Search

Halophilic Halomonas bluephagenesis , a natural producer of poly-3-hydroxybutyrate (PHB), was metabolically engineered to synthesize ethylene glycol and glycolate from xylose. Xylose utilization was achieved by overexpressing either the xylonate pathway or the ribulose-1-phosphate pathway. The key genes encoding for xylonate dehydratase and 2-keto-3-deoxy-xylonate aldolase in the xylonate pathway were screened. With further overexpressing aldehyde reductase gene yjgB , ethylene glycol accumulation was improved to 0.91 g/L, accompanied with 1.48 g/L of PHB accumulation. The disruption of native glycolate oxidase was found to be essential for glycolate production, and the defective recombinant strain produced 0.80 g/L glycolate with 1.14 g/L PHB in shake flask cultures. These results indicated that H. bluephagenesis has the potential to produce diverse metabolic chemicals from xylose. • H. bluephagenesis was firstly engineered to produce ethylene glycol and glycolate. • Two xylose assimilation pathways were established in H. bluephagenesis. • Ethylene glycol and glycolate titers reached 0.91 g/L and 0.80 g/L in shake flasks, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using citric acid, ethylene glycol, ZrOCl 2 ·8H 2 O, HfOCl 2 ·8H 2 O, NbCl 5 , and TaCl 5 as raw materials, based on the principle of Pechini coordination polymerization, the (Zr 0.25 Hf 0.25 Ta 0.25 Nb 0.25)C high-entropy ceramic precursor solution was successfully prepared, and the corresponding high-entropy ceramic powder was formed by pyrolysis at a low temperature of 1500 °C. The molecular structure of the precursor and its pyrolysis products were analyzed and characterized by different analytical and testing methods. The results show that in the precursor solution, the organic compound and the metal ions form a stable three-dimensional macromolecular structure, so that the metal ions show a uniform distribution at the molecular level, shortening the diffusion path during the carbothermal reduction reaction, thereby enabling the formation of the single-phase high-entropy carbide ceramic powders at a relatively low temperature. The obtained ceramic powders have high purity, uniform element distribution, with an average particle diameter of approximately 42 nm and an oxygen content of about 1.61 wt%. The precursor solution prepared in this study has a moderate viscosity of 20–50 mPa s and a high ceramic yield of 45 %, which is ideal for the preparation of high-entropy ceramic matrix composites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The catalyst for ethylene glycol electrooxidation reaction (EGEOR) is vitally important for direct ethylene glycol fuel cells. Nevertheless, the unsatisfactory EGEOR performance and high-cost of the catalysts still stands as an urgent obstacle that needs to be solved. Herein, we report a fabrication of ceria/nitrogen-doped carbon loaded Pd nanoparticles (Pd–CeO 2 /NC) as an electrocatalyst for EGEOR. During the catalyst synthesis, the renewable and abundant bioresource lignin serves as a precursor to prepare the nitrogen-doped porous carbon (NC), which can save the cost of the carbon support. Ulteriorly, the CeO 2 -doped NC acts as the support to immobilize the Pd nanoparticles by a water-phase reduction approach. Consequently, due to the synergistic effects between the highly-dispersed Pd nanoparticles, CeO 2 and NC, the resultant catalyst affords a current density of 46.39 mA cm−2, which is 2.86 times higher than that of commercial Pd/C (16.22 mA cm−2). Moreover, the developed catalyst also presents better EGEOR stability. This work not only develops a highly active EGEOR catalyst, but also provides an effective method for efficiently utilizing renewable biomass resources. • Multi-component Pd–CeO 2 /NC nanocomposites have been synthesized. • The renewable bioresource lignin serves as precursor for preparing carbon support. • The as-prepared catalysts present superior electrocatalytic performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Furfuryl alcohol (FA) is an important chemical and has extensive applications in varied fields. To realize the highly selective hydrogenation of furfural (FF) to produce FA, the key is the preparation of the catalysts with excellent performance. Herein, a very simple wet chemical method is developed for the one-step preparation of PdAg nanosponges (NSs). Specifically, with Pd(OAc) 2 and AgNO 3 as precursors, and ethylene glycol (EG) as both solvent and reducing agent, PdAg NSs can be grown and assembled at mild temperature of 40 °C. Throughout the reaction, no any surfactants and additional reducing agents are applied. The as-prepared PdAg NSs possess 3D self-supported alloy structures, "clean" surface, abundant pores, high specific surface area and rich defects. In the FF hydrogenation reaction at 60 °C under 1.5 MPa H 2 pressure in the mixed solvent of ethanol and water (1 : 4 in volume ratio), the self-supported PdAg-1 NSs (1 : 1 in Pd/Ag molar ratio) exhibit superior catalytic performance than other PdAg NSs, pure Pd sample and commercial Pd/C (10%). With PdAg-1 NSs as catalyst in the absence of support, 100% FF can be converted and the selectivity toward FA is as high as 97.1% at 36.0 h of reaction. After 4 cycles, PdAg-1 NSs still maintain the high catalytic activity in FF hydrogenation and high selectivity toward FA, which may originate from the 3D self-supported structures, high specific surface area, "clean" surface, rich defects and electronic synergistic effect between Pd and Ag. This simple fabrication of PdAg NSs introduces new ideas for the synthesis of other nanostructured bi- and multi-metallic catalysts for highly selective FF hydrogenation to FA and other advanced applications. The defect-rich PdAg nanosponges are one-step synthesized in ethylene glycol at 40 °C without the uses of any surfactants, additional reducing agents and supports, and exhibit highly catalytic activity and selectivity for furfural hydrogenation to produce furfuryl alcohol under mild conditions. [Display omitted] • PdAg nanosponges (NSs) were one-step grown in ethylene glycol at 40 °C. • The synthesis was achieved without any seed, surfactant and additional reductant. • The PdAg NSs have rich defects and self-supported structures. • PdAg NSs has excellent catalytic performance for furfural (FF) hydrogenation. • 100.0% conversion of FF and 97.1% selectivity to furfuryl alcohol can be achieved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Porous one-dimensional Pt-based alloys with outstanding specific surface areas, short electron transport paths, and accessible Pt atoms are potential electrocatalysts for methanol oxidation reaction (MOR); however, their simple one-step synthesis for MOR remains a challenge. In this study, a simple one-step method is presented for the rational fabrication of PtPb porous nanowires (PNWs) by the direct autoclave of binary metal precursors in the mixed solvent of ethylene glycol and N,N -dimethylformamide at 170 °C. The formation of PtPb PNWs is driven by the autocatalytic and Ostwald ripening growth mechanism with the assistance of ethylene glycol and N,N -dimethylformamide as a solvent, in situ template, and reducing agent. This method forms PtPb porous ultra-long (∼1.5 μm) neural PNWs with an average width of 20 nm enriched with abundant pores (5–10 nm), high Pb content (29 wt%), and decreased d-band level of Pt. These unique structural features enhanced the MOR mass (specific) activity of PtPb PNWs of 4.39 mA/μg Pt (49.3 mA/cm2) by 4.5 (9.6) and 5.5 (35.0) times than those of Pt PNWs and Pt/C catalyst, respectively besides higher durability and CO-tolerance. The MOR activity of PtPb PNWs was among the highest reported binary porous Pt-based catalysts, which may promote the preparation of other Pt alloys PNWs for MOR. [Display omitted] • Porous PtPb neural nanowires (PNWs) were prepared by a simple one-step method. • The formation mechanism of PtPb PNWs was underlined using various analyses. • The methanol oxidation performance of PtPb PNWs was superior to other PtPb. • The mass activity of PtPb PNWs was higher than Pt PNWs and Pt/C catalysts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ethylene glycol (EG) is a widely used material, but its vapor is harmful to human health already in low concentrations. Thus, highly sensitive EG gas sensors are urgently needed. Herein, a series samples of ZnO and carbon dots (CDs) were synthesized at different ratios through a simple mechanical grinding method. The senor made using ZnO/CDs2 exhibits an ultra-high response (Ra/Rg) to 100 ppm EG up to 2798, 1378 and 467, and extremely low detection limit as low as 21 ppb, 13 ppb and 2 ppb, under UV light, visible light, and infrared light, respectively, as well as excellent repeatability and long-term stability. Especially, under UV light irradiation, the response of ZnO/CDs2 to 100 ppm EG is 24 times that of pure ZnO (Ra/Rg = 114.7), and more than 71 times that of 9 other gases. The outstanding gas sensing performance of ZnO/CDs2 can be attributed to the excellent light response ability of CDs at first, which greatly enriches the electron concentration in ZnO/CDs under light irradiation. Furthermore, the photo-induced electron transfer (PET) property of CDs and the p-n heterojunction formed at the interface between ZnO and CDs play a key role in rapid electron transport and transfer, avoiding a large number of electron hole recombination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, a novel nanocomposite material consisting of Bi 2 O 3 and Bi 2 MoO 6 , named as Bi 2 O 3 @Bi 2 MoO 6 , was successfully fabricated by co-precipitation method in ethylene glycol solvent. Morphological analysis of the heat-treated sample at 400 °C for 12 h in Ar atmosphere (Bi 2 O 3 @Bi 2 MoO 6 _400 °C) showed that