A study of thin fuel slick combustion on wavy water

In-situ burning is a fast, cheap, and effective means for cleaning up spilled fuel in the environment. As in-situ burning grows in popularity as a viable way to clean up oil spills, it is increasingly important to study the combustion of liquid fuels floating on wavy water. This study analyzes the burning behavior of a liquid fuel floating on water with the interaction of waves. Nine wave profiles are evaluated with thin layers of kerosene poured into a circular, floating test pan in a rectangular freshwater-filled wave tank. Wave generation and wave absorbing equipment ensure linear wave composition for interaction with the burning pool. Water sublayer and fuel/water interface temperatures are measured for incorporation into a model. It is observed that waves reduce the burning rate and flame height. The burning rate is directly proportional to the steepness of the wave and decreases as steepness increases.

Heterosynaptic plasticity in biomembrane memristors controlled by pH

Abstract

In biology, heterosynaptic plasticity maintains homeostasis in synaptic inputs during associative learning and memory, and initiates long-term changes in synaptic strengths that nonspecifically modulate different synapse types. In bioinspired neuromorphic circuits, heterosynaptic plasticity may be used to extend the functionality of two-terminal, biomimetic memristors. In this article, we explore how changes in the pH of droplet interface bilayer aqueous solutions modulate the memristive responses of a lipid bilayer membrane in the pH range 4.97-7.40. Surprisingly, we did not find conclusive evidence for pH-dependent shifts in the voltage thresholds (V*) needed for alamethicin ion channel formation in the membrane. However, we did observe a clear modulation in the dynamics of pore formation with pH in time-dependent, pulsed voltage experiments. Moreover, at the same voltage, lowering the pH resulted in higher steady-state currents because of increased numbers of conductive peptide ion channels in the membrane. This was due to increased partitioning of alamethicin monomers into the membrane at pH 4.97, which is below the pKa (~5.3-5.7) of carboxylate groups on the glutamate residues of the peptide, making the monomers more hydrophobic. Neutralization of the negative charges on these residues, under acidic conditions, increased the concentration of peptide monomers in the membrane, shifting the equilibrium concentrations of peptide aggregate assemblies in the membrane to favor greater numbers of larger, increasingly more conductive pores. It also increased the relaxation time constants for pore formation and decay, and enhanced short-term facilitation and depression of the switching characteristics of the device. Modulating these thresholds globally and independently of alamethicin concentration and applied voltage will enable the assembly of neuromorphic computational circuitry with enhanced functionality.

Impact statement

We describe how to use pH as a modulatory "interneuron" that changes the voltage-dependent memristance of alamethicin ion channels in lipid bilayers by changing the structure and dynamical properties of the bilayer. Having the ability to independently control the threshold levels for pore conduction from voltage or ion channel concentration enables additional levels of programmability in a neuromorphic system. In this article, we note that barriers to conduction from membrane-bound ion channels can be lowered by reducing solution pH, resulting in higher currents, and enhanced short-term learning behavior in the form of paired-pulse facilitation. Tuning threshold values with environmental variables, such as pH, provide additional training and learning algorithms that can be used to elicit complex functionality within spiking neural networks.

Graphical abstract

Supplementary information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1557/s43577-022-00344-z.

Physical stability and dissolution behaviors of amorphous pharmaceutical solids: Role of surface and interface effects

Amorphous pharmaceutical solids (APS) are single- or multi-component systems in which drugs exist in high-energy states with long-range disordered molecular packing. APSs have become one of the most effective and widely used pharmaceutical delivery approaches for poorly water-soluble drugs in the last several decades. Considerable efforts have been made to investigate the physical stability and dissolution behaviors of APSs, however, the underlying mechanisms remain imperfectly understood. Recent studies reveal that surface and interface properties of APSs could strongly affect the physical stability and dissolution behaviors. This paper provides a comprehensive overview of recent studies focusing on the physical stability and dissolution behaviors of APSs from both surface and interface perspectives. We highlight the role of surface or interface properties in nucleation, crystal growth, phase separation, dissolution, and supersaturation. Meanwhile, the challenges and scope of research on surface and interface properties in the future are also briefly discussed. This review contributes to a better understanding of the surface- and interface-facilitated processes, which will provide more efficient and rational guidance for the design of APSs.

