Temperature-dependent hydrogenation behaviour and hydrogen storage thermodynamics of Mg0.9In0.1 solid solution alloy.

To clarify the hydrogen storage mechanism of Mg(In) solid solution, the hydrogenation and dehydrogenation characteristics of Mg0.9In0.1 alloy are systematically studied in this work. It is found that the Mg0.9In0.1 solid solution is first hydrogenated to Mg3In and MgH2 under a hydrogen atmosphere. The polymorphism of Mg3In leads to different hydrogenation features of the solid solution in various temperature ranges. Consequently, the reversible dehydrogenation reactions have somewhat distinct enthalpy changes due to the different crystal structures of Mg3In. When the hydrogenation temperature is not lower than 340 °C, Mg3In can be further hydrogenated to (Mg1-xInx)3In and MgH2. The hydrogenation reactions of both ß'-Mg3In and ß-Mg3In are also reversible although they have sloping hydrogenation and dehydrogenation plateaus in pressure-composition isotherms. This work provides new insights into the hydrogen storage mechanism of Mg(In) solid solution.

Fullerenol as a nano-molecular sieve additive enables stable zinc metal anodes.

Aqueous zinc batteries (AZBs) with the advantages of safety, low cost, and sustainability are promising candidates for large-scale energy storage devices. However, the issues of interface side reactions and dendrite growth at the zinc metal anode (ZMA) significantly harm the cycling lifespan of AZBs. In this study, we designed a nano-molecular sieve additive, fullerenol (C60(OH)n), which possesses a surface rich in hydroxyl groups that can be uniformly dispersed in the aqueous solution, and captures free water in the electrolyte, thereby suppressing the occurrence of interfacial corrosion. Besides, fullerenol can be further reduced to fullerene (C60) on the surface of ZMA, holding a unique self-smoothing effect that can inhibit the growth of dendritic Zn. With the synergistic action of these two effects, the fullerenol-contained electrolyte (FE) enables dendrite-free ZMAs. The Zn-Ti half-cell using FE exhibits stable cycling over 2500 times at 5 mA cm-2 with an average Coulombic efficiency as high as 99.8 %. Additionally, the Zn-NaV3O8 cell using this electrolyte displays a capacity retention rate of 100 % after 1000 cycles at -20 °C. This work provides important insights into the molecular design of multifunctional electrolyte additives.

Removal of Cu (II) by ion exchange resin and its re-utilization of the residual solution from the distilled Lycium barbarum wine.

In order to re-utilize the residual from the distillation of the Chinese wolfberry wine and reduce the environmental pollution, the residual is firstly filtered by the ceramic membrane of 50 nm, then the Cu (II) has transferred from the distillation is removed using the ion exchange resin, and the treated solution is recombined with the distilled liquor to make the Chinese wolfberry brandy and the comparison has conducted on the physicochemical properties, antioxidant activity and flavor compounds between the recombined brandy and the finished brandy. The results indicate that the Cu (II) was effectively removed by ceramic membrane combined with the D401 resin. Compared with finished brandy, the recombined brandy contains high contents of polysaccharides, phenols and flavonoids, thus contributing to the improvement of antioxidant capacity. The gas chromatography-ion mobility spectrometry (GC-IMS) reveals that 25 volatile compounds like esters and alcohols have identified in the brandy samples, and the differences are significant between the recombined and the finished brandy. In summary, the distilled residual from the Chinese wolfberry wine might be re-used after the appropriate treatment so as to reduce the discharge and environmental pollution.

Encapsulation of Benzaldehyde Produced by the Eco-Friendly Degradation of Amygdalin in the Apricot Kernel Debitterizing Wastewater.

