Curcumin antifungal and antioxidant activities are increased in the presence of ascorbic acid

The objective of this study was to evaluate the antifungal and antioxidant activities of curcumin, ascorbic acid and the mixture of these two compounds. For the antifungal assay, the minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) were determined using Candida strains (ATCC and clinical isolates). Curcumin alone inhibited growth of Candida albicans yeast cells, whereas ascorbic acid did not present effects. However, when the mixture of ascorbic acid and curcumin was assayed to determine the association of the two compounds, the curcumin MIC decreased 5- to 10-fold. In the antioxidant assays, the sum of the alone activities of curcumin and ascorbic acid were lower than the activity of the two-compound mixture. This study highlights the importance of the association between two common antioxidants in foods, to improve the antifungal and antioxidant activities of curcumin (in vitro), and can be applied to Candida spp. infection and diseases associated with oxidative stress.     

An acidic ionic liquid-conventional alkali-catalyzed biodiesel production process

A study was undertaken to prepare biodiesel via two-step process using ionic liquid as first step catalyst due to the unsuitability of using the straight alkaline-catalyzed transesterification of high FFA presented in crude palm oil (CPO). In the first step, esterification of the FFA presented in the CPO was carried out using butylimidazolium hydrogen sulfate (BIMHSO₄), in which the acid value was reduced from 6.93 to 1.02mg KOH/g and then, KOH-catalyzed transesterification was applied. The conversion rate of FFA attained 85.3% when 4.8 wt% of BIMHSO₄ was applied to the reaction system containing methanol to CPO ratio of 12: 1 reacted at 170 °C for 150min. The final yield in 97.3% revealed that the process proposed in this study could lead to an excellent biodiesel meeting the ASTM requirements. Furthermore, this new two-step catalysis process could solve the old conventional catalysis process drawbacks.     

Binary phase solid-state photopolymerization of acrylates: design,characterization and biomineralization of 3D scaffolds for tissue engineering

Porous polymer scaffolds designed by the cryogel method are attractive materials for a range of tissue engineering applications. However, the use of toxic crosslinker for retaining the pore structure limits their clinical applications. In this research, acrylates (HEA/PEGDA, HEMA/PEGDA and PEGDA) were used in the low-temperature solid-state photopolymerization to produce porous scaffolds with good structural retention. The morphology, pore diameter, mineral deposition and water absorption of the scaffold were characterized by SEM and water absorption test respectively. Elemental analysis and cytotoxicity of the biomineralized scaffold were revealed by using XRD and MTT assay test. The PEGDA-derived scaffold showed good water absorption ability and a higher degree of porosity with larger pore size compared to others. XRD patterns and IR results confirmed the formation of hydroxyapatite crystals from an alternative socking process. The overall cell proliferation was excellent, where PEGDA-derived scaffold had the highest and the most uniform cell growth, while HEMA/PEGDA scaffold showed the least. These results suggest that the cell proliferation and adhesion are directly proportional to the pore size, the shape and the porosity of scaffolds.     

Thin-film iron-oxide nanobeads as bifunctional electrocatalyst for high activity overall water splitting

Developing only Fe derived bifunctional overall water splitting electrocatalyst both for oxygen evolution reaction (OER) and hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) while performing at low onset overpotential and with high catalytic stability is a rare instance. We present here the first demonstration of unique iron-oxide nanobeads (FeO_x-NBs) based electrocatalyst executing both OER and HER with high activity. Thin-film electrocatalytic FeO_x-NBs assembly is surface grown via simple spray coating (SC). The unique SC/FeO_x-NBs propels OER initiating water oxidation just at 1.49 V_RHE (η = 260 mV) that is the lowest observable onset potential for OER on simple Fe-oxide based catalytic films reported so far. Catalyst also reveals decently high HER activity and competent overall water splitting performance in the FeO_x-NBs two-electrode system as well. Catalyst also presents stable kinetics, with promising high electrochemically active surface area (ECSA) of 1765 cm², notable Tafel slopes of just 54 mV dec^1? (OER) and 85 mV dec^1? (HER), high exchange current density of 1.10 mA cm^2? (OER), 0.58 mA cm^2? (HER) and TOF of 74.29s^1?@1.58V_RHE, 262s^1?@1.62V_RHE (OER) and 82.5s^1?@-0.45V_RHE, 681s^1?@-0.56V_RHE (HER).     

