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The list of standard abbreviations for JDS is available at adsa.org/jds-abbreviations-24. Nonstandard abbreviations are available in the Notes. Probiotics are increasingly used as starter cultures to produce fermented dairy products; however, few studies have investigated the role of probiotics in milk fermentation metabolism. The current study aimed to investigate whether adding Bifidobacterium animalis ssp. lactis Probio-M8 (Probio-M8) as a starter culture strain could improve milk fermentation by comparing the physicochemical characteristics and metabolomes of fermented milks produced by a commercial starter culture with and without Probio-M8. Our results showed that adding Probio-M8 shortened the milk fermentation time and improved the fermented milk texture and stability. Metabolomics analyses revealed that adding Probio-M8 affected mostly organic acid, AA, and fatty acid metabolism in milk fermentation. Targeted quantitative analyses revealed significant increases in various metabolites related to the sensory quality, nutritive value, and health benefits of the probiotic fermented milk, including 5 organic acids (acetic acid, lactic acid, citric acid, succinic acid, and tartaric acid), 5 EAA (valine, arginine, leucine, isoleucine, and lysine), glutamic acid, and 2 essential fatty acids (α-linolenic acid and docosahexaenoic acid). Thus, applying probiotics in milk fermentation is desirable. This study has generated useful information for developing novel functional dairy products. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Probiotic fermented milk is more and more popular due to their positive health associated properties. However, fermentation temperature and other process conditions may affect the growth and metabolism of probiotic strains, thereby affecting quality of the final products. In this study, the growth behaviors and metabolomic profiles of yogurts induced by Lactobacillus casei Zhang at fermentation termination (FT) and d 10 of storage (S10d) under different fermentation temperatures at 37°C (low) and 42°C (high) were analyzed and compared using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (MS)- and gas chromatography-MS-based metabolomics approaches. At 37°C, the growth of L. casei Zhang at FT and S10d was significantly increased, and the potential relationship between riboflavin, starch, and sucrose metabolism and growth of L. casei Zhang may be mutually promoting. Fermentation temperature (37°C and 42°C) affected volatile and nonvolatile metabolomic profiles and pathways. The levels of acetaldehyde, 2,3-butanedione, acetoin, butyric acid, decanoic acid, hexanoic acid, and octanoic acid were significantly higher at 37°C than at 42°C at FT and S10d. This indicates that the low temperature (37°C) most likely contributes more to the formation of important flavor compounds during the fermentation process and production of short-chain fatty acids during storage. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chemical explosives such as TNT are widely used in special scenarios, such as civil explosives, due to their simple preparation and high energy density. However, the temperature of the fireball produced by the explosion of these explosives is extremely high. Moreover, this approach may cause many casualties and economic losses if not prevented. To accurately measure the temperature of a transient explosion field and study its space-time distribution, a two-dimensional high-speed temperature measurement system was built based on blackbody radiation theory, high-speed photography, image Bayer array and improved interpolation algorithm. The explosive fireball produced in a static explosion test of 10 kg of TNT was measured within the shooting range. TNT was added with an auxiliary blackbody (tungsten). Compared to traditional explosion temperature measurement methods, the experimental results showed that the colorimetric temperature measurement method based on the improved interpolation algorithm and the addition of tungsten powder could more accurately measure the temporal and spatial distributions of the temperature field. This work can aid in the prevention in the accidents during the transportation, storage, and manufacturing of chemicals relevant to process industries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Interest has been growing in the co-fermentation of starter cultures with probiotic bacteria in milk. However, the representative metabolites and metabolic changes at different key time points during milk fermentation and storage in starter cultures and probiotic bacteria are still unclear. In this study, we used gas chromatography/mass spectrometry–based metabolomics to identify volatile metabolites and discriminate between 6 different time points [fermentation initiation (FI), fermentation curd (FC), fermentation termination (FT), storage 1 d (S1d), storage 7 d (S7d), and storage 14 d (S14d)] during the fermentation and storage of starter cultures and Lactobacillus casei