A Ti3C2Tx-carbon black-acrylic epoxy coating for 304SS bipolar plates with enhanced corrosion resistant and conductivity

A conducting and anticorrosive coating is crucial for the application of metal bipolar plates (BP) in proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC). In this work, a Ti₃C₂T_x (T)-carbon black (C)-acrylic epoxy (AE) coating is prepared on 304 stainless steel (SS) with enhanced corrosion resistance and conductivity. The corrosion resistance of the T-C-AE coating is investigated in a 0.5 M H₂SO₄ solution as compared to the AE, T, and T-AE coatings. The T-C-AE coated 304SS exhibits the strongest corrosion resistance with the most positive corrosion potential and the lowest corrosion current density of 0.00673 μA cm^?2 in all the samples, while retaining intact and compact surface morphology with the lowest metal ion dissolution even after immersed for 720 h. The addition of Ti₃C₂T_x and carbon black into the AE matrix greatly decreases interfacial contact resistance (ICR), and the T-C-AE coating achieves a low ICR of 15.5 mΩ cm^?2 under 140 N cm^?2 compaction force. The excellent anticorrosion performance is mainly attributed to the physical barrier and the cathodic protection provided by the stacked Ti₃C₂T_x (MXene) nanosheets in the T-C-AE coating. This eco-friendly, conducting, and anticorrosive T-C-AE coating has a good application prospect on SS BP of PEMFC.     

Compositional characteristics,texture, shelf-life and sensory quality of snack crackers produced from non-traditional ingredients

The study was conducted to evaluate the effect of non-traditional and highly available and nutrient-dense ingredients in the production of value-added crackers. The crackers were prepared by combining partially defatted chia flour, wheat germ, quinoa, and oat. The antioxidant activity and the polyphenol content were 7.0–8.4 times higher in crackers produced with non-traditional ingredients compared to the control snack. The hydroperoxide value indicated a low oxidative deterioration of the oil. The sample with 10% of partially defatted chia flour was selected for shelf-life test under storage conditions and sensory evaluation. Modified atmosphere exerted a protective effect on the lipid stability regardless of the incorporation of BHT to the formulation. All the evaluated attributes scored highly during consumer acceptance. The formulated cracker presented a relevant content of protein, dietary fibre and omega-3 and -6 fatty acids. Based on these results, the crackers containing non-traditional ingredients resulted in a product with a good potential for both consumer acceptance and outstanding nutritional benefits.     

Ag nanoparticles-polypyrrole-carbon black/mesoporous TiO2 novel nanocomposite as ultrafast visible-light-driven photocatalyst

Effective design and fabrication of novel visible light-oriented photocatalysts is an existing challenging task that requires further dedicated efforts, and it has been always a main concern among the scientific community. This study deals with the design and fabrication of an extremely active and ultrafast ternary photocatalyst based on Ag nanoparticles, polypyrrole doped carbon black (PPy-C) and mesoporous TiO₂ (m-TiO₂). Sol-gel methodology along with sonication and photodeposition routes have been employed for the successful creation of the ternary framework. Ternary photocatalyst composed of uniform spherical titania nanoparticles (10–15 nm in size) perfectly intermingled with the polymeric linkage of PPy-C. Fruitful creation of unique trio photocatalyst between AgNPs, PPy-C and m-TiO₂ was confirmed by XPS and XRD. FTIR analysis further supports the development of nanocomposite photocatalyst. TEM analysis showed uniform spherical m-TiO₂ nanoparticles (10–15 nm in size) covered by PPy-C with compact nodes like appearance interlocked very well among each other. The newly developed Ag@PPy-C/m-TiO₂ ternary photocatalyst exhibited band gap energy in desired visible range of spectra. The photocatalytic efficiency for all created photocatalysts has been evaluated taking Imidacloprid (insecticide derivative) and methylene blue (MB) dye as target pollutants. The novel Ag@PPy-C/m-TiO₂ photocatalyst produced astonishing results with ultrafast removal of both Imidacloprid as well MB dye under visible light irradiation. The newly created ultrafast Ag@PPy-C/m-TiO₂ photocatalyst has removed 96.0% of the insecticide Imidacloprid in only 25 min with almost ? 2.65 times more efficient than bare m-TiO₂ towards the removal of insecticide derivative. The present report offers a highly encouraging and vastly talented Ag@PPy-C/m-TiO₂ ternary photocatalyst, enabling the ideal management of extremely lethal and notorious chemicals.     

