Effects of Different Short-Term UV-B Radiation Intensities on Metabolic Characteristics of Porphyra haitanensis

The effects of ultraviolet (UV) radiation, particularly UV-B on algae, have become an important issue as human-caused depletion of the protecting ozone layer has been reported. In this study, the effects of different short-term UV-B radiation on the growth, physiology, and metabolism of Porphyra haitanensis were examined. The growth of P. haitanensis decreased, and the bleaching phenomenon occurred in the thalli. The contents of total amino acids, soluble sugar, total protein, and mycosporine-like amino acids (MAAs) increased under different UV-B radiation intensities. The metabolic profiles of P. haitanensis differed between the control and UV-B radiation-treated groups. Most of the differential metabolites in P. haitanensis were significantly upregulated under UV-B exposure. Short-term enhanced UV-B irradiation significantly affected amino acid metabolism, carbohydrate metabolism, glutathione metabolism, and phenylpropane biosynthesis. The contents of phenylalanine, tyrosine, threonine, and serine were increased, suggesting that amino acid metabolism can promote the synthesis of UV-absorbing substances (such as phenols and MAAs) by providing precursor substances. The contents of sucrose, D-glucose-6-phosphate, and beta-D-fructose-6-phosphate were increased, suggesting that carbohydrate metabolism contributes to maintain energy supply for metabolic activity in response to UV-B exposure. Meanwhile, dehydroascorbic acid (DHA) was also significantly upregulated, denoting effective activation of the antioxidant system. To some extent, these results provide metabolic insights into the adaptive response mechanism of P. haitanensis to short-term enhanced UV-B radiation.     

Influence of aluminum phosphate on the tribocorrosion performance of chemically bonded phosphate ceramic coatings

In this study, chemically bonded phosphate ceramic coatings (CBPCCs) with different contents of aluminum phosphate (AP) are prepared on stainless steel (AISI 304L). Differential scanning calorimetry, X-ray diffraction, contact angle test, and a tribocorrosion experiment are carried out to clarify the role of AP in the tribocorrosion performance of CBPCCs. The results show that, with the increase in the AP content, the enthalpy of curing increases because of the greater formation of the bonding phase AlPO₄. Both in static corrosion and in tribocorrosion, the corrosion current density of CBPCCs achieves the lowest value when the weight ratio of AP to polytetrafluoroethylene is about 0.78. Additionally, the influence mechanism of AP on tribocorrosion is clarified. AlPO₄ from the reaction between AP and Al₂O₃ has excellent mechanical properties and can enhance the wear resistance of CBPCCs by reducing the mechanical wear and the increased wear due to corrosion. The alumina particles wrapped by AlPO₄ can form a dense and smooth surface and change the direction of electrolyte propagation, which leads to the increase in the tribocorrosion resistance of CBPCCs.     

Synthesis,characterization and charge transport properties of Pr–Ni Co-doped SrFe2O4 spinel for high frequency devices applications

Ferrites are materials of interest due to their broad applications in high technological devices and a lot of research has been focused to synthesize new ferrites. In this regard, an effort has been devoted to synthesize spinel Pr–Ni co-substituted strontium ferrites with a nominal formula of Sr_1-xPr_xFe_2-yNi_yO₄ (0.0 ≤ x ≤ 0.1, 0.0 ≤ y ≤ 1.0). The cubic structure of pure and Pr–Ni co-substituted strontium ferrite samples calcinated at 1073 K for 3 h has been confirmed through X-ray diffraction (XRD). Average sizes of crystallites (18–25 nm) have been estimated from XRD analysis and nanometer particle sizes of synthesized ferrites have been further verified by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). SEM results have also shown that particles are mostly agglomerated and all the samples possess porosity. It has been observed that at 298 K, the values of resistivity (ρ) increase, while that of AC conductivity, dielectric loss, and dielectric constants decrease with increasing amounts of Pr³⁺ and Ni²⁺ ions. The values of dielectric parameters initially decrease with frequency and later become constant and can be explained on the basis of dielectric polarization. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) studies show that the charge transport phenomenon in ferrite materials is mainly controlled via grain boundaries. Overall, synthesized ferrite materials own enhanced resistivity values in the range of 1.38 × 10⁹–1.94 × 10⁹ Ω cm and minimum dielectric losses, which makes them suitable candidates for high frequency devices applications.     

A Highly Sensitive,Reversible, and Bidirectional Humidity Actuator by Calcium Carbonate Ionic Oligomers Incorporated Poly(Vinylidene Fluoride)

Sensitivity and multi-directional motivation are major two factors for developing optimized humidity-response materials, which are promising for sensing, energy production, etc. Organic functional groups are commonly used as the water sensitive units through hydrogen bond interactions with water molecules in actuators. The multi-coordination ability of inorganic ions implies that the inorganic ionic compounds are potentially superior water sensitive units. However, the particle forms of inorganic ionic compounds produced by classical nucleation limit the number of exposed ions to interact with water. Recent progress on the inorganic ionic oligomers has broken through the limitation of classical nucleation, and realized the molecular-scaled incorporation of inorganic ionic compounds into an organic matrix. Here, the incorporation of hydrophilic calcium carbonate ionic oligomers into hydrophobic poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) is demonstrated. The ultra-small calcium carbonate oligomers within a PVDF film endow it with an ultra-sensitive, reversible, and bidirectional response. The motivation ability is superior to other bidirectional humidity-actuators at present, which realizes self-motivation on an ice surface, converting the chemical potential energy of the humidity gradient from ice to kinetic energy.     