Zhang milk. Of the 52 volatile metabolites identified, 15 contributed to discrimination of the 6 time points. Then, using the profile from the different time points, we analyzed pairwise comparisons (FI vs. FC; FC vs. FT; FT vs. S1d; S1d vs. S7d; S7d vs. S14d); these time-lapse comparisons showed metabolic progressions from one fermentation stage to the next. We found representative and exclusive metabolites at specific fermentation and storage time points. The greatest difference in metabolites occurred between FC and FT, and the metabolic profiles between S7d and S14d were most similar. Interestingly, decanoic acid, octanoic acid, and hexanoic acid reached their highest level at storage 14 d, indicating that the post-fermentation storage of fermented milk with L. casei Zhang may add more probiotic functions. This work provides detailed insight into the time-specific profiles of volatile metabolites and their dynamic changes; these data may be used for understanding and eventually predicting metabolic changes in milk fermentation and storage, where probiotic strains may be used. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • High viable counts of PC-01 and B8589 over storage of fermented milk beverages. • Co-fermentation improves post-storage stability of fermented milk beverages. • Co-fermentation increases γ-aminobutyric acid and malate in stored products. Few studies investigated the effects of co-fermentation with bifidobacteria on post-storage changes of probiotic fermented beverages (PFBs). Thus, this study compared the post-storage changes in physicochemical index and metabolomes of PFBs produced singly by Lacticaseibacillus paracasei PC-01 (PC-01) or in combination with Bifidobacterium adolescentis B8589 (B8589). No significant differences were observed in the pH, titratable acidity, and viable cell counts between the two PFBs over 30-day storage. However, adding B8589 not only increased the stability of PFB (based on evaluating differences in PFBs metabolomics), but also the contents of beneficial amino acid metabolites, including 4-hydroxystyrene, gamma-aminobutyric acid, N -acetyl- l -aspartic acid, d -alanyl- d -alanine, and l -malic acid, after storage. Our study showed that B8589 is preferred to single-strain fermentation by PC-01. This study supports the concept of using bifidobacteria as starter culture in PFB production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Magnesium and its alloys have generated considerable interest as one of the most promising biodegradable metals for biomedical bone implants. However, the enormous challenges are to improve their rapid corrosion excessively as well as to endow them with biocompatibility and biosafety. Herein, we introduce a natural silk fibroin protein coating to control the corrosion resistance and enhance the biocompatibility of MgZnCa alloy. To obtain a robust and reliable coated structure, different surface-activation processes are employed to increase the available functional groups on MgZnCa surfaces before coating. Compared to oxygen plasma activation, our unique vacuum ultraviolet-ozone (VUV/O 3) activation method is effective in realizing uniform silk fibroin films as a protective barrier on MgZnCa alloy surfaces, and the nanoscratch test verified the superior adhesion strength of the silk fibroin-coated magnesium alloy structure. Long-term immersion results combined with electrochemical tests showed the preferable in vitro anticorrosion behavior and a low degradation rate of coated Mg alloy (1/8 times that of uncoated Mg alloy). Cell adhesion and cytotoxicity tests demonstrated that silk fibroin-coated MgZnCa presented improved biocompatibility with bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells. An animal study involving silk fibroin-coated MgZnCa implanted on one side of a rabbit spine for 180 days showed remarkably improved in vivo corrosion resistance, with 1/18 times the degradation rate of uncoated MgZnCa. These results not only comprehensively confirmed the validity of the VUV/O 3 -activation method as a coating strategy but also implied the tremendous potential of the modified Mg alloy for application as a degradable biomedical implant material. MgZnCa alloy is a promising material in clinical implantation. Silk fibroin (SF) is a natural organic material with biocompatibility and biodegradability. To date, the combination of SF and MgZnCa alloy has exhibited considerable prospects for orthopedic applications. The realization of a direct coating is an enormous challenge because strong chemical bonds cannot be easily formed between organic and inorganic materials. To solve this bottleneck, we proposed a unique vacuum ultraviolet-ozone (VUV/O 3) surface-activation method for the first time to modify the Mg alloy surface before SF coating, which significantly enhanced both in vitro and in vivo performance, such as superior biocompatibility and remarkably improved corrosion resistance of magnesium alloys (∼1/18 the in vivo degradation rate of uncoated MgZnCa). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract A novel multi-component powder inhibitor was prepared by mixing conventional suppressants (ammonium polyphosphate and aluminium hydroxide) with porous kaolinite. The inhibition performance of this developed inhibitor was investigated using a 20-L spherical experimental explosion system. The explosion parameters, such as the maximum explosion pressure, maximum pressure rising rate, and time to peak explosion pressure, were obtained to evaluate the suppression effects. The results show that the multi-component inhibitor exhibits higher suppression performance than the single components. The thermal stability, decomposition behavior, and gaseous products were investigated using thermogravimetric analysis, differential scanning calorimetry, and thermogravimetric-mass spectrometry. The inhibition mechanisms are illustrated using physical and chemical explanations. The current work introduces a new gas explosion inhibitor with high performance resulting from the synergistic effect between its ingredients. Graphical abstract Inhibition mechanisms of the multi-component powder are investigated by explosion experiments and thermal decomposition analysis. Unlabelled Image Highlights • Inhibitor is prepared by mixing porous mineral with conventional suppressants. • Excellent explosion inhibition efficiency is achieved for this powder inhibitor. • Inhibition mechanisms of the multi-component inhibitor are investigated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper studies a stochastic two-species Monod competition chemostat model which is subject to environment noises. Such noises are described by independent standard Brownian motions. It proves that the initial value problem of the model has a unique positive global solution. However, unlike the corresponding deterministic model, the stochastic model no longer has positive equilibrium points. The asymptotic behaviors and the steady state distributions are established by using Itô’s formula, Lyaponov method and Gronwall inequality. In addition, numerical simulations are given to illustrate the theoretical results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

MnO x /sewage sludge-derived activated carbon (MnO x /SAC) was prepared as catalysts to improve the performance of aqueous oxalic acid degradation by ozonation. The results indicated that MnO x /SAC had excellent catalytic activity in mineralization of oxalic acid during heterogeneous catalytic ozonation process. MnO x /SAC with a manganese load of 30% exhibited the strongest catalytic activity under the condition of solution pH 3.5, which enhanced the oxalic acid removal from 10.3% to 92.2% in 60 min compared with that treated by ozone alone. Increase of catalyst dosage and aqueous ozone concentration was advantageous for oxalic acid removal from water. On the basis of catalyst characterization analysis and the observation of inhibitory effect induced by higher pH, less catalyst dosage as well as the presence of hydroxyl radical scavenger, it was deduced that the reaction mechanism involved both hydroxyl radicals attack and surface reactions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Peroxynitrite (ONOO-) could deplete ER-associated Ca2+ and cause ER stress, and thereby precise and in situ detection of ONOO- at ER is highly important for the study of its biological roles. Herein, we present a ratiometric two-photon ER-targeting fluorescent probe (NAB) for the detection of ONOO- in living cells and brain tissues. NAB utilized 4-bromomethylphenyl borate as a recognition site for ONOO-, and utilized p -toluenesulfonamide as ER-targeting group. After the response of NAB to ONOO-, the 4-bromomethylphenyl borate converted to hydroxyl, resulting in the change of the fluorescence color from blue to yellow. The probe NAB could show highly sensitive response to ONOO- within 6 s, and exhibited excellent selectivity to ONOO-. The probe NAB mainly located at ER and showed excellent ER-targeting property. Ratiometric two-photon imaging demonstrated that the probe NAB could selectively detect exogenous ONOO- at ER, and also could be applied to image metformin-induced ONOO- in living HepG2 cells. Furthermore, NAB can effectively detect the changes of ONOO- level in brain tissues, and revealed that the endogenous ONOO- level at ER showed increase in hippocampus of the depressive mouse. [Display omitted] • A ratiometric two-photon and ER-targeting probe for ONOO- was developed. • The fluctuation of endogenous ONOO- at ER was imaged in a ratiometric two-photon manner. • ONOO- level at ER showed an increase in hippocampus of the depressive mouse. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to evaluate debriefing methods' effectiveness on learning outcomes for nursing students. A systematic review and meta-analysis were applied according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) statement. Publications were searched in PubMed, EMBASE, The Cochrane Library, Web of Science, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, and WANFANG (China) databases from inception to 2020. Two researchers independently retrieved articles and evaluated their quality. Review Manager version 5.3 software was used to conduct the meta-analysis, following the PRISMA guidelines. Bias risk was assessed using the Joanna Briggs Institute manual. Heterogeneity was assessed by I 2 statistics. Standardized mean difference (SMD) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were used for effect size analysis based on learning outcomes. Sixteen studies were selected in the systematic review and 13 studies with 1637 nursing students were included in the meta-analysis. Five debriefing methods were used in the intervention group. The analysis showed that Debriefing for Meaningful Learning was more effective on the debriefing quality (SMD = 0.52, 95%CI [0.32, 0.72]), and that video-assisted debriefing was more effective on nursing students' experiences (SMD = 0.30, 95%CI [0.02, 0.58]) and critical thinking (SMD = 0.90, 95%CI [0.65, 1.15]) compared with the usual debriefing. However, written debriefing did not show better effects on students' experiences (SMD = −0.22, 95%CI [−0.51, 0.07]), and peer-led debriefing did not show better effects on the debriefing quality compared with the usual debriefing (SMD = −0.15, 95%CI [−1.43, −0.67]). The study indicated that Debriefing for Meaningful Learning and video-assisted debriefing showed a positive impact on nursing education. Future studies that have larger sample sizes, high-quality debriefing methods, robust study designs, and other learning outcomes are required. • There are many kinds of debriefing methods in nursing education. • Debriefing for Meaningful Learning (DML) and video-assisted debriefing had a positive effect compared with usual debriefing. • The effectiveness of written and peer-led debriefing was not significant compared with usual debriefing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Organically modified ammonium polyphosphate (APP) flame retardant is prepared by supramolecular assembly method using melamine formaldehyde (MF) resin and phytic acid (PA) as building blocks. Surface characteristics of APP are modified, resulting in the enhancements in water resistance, dispersion in the polymer matrix and their compatibility. This supramolecular assembly modified APP (APP@MF-PA) matches well with charring-foaming agent (CFA) to achieve excellent fire safety for polypropylene (PP), and the superiority over conventional APP is observed. Heat, CO and CO 2 releases of PP are greatly decreased by the intumescent flame retardant (IFR) formulation containing APP@MF-PA and CFA. The modification of APP with MF-PA supramolecules are beneficial to improve the yield, insulation properties, graphitization degree and compactness of char. Flame-retardant mechanisms are demonstrated according to the investigations on gaseous and condensed phase products. This novel and facile modification method provides a new strategy for improving the flame-retardant efficiency of IFR. Image 1 • The surface characteristics of APP were modified by supramolecular assembly. • Fire hazards of PP were greatly reduced by this modified APP and CFA. • Flame retardant mechanisms were proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the ecosystem of spontaneously fermented cow milk, the characteristics and relationship of bacterial communities and nonvolatile components at different scales of geographical distances (provincial, county, and village levels) are unclear. Here, 25 sampling sites from Xin Jiang and Tibet, 2 provinces of China, were selected based on the distribution of spontaneously fermented cow milk and used for metagenomic and metabolomic analysis. At the provincial geographical distance, the same predominant species, Lactobacillus delbrueckii ssp. bulgaricus and Streptococcus thermophilus , were detected in Xin Jiang and Tibet. Further, the richness of the bacterial composition of samples from Tibet was higher than those from Xin Jiang; specifically, at the species level, 28 species were identified in Tibet samples but only 7 species in Xin Jiang samples. At the provincial geographical level, we detected significant differences in bacterial structure, shown in principal coordinate analysis plots, and significant differences (Simpson index) in bacterial diversity were also detected. However, at the county and village levels, no significant differences were detected in bacterial communities and diversity, but a difference in bacterial compositions was detectable. This indicates that bacterial communities and diversity of spontaneously fermented milk dissimilarity significantly increased with geographic distance. For the nonvolatile component profiles, the partial least squares discriminant analysis plot (R2Y > 0.5 and Q2 > 0.5 for the goodness-of-fit and predictive ability parameter, respectively) showed that samples from different geographical distances (provincial, county, and village) were all separated, which indicated that all the discriminations in nonvolatile components profiles were from different geographical distances. Investigating relationships between lactic acid bacteria and discriminatory nonvolatile components at the county level showed that 9 species were positively correlated with 16 discriminatory nonvolatile components, all species with low abundance rather than the predominant species L. delbrueckii ssp. bulgaricus and Strep. thermophilus , which indicates the importance of the selection of autochthonous nonpredominant bacteria. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Effects of single and binary probiotics on growth and metabolism were compared. • Growth of B. lactis V9 was improved by co-cultivation with L. casei Zhang. • Valine, leucine and isoleucine biosynthesis may contribute to growth of B. lactis V9. • Binary probiotics had additive effect on production of short-chain fatty acids. In the present study, comparative effects of the single and binary probiotics of Lacticaseibacillus casei Zhang (L. casei Zhang) and Bifidobacterium lactis V9 (B. lactis V9) on the growth and metabolomic profiles during milk fermentation and storage has been analyzed using gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS) and liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (LC–MS). The growth of B. lactis V9 can be significantly increased (p < 0.001) by co-cultivation with L. casei Zhang at the end of fermentation and storage 10 days, and valine, leucine and isoleucine biosynthesis may be a major contributor to the growth promotion of B. lactis V9. However, the growth of L. casei Zhang was not affected by co-cultivation with B. lactis V9. There were notable distinctions in volatile and non-volatile metabolomic profiles and pathways between the single and binary probiotics cultures; binary probiotics L. casei Zhang and B. lactis V9 significantly affected the volatile, non-volatile metabolic profiles compared to the single probiotics. The levels of acetic acid, hexanoic acid, butanoic acid and pentanoic acid were significantly higher (p < 0.05) in binary probiotics cultures compared to the single probiotic cultures at the storage 10 days, which indicates that binary probiotics had additive effects on the production of short-chain fatty acids during storage. This work provides a detailed insight into metabolomic profiles and growth that differ between the single and binary probiotics cultures, and it can be helpful to develop probiotic yogurt with high probiotic viability and distinct metabolomic profiles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The growth behaviors and metabolomic profiles in yogurts induced by multistrain probiotics of Lactobacillus casei Zhang (LCZ) and Bifidobacterium lactis V9 (V9) at the fermentation termination and 10 d of storage at 4°C under different fermentation temperatures (37°C and 42°C) were compared using metabolomics based on liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry and gas chromatography–mass spectrometry. The growths of LCZ and V9 were affected by fermentation temperatures; the viable cell density of LCZ was higher at 37°C than that at 42°C; however, V9 was higher at 42°C. Multistrain probiotics had higher contribution to the changes in volatile and nonvolatile metabolomic profiles at 42°C than those at 37°C. At fermentation termination, there were 2 common enriched pathways increased by multistrain probiotics at 37°C and 42°C, which were biosynthesis of peptides and amino- and nucleotide-sugar metabolism. At 10 d of storage, 4 common increased enriched pathways were alanine, aspartate and glutamate metabolism; tyrosine metabolism; valine, leucine, and isoleucine degradation; and valine, leucine, and isoleucine biosynthesis. This work provided a detailed insight into different effects of different multistrain probiotics of LCZ and V9 fermentation temperatures on the growth behaviors and volatile and nonvolatile metabolomic profiles of yogurts. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There has been a growing interest in cofermentation of starter cultures with probiotics in milk. In this study, we analyzed the effects of adding the single probiotics Lactobacillus casei Zhang (Zhang) or Bifidobacterium animalis ssp. lactis Probio-M8 (M8) or a combination of Zhang and M8 to starter cultures on volatile and nonvolatile metabolomic profiles after 14 d of storage at 4°C and compared using a liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS) and GC-MS-based metabolomics approach. Principal component analysis, heatmap plots, and Spearman correlation results showed that Zhang alone had a greater effect on volatile and nonvolatile metabolomic profiles than M8 alone. The combination of Zhang and M8 had additive effects on the production of metabolites. For volatile metabolites, the levels of acetaldehyde, diacetyl, acetoin, and acetic acid were higher for the combination of Zhang and M8 compared with either single probiotic culture. Significantly increased nonvolatile components induced by adding Zhang were identified were enriched in the galactose, amino- and