In order to fully utilize the by-products of apricot kernel-debitterizing and address the chemical instability of benzaldehyde in the food industry, benzaldehyde was first prepared by adding the apricot kernel powder to degrade the amygdalin present in the apricot kernel-debitterizing water. Subsequently, ß-cyclodextrin was employed to encapsulate the benzaldehyde, and its encapsulation efficacy was evaluated through various techniques including Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, release kinetics fitting inhibitory effect and the effect on Botrytis cinerea. Finally, the encapsulation was explored via molecular docking and molecular dynamics simulations. The results indicate that the optimal preparation conditions for the benzaldehyde were 1.8 h, 53 °C and pH 5.8, and the encapsulation of benzaldehyde with ß-cyclodextrin (wall-core ratio of 5:1, mL/g) has been verified by the deceleration in the release rate, the enhanced thermal stability and the prolonged inhibition effect against Botrytis cinerea. The encapsulation proceeded spontaneously without steric hindrance in the simulation, which led to a reduction in the hydrophobic cavity of ß-cyclodextrin. In conclusion, the amygdalin in the debitterizing wastewater can be degraded in an eco-friendly way to produce benzaldehyde by adding apricot kernel powder, which contains ß-glucosidase; the encapsulation of benzaldehyde is stable, thus enhancing the utilization of amygdalin in the debitterizing wastewater of apricot kernels.

Optimization of cold plasma processing conditions for fresh-cut kiwifruit slices by using response surface methodology.

The work aims to optimize the process of cold plasma for fresh-cut kiwifruit. The effects of discharge times, treatment voltages, and slice thickness as well as the interaction between them were investigated. Factor analysis was used to screen out the characteristic indices of fresh-cut kiwifruit. Design-Expert software was used to design three-factor response surface tests and find the optimal parameters. The results revealed that the quality indices of fresh-cut kiwifruit were the color difference, brittleness, and solid-acid ratio, the established binomial regression equations were significant (P < 0.05). At the optimal level: 26 kV treatment voltage, 120 s discharge times, and 10 mm slice thickness, the optimized test values for the color difference, brittleness, solid-acid ratio and decreased logarithm value of total plate count were 2.25, 128.96 g·s, 18.03 and 2.30 lg(CFU·g-1), respectively. Cold plasma could significantly improve the inactivation of bacteria in fresh-cut kiwifruit.

Switching Reaction Pathway of Medium-Concentration Ether Electrolytes to Achieve 4.5 V Lithium Metal Batteries.

Pursuing high-energy-density lithium metal batteries (LMBs) necessitates the advancement of electrolytes. Despite demonstrating high compatibility with lithium metal anodes (LMAs), ether-based electrolytes face challenges in achieving stable cycling at high voltages. Herein, we propose a strategy to enhance the high-voltage stability of medium-concentration (∼1 M) ether electrolytes by altering the reaction pathway of ether solvents. By employing a 1 M lithium difluoro(oxalato)borate in dimethoxyethane (LiDFOB/DME) electrolyte, we observed that LiDFOB displays a pronounced tendency for decomposition over DME, leading to a modification in the decomposition pathway of DME. This modification facilitates the formation of a stable organic-inorganic hybrid interface. Utilizing such an electrolyte, the Li-LCO cell demonstrates a discharge specific capacity of 146 mAh g-1 (5 C) and maintains retention of 86% over 1000 cycles at 2 C under a 4.5 V cutoff voltage. Additionally, the optimized ether electrolyte demonstrated outstanding cycling performance in Li-LCO full cells under practical conditions.

Reactivation of an air-passivated lithium metal anode through halogen regulation.

A comprehensive study was conducted to investigate the failure mechanism of the lithium metal anode (LMA) in air. Simultaneously, an effective reactivation strategy was developed using halogen regulation. Specifically, iodine treatment converts the passivation layer of the exposed Li into LiI with fast Li+ transport ability, thereby improving the electrochemical performance.

Effects of ultrasound on the immunoreactivity of amandin, an allergen in apricot kernels during debitterizing.

In this paper, an investigation was conducted on the effects of ultrasound time, power and temperatures on the immunoreactivity of the allergenic amandin in apricot kernels by western blotting analysis during the ultrasonically accelerated debitterizing. And its influencing mechanism on the structure of amandin was also analyzed by SDS-PAGE, circular dichroism spectrum, extrinsic fluorescence spectrum, surface hydrophobicity and zeta potential determination, respectively. The results indicate that ultrasound could significantly reduce the immunoreactivity of amandin during ultrasonically accelerated debitterizing, and the optimal ultrasound condition was 60 min, 300 W, 55 °C and 59 kHz and decreased the immunoreactivity to 15.61%, which might be attributed to the changes of the protein subunits, secondary and tertiary structure, and molecular aggregation state induced by ultrasound. In a word, ultrasound could not only accelerate debitterizing, but also significantly decrease the immunoreactivity of apricot kernels, which proved the feasibility of ultrasound in practical processing of apricot kernels.