it contained nano-sized particles of Bi 2 O 3 and Bi 2 MoO 6 ; in addition, an amorphous phase along with a crystalline structure was also observed. When used as an anode for Li-ion batteries (LIBs), Bi 2 O 3 @Bi 2 MoO 6 _400 °C anode exhibits excellent electrochemical properties such as high Coulombic efficiency, high specific capacity, excellent capacity retention, and outstanding rate capacity. Specifically, the Bi 2 O 3 @Bi 2 MoO 6 _400 °C anode presented a reversible capacity of 786 mAh g−1 at the beginning cycle at 0.1 A g−1 and retained about 90 % of the charging capacity value after 80 cycles. The advanced electrochemical properties of the nanocomposite anode are related to the combination of many aspects such as nanostructure, existence of amorphous phase, and pseudo-behaviour of metal-based components. The structural stability and electrochemical performance of the anode material, therefore, are improved. These results demonstrate Bi 2 O 3 @Bi 2 MoO 6 _400 °C as a promising material for establishing high-performance LIB anodes. [Display omitted] • Bi 2 O 3 @Bi 2 MoO 6 powders are prepared by a facile method. • Bi 2 O 3 @Bi 2 MoO 6 powders contain amorphous and crystalline phases. • Bi 2 O 3 @Bi 2 MoO 6 materials possess nanostructures (from 20 nm to 50 nm). • Bi 2 O 3 @Bi 2 MoO 6 _400 °C anode displays high initial coulombic efficiency (>80 %). • Bi 2 O 3 @Bi 2 MoO 6 _400 °C anode shows a reversible capacity of 701 mAh g−1 after 80 cycles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Exploring the electrochemical performance of metal/metal oxide nanoparticle composites is vital for enhancing the charge storage capability of supercapacitors. Herein, electrodes coated with ZnO/CoO x are fabricated by soaking cotton fabric seeded with 2-methylimidiazole in an ethylene glycol–based solution containing Zn and Co salts. The use of cotton fabric can reduce textile industrial waste while achieving high capacitance and sustainable energy for wearable electronics. In addition, the three-dimensional network of conductive flexible carbon derived from cotton fabric facilitates rapid ion transport kinetics at interlayers. The concentrations of Zn and Co salts are varied to produce ZnO/CoO x samples and determine the optimal salt ratio for superior electrochemical performance. The optimal sample exhibits a capacitance of 1.95 F cm−2 at 5 mA cm−2 and an energy density of 725 μWh·cm−2 over a wide potential window of 1.6 V. The long-term stability test results of the symmetric cells indicate 94 % capacitance retention after 12,000 charge–discharge cycles, emphasizing the advantages of mixed metallic oxides with cellulose-derived carbon fabric for supercapacitor electrodes. This study offers valuable insights into the fabrication of high-performance, flexible, and binder-free supercapacitor electrodes as a scalable alternative for practical applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hierarchically porous biphasic calcium phosphate (BCP) ceramics with triply periodic minimal surface structure and porous framework have been fabricated by digital light processing (DLP) using dual-phase Pickering emulsion as the paste. The pristine hydroxyapatite and β-tricalcium phosphate particles were separately modified by dispersant firstly to obtain photosensitive Pickering emulsion with suitable rheological properties and stability for DLP printing. The porous structure has been well regulated by dispersant content, and ethylene glycol content. The resulting BCP ceramics exhibited a hierarchical pore structure consisting of interconnected micropores ranging from 1.13 μm to 8.98 μm and model-designed pores of nearly 500 μm, demonstrating excellent compressive strength of 4.83 MPa at a porosity of 60 %. In vitro biological experiments revealed that rat bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells exhibited good proliferation and adhesion ability on the BCP bio-scaffolds, thereby enhancing their application potential in bone regenerative medicine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Stem cell-based therapies offer promising avenues for treating inflammatory diseases owing to their immunomodulatory properties. However, challenges persist regarding their survival and efficacy in inflamed tissues. Our study introduces a novel approach by engineering adipose-derived stem cells (ADSCs) to enhance their viability in inflammatory environments and boost the secretion of paracrine factors for treating inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). An arginine-glycine-aspartate peptide-poly (ethylene glycol)-chlorin e6 conjugate (RPC) was synthesized and coupled with ADSCs, resulting in RPC-labeled ADSCs (ARPC). This conjugation strategy employed RGD-integrin interaction to shield stem cells and allowed visualization and tracking using chlorin e6. The engineered ARPC demonstrated enhanced viability and secretion of paracrine factors upon light irradiation, regulating the inflammatory microenvironment. RNA-sequencing analysis unveiled pathways favoring angiogenesis, DNA repair, and exosome secretion in ARPC(+) while downregulating inflammatory pathways. In in vivo models of acute and chronic IBD, ARPC(+) treatment led to reduced inflammation, preserved colon structure, and increased populations of regulatory T cells, highlighting its therapeutic potential. ARPC(+) selectively homed to inflammatory sites, demonstrating its targeted effect. Overall, ARPC(+) exhibits promise as an effective and safe therapeutic strategy for managing inflammatory diseases like IBD by modulating immune responses and creating an anti-inflammatory microenvironment. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Microbial production of glycolic acid (GA) from ethylene glycol is extensively used in a variety of industries because ethylene glycol is not only an inexpensive raw material but also the main component of industrial wastes. In this study, we produced GA from ethylene glycol using Escherichia coli overexpressing the endogenous 1,2-propanediol oxidoreductase (fucO) and lactaldehyde dehydrogenase (aldA) genes. To increase GA productivity, we screened a random mutant library generated using an error-prone polymerase chain reaction of fucO and obtained FucO mutants MF2-9 and MF6-9 with enhanced GA production in Lysogeny Broth medium containing 800 mM ethylene glycol. MF2-9 contained three amino acid substitutions (D23E, E222K, and G363S) and two synonymous mutations (coding DNA [c.] 93G > A and c.1131T > C) in fucO. MF6-9 contained one amino acid substitution (L377H) in FucO. An amino acid substitution (L377H) and a single synonymous mutation (c.1131T > C) in fucO contributed to the enhancement in GA production. Notably, cell lysates from E. coli harboring a synonymous mutation (c.1131T > C) or amino acid substitution (L377H) in fucO showed that only AldA activity was 1.3-fold higher than that of the cell lysate from E. coli harboring the wild-type fucO. We confirmed that c.1131T > C and L377H mutations increased aldA expression in E. coli. Analysis of mRNA levels and simulation of mRNA stabilization indicated that base substitutions at positions c.1130T, which corresponds to L377H amino acid substitution, and c.1131T increased aldA expression due to partial destabilization of the mRNA. These findings will be useful for the large-scale microbial production of GA from industrial waste. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The extracellular matrix protein collagen I has been used extensively in the field of biomaterials due to its inherent biocompatibility and unique viscoelastic and mechanical properties. Collagen I self-assembly into fibers and networks is environmentally sensitive to gelation conditions such as temperature, resulting in gels with distinct network architectures and mechanical properties. Despite this, collagen gels are not suitable for many applications given their relatively low storage modulus. We have prepared collagen-poly(ethylene glycol) [PEG] interpenetrating network (IPN) hydrogels to reinforce the collagen network, which also induces changes to network plasticity, a recent focus of study in cell-matrix interactions. Here, we prepare collagen/PEG IPNs, varying collagen concentration and collagen gelation temperature to assess changes in microarchitecture and mechanical properties of these networks. By tuning these parameters, IPNs with a range of stiffness, plasticity and pore size are obtained. Cell studies suggest that matrix plasticity is a key determinant of cell behavior, including cell elongation, on these gels. This work presents a natural/synthetic biocompatible matrix that retains the unique structural properties of collagen networks with increased storage modulus and tunable plasticity. The described IPN materials will be of use for applications in which control of cell spreading is desirable, as only minimal changes in sample preparation lead to changes in cell spreading and circularity. Additionally, this study contributes to our understanding of the connection between collagen self-assembly conditions and matrix structural and mechanical properties and presents them as useful tools for the design of other collagen based biomaterials. We developed a collagen-poly(ethylene glycol) interpenetrating network (IPN) platform that retains native collagen architecture and biocompatibility but provides higher stiffness and tunable plasticity. With minor changes in collagen gelation temperature or concentration, IPN gels with a range of plasticity, storage modulus, and pore size can be obtained. The tunable plasticity of the gels is shown to modulate cell spreading, with a greater proportion of elongated cells on the most plastic of IPNs, supporting the assertion that matrix plasticity is a key determinant of cell spreading. The material can be of use for situations where control of cell spreading is desired with minimal intervention, and the findings herein may be used to develop similar collagen based IPN platforms. