Search Results (8,292)

During the frequent charging, discharging, and storage processes of underground compressed air energy storage systems, the damage and degradation of sealing plugs directly affect the long-term stability of gas storage caverns. Using a self-developed cyclic charging–storage–discharging–restorage gas disturbance rock testing system, this study conducted cyclic gas disturbance tests on sealing plug specimens at different storage pressures, followed by post-disturbance uniaxial compression tests, to investigate the thermodynamic response during cyclic disturbances and elucidate the mechanical property degradation mechanism of sealing plug specimens after cyclic disturbances. The results show that, during a single cycle, the gas temperature exhibits staged responses characterized by compression heating, cooling during high-pressure storage, decompression cooling, and temperature recovery during low-pressure storage. As the storage pressure increases, the heating rate increases from 0.005 to 0.016 °C/s, while the cooling rate increases from 0.023 to 0.055 °C/s. During cyclic charging–storage–discharging–restorage processes, the gas temperature exhibits an overall logarithmic growth trend comprising three stages, namely a rapid increase, a slow increase, and stabilization, with the degree of heat accumulation increasing progressively with storage pressure. Cyclic alternating loading by high-pressure gas aggravates internal specimen damage. With increasing storage pressure, the peak strength of the specimens after cyclic disturbances decreases by 8.14%, 8.99%, 11.58%, and 15.05%, respectively, while the elastic modulus decreases by 2.12%, 6.45%, 8.88%, and 13.49%, respectively. Acoustic emission activity during failure becomes more pronounced, and deformation localization intensifies. With increasing storage pressure, the macroscopic failure mode gradually changes from localized cracking to multiple-crack coalescence and block fragmentation, while the increase in average fracture-surface porosity rises from 7.29% to 37.89%. These results are important for assessing the stability of sealing plugs in underground CAES caverns. Full article

Vitamin B6 (pyridoxine) is a biologically relevant micronutrient involved in numerous biochemical processes and may also participate in redox-related reactions. In the present study, the electrochemical behavior and stability of vitamin B6 were investigated in a 0.1 M sodium fluoride (NaF) electrolyte using platinum (Pt) as the working electrode, with particular emphasis on the effects of silver nanoparticles (Ag nanoparticles, 70 mg·L⁻¹) on interfacial redox processes. Cyclic voltammetry (CV), electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), and UV-Vis spectroscopy were combined to characterize the molecular-electrode interface and the response of vitamin B6 under electrochemical stress. CV demonstrated that vitamin B6 substantially modifies the anodic and cathodic response of Pt, whereas incorporation of Ag nanoparticles partially attenuated the pronounced cathodic processes induced by vitamin B6. EIS revealed a progressive decrease in charge-transfer resistance from 2.19·10³ Ω·cm² in NaF to 1.81·10³ Ω·cm² after vitamin B6 addition and to 882 Ω·cm² in the presence of Ag nanoparticles, accompanied by increased apparent interfacial capacitance and enhanced interfacial heterogeneity. UV-Vis spectroscopy further showed that Ag nanoparticles modify the optical response of the vitamin B6-containing system and exhibit a characteristic plasmonic absorption band. Under galvanostatic electrolysis at 50 mA·cm⁻², vitamin B6 degradation followed apparent first-order kinetics, while the presence of Ag nanoparticles decreased the degradation rate constant from 4.70·10⁻³ to 3.02·10⁻³ min⁻¹ and increased the apparent half-life from 147 to 229 min. These results indicate that Ag nanoparticles substantially influence the redox environment and electrochemical stability of vitamin B6, reducing its degradation under oxidative electrochemical conditions. The combined electrochemical and spectroscopic results provide new insight into the interfacial redox behavior of a biologically relevant vitamin in the presence of metallic nanoparticles and may contribute to understanding antioxidant-related molecular stability and redox processes in complex chemical environments. Full article