Cu-based Organic-Inorganic Composite Materials for Electrochemical CO2 Reduction

Electrochemical CO2 reduction reaction (CO2RR) is an attractive pathway to convert CO2 into value-added chemicals and fuels. Copper (Cu) is the most effective monometallic catalyst for converting CO2 into multi-carbon products, but suffers from high overpotentials and poor selectivity. Therefore, it is essential to design efficient Cu-based catalyst to improve the selectivity of specific products. Due to the combination of advantages of organic and inorganic composite materials, organic-inorganic composites exhibit high catalytic performance towards CO2RR, and have been extensively studied. In this review, the research advances of various Cu-based organic-inorganic composite materials in CO2RR, i.e., organic molecular modified-metal Cu composites, Cu-based molecular catalyst/carbon carrier composites, Cu-based metal organic framework (MOF) composites, and Cu-based covalent organic framework (COF) composites are systematically summarized. Particularly, the synthesis strategies of Cu-based composites, structure-performance relationship, and catalytic mechanisms are discussed. Finally, the opportunities and challenges of Cu-based organic-inorganic composite materials in CO2RR are proposed.

Effects of proteins on emulsion stability: The role of proteins at the oil-water interface

To obtain a stable protein-added emulsion system, researchers have focused on the design of the oil-water interface. This review discussed the updated details of protein adsorption behavior at the oil-water interface. We evaluated methods of monitoring interfacial proteins as well as their strengths and limitations. Based on the effects of structure on protein adsorption, we summarized the contribution of pre-changing methods to adsorption. In addition, the interaction of proteins and other surface-active molecules at the interface had been emphasized. Results showed that protein adsorption is affected by conformation, oil polarity and aqueous environments. The monitoring of interfacial proteins through spectroscopic properties in actual emulsion systems is an emerging trend. Pre-changing could improve the protein adsorption and the purpose of pre-changing of proteins is similar. In the interaction with other surface-active molecules, co-adsorption is desirable. By co-adsorption, the respective advantages can be exploited to obtain a more stable emulsion system.

Enhanced catalytic reduction of p-nitrophenol and azo dyes on copper hexacyanoferrate nanospheres decorated copper foams

Catalytic reduction of nitroaromatic compounds using low-cost non-precious metal containing catalyst remains an essential topic in wastewater treatment. Herein, copper hexacyanoferrate nanospheres decorated copper foams (CF) were prepared by a facile method, and it was used as structured catalysts for the reduction of p-nitrophenol (p-NP) and azo dyes. The catalyst obtained by calcination at 200 °C shows the highest catalytic activity, with an almost complete reduction of p-NP within 3 min with a rate of 2.057 min^-1 at room temperature, and it exhibited excellent reusability in successive 6 cycles. The effects of temperature, initial concentration, pH, and flow rate on p-NP reduction were investigated. Moreover, the mechanistic investigation revealed that fast electron transfer ability and enhanced adsorption for p-NP contributed to its enhanced catalytic performances. This work put forward an efficient approach for the construction of structured catalysts with enhanced performance in catalytic reduction applications.