The state-of-the-art research of the application of ultrasound to winemaking: A critical review.

As a promising non-thermal physical technology, ultrasound has attracted extensive attention in recent years, and has been applied to many food processing operation units, such as involving filtration, freezing, thawing, sterilization, cutting, extraction, aging, etc. It is also widely used in the processing of meat products, fruits and vegetables, and dairy products. With regard to its application in winemaking, most of the studies available in the literature are focused on the impact of ultrasound on a certain characteristic of wine, lacking of systematic sorting of these literatures. This review systematically summarizes and explores the current achievements and problems of the application of ultrasound to the different stages of winemaking, including extraction, fermentation, aging and sterilization. Summarizing the advantages and disadvantages of ultrasound application in winemaking and its development in future development.

Comparison of ultrasound irradiation on polymeric coloration of flavan-3-ols bridged by acetaldehyde and glyoxylic acid in model wine solution.

The influence and its mechanism of ultrasound on acetaldehyde/glyoxylic acid competing bridged the polymerization coloration of flavan-3-ols in model wine solution were investigated by high-performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS) and kinetics and thermodynamic model. The results indicate that ultrasound could significantly accelerate the polymerization coloration and further modify wine color. In addition, the polymerization reaction conformed first-order reaction model, and the reaction rate constant (k) values were markedly increased by ultrasound, accelerating the coloration reaction, especially in the model wine containing glyoxylic acid. Besides, the polymerization processing was non-spontaneous and endothermic according to the thermodynamic analysis. In conclusion, ultrasound was indeed conducive to accelerate glyoxylic acid/acetaldehyde-bridged the polymerization of flavan-3-ols and further effect the wine color, which could provide a theoretical basis for the scientific analysis of the mechanism of ultrasound modifying wine color.

A low-concentration all-fluorinated electrolyte for stable lithium metal batteries.

A low-concentration (0.5 M) all-fluorinated electrolyte (LCAFE) was designed to stabilize high-energy-density lithium metal batteries. Introducing fluorinated solvents can control the electrolyte's solvation structure, interfacial chemistry, and physicochemical properties. Therefore, this LCAFE has good wettability, nonflammability, and excellent stability for lithium anodes.

Effects of Ultrasound Irradiation on the Co-Pigmentation of the Added Caffeic Acid and the Coloration of the Cabernet Sauvignon Wine during Storage.

In this paper, experiments were conducted to investigate the effects of ultrasound irradiation on the co-pigmentation of caffeic acid added in wine and the coloration of wine during storage. The wine color, chroma, level of the monomeric, combined and polymerized anthocyanins and the concentrations of malvidin-3-O-glucoside and syringic acid in wines were determined by the high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy, respectively. The results indicate that ultrasound irradiation could definitely affect the color characteristic of wine to a certain extent. Compared with the wine without addition of caffeic acid, the co-pigmentation effects of wine added with caffeic acid could be significantly promoted by ultrasound irradiation, such as the wine color, color density and the polymerized anthocyanins. Furthermore, ultrasound irradiation had a continuous effect on the co-pigmentation of caffeic acid and wine coloration with the extended storage time. In summary, ultrasound could significantly modify the color properties of wine by enhancing the co-pigmentation between caffeic acid and monomeric anthocyanins in the wine, resulting in the improvement of wine quality.

Enhancement of the ionic conductivity of lithium borohydride by silica supports.