During the reductive smelting of nickel–cobalt hydroxide enrichments, the migration behavior of typical impurities has a direct impact on the quality of crude nickel and the subsequent electrorefining process. In this study, pre-reduced calcine derived from laterite nickel–cobalt hydroxide enrichments was used as feed material, and semi-industrial smelting tests were carried out in a 40 kVA single-phase electric arc furnace. The migration and distribution behaviors of typical elements, including Ni, S, Mn, and Zn, were systematically investigated. The results show that under the conditions of pre-reduction at 900 °C and electric furnace smelting at 1550 °C, nickel is efficiently reduced, yielding crude nickel with a grade exceeding 80% and a nickel recovery of approximately 95%. During smelting, the sulfur was mainly distributed between the crude nickel and the flue gas, dust, and furnace retention, with only 1.26–1.38% of the sulfur in the charge entering the slag phase. The sulfur content in crude nickel increases with the degree of reduction, reaching a maximum of 14.84%. Manganese is mainly enriched in the slag; under moderate reducing conditions, the manganese content in crude nickel can be kept below 0.2%, while that in the slag is about 9.91%. Zinc exhibits a high volatilization rate of over 90% during reductive smelting, and by controlling an appropriate reduction depth, crude nickel with a zinc content lower than 0.1% can be obtained. Phase analysis indicates that the crude nickel is mainly composed of a nickel-based alloy phase and a hexagonal nickel sulfide (Ni₃S₂) phase, whereas the slag is predominantly composed of a manganese–magnesium olivine phase and a glass phase. This study elucidates the migration behavior of typical impurities during the electric furnace smelting of nickel–cobalt enrichments, providing a theoretical basis for optimizing the reductive smelting process parameters and controlling the quality of crude nickel. Full article

This work describes the formation of electrically charged nanobubbles and collective electrodynamical ordering in liquid water based upon the framework of the quantum electrodynamical theories of Del Giudice, Preparata, Vitiello and their co-workers. Nanobubbles with experimentally observed negative zeta potentials are predicted to generate interfacial electric fields on the order of 10⁵–10⁶ V m⁻¹, comparable to field strengths previously associated with collective vibrational coupling in electrically stressed water. The model addresses magnetic stabilization of the electrically induced vibronically coupled interfacial state, while the observed changes in nanobubble size and number are discussed within the broader framework, including a hypothesized preconditioning effect of the dynamically varying magnetic field on nanobubble formation. Under these conditions, regions of enhanced collective coupling of vibronic modes around a nanobubble with characteristic thicknesses of approximately 9.6–52.5 nm become physically plausible. Furthermore, a phenomenological Landau-type free-energy model is used to investigate the influence of external magnetic fields on the process. We suggest that magnetic fields primarily couple to the low-energy protonic and vibronic modes within this shell. These theoretical predictions are qualitatively consistent with recent experimental observations showing stronger negative zeta potentials, and higher nanobubble concentrations under the influence of magnetic fields, together with smaller characteristic nanobubble radii under an alternating field configuration. Our results support the interpretation that magnetic fields stabilize electrically induced mesoscopic coupling of vibronic modes that emerge transiently during cavitation-driven nanobubble formation. Full article

Piezoelectric catalysis exploits the piezoelectric effect of materials under mechanical stress, inducing surface charges that participate in wastewater degradation reactions. This process generates no secondary pollution and represents an environmentally friendly, novel degradation technique. In this work, (0.92 − x)NaNbO₃–0.08BaTiO₃–xBiFeO₃ piezoelectric powders were synthesized via a solid-state method. Ultrasonic waves were employed as the mechanical driving force, and the degradation of organic pollutants by piezoelectric catalysis was investigated. The results show that the NN-based powders and ceramics exhibit multiphase structures. The degradation efficiency of Rhodamine B (RhB) reached 88.11% within 80 min. Upon application of an external magnetic field, the degradation rate was enhanced. Furthermore, the piezoelectric catalytic powder demonstrated excellent cycling stability. Active species trapping experiments identified •OH and •O₂⁻ as the dominant reactive species. Instead of the conventional approach of preparing piezoelectric ceramics followed by crushing, this study directly produces NaNbO₃-based piezoelectric powders using a solid-state method. The applied magnetic field may assist charge separation during piezocatalysis, offering a new route for the piezoelectric catalytic degradation of organic compounds. Full article