Eco-friendly wood-plastic composites from laminate sanding dust and waste poly(propylene) food pails

Plastic pollution caused by non-degradable petrochemical-based plastics has become a serious environmental problem in China, and the reasonable management of industrial waste and renewable resources remains a huge challenge. Here, we report environment-friendly wood-plastic composites (WPCs), prepared from decorative high-pressure laminate (HPL) sanding dust (filler) and waste thermoplastic food pails (matrix), as well as comprehensively evaluate the processability, mechanical and interfacial properties, indoor safety evaluation. The elemental composition and thermal stability of these two residue materials were suitable for the WPC manufacturing process. The content of HPL sanding dust in WPC was fixed at 60 wt%, and the amount of maleic anhydride grafted polypropylene (MAPP) added was 5 wt%-7 wt%, which maximized the utilization of waste resources, and can obtain impact strength as high as 5-6 kJ/m², tensile strength of 35-42 MPa and flexural strength as high as 43-46 MPa. The developed WPCs had low formaldehyde emissions (≤1.53 mg/m³) and slightly improved flame retardancy. Finally, their lower cost (5,035 yuan/ton) and higher eco-efficiency (12.81 yuan/kg CO₂) characteristics allowed them to be compatible with the current sustainable development requirements. This study provides a novel approach for the utilization of industrial waste and recyclable resources for sustainable replacement of wood-based products.

Gas generation due to photocatalysis as a method to reduce the resistance force in the process of motors motion at the air-liquid interface

HYPOTHESIS

The problem of the development of miniature motors able to move on the air-liquid interface at low Reynolds numbers is a crucial challenge due to dominating role of viscous force. To solve this problem the chemical generation of gas can be used. Generated gas pushes liquid out from the surfer surface, so the resistance force is reduced.

EXPERIMENTS

Surfer composed of TiO₂ nanoparticles and ferromagnetic cobalt microparticles moves at the interface of an aqueous solution of hydrogen peroxide under the action of magnetic force. After irradiation with UV or visible light, the gas cavern is formed at the surfer surface due to photo-catalytic decomposition of hydrogen peroxide. As a result, the area of surfer contact with liquid is reduced.

FINDINGS

The resistance force acting on the surfer is reduced due to the liquid pushing out from the surfer surface. This effect is strengthened with the increase in the intensity of gas generation. The resistance force is increased when increasing the liquid viscosity or using a surfactant. The proposed method allows control of the velocity of the motors in a rather wide range by changing the gradient of the magnetic field and parameters of light.

Kinetic process of upward gas hydrate growth and water migration on the solid surface

Gas hydrates have gained great interest in the energy and environmental field as a medium for gas storage and transport, gas separation, and carbon dioxide sequestration. The presence of small doses of surfactants in the aqueous phase has been reported to enhance hydrate formation; however, the underlying mechanisms remain poorly understood. Thus, in situ high-resolution X-ray computed tomography measurements were performed to monitor the upward water migration and the resulting hydrate nucleation and growth. It was found that the presence of hydrate crystals at the gas-liquid-solid contact line triggered the enhanced growth of hydrates on the reactor wall. A time delay was observed between the disappearance of the bulk water reservoir and its transformation into hydrate. The lower interfacial tension between the hydrate surface and the solution facilitated its adsorption onto the reactor wall once a thin film of hydrate nucleated on the solid wall surface. These hydrate layers present on the reactor wall were found to be porous, wherein the porosity decreased with increased subcooling. These fundamental results will be of value in understanding the mechanism of hydrate growth in the presence of surfactants and its potential application in hydrate-based technologies.

Fibrocartilaginous Tissue: Why Does It Fail to Heal?

Tendons and ligaments are critical components in the function of the musculoskeletal system, as they provide stability and guide motion for the biomechanical transmission of forces into bone. Several common injuries in the foot and ankle require the repair of ruptured or attenuated tendon or ligament to its osseous insertion. Understanding the structure and function of injured ligaments and tendons is complicated by the variability and unpredictable nature of their healing. The healing process at the tendon/ligament to bone interface is challenging and often frustrating to foot and ankle surgeons, as they have a high failure rate necessitating the need for revision.