A comprehensive review of wheat phytochemicals: From farm to fork and beyond

The health benefits of whole wheat consumption can be partially attributed to wheat's phytochemicals, including phenolic acids, flavonoids, alkylresorcinols, carotenoids, phytosterols, tocopherols, and tocotrienols. It is of increasing interest to produce whole wheat products that are rich in bioactive phytochemicals. This review provides the fundamentals of the chemistry, extraction, and occurrence of wheat phytochemicals and includes critical discussion of several long-lasting issues: (1) the commonly used nomenclature on distribution of wheat phenolic acids, namely, soluble-free, soluble-conjugated, and insoluble-bound phenolic acids; (2) different extraction protocols for wheat phytochemicals; and (3) the chemistry and application of in vitro antioxidant assays. This review further discusses recent advances on the effects of genotypes, environments, field management, and processing techniques including ultrafine grinding, germination, fermentation, enzymatic treatments, thermal treatments, and food processing. These results need to be interpreted with care due to varied sample preparation protocols and limitations of in vitro assays. The bioaccessibility, bioavailability, metabolism, and potential health benefits of wheat phytochemicals are also reviewed. This comprehensive and critical review will benefit scientific researchers in the field of bioactive compounds of cereal grains and also those in the cereal food industry to produce high-quality functional foods.     

Morphological description of the immature stages of Hermetia illucens (Linnaeus, 1758) (Diptera: Stratiomyidae)

In the dipteran genus Hermetia, only 6 of the 78 valid species have documented immature stages: H. albitarsis Fabricius, 1805, H. aurata Bellardi, 1859, H. concinna Williston, 1900, H. illucens (Linnaeus, 1758), H. panamensis Greene, 1940 and H. pulchra Weidemann, 1830. In particular, H. illucens stands out due to its reported applicability for forensic, medical and economic purposes. Here, we described the morphology of eggs and immature stages of this species, with a view to detecting differences between instars and in the pupal stage, which should eventually help properly identifying larval age. We utilized both optical and scanning electron microscopy tools. The eggs are elliptical and elongated, and color varies from cream white to yellowish. The larvae are apodal, hemichephalic and holopneustic, flattened dorso‐ventrally and may be recognized by the head elongated, dorsal and ventral chaetotaxy of the cephalic capsule, thoracic and abdominal segments, and the morphology of the anterior and posterior spiracles. The pupae are adecticous and coarctate, tegument dark brown and pruinescence varying from brown to golden. The overall morphology across instars is similar, but marked variations were observed in the shape of the antennal articuli and the shape of the setae (first instar compared to the others). Our results supplement the biological information on Hermetia illucens and should aid the proper identification and aging of juveniles in the field, as a way to minimize errors in the calculation of the post‐mortem interval.     

Rapid screening of DON contamination in whole wheat meals by Vis/NIR spectroscopy and computer vision coupling technology

This work intends to develop an online experimental system for screening of deoxynivalenol (DON) contamination in whole wheat meals by visible/near-infrared (Vis/NIR) spectroscopy and computer vision coupling technology. Spectral and image information of samples with various DON levels was collected at speed of 0.15 m s⁻¹ on a conveyor belt. The two-type data were then integrated and subjected to chemometric analysis. Discriminant analysis showed that samples could be classified by setting 1000 μg kg⁻¹ as the cut-off value. The best correct classified rate obtained in prediction was 93.55% based on fusion of spectral and image features, with reduced prediction uncertainty as compared to single feature. However, quantification of DON by quantitative analysis was not successful due to poor model performance. These results indicate that, although not accurate enough to provide conclusive result, this coupling technology could be adopted for rapid screening of DON contamination in cereals and feeds during processing.     

Multi-Functional Black Bioactive Glasses Prepared via Containerless Melting Process for Tumor Therapy and Tissue Regeneration

Tissue regeneration in complex lesions such as the site of tumors, bacterial infection, and sites lacking blood vessels, has been a huge challenge. Therefore, developing bioactive implantable materials with multi-functional properties such as tumor destruction, bacteria growth inhibition, and angiogenesis promotion is of great significance. In this study, black CaO-SiO₂-TiO₂ (CST) glasses are prepared through the containerless melting approach, by which heterogeneous nucleation can be avoided and thereby glass formation becomes possible via fast quenching. This approach enables the formation of trivalent titanium (Ti³⁺) without using a reducing atmosphere or reducing agents. The black CST glasses are found in this study to possess a strong ability to inhibit bacteria and tumors by their excellent photothermal and photocatalytic effects. Strikingly, these glasses also promote the formation of blood vessels and accelerate the healing of chronic wounds by the synergistic effects of the photothermal effect and Si ions. Thus, this glass system can be a promising multi-functional material for tissue regeneration in complex lesions.     

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。