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Endocrine disruptors such as bisphenol A (BPA) adversely affect the environment and human health. Laccases are used for the efficient biodegradation of various persistent organic pollutants in an environmentally safe manner. However, the direct application of free laccases is generally hindered by short enzyme lifetimes, non-reusability, and the high cost of a single use. In this study, laccases were immobilized on a novel magnetic three-dimensional poly(ethylene glycol) diacrylate (PEGDA)–chitosan (CS) inverse opal hydrogel (LAC@MPEGDA@CS@IOH). The immobilized laccase showed significant improvement in the BPA degradation performance and superior storage stability compared with the free laccase. 91.1% of 100 mg/L BPA was removed by the LAC@MPEGDA@CS@IOH in 3 hr, whereas only 50.6% of BPA was removed by the same amount of the free laccase. Compared with the laccase, the outstanding BPA degradation efficiency of the LAC@MPEGDA@CS@IOH was maintained over a wider range of pH values and temperatures. Moreover, its relative activity of was maintained at 70.4% after 10 cycles, and the system performed well in actual water matrices. This efficient method for preparing immobilized laccases is simple and green, and it can be used to further develop ecofriendly biocatalysts to remove organic pollutants from wastewater. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) were synthesized using the arc discharge method, and gold (Au) , and Au@MWCNT nanoparticles (NPs) were obtained via a rapid and cost-effective chemical reduction method. The performance of these catalysts in ethylene glycol (EG) fuel cells was investigated. According to the Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM) results, the Au particle size was determined to be 3.89 nm, and the MWCNT diameter was found to be 8.21 nm. For EG oxidation, current densities of 33.28 mA/cm2 for Au NPs and 171.28 mA/cm2 for Au@MWCNT NPs were obtained. This result demonstrates that the MWCNT support increased the electrocatalytic activity by a factor of 5.14. Long-term stability tests showed that the MWCNT support exhibited more stable and consistent characteristics and improved CO tolerance. Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS) testing revealed that the MWCNT-supported structure significantly enhanced charge transfer. These findings contribute significantly to the literature by demonstrating the potential for cost-effective production of carbon supported Au NPs, and their application in fuel cells. • MWCNT production using arc-discharge method. • Preparation of Au and Au@MWCNT catalysts and their use in ethylene glycol oxidation studies. • Au@MWCNT exhibits superior electrocatalytic activity towards ethylene glycol oxidation. • Synthesis of more stable catalyst for ethylene glycol oxidation. • Anode catalyst showing high potential for fuel cell applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Catheter-related infections are one of the most common nosocomial infections with increasing morbidity and mortality, and robust antibacterial or antifouling catheter coatings remain great challenges for long-term implantation. Herein, multifunctional hydrogel coatings were developed to provide persistent and self-adaptive antifouling and antibacterial effects with self-healing and lubricant capabilities. Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) with β-cyclodextrin (β-CD) grafts (PVA-Cd) and 4-arm polyethylene glycol (PEG) with adamantane and quaternary ammonium compound (QAC) terminals (QA-PEG-Ad) were crosslinked through host-guest recognitions between adamantane and β-CD moieties to acquire PVEQ coatings. In response to bacterial infections, QACs exhibit reversible transformation between zwitterions (pH 7.4) and cationic lactones (pH 5.5) to generate on-demand bactericidal effect. Highly hydrophilic PEG/PVA backbones and zwitterionic QACs build a lubricate surface and decrease the friction coefficient 10 times compared with that of bare catheters. The antifouling hydrated layer significantly inhibits blood protein adsorption and platelet activation and reveals negligible hemolysis and cytotoxicity. The dynamic host-guest crosslinking achieves full self-healing of cracks in PVEQ hydrogels, and the mechanical profiles were recovered to over 90 % after rejuvenating the broken hydrogels, exhibiting a long-term stability after mechanical stretching, twisting, knotting and compression. After subcutaneous implantation and local bacterial infection, the retrieved PVEQ-coated catheters display no tissue adhesion and 3 log folds lower bacterial number than that of bare catheters. PVEQ coatings effectively prevent the repeated bacterial infections and there are few inflammatory reactions in the surrounding tissue, while substantial lymphoid infiltration and inflammatory cell aggregation occur in muscle tissues around the bare catheter. Thus, this study demonstrates a catheter coating strategy by on-demand bactericidal, self-adaptive antifouling, self-healing and lubricant hydrogels to address medical devices-related infections. It is estimated over two billion peripheral intravenous catheters are annually used in hospitals around the world, and catheter-associated infection has become a great clinical challenge with rapidly rising morbidity and mortality. Surface coating is considered a promising approach, but substantial challenges remain in the development of coatings that simultaneously satisfy both anti-fouling and antibacterial attributes. Even more, few attempts have been made to design mechanically robust coatings and reversible antibacterial or antifouling capabilities, which are critical for long-term medical implants. To address these challenges, we propose a concise strategy to develop hydrogel coatings from commercially available poly(ethylene glycol) and polyvinyl alcohol. In addition to self-healing and lubricant capabilities, the reversible conversion between zwitterionic and cationic lactones of quaternary ammonium compounds enables on-demand bactericidal and self-adaptive antifouling effects. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Therapeutic options for addressing inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) include the administration of an enema to reduce intestinal inflammation and alleviate associated symptoms. However, uncontrollable retention of enemas in the intestinal tract has posed a long-term challenge for improving their therapeutic efficacy and safety. Herein we have developed a protease-labile hydrogel system as an on-demand enema vehicle with tunable degradation and drug release rates in response to varying matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) expression. The system, composed of three tailored hydrogel networks, is crosslinked by poly (ethylene glycol) (PEG) with 2-, 4- and 8-arms through dynamic hydrazone bonds to confer injectability and generate varying network connectivity. The retention time of the hydrogels can be tuned from 12 to 36 h in the intestine due to their different degradation behaviors induced by MMP-9. The drug-releasing rate of the hydrogels can be controlled from 0.0003 mg/h to 0.278 mg/h. In addition, injection of such hydrogels in vivo resulted in significant differences in therapeutic effects including MMP-9 consumption, colon tissue repair, reduced collagen deposition, and decreased macrophage cells, for treating a mouse model of acute colitis. Among them, GP-8/5-ASA exhibits the best performance. This study validates the effectiveness of the tailored design of hydrogel architecture in response to pathological microenvironment cues, representing a promising strategy for on-demand therapy of IBD. The uncontrollable retention of enemas at the delivery site poses a long-term challenge for improving therapeutic efficacy in IBD patients. MMP-9 is highly expressed in IBD and correlates with disease severity. Therefore, an MMP-9-responsive GP hydrogel system was developed as an enema by linking multi-armed PEG and gelatin through hydrazone bonds. This forms a dynamic hydrogel characterized by in situ gelation, injectability, enhanced bio-adhesion, biocompatibility, controlled retention time, and regulated drug release. GP hydrogels encapsulating 5-ASA significantly improved the intestinal phenotype of acute IBD and demonstrated notable therapeutic differences with increasing PEG arms. This method represents a promising on-demand IBD therapy strategy and provides insights into treating diseases of varying severities using endogenous stimulus-responsive drug delivery systems. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The interaction between Pt nanoparticles and their supports, and the Pt nanoparticle size influence the performance and stability of Pt catalysts. Polyaniline (PANI) serves as an effective support for Pt catalysts owing to its abundant functional groups and high electron conductivity. Strong chemical interactions exist between the Pt nanoparticles and the functional groups on PANI. In this study, through the use of different reducing agents, the sizes of Pt nanoparticles on PANI nanofibers are adjusted, resulting in the preparation of three Pt/PANI catalysts. Owing to the strong reducibility of sodium borohydride, its use as a reducing agent leads to rapid heterogeneous nucleation, and the obtained Pt/PANI catalyst exhibits the smallest Pt nanoparticle size among the three Pt/PANI catalysts. Consequently, many Pt nanoparticles are not deposited on the PANI nanofibers, which reduces the activity of the Pt/PANI catalyst. Conversely, when ethylene glycol is used as the reducing agent, the resulting catalyst exhibits the largest Pt nanoparticle size among the three Pt/PANI catalysts owing to the slow reduction rate of Pt4+. The Pt/PANI catalyst prepared using formic acid (Pt/PANI-FA) achieves an optimal reaction rate owing to the moderate reducibility of the reducing agent. Consequently, the Pt nanoparticles on PANI nanofibers in Pt/PANI-FA have a diameter of 3.32 nm, which is comparable to that of Pt nanoparticles in Pt/C catalysts. The half-wave potential of Pt/PANI-FA in the oxygen reduction reaction reaches 840 mV (vs. reversible hydrogen electrode), which surpasses the 801 mV achieved by Pt/C catalysts. [Display omitted] • Polyaniline nanofiber is used as Pt support to prepared three Pt/PANI catalysts. • The size of Pt nanoparticles is tuned by using three different reducing agents. • Compared to sodium borohydride and ethylene glycol, formic acid has optimized reducibility. • The half-wave potential of optimized Pt/PANI catalyst is 840 mV, higher than that of Pt/C. • Chemical interaction between Pt and PANI improves the Pt/PANI catalyst performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Experimental investigations on the solubility of Propylene and DME in PAG oil. • The form of NRTL and Heil interaction parameters was key to high model accuracy. • Two novel empirical correlations were proposed. • Single coefficient correlation: compact, explicit and robust to low amount of data. • DME most soluble refrigerant followed by Propylene and Propane. This work experimentally investigated the solubility of Propylene and Dimethyl Ether (DME) in polyalkylene glycol (PAG) oil. The solubility experimental data were used to fit different local composition models from the literature, the Wilson and Heil equations, and the Non-Random Two-Liquid (NRTL) model. Two new empirical correlations were proposed to decrease the deviation between experiments and the models. The first correlation used six fitting coefficients and resulted in an average deviation of 1.2 % for Propylene and 2.8 % for DME. The second empirical correlation was proposed with a single solubility coefficient (SSC) and a compact form, which allows solubility to be determined explicitly. The correlation resulted in average deviations from experimental data of 1.6 % for Propylene and 2.5 % for DME. Moreover, the SSC correlation showed performance robustness against the decrease of available data points. The correlation was used to compare the solubility of Propylene and DME with the solubility of Propane. At the same conditions, Propane showed the lowest solubility while DME resulted in the most soluble refrigerant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel methodology to obtain 3D printable BiVO 4 precursor scaffolds (3DM-BiVO 4) via robocasting, showing excellent periodicity, shape retention, and mechanical stability, is disclosed for the first time. The ceramic pastes (solids at 70 wt.-%) comprised of BiVO 4 precursor, SiO 2 NPs, and a solution of deionized water: ethylene glycol (volume ratio 1:2, DI water: EG) exhibited enhanced rheology for the 3D printing of self-supported structures (3DM-BiVO 4). The thermal treatment induced a monoclinic scheelite phase, and the ethylene glycol contributed to achieving a unique square flake-like particle morphology. 3DM-BiVO 4 scaffolds were used as reusable monolithic photocatalysts, showing 72% acetaminophen mineralization at 240 min and pH = 9. This innovative approach opens avenues for designing 3D printable ceramic pastes, offering potential applications in tailoring-made monolithic photocatalyst fabrication by using SiO 2 NPs as an inorganic binder. [Display omitted] • 3D printable BiVO4 pastes by DIW using SiO2NP as a ceramic binder and DI water:ethylene glycol as solvents. • 3DM-BiVO4 scaffolds with periodicity, excellent shape retention, mechanical stability, and self-supporting were achieved. • Ethylene glycol promotes morphologies of square flake-like particles comprised of small peanut-like BiVO4 particles. • 3DM-BiVO4 exhibited good photocatalytic activity for acetaminophen mineralization. • 3DM-BiVO4 photocatalyst can be easily recovered and reused several times. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dry eye disease (DED) is a kind of multifactorial ocular surface disease that displays ocular discomfort, visual disturbance, and tear film instability. Oxidative stress is a fundamental pathogenesis in DED. An imbalance between the reactive oxygen species (ROS) level and protective enzyme action will lead to oxidative stress, cell dysfunction, tear hyperosmolarity, and inflammation. Herein, a multifunctional cerium oxide nanozyme with high ocular surface retention property was designed to neutralize over-accumulated ROS and restore redox balance. Cerium oxide nanozymes were fabricated via branched polyethylenimine-graft-poly (ethylene glycol) nucleation and dispersion, followed by phenylboronic acid (PBA) functionalization (defined as Ce@PB). Due to the dynamic chemical bonding formation between the PBA segment and the cis-diol groups in the mucin layer of the tear film, Ce@PB nanozymes possess good adhesive capability to the ocular surface, thus extending the drug's retention time. On the other hand, Ce@PB nanozymes could mimic the cascade processes of superoxide dismutase and catalase to maintain intracellular redox balance. In vitro and in vivo studies suggest that such multifunctional nanozymes possess good biocompatibility and hemocompatibility. More importantly, Ce@PB nanozymes treatment in the animal model could repair corneal epithelial defect, increase the number of goblet cells and promote tear secretion, thus achieving an effective treatment for DED. • PBA-functionalized bPEI-g-PEG-based cerium oxide (Ce@PB) nanozymes were designed and fabricated. • The Ce@PB nanozymes have superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) enzyme-like activity scavenging excessive intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS). • The Ce@PB nanozymes demonstrate extended retention on the ocular surface and can effectively treat dry eye disease. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Metallic aerogels (MAs) with self-supporting three-dimensional (3D) porous structures constitute a potential platform for the construction of robust catalysts. In this work, we successfully constructed 3D PdAu MAs with the optimized d-band electron of Pd and geometrical lattice expansion using a maneuverable in-situ seed-mediated strategy at room temperature. The introduction of Au accelerated the kinetics of Pd 4 Au 3 MAs toward oxygen reduction reaction (ORR), ethylene glycol oxidation reaction (EGOR), and ethanol oxidation reaction (EOR) in alkaline electrolyte, boosting the activity and stability of Pd 4 Au 3 MAs. The mass activities of Pd 4 Au 3 MAs/C in ORR, EGOR and EOR were 1.74, 8.57, and 9.54 A mg Pd −1, respectively, which were remarkably better than those of referenced Pd MAs/C, commercial Pt/C and Pd/C. The rotating ring-disk electrode measurement illustrated that Pd 4 Au 3 MAs/C achieved a 4-electron transfer process in ORR from O 2 to OH−. In-situ Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy revealed that Pd 4 Au 3 MAs/C enabled the cleavage of the C–C bonds, thus accomplishing the C1-complete oxidation of 10-electron ethylene glycol and 12-electron ethanol. This study provides an efficient strategy to fabricate binary non-Pt alloy aerogels as high-performance multifunctional electrocatalysts for ORR, EGOR, and EOR. [Display omitted] • 3D PdAu aerogels were constructed using an in-situ seed-mediated strategy. • ORR mass activity of Pd 4 Au 3 MAs/C was 11.6 and 17.4 times that of Pt/C and Pd/C. • Pd 4 Au 3 MAs/C possessed superior C2 alcohol oxidation properties. • Pd 4 Au 3 MAs/C achieved 4-electron ORR and complete electrooxidation of C2 alcohols. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In a two-step reduction process, Ni-based alloy nanocatalysts (Ni-ANCs) made of nickel-iron-cobalt with a carbon support (Ni–Fe–Co/C) were produced in various molar proportions. A comprehensive structural characterization of the morphology and composition of Ni-ANCs was evaluated using XRD, TEM and EDX analyses. The XRD results from Ni-ANCs indicated a diffraction pattern that was caused by only one face-centered cubic (FCC) phase, indicating that the ternary metals Instead of a phase-separated structure, a well-mixed solid solution structure was created. TEM images showed that Ni-ANCs have a particle size of between 13 and 30 nm uniform dispersivity on the carbon support. At the same time, the electrochemical activities of Ni-ANCs were evaluated by means of CV, LSV and CA investigate for the Induction of electrooxidation in ethylene glycol at room temperature. Experimental results reveal that Ni 60 Co 40 /C and Ni 60 Fe 30 Co 10 /C are substantially more potent than Ni 60 Fe 40 /C and Ni 100 /C respectively, when using Co-containing alloy nanocatalysts. Specifically, the ternary Ni 60 Fe 30 Co 10 /C catalyst has a higher electrochemical activity than its binary counterpart, which can be attributed to the conductivity and deformation effects. This is noteworthy because it demonstrates that Co accelerates the oxidation of Ni to a more active NiOOH at a lower overpotential level, enabling otherwise inactive Fe sites within the Ni (OH) 2 phase to become active. A Micro flow channel with distinct zones and its structure and cross-section for the MLEGFC [Display omitted] • The structural characterization of the morphology and composition of Ni-ANCs was evaluated using XRD, TEM and EDX analyses. • TEM images showed that Ni-ANCs have a particle size of between 13 and 30 nm. • A greater activity of Ni 60 Fe 30 Co 10 /C can be observed than Ni 60 Co 40 /C and Ni 60 Fe 40 /C, however, Ni 100 /C is lower. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Global contraction of biodiversity pushed most members of Felidae into threatened or endangered list except the domestic cat (Felis catus) thence preferred as the best model for conservation studies. One of the emerging conservation strategies is vitrification of ovarian tissue which is field-friendly but not yet standardized. Thus, our main goal was to establish a suitable vitrification protocol for feline ovarian tissue in field condition. Feline ovarian tissue fragments were punched with biopsy punch (1.5 mm diameter) and divided into 4 groups. Group 1 was fresh control (Fr), while the other three were exposed to 3 vitrification protocols (VIT_CT, VIT_RT1 and VIT_RT2). VIT_CT involved two step equilibrations in solutions containing dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) and ethylene glycol (EG) for 10 min each at 4 °C. VIT_RT1 involved three step equilibration in solutions containing DMSO, EG, polyvinylpyrrolidone and sucrose for 14 min in total at room temperature, while in VIT_RT2 all conditions remained the same as in VIT_RT1 except equilibration timing which was reduced by half. After vitrification and warming, fragments were morphologically evaluated and then cultured for six days. Subsequently, follicular morphology, cellular proliferation (expression of Ki-67, MCM-7) and apoptosis (expression of caspase-3) were evaluated, and data obtained were analysed using generalised linear mixed model and chi square tests. Proportions of intact follicles were higher in Fr (P = 0.0001) and VIT_RT2 (P = 0.0383) in comparison to the other protocols both post warming and after the six-day culture. Generally, most follicles remained at primordial state which was confirmed by the low expression of Ki-67, MCM-7 markers. In conclusion, VIT_RT2 protocol, which has lower equilibration time at room temperature has proven superior thus recommended for vitrification of feline ovarian tissue. • Domestic cat ovarian tissue vitrification protocol as a model for endangered felids. • Manifold cryoprotectants in vitrification media produce better post-warm integrity. • Lower equilibration time at room temperature ensures better tissue morphology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As typical magnetic materials, ferrites and their composites play dominant roles in the design of high-performance electromagnetic wave (EW) absorber. Solvent thermal method is the most popular route for synthesizing ferrites, while systematical comparison research about the influence of reaction solvents of solvent thermal process on ferrite based material's EW absorption performance has rarely been carried out. Thus in this work, we adopted cotton fabric as raw material, and synthesized two kinds of zinc ferrite decorated hollow carbon cloth (CC@ZnFe 2 O 4) composites through solvent thermal reaction where deionized water and ethylene glycol was adopted as reaction solvents, respectively. After comprehensive and detailed comparison of the structures and performances of these two ferrite composites, the CC@ZnFe 2 O 4 synthesized in deionized water phase possesses an ideal optimal absorption efficiency for EW, that is the minimum reflection loss (RL min) of −46 dB, while the effective absorption bandwidth of CC@ZnFe 2 O 4 composites synthesized in ethylene glycol phase is wider (4.9 GHz). The synergistic effect of impedance matching, interface polarization, magnetic resonance, and multiple reflections co-determined the ideal EW absorption performances of these two samples. The research can not only provide new guidance for the secondary utilization of waste textiles, but also become an important reference for the preparation of ferrite based high-performance EW absorbers through solvent thermal method. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The sluggish oxygen evolution reaction (OER: 4OH− → O 2 + 2H 2 O + 4e−, E = 1.23 V vs RHE) retards the large-scale hydrogen production. Replacing OER with low-potential ethylene glycol oxidation reaction (EGOR) to drive water splitting is a promising approach to solve the high energy consumption in hydrogen production. Herein, we report an energy-efficient electrocatalytic water splitting system by using a heterostructure Ni(OH) 2 /MnO aerogel catalyst (NiMn AG) that replaces OER with ethylene glycol oxidation reaction (EGOR), resulting in the co-production of value-added formate and green hydrogen. Owing to the optimized electron distribution on the heterostructure interface, the NiMn AG catalyst exhibits excellent EGOR catalytic performance, with an overpotential of only 290 mV at 100 mA cm−2. The open-circuit potential of the reaction is reduced to 0.86 V for EGOR, rendering an earlier occurrence of electron transfer. The ion chromatography (IC) result demonstrates a highly selectivity (96%) for formate in EGOR. The density functional theory (DFT) calculations show that the interfacial effects between Ni(OH) 2 and MnO optimizes the surface energy states of NiMn AG, improving the adsorption efficiency of the reaction intermediates for EGOR and further promoting the efficient cleavage of C–C to form formate. Additionally, the incorporation of MnO stabilizes the overall energy state during violent bond-breaking processes. This work sheds light on a new methodology to design bimetallic catalysts assisted by EGOR for decoupled green hydrogen production. Porous Ni(OH) 2 /MnO@Ni (NiMn AG) is synthesized by sol-gel method and vacuum drying process and act as an anode catalyst for EGOR, to achieve value-added oxidation process of ethylene glycol, and provide electron for HER process at a low potential. The catalyst system only required 1.4 V for 20 mA cm−2, which is 292 mV lower than traditional water electrolysis. [Display omitted] • In-situ formation of Ni(OH) 2 /MnO heterostructure optimizes reactants adsorption. • Excellent ethylene glycol oxidation activity and stability at high current density. • High Faradaic efficiency and selectivity of the formate and hydrogen products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reasonable design of Pd-based catalysts with specific composition and morphology is of great importance for promoting the commercial application. of direct alcohol fuel cells (DAFCs). Recently, two-dimension (2D) with high density of defects and massive low-coordinated surface atom has become research highlights in the field of catalysis. Herein, we report a wet chemical method for synthesizing PdCu nanosheets with abundant wrinkles. The ultrathin two-dimensional structure endows catalysts plentiful catalytic active sites and large specific surface area, improving atomic utilization efficiency. The formation of bimetallic PdCu alloy structure leads to the adjustment of Pd electronic structure, resulting in lattice compression effect. Benefitting from the structural and compositional characteristics, PdCu nanosheets (NSs) exhibits excellent electrocatalytic performance for ethylene glycol oxidation reaction (EGOR) and glycerol oxidation reaction (GOR) with the mass activity of 7031 mA mg−1/5117 mA mg−1, which is 4.4/3.9 times higher than that of commercial Pd/C catalysts. Furthermore, the remained mass activity of PdCu NSs is 3991/3851 mA mg−1 after the durability measurement for EGOR/GOR, which confirm PdCu NSs possesses superior stability. We believe that our synthetic strategy could provide robust reference for the development of high-performance eletrocatalysts. [Display omitted] • PdCu nanosheets were prepared by a facile solvothermal method. • The PdCu NSs provide ideal electrocatalytic active sites. • The PdCu NSs exhibited excellent electrocatalytic performance toward EGOR and GOR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) is widely utilized as a hydrophilic coating to extend the circulation time and improve the tumor accumulation of polymeric micelles. Nonetheless, PEGylated micelles often activate complement proteins, leading to accelerated blood clearance and negatively impacting drug efficacy and safety. Here, we have crafted amphiphilic block copolymers that merge hydrophilic sulfoxide-containing polymers (psulfoxides) with the hydrophobic drug 7-ethyl-10-hydroxylcamptothecin (SN38) into drug-conjugate micelles. Our findings show that the specific variant, PMSEA-PSN38 micelles, remarkably reduce protein fouling, prolong blood circulation, and improve intratumoral accumulation, culminating in significantly increased anti-cancer efficacy compared with PEG-PSN38 counterpart. Additionally, PMSEA-PSN38 micelles effectively inhibit complement activation, mitigate leukocyte uptake, and attenuate hyperactivation of inflammatory cells, diminishing their ability to stimulate tumor metastasis and cause inflammation. As a result, PMSEA-PSN38 micelles show exceptional promise in the realm of anti-metastasis and significantly abate SN38-induced intestinal toxicity. This study underscores the promising role of psulfoxides as viable PEG substitutes in the design of polymeric micelles for efficacious anti-cancer drug delivery. This study emphasizes PMSEA's potential as a sulfoxide-containing polymer for anti-cancer drug delivery, offering an alternative to PEG in constructing polymeric prodrug micelles efficiently. [Display omitted] • Sulfoxide-containing polymer PMeSEA presents a promising alternative to PEG. • Micelles grafted with PMeSEA successfully diminish complement system activation. • Reducing complement activation enhances the antitumor activity of PMeSEA-micelles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Improving the seasonal performance by increasing heat exchanger size. • R32 drop-in impacts various compressor modulation strategies in distinctive ways. • Oversizing heat exchangers has larger benefits with lower range modulation