-PEMEC system with PCM has a negligible effect on its hydrogen production.     

Facile self-assembly approach to construct a novel MXene-decorated nano-sized phase change material emulsion for thermal energy storage

In recent years, phase change material emulsions (PCMEs) with enhanced energy storage capacities and good flow characteristics have drawn significant attention. However, due to the thermodynamically unstable nature and tiny particle confinement, the nanomaterial modification strategies at PCM/water interface to improve stabilities and reduce supercooling of nano-sized PCMEs (NPCMEs) are very limited and challenging. Herein, we report a facile strategy for constructing MXene-decorated NPCME with good stability, little supercooling, and high thermal conductivity by self-assembly of MXene nanosheets at PCM/water interface. The concentrations of MXene have great influences on the average droplet diameters, stabilities, and thermophysical properties of the NPCMEs. The results show that the PCMs have been well dispersed into the water in the form of quasi-spherical droplets, with average droplet diameters of 242–805 nm. The thermal conductivity of 10 wt% n-tetradecane/water NPCME containing 9 mg ml^-1 MXene is 0.693 W m^-1·K^-1, achieving an enhancement by 15.5%, as compared to that of water. Besides, the MXene-decorated paraffin/water NPCMEs exhibit little supercooling and enhanced heat storage capacities. More importantly, this facile self-assembly strategy opens a new platform for preparing high-performance NPCMEs, which can be used as novel heat transfer fluids for thermal energy storage systems.     

Preparation and properties of AZO/PS/AZO tri-layer transparent conductive film with a light-trapping structure

The light-trapping structure is an effective method to increase solar light capture efficiency in the solar cells. In this study, Al-doped ZnO (AZO)/polystyrene (PS)/AZO tri-layer transparent conductive film with light-trapping structure was fabricated by magnetron sputtering and liquid phase methods. The structural, optical and electrical properties of the AZO films could be controlled by different growth conditions. When the sputtering pressure of the under-layer AZO film was 0.2 Pa, the discharge voltage was around 80 V, which was within the optimal process window for obtaining AZO film with high crystallinity. The optimal under-layer AZO film had a large surface roughness and a very low static water contact angle of 75.71°, promoting the relatively uniform distribution of PS spheres. Under this sputtering condition, the prepared AZO/PS/AZO tri-layer film had the highest crystallinity and least point defects. The highest carrier concentration and Hall mobility are 3.0 × 10²¹ cm^-3and 5.39 cm² V^-1 s^-1, respectively. Additionally, a transparent conductive film with the lowest resistivity value (3.88 × 10^-4 Ω cm) and the highest average haze value (26.5%) was obtained by optimizing the process parameters. These properties were comparable to or exceed the reported values of surface-textured SnO₂-based as well as ZnO-based TCOs films, making our films suitable for transparent electrode applications, especially in thin-film solar cells.