功能性小麦品种的概念、类别和发展前景（网络首发、推荐阅读）

结合全球倡导的营养导向型农业和功能性食品的内容，首次提出“功能性小麦品种”的概念，将其定义为“含有对人体健康有益的活性成分，可调节人体有益代谢，能给人体健康带来某种益处或满足特定人群的特殊需求，同时可以作为日常食物的口感正常、无毒副作用的小麦品种类型”；结合疫情警示和我国进入后工业时代后，人们需求必将由“吃得饱”、“吃得好”向“吃得健康”转变，因而提出继高产品种、优质品种之后培育“功能性小麦品种”的育种目标。根据多年关于小麦淀粉、蛋白、酯类和其他成分的功能研究结果，介绍新育成的“麦黄酮”、“高色素”、“高抗性淀粉”、“富锌”、“低醇溶蛋白”和“低植酸”等功能性小麦新品种（系）的营养特性和农艺产量状况；根据“健康中国2030”规划等国家战略，进行“功能性品种培育是解决我国功能性食品‘卡脖子’的关键基础，一种功能性品种可以形成一类功能性食品，多种功能性品种可以形成我国功能性面制品产业，推动我国整个食品工业的发展”的前景展望；根据功能性品种及其食品的稳定性和可靠性是产品和市场的“生命线”，从对消费者负责的高度，提出关于“功能性农作物品种审定导向和组建功能性成分检测机构；编制有关功能性品种和食品的国家或行业标准，设立功能性食品和功能性农作物品种的商业标志，保证我国功能性农作物品种及其食品健康发展”等方面的具体建议。     

Hydrogen sulfide gas detection by Au-decorated ZnO nanotube: a computational study and comparison to experimental observations

Based on the experimental reports, Au-decoration on the ZnO nanostructures dramatically increases the electronic sensitivity to H₂S gas. In the current study, we computationally scrutinized the mechanism of Au-decoration on a ZnO nanotube (ZON) and the influence on its sensing behavior toward H₂S gas. The intrinsic ZON weakly interacted with the H₂S gas with an adsorption energy of ?11.2 kcal/mol. The interaction showed no effect on the HOMO–LUMO gap and conductivity of ZON. The predicted response of intrinsic ZON toward H₂S gas is 6.3, which increases to 78.1 by the Au-decoration at 298 K. The corresponding experimental values are about 5.0 and 80.0, indicating excellent agreement with our findings. We showed that the Au atom catalyzes the reaction 3O₂?+?2H₂S?→?2SO₂?+?2H₂O. Our calculated energy barrier (at 298 K) is about 12.3 kcal/mol for this reaction. The gap and electrical conductance Au-ZON largely changed by this reaction are attributed to the electron donation and back-donation processes. The obtained recovery time is about 1.35 ms for desorption of generated gases from the surface of the Au-ZON sensor.     

Surface modification of superfine SiC powders by ternary modifiers-KH560/sodium humate/SDS and its mechanism

SiC is a promising functional ceramic material with many great properties. High concentrated SiC slurry with excellent rheology and stability is required in some processes of ceramic forming. In this work, the dispersion of SiC powders was obviously improved by ternary modifiers: γ-(2,3-epoxypropoxy) propytrimethoxysilane (KH560), sodium humate and sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS). Modified SiC slurry showed the lowest viscosity of 0.168 Pa s at a solid content of 50 vol%. The maximum absolute value of zeta potential of SiC increased from 47.3 to 61.6 mV by modification. Sedimentation experiments showed that a highly stable suspension of modified SiC was obtained at pH 10. SiC green body with high density of 2.643 g/cm³ was prepared with modified powders by slip casting. X-ray photoelectron spectra (XPS) and thermogravimetry (TG) measurements indicated the adsorption of modifiers on SiC surface. Therefore, modified SiC powders could stably disperse in aqueous media due to the increase of electrosteric repulsion between particles. The novel strategy used in this study could further improve the dispersion of SiC powders.     

Surface modification of cellulose nanocrystals towards new materials development

Cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) are a kind of sustainable nanoparticle from biomass, which are widely used as reinforcing filler and assembly building block for high-performance composites and function materials including biomaterial, optics, and so forth. Here, their unique advantages in material applications were reviewed based on their rod-like morphology, crystalline structure, dimension-related effects, and multi-level order structure. Then, we focused on the molecular engineering of CNCs, including the structure and physicochemical properties of their surface, along with surface modification methods and steric effects. We further discussed the performance-improvement and functionalization methods based on multi-component complex systems, together with the effects of surface molecular engineering on the performance and functions. Meanwhile, methods of optimizing orientation in uniaxial arrays were discussed along with those of enhancing photoluminescence efficiency via surface chemical modification and substance coordination. In the end, we prospected the design, development, and construction methods of new CNCs materials.     

Swapping catalytic active sites from cationic Ni to anionic F in Fe–F–Ni3S2 enables more efficient alkaline oxygen evolution reaction and urea oxidation reaction

Electrolysis of water for producing hydrogen instead of traditional fossil fuels is one of the most promising methods to alleviate environmental pollution and energy crisis. In this work, Fe and F ion co-doped Ni₃S₂ nanoarrays grown on Ni foam substrate were prepared by typical hydrothermal and sulfuration processes for the first time. Density functional theory (DFT) calculation demonstrate that the adsorption energy of the material to water is greatly enhanced due to the doping of F and Fe, which is conducive to the formation of intermediate species and the improvement of electrochemical performance of the electrode. The adsorption energy of anions (F and S) and cations (Fe and Ni) to water in each material was also calculated, and the results showed that F ion showed the most optimal adsorption energy of water, which proved that the doping of F and Fe was beneficial to improve the electrochemical performance of the electrode. It is worth noting that the surface of Fe–F–Ni₃S₂ material will undergo reconstruction during the process of water oxidation reaction and urea oxidation reaction, and amorphous oxides or hydroxides in situ would be formed on the surface of electrode, which are the real active species.     

