Recent advances in automated lipid analysis

This paper reviews some of the recent developments in automated instrumentation which apply to the determination of chemically significant blood lipids such as cholesterol, triglycerides and phospholipids. Many complex lipid determinations can be performed on the continuous flow system of Skeggs following simple preliminary extraction. This system, commercially available as the AutoAnalyzer is composed of modules which are capable of extraction, digestion and hydrolysis. Analytical endpoints can be determined by colorimetry or fluorometry with automatic recording of results.     

Interfacial agents for multiphase polymer systems: Recent advances

The rapid growth in the use of multiphase polymer systems (blends and composites) is undoubtedly related to the availability of methods of controlling the physical and chemical interactions at the interface. Compounds acting as interfacial agents are commonly known as “compatibilizers” in blends, or “coupling agents” in composites; their function is to promote adhesion and enhance overall properties. This paper is a review of recent advances in the use of these compounds in immiscible polymer blends and thermoplastic composites. Polymeric compatibilizers are classified according to their method of addition (in situformation vs. separate addition) and reactivity. Reactive low molecular weight compounds are also listed and their various coupling mechanisms are discussed. It is demonstrated that common routes to enhanced adhesion exist for some types of blends and composites. For example, reactive graft copolymers and certain crosslinklng agents are equally effective as adhesion promoters in blends and composites containing a polyolefin phase.     

Biosurfactants: Recent advances

Surfactants find applications in a wide variety of industrial processes. Biomolecules that are amphiphilic and partition preferentially at interfaces are classified as biosurfactants. In terms of surface activity, heat and pH stability, many biosurfactants are comparable to synthetic surfactants. Therefore, as the environmental compatibility is becoming an increasingly important factor in selecting industrial chemicals, the commercialization of biosurfactant is gaining much attention. In this paper, the general properties and functions of biosurfactants are introduced. Strategies for development of biosurfactant assay, enhanced biosurfactant production, large scale fermentation, and product recovery are discussed. Also discussed are recent advances in the genetic engineering of biosurfactant production. The potential applications of biosurfactants in industrial processes and bioremediation are presented. Finally, comments on the application of enzymes for the production of surfactants are also made.     

Recent advances in assessment of marine lipid oxidation by using fluorescence

Lipid changes during food processing are important because of their impact on the final product quality. Lipid damage detection is limited because of the ability of lipid oxidation products (i.e., hydroperoxides and carbonyl compounds) to produce interaction compounds by reacting with nucleophilic food constituents. Fluorescence quantification at a single excitation/emission maximum of these interaction compounds has been employed in a qualitative way as a complementary tool for food quality assessment. The present work reviews recent research where simultaneous detection at different excitation/emission maxima was employed to assess lipid oxidation and quality changes during fish processing. A fluorescence shift towards a higher wavelength maxima was detected as a result of lipid damage; the shift was calculated as the ratio (δF) between two of the maxima tested (393/463 nm and 327/415 nm) and was investigated along different fish processes (freezing and frozen storage, refrigerated storage, cooking, and canning) and in complementary model systems where the influence of different factors (time and temperature of processing, amine and aldehyde composition and content, formaldehyde presence, and pH value of the medium) was checked. Determination of the δF value provided better results for quality change assessment in fish products than most of the lipid quality indices, in addition to being rapid and sensitive.     

Recent advances in aqueous two-component systems for heavy-duty metal protection

Although waterborne coatings have successfully replaced their solventborne counterparts in a variety of areas, their use generally has been limited to applications with relatively modest performance requirements. Recently, advances in technology have allowed for the design of waterborne coatings with performance suitable for more demanding applications. The emergence of two-component waterborne polyurethane coatings exemplifies this trend. These coatings can provide performance similar to that of solventborne 2-pack urethanes, but with much lower VOC. The chemistry of these coatings is discussed, in light of its relevance to some of the technical challenges, e.g., pot life and CO₂-gassing in thick films, unique to these systems. The use of 2-pack waterborne urethane topcoats in combination with low VOC waterborne acrylic/epoxy primers and intermediate coats is also described. Such multiple coat systems offer the promise of long term corrosion protection in severe industrial and marine environments, coupled with very low VOC.     

