Holocellulose nanofibrils assisted exfoliation of boron nitride nanosheets for thermal management nanocomposite films.

High-quality boron nitride nanosheets (BNNSs) were exfoliated via eco-friendly holocellulose nanofibrils (HCNFs) assisted ultrasound treatment in water. The resultant H-BNNSs possessed high yields (23.4%), few surface defects, a high aspect ratio (~134), and excellent dispersibility in water (Zeta potential, -53.5 mV). Furthermore, H-BNNSs were functionalized by liquid metal (Gallium, Ga) dominated interface engineering and assembled with cellulose fibers into Ga@H-BNNSs filled nanocomposite films. Owing to the well-designed interface engineering, the obtained nanocomposite films exhibited outstanding integrated performance, especially excellent in-plane thermal conductivity (11.78 W m-1 K-1), and had great potential in the thermal management of flexible electronics.

Alternative Splicing Events in Immune Infiltration of Lung Adenocarcinoma.

BACKGROUND The exact mechanisms of lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) etiology and pathogenesis remain unclear. MATERIAL AND METHODS In this study, we evaluated alternative splicing (AS) events in LUAD. We separately analyzed LUAD data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database and AS-related feature lists from SpliceSeq to develop risk models for AS events and further validated risk models for AS events. The association between immune-related features and the risk model of AS events was evaluated. RESULTS We found that exon skip (ES) and mutually exclusive exons (ME) exhibited the most and least AS events, respectively. The risk score and stage of LUAD patients were strongly associated with prognosis and were independent influences on the prognosis of LUAD. The pathological stage (stage, T, N) and risk model were incorporated to construct a column line graph with better predictive ability. Risk models were associated with tumor microenvironment, and higher risk score values were associated with higher M2 macrophage content and lower M0 macrophage and helper T lymphocyte content. The correlation between core genes and immunity was further assessed by analyzing differentially-expressed genes between risk models. These results suggest an association between the level of risk for AS events and the density of immune cell infiltration. CONCLUSIONS Our findings suggest a clear association between AS risk model and patient prognosis, and was performed to confirm the biological relationship between AS and immunity.

Emerging challenges in the thermal management of cellulose nanofibril-based supercapacitors, lithium-ion batteries and solar cells: A review.

In recent years, extensive efforts have been devoted to electronic miniaturization and integration. Accordingly, heating up of electronics has become a critical problem that needs to be urgently solved by efficient and reliable thermal management. Electronic device substrates made of cellulose nanofibrils (CNFs) exhibit outstanding flexibility, mechanical properties, and optical properties. Combining CNFs with high-thermal-conductivly fillers is an effective thermal management technique. This paper focuses on the thermal management of electronic devices and highlights the potential of CNF-based materials for efficient thermal management of energy storage electronic such as supercapacitors, lithium-ion batteries and solar cells. A high-thermal-conductivity composite material for electronic devices can be obtained by combining CNFs as the framework material with carbon nanotubes, graphene, and inorganic nitrides. Moreover, The research progress in the application of CNFs-based materials for supercapacitors, lithium-ion batteries and solar cells is highlighted, and the emerging challenges of different CNFs-based energy storage devices are discussed.

Enzymatic pretreatment for the improvement of dispersion and film properties of cellulose nanofibrils.

In the present study, cellulose nanofibrils (CNF) were produced from unbleached eucalyptus pulp, and the effect of enzymatic treatment on the properties of CNF was studied. Moreover, the mechanism of enzymatic treatment on the dispersion and film properties of CNF was speculated. The xylanase pretreatment facilitated the deconstruction of pulp into CNF via mechanical shearing and high-pressure homogenization, while the hemicellulose composition was preserved. Compared to the control, the CNF suspensions made from the xylanase pretreated pulp were more crystalline with higher dispersion, optical and rheological properties. CNF films were produced with a vacuum filtration process. The optical and mechanical strength properties of the CNF films were improved by the removal of hemicellulose. It was found that the carboxyl and hydroxyl groups played key roles in affecting the dispersion and film properties of the CNF. The carboxyl group content increased after the enzymatic pretreatment, which benefits the even distribution of CNF in water. The mechanical strength of the CNF films was further improved by exposing the hydroxyl group when lignin-carbohydrate complexes were de-structured by the enzymes. This study expanded the application of CNF produced from unbleached pulp. The theoretical foundation for stabilizing the CNF suspension and the high-speed dehydration of CNF films were explored for the continuous roll to roll production of CNF film.

Physico-chemical characterization of the temperature dependent hydration kinetics of Gleditsia sinensis gum.

The physico-chemical properties and hydration kinetics of Gleditsia sinensis gum were investigated to evaluate its temperature dependence. The increase of temperature resulted in improved solubility of G. sinensis gum, and the dissolved galactomannan showed decreased degree of galactose substitution (DSGal) and increased molecular weight (p<0.05, ANOVA). The solubility of G. sinensis galactomannan at 25, 45, 60 and 80 °C was 73.4, 83.8, 98.1, and 99.4%, respectively. Weibull and Logarithmic models were well fitted (R(2)>0.96), and the hydration index t0.8 at different temperatures varied in the range of 51-302 min. It was found that galactomannan with low DSGal and high molecular weight exhibited slow hydration rate and poor solubility.