A review of high energy density lithium–air battery technology

Today’s lithium (Li)-ion batteries have been widely adopted as the power of choice for small electronic devices through to large power systems such as hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) or electric vehicles (EVs). However, it falls short of meeting the demands of new markets in these areas of EVs or HEVs due to insufficient energy density. Therefore, new battery systems such as Li–air batteries with high theoretical specific energy are being intensively investigated, as this technology could potentially make long-range EVs widely affordable. So far, Li–air battery technology is still in its infancy and will require significant research efforts. This review provides a comprehensive overview of the fundamentals of Li–air batteries, with an emphasis on the recent progress of various elements, such as lithium metal anode, cathode, electrolytes, and catalysts. Firstly, it covers the various types of air cathode used, such as the air cathode based on carbon, the carbon nanotube-based cathode, and the graphene-based cathode. Secondly, different types of catalysts such as metal oxide- and composite-based catalysts, carbon- and graphene-based catalysts, and precious metal alloy-based catalysts are elaborated. The challenges and recent developments on electrolytes and lithium metal anode are then summarized. Finally, a summary of future research directions in the field of lithium air batteries is provided.     

反相乳液制备缔合型耐盐聚合物及流变性能评价

摘要：以丙烯酰胺（AM）、2-丙烯酰胺-十二烷基磺酸钠（AMC12S）、疏水单体GTE-10为原料,通过反相乳液聚合法制备了一种缔合型耐盐聚合物p(AM/AMC12S/GTE-10)。通过FTIR、1HNMR、SEM、TEM及激光粒度分析仪对其结构和形貌进行表征,并对其流变性能进行评价。结果表明,疏水单体GTE-10成功引入聚合物中,聚合完成后的乳液粒径分布集中且均一,盐的加入使得p(AM/AMC12S/GTE-10)分子聚集态更紧密,形成的空间网络结构更稳定。质量分数为0.7%的p(AM/AMC12S/GTE-10)聚合物水溶液在140 ℃时表现出较好的耐温性能;在120 ℃,170 s-1条件下剪切1 h,在质量浓度为20000 mg/L的NaCl和CaCl2水溶液中分别配制质量分数0.7%的聚合物溶液,其黏度分别为64.7和54.2 mPa·s;触变性能测试表明,聚合物具有较好的剪切恢复性能;黏弹性测试结果表明,盐水条件下储能模量（G′）>损耗模量（G″）,金属离子与苯氧乙烯基发生络合反应,使分子间作用力增强,形成的空间结构更稳定且难被破坏,黏弹性更高。     

Investigation of improved dielectric and thermal properties of ternary nanocomposite PMMA/MXene/ZnO fabricated by in-situ bulk polymerization

Electric power system applications demand for high-temperature dielectric materials. The improved performance of polymer nanocomposites requires improvement in their thermal conductivity & stability, dielectric stability and processing technique. However, they often lose their dielectric properties with a rise in temperature. Here, we offer a solution by incorporating electrically conducting material (MXene) and semiconducting inorganic nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) into an insulating PMMA polymer matrix to maintain high dielectric constant, both at the room and high temperature. Therefore, to achieve desirable thermal and dielectric properties is the main objective of the present study based on the homogeneous distribution of the nanofillers by in-situ bulk polymerization assisted by strong sonication in the corresponding polymer. The introduction of MXene and ZnO NPs into the PMMA not only acquires a substantial increment in the dielectric constant, to attain a value 437, with minimum energy loss of 0.36 at 25 Hz, but also improves the thermal conductivity of PMMA up to 14 times by causing the reduction of thermal resistance, which is actually responsible for the poor thermal conductivity of amorphous pure PMMA polymer. More importantly, hybrid PMMA/4:2 wt% MXene:ZnO nanocomposite leads to an excellent thermal stability. Moreover, further characterization of the synthesized nanocomposites by FTIR, SEM and XRD leads to the evaluation of strong interaction of ternary components with PMMA matrix.     

Prediction of warp and weft yarn crimp in cotton woven fabrics

The aim of this study was to develop statistical models for the prediction of warp and weft crimp percentage of cotton woven fabrics. The developed models are based on the empirical data obtained from carefully developed 60 fabric samples with different yarn linear densities, fabric densities, and weave designs. The predictability and accuracy of the developed models was assessed by correlation analysis of the predicted and actual crimp values of another set of eight fabric samples which was not used for the development of models. The results show fairly good capability and accuracy of the prediction models.     

A method for solving nonlinear time-dependent drainage model

The purpose of this paper is to present a method for solving nonlinear time-dependent drainage model. This method is based on the perturbation theory and Laplace transformation. The proposed technique allows us to obtain an approximate solution in a series form. The computed results are in good agreement with the results of Adomian decomposition method. Results are presented graphically and in tabulated forms to study the efficiency and accuracy of method. The present approach provides a reliable technique, which avoids the tedious work needed by classical techniques and existing numerical methods. The nonlinear time-dependent drainage model is solved without linearizing or discretizing the nonlinear terms of the equation. The method does not require physically unrealistic assumptions, linearization or discretization in order to find the solutions of the given problems.