Recent advances in the monitoring,modelling and control of crystallization systems

Crystallization is one of the most important unit operations used for the separation and purification of crystalline solid products. Appropriate design and control of the crystallization process is paramount to produce crystalline products with tailor-made-properties. This paper provides an overview of selected recent developments in the modelling, monitoring and control of crystallization processes. We consider the topics discussed in this review to be enabling technologies for the development of the next generation of crystallization processes with significantly improved predictability, robustness and controllability.     

Ceramics from self-sustained reactions: Recent advances

Specific applications of self-sustained reactions to fabricate advanced ceramics, along with details such as synthesis conditions, mechanism of microstructure formation, and material properties, are overviewed. The latest achievements in the field include analysis of three such synthetic routes: reactive spark plasma sintering, combustion synthesis with mechanical stimulation, and solution combustion synthesis. Examples of fabrication of high-temperature nanostructured ceramics and composites, as well as non-equilibrium ceramic phases are also discussed.     

Polymer alloys and blends: Recent advances

Polymer alloys and blends represent one of the fastest growing sectors of the plastics industry. To a large degree, the emphasis has now shifted from developing blends in the reactor to their creation through melt mixing on processing equipment such as extruders. As a result, intense activity is now being directed at controlling two particularly important considerations during melt processing: interfacial interactions and dispersed phase morphology. In this review, recent developments and trends in these two areas will be examined.     

重质油-固体系分离与资源化回收研究进展

针对异位非常规石油及油泥等重质油固体系分离与资源化利用问题,本文系统介绍了非常规石油资源与油泥的共性分离基础问题,并对几种主要的资源化利用方法进行了综述与展望。重质油固体系在结构上主要由油、矿物和水组成,但其性质则由矿物质理化性质、油组分性质、水分、添加剂（絮凝剂）所决定,从而直接影响油固分离方法的选择及分离效果。基于此,本文从工程化角度出发,重点总结了水洗法、溶剂萃取法和热解法三类重质油-固体系分离工艺研究现状,分别从各工艺基本工作原理、传统工艺流程、新型工艺研究以及发展方向展望4个方面进行了重点讨论。虽然这三类方法的工艺研究相对成熟,但在实际操作过程中,各自仍存在不同的挑战,有待进一步的探索,比如条件及设备优化、添加剂筛选及优化或原料体系改性、能量综合利用等。此外,除了技术本身以外,还需根据工程现场条件、分离经济性等方面对资源化化工艺进行全面分析与优化,确定适用范围,最终实现处理成本的降低。     

生物电化学脱氮系统构建和影响因素的最新研究进展

生物电化学脱氮技术是一种以电化学活性细菌作为催化剂的污水处理技术,因其绿色、环保、节能的特点而备受关注。本文介绍了不同脱氮技术的机理,从脱氮性能、成本、二次污染大小和污染物转化率等角度对现有脱氮技术进行评价,指出了生物电化学脱氮技术的优势和应用前景;重点综述反应器运行参数、溶液组分、脱氮生物膜的培养方式、生物电化学脱氮系统内菌种构成等因素对生物电化学脱氮系统的影响,并提出了优化脱氮系统的方法;同时总结了生物电化学脱氮技术在处理屠宰场废水、焦化废水和含高氯酸盐废水等方面的应用现状。研究表明：从脱氮系统内不同微生物的角度,尤其是电活性微生物角度探究生物电化学脱氮过程的机理,调控脱氮生物膜的形成和改变脱氮系统运行参数,是改进生物电化学脱氮技术的有效途径。     

Recent advances for serial processes of hazardous chemicals in fully integrated microfluidic systems

The development and enlargement of toxic and hazardous chemicals are severely limited by health and safety concerns. We summarize studies on fully integrated micro-chemical systems and total processes to reduce accidental exposure to various regents that are toxic, explosive, or carcinogenic, which significantly improved the safety of work involving risky compounds. This review covers the leak-free continuous-flow processes of hazardous chemicals in fully integrated microfluidic systems, specially denoted as micro-total envelope systems (μ-TESs), that are conducting a serial process of the generation of hazardous reagents, in-situ purification and separation, subsequent reaction, and product isolation with improved efficiencies. These attempts suggest safe and efficient tools and processes of useful but hazardous chemicals for researchers and manufacturing workers in the field of pharmaceutic discovery, natural products, biology as well as materials synthesis.     