Yttrium doped covalent triazine frameworks as promising reversible hydrogen storage material: DFT investigations

Through Density Functional Theory (DFT) simulations, we have explored the possibility of yttrium (Y) doped Triazine (Covalent Triazine Frameworks i.e., CTF-1) to be a promising material for reversible hydrogen storage. We have found that Y atom strongly bonded on Triazine surface can adsorb at the most 7H₂ molecules with an average binding energy of ?0.33 eV/H₂. This boosts the storage capacity of the system to 7.3 wt% which is well above the minimum requirement of 6.5 wt% for efficient storage of hydrogen as stipulated by the US Department of Energy (DoE). The structural integrity over and above the desorption temperature (420 K) has been entrenched through Molecular Dynamics simulations and the investigation of metal-metal clustering has been corroborated through diffusion energy barrier computation. The mechanism of interactions between Y and Triazine as well as between H₂ molecules and Y doped Triazine has been explored via analyses of the partial density of states, charge density, and Bader charge. It has been perceived that the interplay of H₂ molecules with Y on Triazine is Kubas-type of interaction. The above-mentioned analysis and outcomes make us highly optimistic that Y doped Triazine could be employed as reversible hydrogen storage material which can act as an environmentally friendly alternate fuel for transport applications.     

Enhancement of super-hydrophilic/underwater super-oleophobic performance of ceramic membrane with TiO2 nanowire array prepared via low temperature oxidation

A gradient porous ceramic membrane with surface super-hydrophilic and underwater super-oleophobic performance was prepared by combining hydrogel directional freezing method and low temperature oxidation process. The effects of solid contents and sintering temperature on the ceramic membrane matrix were examined. The reaction time and synthesis temperature on the TiO₂ nanowire array were also evaluated. In addition, the related effects on pore size distribution, permeation flux, contact angle, and oil-in-water emulsion separation were systematically investigated. The ceramic membrane matrix pore size changed from 0.5 μm to 25 μm gradually, indicating the gradient structure controlled by the growth of ice. The super-hydrophilic and underwater super-oleophobic performance of ceramic membrane surface was obtained with surface modification by TiO₂ nanowire array, and the surface water contact angle and underwater oil contact angle were less than 5° and over 158°, respectively. The bonding strength between TiO₂ nanowire and ceramic membrane matrix was high enough to withstand ultrasonic waves. The ceramic membrane modified with TiO₂ nanowire array was used for 1000 ppm diesel oil-in-water emulsion separation, and the stable separation efficiency and flux were about 97% and 100–200 L/(m² h bar) even after 10 filtration cycles.     

Crystalline phase of TiO2 nanotube arrays on Ti–35Nb–4Zr alloy: Surface roughness,electrochemical behavior and cellular response

An investigation was made into the electrochemical, structural and biological properties of self-organized amorphous and anatase/rutile titanium dioxide (TiO₂) nanotubes deposited on Ti–35Nb–4Zr alloy through anodization-induced surface modification. The surface of as-anodized and heat-treated TiO₂ nanotubes was analyzed by field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), revealing morphological parameters such as tube diameter, wall thickness and cross-sectional length. Glancing angle X-ray diffraction (GAXRD) was employed to identify the structural phases of titanium dioxide, while atomic force microscopy (AFM) was used to measure surface roughness associated with cell interaction properties. The electrochemical stability of TiO₂ was examined by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and the results obtained were correlated with the microstructural characterization. The in vitro bioactivity of as-anodized and crystallized TiO₂ nanotubes was also analyzed as a function of the presence of different TiO₂ polymorphic phases. The results indicated that anatase TiO₂ showed higher surface corrosion resistance and greater cell viability than amorphous TiO₂, confirming that TiO₂ nanotube crystallization plays an important role in the material's electrochemical behavior and biocompatibility.     

A review of thin film electrolytes fabricated by physical vapor deposition for solid oxide fuel cells

The ohmic resistance in solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) mainly comes from the electrolyte, which can be reduced by developing novel electrolyte materials with higher ionic conductivity and/or fabricating thin-film electrolytes. Among various kinds of thin-film fabrication technology, the physical vapor deposition (PVD) method can reduce the electrolyte thickness to a few micrometers and mitigate the issues associated with high-temperature sintering, which is necessary for wet ceramic methods. This review summarizes recent development progress in thin-film electrolytes fabricated by the PVD method, especially pulsed laser deposition (PLD) and magnetron sputtering. At first, the importance of the substrate surface morphology for the quality of the film is emphasized. After that, the fabrication of thin-film doped-zirconia and doped-ceria electrolytes is presented, then we provide a brief summary of the works on other types of electrolytes prepared by PVD. Finally, we have come to the summary and made perspectives.     

Fe(III) grafted MoO3 nanorods for effective electrocatalytic fixation of atmospheric N2 to NH3

Electrocatalytic nitrogen reduction reaction (ENRR) offers a carbon-neutral process to fix nitrogen into ammonia, but its feasibility depends on the development of highly efficient electrocatalysts. Herein, we report that Fe ion grafted on MoO₃ nanorods synthesized by an impregnation technique can efficiently enhance the electron harvesting ability and the selectivity of H⁺ during the NRR process in neutral electrolyte. In 0.1 M Na₂SO₄ solution, the electrocatalyst exhibited a remarkable NRR activity with an NH₃ yield of 9.66 μg h^?1 mg^?1_cat and a Faradaic efficiency (FE) of 13.1%, far outperforming the ungrafted MnO₃. Density functional theory calculations revealed that the Fe sites are major activation centers along the alternating pathway.