Confinement of LiBH4 in porous materials is an efficient route to enhance the ionic conductivity of lithium, which seems to be associated with various types of scaffolding and its mixture ratios. In the present work, we reveal the effect of supports on ionic conductivity improvements based on a comparison of different silica supports, including micro-SiO2 (SM), porous nano-SiO2 (MSN), and nano-SiO2 with nanochannels (SBA-15). All LiBH4/silica composites exhibited higher lithium ionic conductivity, where LiBH4/SBA-15 (47% weight ratio) exhibited the highest conductivity of 3 × 10-5 S cm-1 at 35 °C, nearly three orders of magnitude higher than that of pure LiBH4. In addition, the LiBH4/SBA-15 composite has a wider electrochemical stability window of -0.2 to 5 V, satisfactory compatibility with the Li anode, and no occurrence of side reactions. These ionic conductivity enhancements can be attributed to the support effects of distinct SiO2, i.e., the increase in surface area for superior interfacial ionic conductivity and/or the increased disorder of LiBH4 for faster matrix ionic conductivity. The present study offers useful insights for designing a new hydride solid electrolyte for all-solid-state lithium ion batteries.

Roles of free radical on the formation of acetaldehyde in model wine solutions under different ultrasound parameters: A key bridge-link compound for red wine coloration during ageing.

In order to explore the effects of ultrasound on the formation of acetaldehyde and its mechanism in model wine solutions, ultrasound conditions and free radicals were investigated by response surface methodology and electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy (EPR), respectively. The results indicate that ultrasound does induce the production of acetaldehyde with the maximum amount under the conditions of ultrasound power density 0.2 W/cm2, 48 min and 32 °C. The hydroxyl radicals and the 1-hydroxyethyl free radicals are the main initiator and precursor for acetaldehyde, respectively. Furthermore, the stronger the 1-hydroxyethyl free radicals captured by EPR, the lower the formation of acetaldehyde. In addition, the content of Fe2+and ethanol also exerted a certain influence on the acetaldehyde formation. In conclusion, ultrasound does promote the production of acetaldehyde in the model wine solutions, which is beneficial for well understanding the mechanism of ultrasound in modifying the wine color and accelerating ageing.

miR-101-3p Contributes to α-Synuclein Aggregation in Neural Cells through the miR-101-3p/SKP1/PLK2 Pathway.

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder characterized by progressive neuronal loss in different brain regions, including the dopaminergic (DA) neurons of the substantia nigra pars compacta (SNc). The aggregation of α-synuclein (α-Syn) plays an essential role in the progression of PD-related neuron toxicity. In this study, bioinformatic analysis was used to confirm differentially expressed genes between patients with PD and healthy donors. Immunofluorescence was used to study the aggregation of α-Syn. Flow cytometry was used to confirm the apoptosis of neurons. Western blot was used to investigate the underlying mechanism. Coimmunoprecipitation (co-IP) was used to verify the interaction between proteins. Luciferase activity assay was used to confirm the target gene of miRNA. In vitro protein ubiquitination assay was used to ascertain the role of S-phase kinase-associated protein 1 (SKP1) on the ubiquitination processes of polo-like kinase 2 (PLK2). The result indicated that miR-101-3p was overexpressed in the substantia nigra of the postmortem brains of patients with PD. The underlying role was investigated in the SH-SY5Y cell line. The overexpression of α-Syn did not result in toxicity or aggregation. However, the co-overexpression of miR-101-3p and α-Syn promoted aggregation and neuron toxicity. Luciferase activity assay indicated that SKP1 is a target gene of miR-101-3p. The co-IP experiment confirmed that SKP1 could directly interact with PLK2. In vitro protein ubiquitination assay confirmed that SKP1 could promote the ubiquitination and subsequent protein degradation of PLK2. We also observed that the cotransfection of short hairpin RNA that targets PLK2 and α-Syn overexpression plasmid results in the endoplasmic reticulum stress of neurons. Our results collectively provide evidence that miR-101-3p contributes to α-Syn aggregation in neurons through the miR-101-3p/SKP1/PLK2 pathway.

Effects of cold plasma treatment on cherry quality during storage.