strategy. • Oversizing BPHX can yield higher performance than improving the compressor motor efficiency. • Variable speed compressor at part load conditions could experience refrigerant maldistribution. The decrease in fossil fuel reserves and high energy consumption by HVAC&R equipment require the use of compressors with better efficiencies and capacity modulation strategies. Usually, seasonal performance studies focus on compressor capacity modulation methods, however the current study explores the idea of improving the seasonal performance of two compressor modulation techniques: a two-stage and a variable speed compressor with different capacity modulation ranges by using larger condensers in an R410A water ethylene glycol chiller system. The analysis shows that oversizing the heat exchangers has larger benefits with the compressor modulation strategy with lower range. Additionally, the seasonal performance estimated according to AHRI 551/591 (2020) of a two-stage compressor with oversized condenser is higher than a basic single speed compressor with a better motor indicating that oversizing brazed plate heat exchanger (BPHX) might yield higher performance than improving the compressor motor efficiency. Due to the high global warming potential (GWP) of R410A, there is a focus on replacing it with low GWP refrigerants such as R32 to reduce CO 2 emissions. This study would also compare the performance when using R32 as a drop-in refrigerant in the two different R410A compressor capacity modulation strategies with comparable cooling capacity. When the refrigerant was changed from R410A to R32, the integrated part load value (I P L V. S I), an efficiency metric for variable speed compressor remains relatively constant at 5.5 while it increases from 3.9 to 4.4 for the two-stage compressor. It is hypothesized that low refrigerant mass flow rate (m ˙ r e f) provided by the variable speed compressor when matching the load at the lower part load conditions leads to refrigerant maldistribution in BPHX and reduced I P L V. S I. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Industrial electrification is a crucial strategy for reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and tackling the challenge of renewable energy consumption. With the advancement of low-carbon electricity, chemical process electrification has garnered extensive attention. This work focuses on the electrification reconfiguration and carbon emission reduction of traditional chemical process, which mainly concerns the indirect electrification of processes and direct electrification of utilities, using the state-of-the-art Coal-to-Ethylene glycol (CtEG) process as a case study. The conventional CtEG process results in high CO 2 emissions due to water gas shift reaction. The indirect electrification path of the conventional CtEG process is achieved by introducing green hydrogen from solid oxide electrolysis cell technology (SOEC-CtEG). Electric heaters are directly used for the hot utility in SOEC-CtEG process to form a semi-electrification scenario (SES). To investigate the performance of different electrification levels, the full-electrification scenario (FES) is also designed. The results showed that the total CO 2 emissions for the four scenarios are 3.047, 0.576, 0.278 and 0.334 t/t EG, with energy efficiencies of 47.86%, 50.11%, 50.07% and 46.74%, respectively. Production costs are 3024.4, 3497.4, 3869.4, and 6147.8 CNY/t EG, respectively. The present work will contribute to the carbon reduction and process electrification of the CtEG process. • Four scenarios with different levels of electrification for CtEG are being investigated. • Electrification results in an increase in the carbon efficiency of CtEG to 90.24%. • Energy efficiency of the indirect electrification process is the highest at 50.11%. • Semi-electrification process achieves a significant 90.88% reduction in CO 2 emissions. • Full-electrification scenario is not the ideal choice when comparing performances. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AgCrO 2 nanoparticles incorporated with magnesium were synthesized by a hydrothermal method and its response to ethylene glycol vapor was improved, with a remarkable detection limited down to ppm level. This hybrid oxide also exhibits a high selectivity and response (16.2–10 ppm ethylene glycol) at low operation temperature of 120 °C with short response/recovery time (32s/130s). Based on the microstructural characterizations including X-ray diffraction, electron microscope observation and X-ray photoelectron spectroscope probing, the first-principles calculation of the gas-oxide system was performed to elucidate the sensing enhancement by Mg hybridization. It started with the adsorption of gas to the superficial Ag atom in the vicinity of doped Mg, which was then followed by dehydrogenation resulting in electrons releasing and charge transfer through the adatom bond and supplementary route towards a terminal Ag atom. This work provided a new perspective to the atomic interaction between the specific gas molecules and sensitive oxide layer, which delivered approaches of chemiresistive material system optimization for advanced gas sensing application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A mutual extension of an increasing demand for LiFePO 4 (LFP) is the need to develop a synthesis technique that enables improved particle morphology and size control at different scales. In this study, the polyol method was used for this purpose and modified to allow in-situ interventions, which, in turn, increased flexibility in particle design. Ethylene glycol was used as a reaction medium, and pure, porous, hierarchical LFP nanoparticles were synthesized at the lowest temperature reported in the literature. The primary and secondary particle size and morphology could be altered almost independently by controlling the amount and the addition sequence of the ascorbic acid (AA) and citric acid (CA). It was possible to control the particle features at different scales after the individual and combined effects of the acids were revealed. Particles with equiaxed small primaries (∼20 nm) and a mild aspect ratio in the secondaries (∼1.5) led to tap densities of 1.98 g/cm3, which is the highest value reported in the literature. Even though the heat treatment applied in this work had limitations in inducing a fully graphitized layer of carbon on LFPs, the added boost from the increased tap densities was observable in the high volumetric discharge capacities. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using ethylene glycol solution as the base fluid has demonstrated its effectiveness in reducing the freezing point of the continuous phase in phase change emulsions. This, in turn, enhances the stability of the emulsion at low temperatures, which has significant implications for applications requiring emulsions in such conditions. However, there is a notable absence of comprehensive studies on this topic. In this study, we utilized the phase conversion method to prepare hexadecane emulsions with varying mass fractions, using ethylene glycol aqueous solution as the base fluid. The impact of the ratio of hexadecane to surfactant and the formulation of the surfactants on the dispersion stability of the emulsions were systematically investigated and optimized. Furthermore, the phase change and thermal properties of the emulsions were examined. Based on these results, the energy storage capacity and pumping power of the emulsions were calculated and compared with those of the base fluid. The results indicate that as the mass fraction of phase change material (PCM) increases, the energy storage capacity and viscosity of the emulsions also increase, while the thermal conductivity decreases. Additionally, the energy storage capacities of the emulsions surpass that of the base fluid, and the pumping power is reduced at relatively low PCM mass fractions and within the heat storage temperature range. The appropriate mass fraction of PCM were determined by comparing these outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, we evaluated the effects of three resins with different refractive index on the viscosity and curing behavior of aluminum nitride (AlN) ceramic suspensions. Our findings indicate that the viscosity of the AlN suspensions increased with the concentration of polyethylene glycol o -phenylphenyl ether acrylate (OPPEA). Conversely, the viscosity decreased with increasing concentrations of cyclic trimethylolpropane formal acrylate (CTFA) and ethylene glycol phenyl ether acrylate (PHEA). Regarding the curing behavior, the AlN ceramic suspension prepared with OPPEA exhibited the largest cure depth and excess width, whereas the suspension prepared with CTFA had the lowest cure depth and excess width. Further analysis of the sensitivity and critical energy revealed that the suspension containing OPPEA demonstrated the highest sensitivity in the vertical direction and the lowest sensitivity in the horizontal direction. This implies that the smallest critical energy is in the vertical direction, and the largest critical energy is in the horizontal direction. Additionally, an increase in the content of the plasticizer dibutyl phthalate (DBP) was beneficial for reducing cracks in the AlN ceramic debinding bodies. Finally, high-performance AlN ceramics were produced, exhibiting a relative density exceeding 98 %, a bending strength of 470.39 ± 6.5 MPa, and a thermal conductivity of 163.45 W/m·K. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Titania is a functional oxide used as a catalyst and photocatalyst, which has various applications. Modifying the surface morphology and creating micro patterns on titania can significantly enhance its catalytic efficiency and utility in semiconductor devices. This study focuses on the fabrication of submicron patterns on titania using thermal nanoimprinting. The process involves the preparation of a high-viscosity sol consisting of 2-butoxyethanol, titanium butoxide, ethylene glycol, and water, followed by drying on a substrate to obtain a printable titania gel. We investigated the structural characteristics of this printable titania gel using Fourier transform infrared thermal analysis and high-energy X-ray diffraction. These structural analyses shed light on the critical factors affecting the growth of the Ti–O network within the gel and the effect of the organic content of the gel on its properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ZIF-8-templated ZnIn 2 S 4 (ZIS) crystals with different morphologies have been synthesized solvothermally by varying the organic solvents, while thioacetamide (TAA) and L-cysteine (L‐cyst) were used as sulfur precursors. It is found that solvothermal properties, including ions coordination, dielectric constant, and atomic chain length, influence the nucleation and growth of ZIS composites. The differences in morphology and composition of the prepared ZIS crystals strongly affect their photophysical properties and photocatalytic hydrogen evolution reactions (PHER). The hydrogen evolution rates for ZIS composites decrease in the following order: Leaf‐like (EG, TAA) > nanorods (EtOH, TAA) > nanoflowers (EG, L‐cyst) > nanosheets (Gly, TAA) > irregular particles (EDA, TAA) > plate‐like (DETA, TAA). The leaf‐like ZIS‐EG composite prepared using TAA as a sulfur precursor and ethylene glycol (EG) as a solvent shows an excellent PHER performance of 5208 μmol g−1 h−1 (44.91 μmol) with an apparent quantum yield (AQY) of 4.80% at 420 nm. The ZIS‐EG composites with different ZIF‐8 contents (50, 100, 150, and 200 mg) were also investigated for the PHER activity with mixed Na 2 S/Na 2 SO 3 sacrificial agent at λ ≥ 420 nm. It shows that the nature of solvents and sulfur precursors had a significant influence on the morphology, photoabsorption, electrochemical properties, and PHER performance of ZIF‐8‐templated ZIS composites, which complements the knowledge of designing efficient and perspective photocatalysts with enhanced visible‐light‐driven PHER performance. [Display omitted] • Novel morphology-dependent MOF-templated ZIS composites were prepared using a solvothermal approach. • Solvents and sulfur precursors influencing morphology and photocatalytic H 2 -evolution of ZIS composites. • The highest photocatalytic H 2 -evolution was observed for ZIS-EG composite with leaf-like morphology. • The ZIS-EG composite showed long-term cyclic stability and recyclability. • The charge transfer mechanism for enhanced photocatalytic H 2 evolution was proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vanadium dioxide (VO 2) nanocrystalline materials are of great interest as for modern electronics and photonics as well as for energy saving technologies. Nevertheless, there still remains a challenge to realize their controllable synthesis, as evidenced by the low rate of implantation of existing technologies into mass production. Here, a hydrothermal reaction in a water-ethylene glycol (EG) solution has been coupled with the post-deposition annealing, yielding a range of phase-pure vanadium dioxide nanostructures on single-crystal r-sapphire substrate. A directed change in the viscosity of the precursor solution by using a change in the EG : H 2 O ratio makes it possible to control the nucleation rate and thus form VO 2 isolated nanocrystals, as well as their ordered ensembles with regular distribution and uniform films on the substrate. The obtained nanostructures were extensively characterized by Raman spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy combined with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. Continuous VO 2 nanostructures demonstrated a metal-insulator transition (MIT) with a jump in resistivity of about 103–104, as well as a giant terahertz (THz) modulation depth up to 86 % (in the range from 0.3 to 2.0 THz), which confirms their high-quality and the possibility of their use in the creation of functional electronic and THz optical devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] The effect of the second metal (Pt, Pd, Ni and Fe) on the activity of copper phyllosilicate-based catalysts was investigated in the selective hydrogenation of dimethyl oxalate to ethylene glycol at 160–200 °C. The prepared catalysts were characterized by XRD, DRIFTS-CO and TEM methods. The conversion achieved over 10Fe/10Cu-PhySi catalyst was 68 % at 200 °C; at the same time, the full conversion with selectivity 98% was obtained at the temperature of 180 °C over a bimetallic 1Pt/Cu-PhySi catalyst. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Direct ethanol fuel cells (DEFCs) provide a portable and environmentally friendly power source with high energy density. However, the slow kinetic of the ethanol oxidation reaction (EOR) has hindered the commercialization of DEFCs. Palladium (Pd)-based nanomaterials are the best promising catalysts for EOR due to the high catalytic activities and relatively abundant reserves. In this paper, we developed a simple and green way for the preparation of palladium hydride (PdH 0.43) and Au/PdH 0.43 heterostructures. Ethylene glycol (EG) provided the source of H atoms for the formation of PdH 0.43 in synthesis process. The as-synthesized PdH 0.43 and Au/PdH 0.43 nanocrystals were extremely stable under ambient conditions and annealing at 300 °C under Ar. Compared with PdH 0.43 and commercial Pd/C, Au/PdH 0.43 presented a higher mass activity of 2659 mA mg−1, a lower oxidation peak potential, and a higher catalytic stability for oxidizing ethanol. Remarkably, the improved catalytic performance might arise from the synergistically modulation of electronic structure, the enhanced resistance to poisoning products and the acceleration of electron transfer by the formation of palladium hydrides and abundant heterostructures of Au/PdH 0.43. This work provides a promising reference for the development of metal-hydride nanomaterials and heterostructures as efficient catalysts. • The PdH 0.43 and Au/PdH 0.43 were prepared with ethylene glycol as the H source. • The PdH 0.43 and Au/PdH 0.43 were extremely stable in the air over six months. • Au/PdH 0.43 can maintain the stability of structure even annealing at 300 °C in Ar. • Au/PdH 0.43 exhibited a higher performance toward EOR than PdH 0.43 and Pd/C. • The improved activities might arise from the doping of H and heterostructures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Biochemical changes of neurotransmitters underlying major depressive disorder (MDD) are unknown. This study preliminarily explored the association between neurotransmitters with MDD and the possibility of objective laboratory prediction of neurotransmitter involvement in MDD. A total of 87 first-diagnosed, drug-naïve patients with depression and 50 healthy controls (HCs) were included in the cross-sectional study. The levels and turnovers of neurotransmitters (glutamine (GLN), glutamic acid (GLU), γ-2Aminobutiric acid (GABA), kainate (KA), vanillylmandelic acid (VMA), 3-methoxy 4-hydroxyphenyl ethylene glycol (MHPG), noradrenaline (NE), homovanillic acid (HVA), dihydroxy-phenyl acetic acid (DOPAC), dopamine (DA), tryptophane (TRP), kynurenine (KYN), serotonin (5-HT), 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA)) were determined and the confounding factors were adjusted. Then a correlation and a predictive analysis towards neurotransmitters for MDD were performed. After adjusting confounding factors, GLU (OR = 1.159), (GLU+ GABA)/GLN (OR = 1.217), DOPAC (OR = 1.106), DOPAC/DA (OR = 1.089) and (DOPAC+ HVA)/DA (OR = 1.026) enacted as risk factors of MDD, while KYN (OR = 0.992) was a protective factor. GABAergic and TRPergic pathways were associated with severity of depressive and anxiety symptoms in patients with depression. The predictive model for MDD (AUC = 0.775, 95% CI 0.683–0.860) consisted of KYN (OR = 0.990) and (GLU + GABA)/GLN (OR = 4.101). First-diagnosed, drug-naïve depression patients showed abnormal neurotransmitter composition. GLU, (GLU + GABA)/GLN, DOPAC, DOPAC/DA and (DOPAC + HVA)/DA were risk factors of MDD, while KYN was a protective factor. GABAergic and TRPergic pathways were correlated with MDD clinical characteristics. KYN and (GLU + GABA)/GLN may have a predictive value for MDD. • The onset of MDD involve multiple neurotransmitter systems. • GABAergic and TRPergic pathways were correlated with MDD clinical characteristics. • KYN and (GLU+GABA)/GLN may have a predictive value for MDD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The tumor microenvironment (TME) in pancreatic adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is a complex milieu of cellular and non-cellular components. Pancreatic cancer cells (PCC) and cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAF) are two major cell types in PDAC TME, whereas the non-cellular components are enriched with extracellular matrices (ECM) that contribute to high stiffness and fast stress-relaxation. Previous studies have suggested that higher matrix rigidity promoted aggressive phenotypes of tumors, including PDAC. However, the effects of dynamic viscoelastic matrix properties on cancer cell fate remain largely unexplored. The focus of this work was to understand the effects of such dynamic matrix properties on PDAC cell behaviors, particularly in the context of PCC/CAF co-culture. To this end, we engineered gelatin-norbornene (GelNB) based hydrogels with a built-in mechanism for simultaneously increasing matrix elastic modulus and viscoelasticity. Two GelNB-based macromers, namely GelNB-hydroxyphenylacetic acid (GelNB-HPA) and GelNB-boronic