智能仓储系统功能设计及在PVC行业的应用

为了解决PVC行业传统仓储系统功能简单、劳动强度高、效率低、信息化水平低等问题,建设了基于无线网的穿梭子母车智能仓储系统.该系统采用了 WCS仓库控制系统和WMS仓库管理系统,可以充分利用原有仓库容量,确保货物入库、存储和出库等环节更加准确、高效,从而大幅度降低了储运损耗,减少了人为管理差错,降低了仓储物流成本,提升了工作效率.     

High-Efficiency Organic Solar Cells Based on a Low-Cost Fully Non-Fused Electron Acceptor

A series of tetrathiophene-based fully non-fused ring acceptors (4T-1, 4T-2, 4T-3, and 4T-4), which can be paired with the star donor polymer PBDB-T to fabricate highly efficient organic solar cells are developed. Tailoring the size of lateral chains can tune the solubility and packing mode of acceptor molecules in neat and blend films. It is found that the incorporation of 2-ethylhexyl chains can effectively change the compatibility with the donor polymer PBDB-T, and an encouraging power conversion efficiency of 10.15% is accomplished by 4T-3-based organic solar cells. It also presents good compatibility with the other polymer donor and an even higher power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 12.04% is achieved based on D18:4T-3 blend, which is the champion PCE for the fully non-fused acceptors. Importantly, these inexpensive tetrathiophene fully non-fused ring acceptors provide cost-effective photovoltaic performance. The results demonstrate a high photovoltaic performance from synthetically inexpensive materials could be achieved by the rational design of non-fused ring acceptor molecules.     

Dry Fractionation Approach in Concentrating Tocopherols and Tocotrienols from Palm Fatty Acid Distillate: A Green Pretreatment Process for Vitamin E Extraction

Palm fatty acid distillate (PFAD) is a rich source of vitamin E. As compared to other vegetable oil, PFAD has higher tocotrienol (70–80%) over tocopherol content, which makes it a valuable source for vitamin E extraction. Current vitamin E extraction methods are not sustainable due to the intensive usage of chemical and high operational cost. Hence, the present study investigated for the first time using dry fractionation process as a green and economical pretreatment method for separating solid fraction (stearin) and liquid fraction (olein) in order to concentrate vitamin E from PFAD in olein fraction. We examined the dry fractionation conditions: crystallization ending temperature (36–44 °C), cooling rate (0.3 and 1.5°C min⁻¹), stirring speed (20–125 rpm), and holding time (0–60 min) on the composition of unsaturated and saturated fatty acids as well as vitamin E content in liquid fraction (olein) and solid fraction (stearin) using gas chromatography and high performance liquid chromatography, respectively. In most of these conditions, vitamin E was ultimately higher in olein fraction as compared to stearin fraction, which is correlated with the high degree of unsaturation. Under a cooling rate of 0.3°C min⁻¹, 90 rpm stirring speed, and ending crystallization of 38 °C, the highest vitamin E rich olein fraction was attained with 1479 ± 10.51 ppm in 50 g olein fraction as compared to 1366 ± 7.94 ppm in 500 g of unfractionated PFAD.     

Additive Manufacturing of Stable Energy Storage Devices Using a Multinozzle Printing System

The development of the Internet of things has prompted an exponential increase in the demand for flexible, wearable devices, thereby posing new challenges to their integration and conformalization. Additive manufacturing facilitates the fabrication of complex parts via a single integrated process. Herein, the development of a multinozzle, multimaterial printing device is reported. This device accommodates the various characteristics of printing materials, ensures high-capacity printing, and can accommodate a wide range of material viscosities from 0 to 1000 Cp. Complete capacitors, inclusive of the current collector, electrode, and electrolyte, can be printed without repeated clamping to complete the preheating, printing, and sintering processes. This method addresses the poor stability issue associated with printed electrode materials. Furthermore, after the intercalation of LiFePO₄ with Na ions, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction results reveal that the Na ions permeate the interlayer structure of LiFePO₄, enhancing the ion migration channels by increasing the ion transmission rate. A current rate of 2.5 mAh ensures >2000 charge/discharge cycles, while retaining a charge/discharge efficiency of 96% and a discharge capacity of 91.3 mAh g⁻¹. This manufacturing process can provide conformal power modules for a diverse range of portable devices with various shapes, improving space utilization.     

Chemical bond characteristics and infrared reflectivity spectrum of a novel microwave dielectric ceramic CaIn2O4 with near-zero τf

Orthorhombic-structured CaIn₂O₄ ceramics with a space group Pca2₁ were synthesized via a solid-state reaction method. A high relative density (95.6 %) and excellent microwave dielectric properties (ε_r ～11.28, Qf = 74,200 GHz, τ_f ～ ?4.6 ppm/°C) were obtained when the ceramics were sintered at 1375 °C for 6 h. The dielectric properties were investigated on the basis of the Phillips–Van Vechten–Levine chemical bond theory. Results indicated that the dielectric properties were mainly determined by the InO bonds in the CaIn₂O₄ ceramics. These bonds contributed more (74.65 %) to the dielectric constant than the CaO bonds (25.35 %). Furthermore, the intrinsic dielectric properties of the CaIn₂O₄ ceramics were investigated via infrared reflectivity spectroscopy. The extrapolated microwave dielectric properties were ε_r ～10.12 and Qf = 112,200 GHz. Results indicated that ion polarization is the main contributor to the dielectric constant in microwave frequency ranges.