Cherry samples were treated with cold plasma under different voltages (40, 60, 80 kV) and different treatment durations (60, 80, 100, 140 s), then stored in a refrigerator at 0 ℃. Data on the decay rate, respiration rate, and physiological properties of the cherries and their correlational relationships after different treatments of cold plasma were collected under the conditions of ambient temperature and dry air. The decay rate, respiration rate, total soluble solids, total phenol, flavonoids, anthocyanin, VC, titratable acidity, firmness, and a* value were investigated at regular intervals to analyze the quality of the cherries under different treatment conditions. Additionally, the total colony number was estimated at the end of storage. The results indicated that cold plasma treatment under moderate conditions was effective for prolonging cherry storage, inactivating microorganisms, decreasing the decay rate, and inhibiting respiration with either no compromise on the cherry quality or only a slightly noticeable influence. A significant positive correlation was found between the decay rate and respiration rate, as well as between the VC content and titratable acidity. Antioxidant contents and firmness were found to be negatively correlated with the a* value. In conclusion, this study demonstrated that cold plasma has potential applications in the storage and preservation of cherries.

Co-Pigmentation of Caffeic Acid and Catechin on Wine Color and the Effect of Ultrasound in Model Wine Solutions.

OBJECTIVE: Wine color is considered an important indicator in judging red wine quality and is also employed to evaluate wine aging. However, wine color can be influenced by many factors. METHOD: In this paper, it was investigated that the effects of caffeic acid and catechin on wine color and related mechanisms by HPLC and ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy for the wine model solutions containing malvidin-3-O-glucoside. The spectrum changes of the model wine solutions (Mv-glc, Mv-glc + caffeic acid, and Mv-glc + catechin) during 120 days storage were monitored to analyze the influence of co-pigmentation on red wine color. RESULTS: The results indicate that the color properties of red wine could be affected by caffeic acid and catechin to a certain extent. Moreover, caffeic acid had a stronger auxiliary color effect on the malvidin-3-O-glucoside than that of the catechin in the model wine solutions, and the former effect continued to increase with prolongation of storage time. The latter effect (catechin) only had a temporary auxiliary color effect in the beginning, and weakened from red to orange yellow with increased storage time. Furthermore, ultrasound irradiation improved co-pigmentation, resulting in the modification of wine color. CONCLUSIONS: All results indicate that the co-pigmentation reaction of wine color could be modified by the addition of caffeic acid and ultrasonic treatment to improve the quality of red wine.

Interface controlled solid-state lithium storage performance in free-standing bismuth nanosheets.

Bismuth (Bi) has recently been discovered as a potential lithium-ion anode material for batteries with high Li capacity and suitable equilibrium potential, and without dendrite formation. However, the reversible electrochemical stability remains insufficient for applications. Herein, it is demonstrated that two-dimensional free-standing Bi nanosheets (Bi-NSs) have superior anode performance using either liquid or solid electrolytes. The Bi-NSs with a uniform thickness of ∼40 nm prepared by aqueous methods exhibit a record high capacity of ∼287 mA h g-1 at a current density of 250 mA g-1 with the LiBH4 solid electrolyte even after 100 cycles. Fast and stable solid-state lithium plating and stripping occur without side reactions. The 2D layered nanostructure has more active sites and a shorter diffusion length, and forms stable interfaces with the electrolyte. The present work reveals a facile synthesis route of novel 2D materials and paves an efficient pathway for high-capacity and safe bismuth-based anodes for lithium batteries.

Enhanced Low-Temperature Hydrogen Storage in Nanoporous Ni-Based Alloy Supported LiBH4.

To reveal the synergistic effect of nanoconfinement and metallic catalysis on the hydrogen storage properties of LiBH4, the nanoporous Ni-based alloy (np-Ni) was prepared herein by dealloying of the Mn70Ni30 alloy in (NH4)2SO4 solution, and then LiBH4 was loaded into np-Ni to construct the LiBH4/np-Ni hydrogen storage system using wet impregnation. It was found that dehydrogenation of the LiBH4/np-Ni (1:5) system starts at around 70°C and ends before 400°C, with ~11.9 wt.% of hydrogen desorbed. The apparent dehydrogenation activation energy for the LiBH4/np-Ni (1:5) system was remarkable decreased to about 11.4 kJ/mol. After rehydrogenation at 450°C under 8 MPa hydrogen pressure, ~8.2 wt.% of hydrogen can be released from about 60°C upon second dehydrogenation. These obtained results would provide an efficient strategy for improving the hydrogen storage properties of other metal borohydrides.