Morchella polysaccharides are commonly labeled as antioxidants because they quench radicals in chemical assays, yet this designation does not establish biological redox efficacy. This critical narrative review reframes these fungal polymers as candidate redox-modulating biomacromolecules. A structured search of PubMed and OpenAlex through 17 August 2026 yielded 84 unique records after deduplication; 31 core Morchella-polysaccharide reports with redox-relevant experimental evidence were mapped, supplemented by five mechanistically adjacent studies. Evidence was graded from chemical assays (E1) to human intervention (E5), with a separate causality score (M0–M2). Structure-resolved studies indicate that molecular weight, branching, charge, conformation, source, and acetylation or degradation can modify activity, but process-related co-variation and incomplete purity controls preclude universal structure–activity rules. Cellular and animal studies repeatedly implicate PI3K/Akt–Nrf2/HO-1, AMPK/Sirt1, mitochondrial apoptosis, NF-κB/NLRP3, and gut-mediated pathways, although most reported links remain associative. Within the databases and search strategy used, no eligible human intervention study was identified. We propose a translational roadmap requiring identity-controlled materials, orthogonal redox endpoints, causal pathway perturbation, exposure and microbiota studies, and standardized early-phase trials. The field should move beyond DPPH-positive claims toward reproducible mechanisms and biologically credible redox protection. Full article

Salmon skin, a high-volume by-product of seafood processing, offers a circular-bioeconomy route to sustainable, value-added ingredients. This study aimed to generate low-molecular-weight collagen peptides (LMWCPs) from salmon skin using a stepwise enzymatic process and to evaluate their safety and pro-extracellular-matrix (ECM) activity in human BJ fibroblasts. LMWCPs were produced by sequential hydrolysis (alcalase/papain, then collagenase) and characterized as low-molecular-weight peptide preparations with a mean dispersed particle diameter of approximately 117 nm. LMWCPs display negatively charged peptide dispersions with a mass centered around ~1 kDa. Cytocompatibility (MTT) showed no toxicity up to 1.5 mg/mL over 48 h. Gene expression by reverse transcription–quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) revealed a robust, dose-dependent ECM response: collagen type I alpha 1 chain (COL1A1) increased by approximately 7-fold, with additional rises of 5–6-fold in versican (VCAN) levels and modest increases in elastin (ELN) and transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β). These findings provide an exploratory process-to-phenotype link between the two-step hydrolysis process, physicochemical characteristics of the resulting LMWCPs, and changes in ECM-related gene expression in BJ fibroblasts. Overall, this study demonstrates that salmon skin LMWCPs were cytocompatible within the tested concentration range and modulated several ECM-related genes, providing a preliminary basis for future protein-level, functional, and translational evaluation. Full article

