Search Results (3,699)

Bilayer emulsions have gained increasing attention in modern food industry due to their tunable interfacial structure and resistance to environmental stresses. However, the mechanisms linking interfacial properties and macroscopic emulsion stability remain elusive. In this study, Soy Protein Isolate (SPI) and High-Methoxyl Pectin (HMP) bilayer emulsions with varied mass ratios were fabricated, and the relationship between interfacial properties and emulsion stability was systematically investigated. Laser diffraction particle size analysis, Confocal laser scanning microscopy, Turbiscan Stability and rheological characterization were explored to evaluate the emulsion stability, while quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation monitoring (QCM-D) was adopted to investigate interfacial adsorption behavior and the viscoelastic properties of the interfacial layers. The results demonstrated that the r = 1:2 formulation achieved the highest interfacial adsorption mass and greatest film thickness, whereas the r = 1:3 formulation exhibited the highest stability. The r = 1:3 ratio yielded the strongest binding affinity (Δf₃ = 15.02 Hz), energy dissipation (ΔD₃ = 7.1941 × 10⁻⁶), and interfacial elasticity (43.15 kPa), indicating the formation of a highly hydrated and mechanically reinforced interfacial layer. The findings highlight that interfacial reinforcement efficiency rather than interfacial adsorption quantity is the key determinant governing the stability of SPI/HMP bilayer emulsions. This study would offer new insights into the structure–function relationship between interfacial characteristics and macroscopic stability in protein–polysaccharide bilayer emulsions, and provide theoretical guidance for the development of plant-based emulsion systems. Full article

Significant research efforts have recently focused on nanomaterial processing for gas sensors and related sensing applications. However, the major challenges in the field involve the choice of material for the sensing layer of the sensor device element, together with the right structure, assembly, and morphology through which the full sensing properties of the material can be realised. Herein, we critically review the hierarchical nanostructures of V₂O₅ nanomaterial for application in gas sensing technology. Beyond the sheet structure, which serves as the fundamental building block of the V₂O₅’smolecular arrangement, nanostructures ranging from nanobelts to nanowires, nanorods, nanoribbons, nanofibres, nanotubes, and thin films were discovered as preferred configurations and thermodynamically favourable structures, according to many synthesis processes. Ethanol (C₂H₅OH) and Nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) gases were identified as preferred molecules commonly detected by various V₂O₅ morphologies, with the nanotube structure showing preferential sensitivity and selectivity to C₂H₅OH. We also discuss perspectives from density functional theory (DFT) studies of V₂O₅ nanostructures and other (2D) materials structures for gas sensing applications. The studies highlight enhanced adsorption energy, increase conductivity, and band gap variation as a result of an upper shift in the Fermi level, all as a consequence of surface interaction between semiconductor crystal orientation and chemical molecules. Finally, our calculations of the optimised parameters for α-V₂O₅ orthorhombic structure showed good agreement with experimental and other theoretical data in the literature. The adsorption energy profile for NO₂ molecules revealed that the Ag-doped surface exhibits the most negative adsorption energy compared with the clean surface and other doped surfaces. Full article

Photonic crystal films possess excellent capability for infrared radiation modulation, and applying them to the surfaces of high-temperature targets represents an effective approach to achieving mid-far infrared stealth. In this work, a novel photonic crystal heterostructure film comprising 12 layers and constructed from Al₂O₃, Ge, and HfO₂ is designed based on the transfer matrix method. Experimental measurements show that, at room temperature, the film exhibits an emissivity of 0.181 in the mid-infrared band and 0.144 in the far-infrared band, demonstrating favorable infrared stealth performance; meanwhile, an emissivity of 0.475 in the non-detection band (5–8 µm) enables effective radiative cooling. As the temperature is gradually elevated up to 500 °C, the film structure maintains favorable infrared stealth and radiative cooling performance. Furthermore, both theoretical simulations and experimental measurements demonstrate that the film exhibits excellent wave-transmission performance in the 2–18 GHz range, which enables its potential integration with radar-absorbing materials to achieve multi-band compatible stealth. The designed and fabricated photonic crystal heterostructure film provides a new reference for infrared stealth strategies under high-temperature conditions. Full article

In this study, nine barium sulfate (BaSO₄)-supported heterogeneous catalysts (C1–C9) were synthesized via three modification strategies: stearic acid coating (C1–C3), physical doping (C4, C6, and C8), and sol-gel processing with calcination (C5, C7, and C9). Their comprehensive characterization revealed that sol-gel-synthesized C7 exhibited the most favorable surface properties, including well-dispersed Al–O–Si species, tetrahedrally coordinated Al³⁺, and abundant Brønsted acid sites. Their catalytic performance was evaluated in the chlorination of toluene, fluorobenzene, bromobenzene, and iodobenzene, using hydrochloric acid (HCl) as the chlorine source and either hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) or ammonium persulfate ((NH₄)₂S₂O₈) as the oxidant. C7 achieved complete toluene conversion (100%) at 60 °C under optimized conditions and exhibited high conversions of fluorobenzene (55%), bromobenzene (76%), and iodobenzene (46%). Notably, ammonium persulfate enabled a unique in situ halogen exchange pathway, yielding chlorobenzene as the exclusive product from bromobenzene and iodobenzene. XRD and XPS analysis of crystalline by-products confirmed the formation of NH₄HSO₄, BaSO₄, and NH₄Cl, providing evidence for the persulfate-driven radical mechanism. Iodine detection in upper-layer crystals confirmed iodobenzene products, while the absence of chlorine signals in the upper layer confirmed separation of organic and inorganic species. The detection of barium sulfate peaks confirms that the catalyst support retains its structural integrity under harsh reaction conditions, demonstrating chemical stability and reusability potential. Collectively, these findings establish a clear structure–activity relationship and demonstrate that the synergy between modified BaSO₄ surfaces and persulfate-generated radicals provides an efficient, sustainable platform for aromatic chlorination, offering significant potential for pharmaceutical, agrochemical, and fine chemical manufacturing applications. Full article