nucleotide sugar, fructose and mannose, purine, phenylalanine metabolism, and arginine biosynthesis pathways. The metabolism and biosynthesis of starch, sucrose, tyrosine, galactose metabolism, and aminoacyl-tRNA biosynthesis were significantly upregulated by adding the combination of Zhang and M8. This work provides a detailed insight into different effects of Zhang and M8 used alone or in combination on the volatile and nonvolatile metabolomic profiles of yogurts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract To further improve the efficiency of intumescent flame retardant (IFR) system consisting of ammonium polyphosphate and charring-foaming agent, MoO 3 -ZrO 2 solid acid is used as an adjuvant. The influence of MoO 3 -ZrO 2 on the thermal decomposition, reaction to small flame and fire behavior of polypropylene (PP)/IFR composite is investigated. The incorporation of 1 wt% solid acid results in the enhanced limiting oxygen index (LOI) and fire safety of PP/IFR composite, while decreasing its peak heat release rate from 431 to 370 kW/m2. Flame retardant mechanism is proposed based on the analysis of thermal decomposition behavior and char residue. The yield and graphitization degree of char residue are improved by MoO 3 -ZrO 2. The release of CO 2 from thermal decomposition of IFR is accelerated by this solid acid. This work provides a new path to designing highly fire retardant polymer composites. Graphical abstract Unlabelled Image Highlights • The efficiency of IFR was enhanced by MoO 3 -ZrO 2 solid acid. • Thermal stability and pyrolysis behavior were investigated by TGA and TG-IR. • Flame retardant mechanism of APP/CFA/MoO 3 -ZrO 2 system was concluded. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel early-warning method of water resource carrying status (WRCS) is proposed in the current work and applied in Nanjing City, China. Specifically, the concepts of ultimate water resource carrying capacity (UWRCC) and WRCS are first introduced to differentiate between various methods of determining water resource carrying capacity (WRCC). A coordinated development index (CDI) between the water resource carrying subject and carrying object is then introduced as a warning indicator of WRCS. The warning levels are determined by combining CDI levels and changes in CDI values. The novel method offers more warning information than conventional early-warning methods. The early-warning results can help decision-makers better understand the deficiencies of water resources in supporting socioeconomic development. In the analyses presented, the CDI is calculated for each district in Nanjing for the 2015, 2020, 2025, and 2030 years, and the warning levels for WRCS under future scenarios (the years 2020, 2025, and 2030) are determined. All districts had a warning level I in 2020. However, by 2025, the warning levels for Urban district, Jiangning, and Pukou, were projected to change from I to II. Furthermore, by 2030, Jiangning would have the most severe early-warning results, with a warning level of IV. Such adverse results are mainly due to the large socioeconomic scale and high water demands, which should be considered in Nanjing's future development plans. Image 1 • A new early-warning method of water resource carrying status (WRCS) was proposed. • Warning levels were determined by WRCS levels and changes in coordinated development index values. • The WRCS early-warning results of Nanjing in 2020, 2025, and 2030 were obtained. • Some poor early-warning results occurred because the vast socioeconomic scale of Nanjing. • Adjusting socioeconomic distribution was an effective measure to help improving WRCC of Nanjing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel nano-clay flame retardant (HNTs@MEL-PA) is prepared by modifying halloysite nanotubes (HNTs) with supramolecular self-assembly technology using melamine (MEL) and bio-based phytic acid (PA) as the building blocks. Transmission electron microscopy images and Fourier transform infrared spectra show that the surface of HNTs is successfully decorated with MEL-PA supramolecular aggregates by hydrogen bonding. The feasibility of using HNTs@MEL-PA as a flame retardant for polypropylene (PP) is explored. Compared with PP/HNTs composites, the dispersion of HNTs@MEL-PA and its interfacial interactions with PP matrix are greatly improved. Heat release of PP is decreased in a certain degree and its smoke release is greatly reduced by HNTs@MEL-PA. With the addition of 15 wt% HNTs@MEL-PA, total smoke production of PP is decreased from 15.7 to 10.2 m2, indicating the greatly improved fire safety. Flame retardant and smoke suppression mechanisms of HNTs@MEL-PA are proposed based on thermal decomposition results and the analysis on char residue. Image 1 • HNTs were modified by supramolecular self-assembly technology. • Combustion behaviors of PP/HNTs@MEL-PA composites were investigated. • Flame retardant and smoke suppression mechanisms of HNTs@MEL-PA were concluded. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]