Kinetic analysis of wetting and spreading at high temperatures: A review

The kinetic factors of the liquid-solid interface formation process are extremely useful in the design of composite preparation methods and the manufacture of comprehensive performance-controlled metal- or ceramic-based composites. Here, we review the available spreading dynamic models, focusing on wetting at high temperatures. There is yet to be developed a general spreading dynamic model with complete physical meaning that can accurately describe complicated surface-interface kinetic processes at high temperatures. In this work, we highlight common analysis errors in the description of the spreading dynamics for metal-ceramic and metal-metal systems. By unifying the expressions of the spreading dynamic models as the function f(v, θ_d) and fitting the experimental data reported in the literature, we discovered that the molecular-kinetic model commonly used to describe adsorption-controlled spreading at room temperature and reaction-limited spreading model used at high temperature have a certain range of overlap. When the condition σ_lv(cosθ_e-cosθ_d) < <2nk_BT is satisfied, these models are consistent in terms of mathematical functional expressions. As a result, distinguishing between them when the spreading behavior includes both adsorption and reaction is challenging.

Recent Advances in Stability Issues of Inorganic Solid Electrolytes and Composite Solid Electrolytes for All-Solid-State Batteries

The development of solid-state batteries has become one of the most promising directions in rechargeable secondary batteries due to their considerable energy densities and favorable safety. However, solid-state batteries with higher energy density and more durable and stable cycle life should be developed for large-scale energy storage and adaption to the rapidly increasing lithium battery production and sales market. Although inorganic solid electrolytes (ISEs) and composite solid electrolytes (CSEs) are relatively advantageous solid-state electrolytes, they also face severe challenges. This review summarizes the main stability issues related to chemical, mechanical, thermal, and electrochemical aspects faced by ISEs and CSEs. The corresponding state-of-the-art improvement strategies have been proposed, including filling of modified particles, electrolyte pore adjustment, electrolyte internal structure arrangement, and interface modification.

A field study to assess the role of air-water interfacial sorption on PFAS leaching in an AFFF source area

Field-deployed lysimeters were used to measure the concentrations of poly- and perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) in soil porewater at a site historically impacted with aqueous film forming foam (AFFF). Samples collected over a 49-day period showed that perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) and perfluorohexane sulfonate (PFHxS) were the PFASs with the highest concentrations in porewater, with concentrations of approximately 10,000 and 25,000 ng L^-1, respectively. The corresponding average mass flux to underlying groundwater observed for PFOS and PFHxS was 28,000 ± 11,000 and 92,000 ± 32,000 ng m^-2 d^-1, respectively. Employing the use of batch desorption isotherms (soil:water slurries) to determine desorption K_d values resulted in an overestimation of PFAS porewater concentrations by a factor for 1.4 to 4. However, using the desorption K_d values from the batch desorption isotherms in combination with a PFAS mass balance that incorporated PFAS sorption at the air-water interface resulted in improved predictions of the PFAS porewater concentrations. This improvement was most notable for PFOS, where inclusion of air-water interfacial sorption resulted in a 58% reduction in the predicted PFOS porewater concentration and predicted PFOS porewater concentrations that were identical (within the 95% confidence interval) to the lysimeter measured PFOS porewater concentration. Overall these results highlight the potentially important role of air-water interfacial sorption on PFAS migration in AFFF-impacted unsaturated soils in an in situ field setting.

Probing the reaction mechanism between a laser welded polyamide thin film and titanium with XPS and ToF-SIMS