Stimuli-responsive emulsions:Recent advances and potential applications

Responsive emulsions are the emulsions that can be reversibly switched on-demand between "stable"and "unstable" by environmental stimulus or trigger,which allows a simple and effective adjustment approach to achieve emulsification and demulsification.In recent years,stimuli-responsive emulsions acting as smart soft material are received considerable attention with the advantages of simple manip-ulation,good reversibility,low cost,easy treatment,and little effect on the system.In this paper,the recent research progress of emulsions that can respond to external stimuli,including pH,light,magnetic field,CO2/N2 and dual responsive are reviewed.Also,the potential applications based on responsive emulsion are discussed,such as catalytic reactions,heavy oil recovery,polymer particles synthesis and optical sensor,aiming to summarize the latest achievements and put forward the possible development trends of responsive emulsions.     

PolyHIPEs: Recent advances in emulsion-templated porous polymers

Porous polymers with well-defined porosities and high specific surface areas in the form of monoliths, films, and beads are being used in a wide range of applications (reaction supports, separation membranes, tissue engineering scaffolds, controlled release matrices, responsive and smart materials) and are being used as templates for porous ceramics and porous carbons. The surge in the research and development of porous polymer systems is a rather recent phenomenon. PolyHIPEs are porous emulsion-templated polymers synthesized within high internal phase emulsions (HIPEs). HIPEs are highly viscous, paste-like emulsions in which the major, “internal” phase, usually defined as constituting more than 74% of the volume, is dispersed within the continuous, minor, “external” phase. This review focuses upon the recent advances in polyHIPEs involving innovations in polymer chemistry, macromolecular structure, multiphase architecture, surface functionalization, and nanoparticle stabilization. The effects of these innovations upon the natures of the resulting polyHIPE-based materials (including bicontinuous polymers, nanocomposites, hybrids, porous ceramics, and porous carbons) and upon the applications involving polyHIPEs are discussed. The advances in polyHIPEs described in this review are now being used to generate new families of porous materials with novel porous architectures and unique properties.     

Recent advances in magnetic hydrogels

Smart hydrogels that respond to magnetic fields have attracted increasing interest in recent years. This is as a result of their numerous potential applications such as tunable delivery vehicles, magnetic resonance imaging contrast agents, hyperthermal therapy agents, etc. In this review, we summarize the methods for preparing magnetic hydrogels. Then we give an overview of magnetic hydrogels with various applications. Finally, the current limitations in the preparation and application of magnetic hydrogels are discussed and perspectives will be proposed for the next generation of hydrogels. © 2016 Society of Chemical Industry     

芳香化合物三氟甲基化研究进展

三氟甲基芳香化合物在医药、农药和有机材料等领域有着广泛的应用。向芳香分子中引入三氟甲基的方法已成为当前研究的热点。本文从亲电三氟甲基化、亲核三氟甲基化和自由基三氟甲基化3个方向总结了近年在芳香化合物三氟甲基化研究方面取得的重大进展。     

Recent advances in biofuel drying

Sweden must be regarded as one of the leading countries to utilize biofuels for heating purposes. A national survey of technique and economy for biofuel drying systems has therefore been deemed to be of wider interest. As well flue gas dryers as steam dryers are used but in different applications. Operating experiences from both types are reported. A thermodynamic analysis of various system solutions is also performed. Rotary flue gas dryers dominate the market in fuel factories, which are not colocated with other industrial activities. Steam dryers are best suited for integrated systems, where their capability for heat recovery can be exploited. A new approach is to recover electricity instead of heat. This is accomplished in a system integrated in a district heating plant with power cogeneration. The environmental issues are of ever increasing concern and the release of volatile organic compounds (VOC) during drying and influence of the fuel moisture content on emissions from the combustion are discussed.     

Recent advances in electrochromic polymers

Electrochromic polymers are attractive materials with enormous potential in the rapidly developing area of plastic electronics due to their flexibility, low-power consumption, ease of processing and low processing cost. Electrochromic devices created with electrochromic polymers are likely to be alternatives or supplements to the conventional inorganic electrochromic devices, which face challenges of durability and electrochromic properties. Several novel electrochromic polyimides, polyamides, and polynorbornenes prepared via polycondensation, ring-opening metathesis polymerisation (ROMP), etc., are introduced in this article. These various polymer species exhibit high thermal stability and mechanical strength.