Malachite green (MG), a triarylmethane dye extensively used in the textile and aquaculture industries, is a persistent aquatic contaminant with documented carcinogenic, mutagenic, and teratogenic effects even at trace concentrations. In the present work, a natural, low-cost Serpentine clay was surface-modified with copper oxide nanoparticles generated in situ through a green, lemon-extract-mediated reduction of copper nitrate, yielding a novel SER/CuO nanocomposite. The as-prepared adsorbent was characterized by FTIR, XRD, BET, and SEM to confirm the successful anchoring of CuO nanoparticles onto the Serpentine lattice. Batch adsorption experiments demonstrated that the removal of MG was governed by solution pH, adsorbent dose, contact time, and initial dye concentration, with maximum uptake obtained close to neutral pH, consistent with the point of zero charge (pH_pzc = 7.6) of the composite relative to the pKa (6.9) of the dye. Equilibrium data were described comparably well by the Langmuir and Freundlich isotherms at 25 and 55 °C, with a maximum monolayer capacity of 279.06 mg g⁻¹ at 25 °C, while kinetic analysis showed the closest statistical agreement with the Elovich model, pointing to an energetically heterogeneous, chemisorption-assisted process supported by a three-stage intraparticle-diffusion profile. The individual and combined effects of solution pH, adsorbent dose, and contact time on removal efficiency were systematically evaluated using a one-factor-at-a-time approach. Thermodynamic estimation from the two-temperature Langmuir constants indicated a spontaneous and exothermic, and entropy-favored adsorption process. The spent adsorbent was regenerated using dilute hydrochloric acid and retained appreciable efficiency over successive cycles. Comparison to previously reported adsorbents supported the competitiveness of SER/CuO in terms of capacity, cost, and simplicity of preparation, and a techno-economic appraisal supported the feasibility of scale-up. As a waste-valorization step, both the bare SER/CuO adsorbent and its MG-loaded form were evaluated as electrode materials for the urea oxidation reaction: MG loading raised the anodic current density from 143.10 to 176.46 mA cm⁻² at 1.0 M urea, nearly doubled the electrochemically active surface area (7.34 to 14.41 cm²), and lowered the charge-transfer resistance, while sustaining a higher stable current density (111 vs. 81 mA cm⁻²) over 3600 s of continuous operation demonstrating a promising route for coupling water remediation with energy recovery. Full article

Electrostatic discharge (ESD) in fluoropolymer-lined Standard Clean-1 (SC-1) delivery systems is a reliability concern in semiconductor wet processing, yet its physicochemical pathway remains uncertain. This field-based study investigated ESD-damaged perfluoroalkoxy alkane (PFA)- and polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE)-lined components using operational observations, post-failure characterization, and first-order Townsend–Paschen analysis to formulate a physically constrained working hypothesis rather than to verify a unique root-cause mechanism. Damaged PFA/PTFE components exhibited tracking paths, pits, micro-voids, and re-solidified rims consistent with localized electrical and thermal damage. Prolonged N₂ pressurization increased the measured potential from approximately 0.3 to 3 V over 6 h, whereas venting reduced it; a static 30 kV test did not reproduce the field failure. Periodic depressurization to atmospheric pressure at 3–4 h intervals and installation of conductive grounding points were each followed by an absence of observed ESD events during the corresponding operating periods. A Microbubble-mediated Townsend–Paschen Breakdown (MTPB) hypothesis is therefore proposed, in which interfacial charging supplies charge while transient mixed-gas cavities provide candidate gas-phase discharge sites. A first-order N₂ Paschen calculation places a 2.2–3.5 μm effective gas gap near the minimum-breakdown region, with a calculated minimum voltage of approximately 358 V. This MTPB framework provides a physically constrained and testable explanation for the observed field behavior and a basis for future direct validation. Full article