The biomedical industry uses more and more polymer/metal hybrid assemblies because of the ability to combine the advantages and lower the inconveniences of both materials. The key is to assemble them. Among the high variety of existing assembling techniques, laser welding appears as an excellent option. It is a quick process allowing a great design flexibility, high reproducibility without intermediate material needed to create the adhesion, which is advantageous for biomedical applications. The laser welding process creates strong adhesion between dissimilar materials, but the root cause for adhesion is still unclear. The analytical challenge is to gain an information at the molecular level from an interface that is deeply buried between the two materials. Such a study requires extremely surface sensitive analytical methods, such as ToF-SIMS or XPS in order to detect chemical bonds, but also a method to expose the interface to the X-ray or ion beam. In order to investigate the chemical bonding at the interface between polyamide-6.6 and titanium, mirror polished titanium surfaces were prepared, on which a thin polyamide-6.6 film was spin-coated. The samples were laser welded, and after dissolving the polymer thin film, XPS and ToF-SIMS measurement were performed. The ToF-SIMS data interpretation was assisted by a principal component analysis. This multivariate analysis is rather common for ToF-SIMS data but is more rarely used to solve adhesion problems. This allowed to show the nature of the chemical bond at the interface and to propose a reaction mechanism.

koLayered Oxide Cathode-Electrolyte Interface towards Na-Ion Batteries: Advances and Perspectives

With the ever increasing demand for low-cost and economic sustainable energy storage, Na-ion batteries have received much attention for the application on large-scale energy storage for electric grids because of the worldwide distribution and natural abundance of sodium element, low solvation energy of Na⁺ ion in the electrolyte and the low cost of Al as current collectors. Starting from a brief comparison with Li-ion batteries, this review summarizes the current understanding of layered oxide cathode/electrolyte interphase in NIBs, and discusses the related degradation mechanisms, such as surface reconstruction and transition metal dissolution. Recent advances in constructing stable cathode electrolyte interface (CEI) on layered oxide cathode are systematically summarized, including surface modification of layered oxide cathode materials and formulation of electrolyte. Urgent challenges are detailed in order to provide insight into the imminent developments of NIBs.

Interfacial biodegradation of phenanthrene in bacteria-carboxymethyl cellulose-stabilized Pickering emulsions

The limited bioavailability of PAHs in non-aqueous phase liquid (NAPL) limits their degradation. The biodegradation of phenanthrene in n-tetradecane by hydrophilic bacterium Moraxella sp. CFP312 was studied with the assistance of two polymers, chitosan and carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC). Both chitosan and CMC improved the cell hydrophobicity of CFP312 and increased the contact angle of CFP312 cells from 30.4 to 78.5 and 88.5, respectively. However, CMC increased the degradation ratio of phenanthrene from 45 to nearly 100%, while chitosan did not cause any improvement. We found that CMC was more effective than chitosan in promoting CFP312 to stabilize Pickering emulsion. In the bacteria-CMC complex system, oil was dispersed into small droplets to obtain a high emulsification index and large specific surface area. Moreover, according to the microscopic image of the bacteria-CMC emulsion droplet, we observed that the droplet surface was tightly covered by the CFP312 cells. Therefore, CFP312 cells joined with CMC can utilize phenanthrene in oil phase at the oil-water interface. This study will offer a new strategy for effective microbial degradation of hydrophobic compounds in NAPLs by hydrophilic bacteria. KEY POINTS: • Biodegradation of phenanthrene in Pickering emulsions • Pickering emulsions stabilized by hydrophilic CFP312 joined with CMC. • Phenanthrene was degraded by CFP312 at oil-water interface.

Dual stabilization in potassium Prussian blue and cathode/electrolyte interface enables advanced potassium-ion full-cells

Potassium Prussian Blue (KPB) have been investigated as promising cathode materials for potassium-ion batteries. However, numerous structure defects and side reactions at electrode/electrolyte interface will deteriorate the electrochemical properties. Herein, dual stabilization strategy of structure of KPB particles and cathode/electrolyte interface is reported to enhance the capacity and electrochemical stability. The structure of KPB is stabilized through inhibiting nucleation and growth by addition of ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid dipotassium salt during co-precipitation, which can enlarge the particle size. Meanwhile, stabilizing the cathode/electrolyte interface via changing potassium hexafluorophosphate to potassium bis (fluorosulfonyl) imide (KFSI) electrolyte can further reduce side reactions to boost the coulombic efficiency of KPB cathode. Benefiting from dual engineering in structure of KPB and cathode/electrolyte interface, the half-cell in KFSI electrolyte possesses two discharge potential plateaus at 3.4 and 4.0 V with reversible capacity of 92.7 mAh g^-1 at 0.03 A g^-1. To demonstrate its practical use, KPB//graphite full-cell device is successfully constructed, exhibiting the capacity up to 102.4 mAh g^-1 at 0.1 A g^-1, high-rate (40.4 mAh g^-1 at 1.5 A g^-1) and superior cyclic stability (88% capacity retention from cycle 25 to 400 at 1 A g^-1). This work provides a synergetic engineering strategy to realize the powerful application of high-performance potassium-ion full-cell devices in energy storage.