acid (GelNB-BA), were modularly mixed and crosslinked with 4-arm poly(ethylene glycol)-thiol (PEG4SH) to form elastic hydrogels. Treating the hybrid hydrogels with tyrosinase not only increased the elastic moduli of the gels (due to HPA dimerization) but also concurrently produced 1,2-diols that formed reversible boronic acid-diol bonding with the BA groups on GelNB-BA. We employed patient-derived CAF and a PCC cell line COLO-357 to demonstrate the effect of increasing matrix stiffness and viscoelasticity on CAF and PCC cell fate. Our results indicated that in the stiffened environment, PCC underwent epithelial-mesenchymal transition. In the co-culture PCC and CAF spheroid, CAF enhanced PCC spreading and stimulated collagen 1 production. Through mRNA-sequencing, we further showed that stiffened matrices, regardless of the degree of stress-relaxation, heightened the malignant phenotype of PDAC cells. The pancreatic cancer microenvironment is a complex milieu composed of various cell types and extracellular matrices. It has been suggested that stiffer matrices could promote aggressive behavior in pancreatic cancer, but the effect of dynamic stiffening and matrix stress-relaxation on cancer cell fate remains largely undefined. This study aimed to explore the impact of dynamic changes in matrix viscoelasticity on pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) cell behavior by developing a hydrogel system capable of simultaneously increasing stiffness and stress-relaxation on demand. This is achieved by crosslinking two gelatin-based macromers through orthogonal thiol-norbornene photochemistry and post-gelation stiffening with mushroom tyrosinase. The results revealed that higher matrix stiffness, regardless of the degree of stress relaxation, exacerbated the malignant characteristics of PDAC cells. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sotol bagasse (SB) is a byproduct generated during the fermentation of the sotol plant (Dasylirium sp.) for the production of a traditional alcoholic beverage in Mexico. In this study, a novel ethanol purification distillation sequence is proposed, utilizing ethanol produced from SB treatment as described by González-Chavez et al. (2022). Prior to purification, the ethanol-water mixtures exhibited ratios of 0.054 and 0.935. The proposed distillation sequence comprises three columns: i) depletion, ii) extraction (employing ethylene glycol as the solvent agent), and iii) solvent recovery. To assess energy consumption and controllability, three solvent:feed ratios (1.5:1, 2:1, 2.5:1) were examined, taking into account the feed to the second column. The lowest energy consumption was observed at 31 × 103 kW, corresponding to the 1.5:1 ratio. Optimal controllability was achieved at a solvent:feed ratio of 2.5:1, as evidenced by the lowest Integral Absolute Error (IAE) value of 3.3 × 10–3 and the highest proportional gain (Kc) value of 250. In summary, we leveraged previously reported experimental data to design a new distillation sequence with potential applications in the ethanol purification derived from SB fermentation. The outcomes of this investigation underscore the importance of promoting circular economy practices, particularly in the northern region of Mexico, where significant quantities of agrowastes are generated. [Display omitted] • The dynamic control properties of an ethanol-water azeotropic mixture obtained from BS were determined. • The controllability increases with the increase in solvent. • The energy expenditure decreases as the solvent decreases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this research, a solvent thermal dechlorination method was adopted to remove chlorine from polyvinyl chloride (PVC) material, using ethylene glycol (EG) as solvent and adding alkaline additives, so as to improve the dechlorination efficiency and reduce the reaction temperature. KOH, NaOH and K 2 CO 3 were selected as additives and their dechlorination activity was found to decrease in the following order: K 2 CO 3 >KOH>NaOH. Afterward, the effect of K 2 CO 3 concentration, reaction temperature and reaction time on the dechlorination of PVC was studied and a novel dechlorination mechanism was investigated. The results showed that solvothermal dechlorination may accomplish efficient dechlorination at low temperatures. The reaction temperature can be reduced to 180 ℃ in 0.5 M K 2 CO 3 /EG system with a solid-liquid ratio of 1:40(g:ml) and more than 97% dichlorination, which is 10 ℃ lower than the lowest temperature reported in published literature. Through the characterization and analysis of solid products, the dechlorination mechanism of PVC in K 2 CO 3 /EG system was proposed. Glycolate ion and OH- may be formed in the reaction and they both work to dechlorinate PVC by removing the Cl through two distinct substitution reactions. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The kinetics of the CO 2 , D 2 and CH 4 transport through self-supporting cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) films containing low-molecular weight poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) additive as plasticizer agent was studied in single gas condition at 293 K and sub-atmospheric feed pressure. Neat CNC and PEG-CNC with 7 wt % PEG films act as impermeable barrier for CO 2 and CH 4 and exhibit D 2 permeability values not larger than 0.05 barrer with penetrant diffusivity in the 10−10 cm2/s range. PEG addition at larger contents improves the permeability and diffusivity of all penetrant gases and gives to the PEG-CNC membrane a CO 2 selective character. The CO 2 permeability and ideal CO 2 /D 2 selectivity of the PEG-CNC films are 0.42 ± 0.04 barrer and ∼3, respectively, at 14 wt % PEG content, 2.5 ± 0.2 barrer and ∼5 at 21 wt % PEG. The preferred CO 2 transport exhibits a solution-selective character being the D 2 diffusivity a factor ∼10 larger than the CO 2 diffusivity. PEG addition, on the contrary, does not change the D 2 selective character for the D 2 /CH 4 gas couple. PEG well mixed with the gas-impermeable CNCs increases the PEG-CNC free volume and preferentially improves the CO 2 solubility given the specific interactions between the quadrupolar CO 2 penetrant and the dipolar ether groups of the PEG additive. [Display omitted] • Tuning the gas transport rates and selectivity of CNC- based membranes. • Tuning by adding selected amounts of PEG plasticizer. • Neat CNCs membrane acts as CO 2 barrier for the D 2 /CO 2 gas couple. • CNCs membrane with 21 wt % PEG acts as CO 2 selective membrane. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In thermal power and manufacturing processes, solar energy utilization has grown extensively. This work investigates the heat diffusion characteristics of an unsteady Oldroyd-B hybrid nano liquid flow across an expanding cylinder. A constant magnetic field is applied in the radial path in the presence of radiant heating, generation, or sinks, and Cattaneo-Christov (CC) heat flow. Hybrid nano liquid composed of two distinct nanoparticles (CoFe 2 O 4 and Fe 3 O 4) embedded in ethylene glycol as the primary fluid. A mathematical model was established and reconstructed into a nonlinear ordinary differential equations (ODEs) system, utilizing the proper likeness conversion. The Matlab inbuilt bvp5c scheme determines the problem's numerical solution. We observed the instabilities in the flow and thermal area and also the local Nusselt number impacted by the pertinent dimensionless characteristics. The findings are addressed graphically and tabularly for several nanoparticle shapes (spherical, brick, and platelet). It has been discovered that spherical shapes are found to have a faster heat conduction rate than brick and platelet nanoparticle shapes for the considered flow case. While unsteadiness parameters tend to increase the temperature field, the augmentation of the temperature relaxation factor reduces the energy profile. • Effective solar energy usage in Parabolic Trough Solar Collectors (PTSC). • Discrete outcomes for spherical, brick, and platelet-shaped nanoparticles. • Spherical-shaped ferro particles showed better heat transfer rates than platelet and brick-shaped particles. • Thermal radiation improves heat transfer in hybrid nano-liquid with platelet-shaped nanoparticles. • The coaxial cylinders can be employed as a central heat pipe for the PTSC's active thermal transport. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, we have investigated the influence of annealing temperature on the grain growth of zinc oxide nanocrystals synthesized in ethylene glycol and isothermally calcined at T a : 300 °C, 500 °C, 700 °C for 60 min at the ambient atmosphere. The effect of polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) addition and annealing temperature on ZnO nanocrystal's phase composition, structural (scattering domain size of nanocrystallites L , unit lattice parameters a , c , and unit volume V unit , theoretical density ρ x) parameters, morphological (size, shape, specific surface area SSA) features, chemical composition, and grain growth kinetics were determined. It was found that T a caused the increase in L of single-phase ZnO nanocrystals from 18 nm to 40 nm (with adding PVP) and to 45 nm (without adding PVP). Despite the surfactant composition, submicron grain sizes (D = 120–150 nm) were observed at T a = 700 °C. The activation energy of grain growth was Q = 121.4 kJ/mol (without adding PVP) and Q = 126.4 kJ/mol (with adding PVP), while grain growth exponent was n = 1.9 (without adding PVP) and n = 2.0 (with adding PVP). ZnO nanocrystals annealed at 700 °C are forthcoming in the design of the active layers of solar cells, and at (300–500) °C are suitable for thermoelectric converters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]