Thermal energy storage (TES) technologies are essential for renewable energy integration, industrial waste heat recovery, grid flexibility, and improved energy efficiency. Despite advances in sensible heat thermal energy storage (SHTES), latent heat thermal energy storage (LHTES), and thermochemical energy storage (TCES), practical deployment remains constrained by inadequate heat transfer rates, which limit charging and discharging processes, reduce storage utilization, and increase system size and cost. Conventional heat-transfer enhancement approaches, including fins, embedded heat exchangers, conductive additives, porous structures, and flow intensification techniques often introduce trade-offs related to manufacturability, complexity, durability, and energy consumption. Additive manufacturing (AM) has emerged as a promising approach for overcoming these limitations by enabling precise control of internal geometry, porosity, surface-area-to-volume ratio, and fluid pathways. Through the fabrication of architected structures, lattice networks, triply periodic minimal surface (TPMS) geometries, and multifunctional heat-transfer architectures, AM enables geometry-driven optimization of thermal performance that is difficult to achieve using conventional manufacturing methods. These capabilities support the development of compact TES systems with enhanced heat transfer, improved thermal uniformity, and increased energy utilization. This review examines additive manufacturing technologies relevant to TES applications, including powder bed fusion, directed energy deposition, material extrusion, vat photopolymerization, and binder jetting. The relationships among manufacturing processes, material selection, and thermal performance are discussed across SHTES, LHTES, and TCES systems. Particular emphasis is placed on AM-enabled heat-transfer enhancement strategies, phase change material (PCM)-integrated structures, architected thermal networks, embedded heat exchangers, and computational design methodologies such as topology optimization. Current challenges involving material compatibility, scalability, cost, and long-term durability are also evaluated. The review highlights how additive manufacturing is transforming TES design from a material-centered paradigm toward geometry-enabled thermal engineering, creating new opportunities for next-generation energy storage systems. Full article

Mollusk-derived peptides are an expanding class of marine bioactive molecules that link food-protein utilization with pharmaceutical peptide discovery. They are derived from taxonomically and biologically diverse sources such as edible gastropods, bivalves, cephalopods and highly modified conopeptides from cone snails. However, there is a lack of integrated understanding of sources, structures and functions of these peptides and their potential applications in food science, pharmacology, and venom research. In this review, the current knowledge related to mollusk-derived peptides from a food–pharma perspective is summarized, including taxonomic sources, tissue substrates, enzymatic hydrolysis, purification, sequence identification, reported bioactivities and structure–function relationships. The peptides derived from food are primarily short linear peptides from muscle, mantle, viscera, collagen, gelatin and processing by-products. These peptides have mainly been investigated for antioxidant, Angiotensin-I-converting enzyme inhibitory, anti-inflammatory, mineral-binding, gut-health, and metabolic activities. However, the biological functions of endogenous peptides and peptides from cone snails are often associated with cysteine-rich scaffolds and disulfide connectivity and post-translational modifications that confer antimicrobial activity, neuromodulation, and receptor selectivity. For these systems, the activity depends not on any single parameter but on the peptide length, amino acid sequence, charge distribution, hydrophobicity, amphipathicity, secondary structure and chemical modifications. Further progress requires improved sequence-level validation, mechanism-driven bioassays, in vivo and clinical evidence, safety assessment, and feasible purification and delivery strategies for mollusk peptides into functional foods, nutraceuticals and peptide-based therapeutics. Full article

Lignin-derived carbon nanofibers (LCF) with hierarchical micro–mesoporous architecture featuring unusually high mesopore preservation were fabricated by electrospinning. The process used a lignin/poly(ethylene oxide) precursor in an alkaline medium (sodium hydroxide, NaOH), followed by carbonization and selective HCl washing. During electrospinning, sodium species were incorporated from the alkaline spinning solution and, upon subsequent thermal treatment, converted in situ into sodium-containing domains that acted as transient porogens, enabling the development of a highly accessible pore network without conventional activation. The resulting free-standing carbon nanofiber mats exhibited a hierarchical micro–mesoporous architecture, in which 84% of the specific surface area arose from micropores accompanied by a well-defined 8–12 nm mesopore population that is expected to facilitate ion transport, maximizing the utilization of the microporous surface for charge storage. Raman analysis further revealed a defect-rich, edge-abundant sp² carbon network (I_D/I_G = 1.05). As self-supported supercapacitor electrodes in 3 M potassium hydroxide (KOH), the materials delivered a specific capacitance of ≈275 F g⁻¹ at 0.25 A g⁻¹, retained ≈87% of this value at 2.5 A g⁻¹, and exhibited outstanding cycling stability, with 117% capacitance retention and 99.9% coulombic efficiency after 10,000 charge–discharge cycles. This simple, low-cost, and low-waste strategy demonstrates that in situ sodium templating effectively engineers hierarchical pore architectures in lignin-derived carbon nanofibers without aggressive chemical activation, providing a sustainable platform for high-performance energy-storage electrodes. Full article