Atmospheric chemical processes of microcystin-LR at the interface of sea spray aerosol

Microcystins are the most toxic toxins released by cyanobacteria and they have adverse effects on aquatic ecosystems and even human health. Although the removal and detoxification of microcystins in various water bodies have been extensively studied, the interaction mechanism and reaction process of microcystins once they enter the atmosphere are largely unknown, especially at the organic-enriched sea spray aerosol (SSA) interface. Herein, using the surface technique of Langmuir trough coupled in-situ infrared reflection-absorption spectra, we studied the interfacial behavior of microcystin-LR (MC-LR) in artificial seawater containing humic acid and typical surfactants in the presence or absence of UV-irradiation. Zwitterionic 1,2-distearoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DSPC) and anionic stearic acid (SA) were chosen as typical film-forming species, results obtained from the surface pressure-area isotherms showed that MC-LR caused greater expansion of the DSPC monolayer. The comparable results of MC-LR in DSPC/SA-containing systems indicated that the interaction ability was closely related to the monolayer molecular structure and was regulated by electrostatic interaction. Furthermore, the presence of humic acid (HA) could enhance the interaction between microcystin and monolayer molecules. UV-irradiation experiments showed that the photosensitized reaction greatly promoted the removal of microcystin embedded in the SSA surface compared with the direct photolysis effect in the absence of HA. These findings highlight that the toxic effects of microcystins after entering the atmosphere may be weakened by photochemical reactions.

Enhanced Ferroelectric and Piezoelectric Properties in Graphene-Electroded Pb(Zr,Ti)O3 Thin Films

While using ferroelectric polarization to tune the functional properties of 2D materials has been extensively studied recently, the effects of 2D materials on the ferroelectricity and piezoelectricity of ferroelectrics are much less explored. In this work, we report markedly enhanced ferroelectric and piezoelectric properties of graphene/Pb(Zr_0.52Ti_0.48)O₃/SrRuO₃ (GR/PZT/SRO) capacitors. Compared with conventional metal-electroded ferroelectric capacitors, the GR/PZT/SRO capacitors exhibit more abrupt polarization switching, larger switchable polarization, lower leakage current, and smaller coercive voltage. Moreover, with graphene electrodes, the ferroelectric properties of PZT capacitors are much more stable against aging. The enhanced ferroelectric behaviors in GR/PZT/SRO capacitors can be attributed to an improved interface with fewer defects and inhibited growth of defective interfacial layer resulting from the graphene protection. Because of the atomic thickness and extraordinary mechanical flexibility of graphene, the piezoelectric response in PZT with graphene electrode is about four times larger than the one with an Au electrode. Our findings on the enhanced ferroelectric and piezoelectric properties of PZT with 2D electrodes advance the understanding of the 2D/PZT interface and provide solutions for developing high-performance ferroelectrics devices.