This study investigates the responses in the resistance of polypyrrole (PPy) and titanium dioxide (TiO₂) single layers and PPy/TiO₂ heterostructures to rectangular pulses of monochromatic LED illumination under controlled relative humidity. Exposure to moisture increases the resistance of PPy while rapidly decreases that of TiO₂, reflecting opposite effects of electron donation from hydroxyl (–OH) groups in adsorbed H₂O on the majority carrier densities of the two materials. Under monochromatic illumination, the resistance of PPy decreases, whereas that of TiO₂ increases accompanied by a brief transient at excitation wavelengths near its optical edge (367 nm and 398 nm). This photoresponse is attributed to photoinduced modifications of carrier density through two opposing processes: photogeneration, which enhances charge carriers, and H₂O photodesorption, which reduces them. A combination of illumination and moisture exposure results in an intensified photoresponse of PPy, thereby enhancing its humidity response. The PPy/TiO₂ heterostructure demonstrates a mixed photoresponse arising from contrasting behaviors of its p-type PPy and n-type TiO₂ components, coupled with charge exchange across the p–n junction. When simultaneously exposed to moisture and monochromatic light, the heterostructure undergoes contrasting photoinduced carrier generation in its two components, which in turn modulates the depletion region in inverse phase with carrier density, thereby intensifying the overall photoresponse. This complementary “push–pull” interaction synergistically enhances both the photoresponse and the humidity response of the PPy/TiO₂ heterostructure. Full article

Perovskite solar cells (PSCs) have emerged as a research hotspot in photovoltaics owing to their high power conversion efficiency (PCE), low fabrication cost, and simple preparation processes. However, their commercialization remains constrained by interfacial defects, non-radiative recombination, and limited scalability. Self-assembled molecules (SAMs), as a critical interfacial engineering tool, can significantly enhance device performance through defect passivation, energy band alignment, and crystallization regulation. Following the main theme of “molecular design—mechanistic understanding—application expansion,” this review systematically summarizes the structure–property relationships between SAMs architecture (anchoring groups, connecting backbones, and terminal functional groups) and their interfacial regulation mechanisms, with a particular focus on the important role of SAMs uniformity in governing interfacial quality, charge carrier transport, and device stability. The article presents multi-scale characterization techniques for evaluating SAMs interfacial properties, reviews the application progress of SAMs in rigid devices, flexible devices, and large-area modules, and finally discusses their future expansion directions in emerging fields such as tandem solar cells, flexible electronics. Full article

Multistage hydrocarbon remigration is common in foreland-basin thrust belts, but its timing and pathways remain poorly constrained. We investigated the Lower Cretaceous Yageliemu and Bashijiqike reservoirs in the Kela-2 gas field, Kuqa foreland basin. Molecular geochemical analyses of reservoir extracts and oil inclusions, combined with fluid-inclusion observations, were used to reconstruct the hydrocarbon charging and remigration history. Reservoir extracts and oil inclusions from both reservoirs show consistent molecular signatures, indicating a common origin from the Triassic Huangshanjie lacustrine source rocks. Fluid-inclusion thermometry combined with burial-history reconstruction indicates that lacustrine oil charged the deeper K₁y reservoir earlier than the shallower K₁bs reservoir, supporting a later phase of upward cross-stratal remigration associated with progressive fault reactivation. From approximately 5.3 Ma onward, large-scale coal-derived gas charging increasingly modified the earlier oil accumulations, and after ca. 2.5 Ma of sustained gas charging, the fully developed Kela-2 anticlinal trap became the dominant accumulation process. Full article