Stabilization of crystal and interfacial structure of Ni-rich cathode material by vanadium-doping

Stable structure and interface of nickel-rich metal oxides is crucial for practical application of next generation lithium-ion batteries with high energy density. Bulk doping is the promising strategy to improve the structural and interfacial stability of the materials. Herein, we report the impact of vanadium-doping on the structure and electrochemical performance of LiNi_0.88Co_0.09Al_0.03O₂ (NCA88). Vanadium doped in high oxidation state (+5) would lead to alteration of the crystal lattice and Li⁺/Ni²⁺ cation mixing. Those are the main factors determining the cycling and rate capability of the materials. With optimization of vanadium-doping, the preservation of the integrity of the secondary particles of the materials, the enhancement of the diffusion of Li⁺ ions, and alleviation of the side reactions of the electrolyte can be efficiently achieved. As a result, NCA88 doped with vanadium of 1.5 mol % can provide superior cycling stability with capacity retention of 84.3% after 250 cycles at 2C, and rate capability with capacity retention of 65.5% at 10C, as compared to the corresponding values of 58.6% and 55% for the pristine counterpart, respectively. The results might be helpful to the selection of dopants in the design of the nickel-rich materials.

Revealing local molecular distribution, orientation, phase separation, and formation of domains in artificial lipid layers: Towards comprehensive characterization of biological membranes

Lipids, together with molecules such as DNA and proteins, are one of the most relevant systems responsible for the existence of life. Selected lipids are able to assembly into various organized structures, such as lipid membranes. The unique properties of lipid membranes determine their complex functions, not only to separate biological environments, but also to participate in regulatory functions, absorption of nutrients, cell-cell communication, endocytosis, cell signaling, and many others. Despite numerous scientific efforts, still little is known about the reason underlying the variability within lipid membranes, and its biochemical significance. In this review, we discuss the structural complexity of lipid membranes, as well as the importance to simplify studied systems in order to understand phenomena occurring in natural, complex membranes. Such systems require a model interface to be analyzed. Therefore, here we focused on analytical studies of artificial systems at various interfaces. The molecular structure of lipid membranes, specifically the nanometric thickens of molecular bilayer, limits in a major extent the choice of highly sensitive methods suitable to study such structures. Therefore, we focused on methods that combine high sensitivity, and/or chemical selectivity, and/or nanometric spatial resolution, such as atomic force microscopy, nanospectroscopy (tip-enhanced Raman spectroscopy, infrared nanospectroscopy), phase modulation infrared reflection-absorption spectroscopy, sum-frequency generation spectroscopy. We summarized experimental and theoretical approaches providing information about molecular structure and composition, lipid spatial distribution (phase separation), organization (domain shape, molecular orientation) of lipid membranes, and real-time visualization of the influence of various molecules (proteins, drugs) on their integrity. An integral part of this review discusses the latest achievements in the field of lipid layer-based biosensors.

EMPAIA App Interface: An open and vendor-neutral interface for AI applications in pathology

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE

Artificial intelligence (AI) apps hold great potential to make pathological diagnoses more accurate and time efficient. Widespread use of AI in pathology is hampered by interface incompatibilities between pathology software. We studied the existing interfaces in order to develop the EMPAIA App Interface, an open standard for the integration of pathology AI apps.

METHODS

The EMPAIA App Interface relies on widely-used web communication protocols and containerization. It consists of three parts: A standardized format to describe the semantics of an app, a mechanism to deploy and execute apps in computing environments, and a web API through which apps can exchange data with a host application.

RESULTS

Five commercial AI app manufacturers successfully adapted their products to the EMPAIA App Interface and helped improve it with their feedback. Open source tools facilitate the adoption of the interface by providing reusable data access and scheduling functionality and enabling automatic validation of app compliance.

CONCLUSIONS

Existing AI apps and pathology software can be adapted to the EMPAIA App Interface with little effort. It is a viable alternative to the proprietary interfaces of current software. If enough vendors join in, the EMPAIA App Interface can help to advance the use of AI in pathology.

Architecture Design and Interface Engineering of Self-assembly VS4/rGO Heterostructures for Ultrathin Absorbent

The employment of microwave absorbents is highly desirable to address the increasing threats of electromagnetic pollution. Importantly, developing ultrathin absorbent is acknowledged as a linchpin in the design of lightweight and flexible electronic devices, but there are remaining unprecedented challenges. Herein, the self-assembly VS4/rGO heterostructure is constructed to be engineered as ultrathin microwave absorbent through the strategies of architecture design and interface engineering. The microarchitecture and heterointerface of VS4/rGO heterostructure can be regulated by the generation of VS4 nanorods anchored on rGO, which can effectively modulate the impedance matching and attenuation constant. The maximum reflection loss of 2VS4/rGO40 heterostructure can reach - 43.5 dB at 14 GHz with the impedance matching and attenuation constant approaching 0.98 and 187, respectively. The effective absorption bandwidth of 4.8 GHz can be achieved with an ultrathin thickness of 1.4 mm. The far-reaching comprehension of the heterointerface on microwave absorption performance is explicitly unveiled by experimental results and theoretical calculations. Microarchitecture and heterointerface synergistically inspire multi-dimensional advantages to enhance dipole polarization, interfacial polarization, and multiple reflections and scatterings of microwaves. Overall, the strategies of architecture design and interface engineering pave the way for achieving ultrathin and enhanced microwave absorption materials.

Preparation and characterization of starch-based nanocomposites reinforced by graphene oxide self-assembled on the surface of silanecouplingagent modified cellulose nanocrystals

The dispersion of cellulose nanocrystal (CNC) in starch matrix limited its application. In this study, CNC modified by silanecouplingagent before graphene oxide (GO) self-assembled on the surface of modified CNC, then CNC-GO as a filler was used to prepare starch-based nanocomposite films (CS/CNC-GO). The structure of CNC-GO and CS/CNC-GO films and the properties of CS/CNC-GO films were studied by FT-IR, Raman, SEM, surface potential, UV-Vis, moisture absorption and tensile tests. The results showed that GO was successfully self-assembled on the surface of CNC modified by silanecouplingagent. CNC-GO was superior to CNC in reinforcing the strength of starch film, improving the transmittance of starch film and decreasing moisture rate of starch film. Tensile strength, elongation at break and transmittance of CS/CNC-GO film with 5 wt% CNC-GO reached maximum, which was 53.96 MPa, 3.72% and 38.76%, respectively. Moisture rate of CS/CNC-GO film with 3 wt% CNC-GO reached minimum that was 12.13%. These were assigned to the more uniform dispersion of CNC-GO in the starch matrix and the stronger interfacial interaction between starch and CNC-GO.

Tunable metal-support interaction of Pt/CeO2 catalyst via surfactant-assisted strategy: Insight into the total oxidation of CO and toluene

Catalytic oxidation is promising in removing atmospheric pollutants to address serious environmental concerns. Supported Pt-based catalysts (e.g., Pt/CeO₂) are most effective for catalytic removal of atmospheric pollutants. However, the catalytic performance is largely affected by the oxidation state of Pt, oxygen vacancy and metal-support interaction (MSI). Herein, two different types of Pt/CeO₂ catalyst were fabricated via surfactant-assisted strategy and treated in different annealing atmospheres, which was applied to carbon monoxide (CO) and toluene (C₇H₈) oxidation, respectively. The results reveal that the as-synthesized Pt/CeO₂-NH catalyst is favorable to C₇H₈ oxidation, whereas the contrast Pt/CeO₂-AH is favorable to CO oxidation. Meanwhile, Pt/CeO₂-NH catalyst also has high thermal stability facing high temperature (e.g., 400 °C). Various characterizations, such as in-situ Raman, XPS, CO-DRIFTS and XANES, clarifies that the Pt/CeO₂-NH catalyst has a higher surface Pt⁰ proportion, a weak MSI and more oxygen vacancies. The corresponding theoretical calculation also supports the experimental results. These results advance efficient regulation and fundamental understanding of MSI, and the design of heterogeneous catalysts.