Zn₂SnO₄ is a promising anode for lithium-ion batteries owing to its high theoretical capacity, yet its practical utilization is severely limited by sluggish reaction kinetics, large volume expansion, and unstable electrode/electrolyte interfaces. Here, we introduce a dimensionality-reduction strategy that simultaneously boosts capacity and cycling stability. Through surfactant-directed crystal growth, acid-etching reconstruction, and hydrothermal carbon coating, compact Zn₂SnO₄ octahedra are controllably transformed into sheet-assembled structures and finally into a core–shell composite with a continuous carbon layer (C@M-Zn₂SnO₄ (H⁺)). The continuous structural evolution shortens Li⁺ diffusion paths, buffers mechanical stress, and stabilizes the solid–electrolyte interface without altering the intrinsic lithium-storage mechanism of Zn₂SnO₄. As a result, the optimized C@M-Zn₂SnO₄ (H⁺) electrode delivers a reversible capacity of 650 mAh g⁻¹ after activation and retains 620 mAh g⁻¹ after 600 cycles at 200 mA g⁻¹, with Coulombic efficiency approaching 100% throughout. This work demonstrates that dimensionality-reduction-assisted structural engineering is an effective strategy for developing high-capacity, long-cycle-life anode materials. Full article

The indole core is a structural component of a huge number of biologically active natural and synthesized compounds and pharmaceuticals, and their efficient synthesis is an important challenge. Fluorinated indoles have attracted considerable attention, since it was established that fluorine introduction can influence the biological activity of organic molecules. The initial PdCl₂-catalyzed intramolecular cyclization of 4,5-difluoro-2-(phenylethynyl)aniline led to the formation of the corresponding indole in high yield. The result of its subsequent treatment with Selectfluor was the introduction of one or two fluorine atoms onto position 3. The reaction products were isolated individually by preparative thin-layer chromatography and characterized by spectroscopic methods, including IR, ¹H NMR, ¹⁹F NMR, ¹³C NMR and HRMS. The structure of indole, exhaustively fluorinated at position 3—3,3,5,6-tetrafluoro-2-phenyl-3H-indole—was confirmed through single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis. Full article

We formulate a gauge-invariant phenomenological theory for a charged three-component condensate in an anisotropic layered superconductor. The construction is conditional on a material-specific pairing calculation selecting an isolated, predominantly triplet channel; it does not infer triplet pairing from layering or spin–orbit coupling alone. The order parameter is represented equivalently by a spin-1 spinor, a complex d-vector, and a pure-vector complex quaternion. Only the mapping and the density-spin bilinear are retained in the main text. A static Ginzburg–Landau functional then yields axial-polar, planar-polar, easy-axis polarized, and broken-axisymmetry mean-field states. Conservative Gross–Pitaevskii dynamics are introduced only as an additional composite-boson limit, not as a generic consequence of the Ginzburg–Landau theory. In that limit, analytic spectra are given for the axial-polar and easy-axis phases: the transverse spin branch softens at the axial-polar to broken-axisymmetry boundary, whereas crystal locking gaps the transverse magnon of the polarized phase. We do not claim a closed analytic spectrum for the mixed broken-axisymmetry phase. The static transverse current-response kernel provides a quantitative link between penetration-depth anisotropy and the gradient tensor. Ideal Bose condensation and BKT formulas are stated only in their controlled three- and two-dimensional limits. The framework therefore supplies a compact, falsifiable set of phase, mode, and response relations without introducing additional quaternionic degrees of freedom. Full article

Constructing heterointerfaces between semiconductor photocatalysts and carbonaceous materials is an effective strategy for enhancing photocatalytic performance. However, the role of graphene oxide (GO) in modulating the interfacial electronic properties of Aurivillius-layered perovskites has remained unexplored, until now. In this work, GO/Na_0.5Bi_2.5Nb₂O₉ (ABNO) composites, denoted as GABNO, with different GO loadings were successfully synthesized using a hydrothermal method. Structural, chemical and surface characterizations confirmed the formation of intimate GO/ABNO heterointerfaces without altering the crystal structure of ABNO. GO incorporation established electronically coupled heterointerfaces and modified the interfacial electronic environment, as evidenced by XPS and flat-band potential analyses. Among all samples, GABNO 0.1 (0.1 mg GO loading) exhibited the highest photocatalytic activity, achieving nearly 100% Rhodamine B removal within 120 min and significantly enhancing methyl orange removal under UV–visible light irradiation. Radical trapping experiments further revealed that GO altered the dominant photocatalytic reaction pathway from hole-dominated oxidation to superoxide-radical-mediated degradation. The superior photocatalytic performance is attributed to GO-induced interfacial electronic interactions, which facilitate efficient interfacial electron utilization and alter the dominant photocatalytic reaction pathway. This work provides new insight into the design of GO/Aurivillius-layered perovskite and highlights interfacial electronic regulation as an effective strategy for developing high-performance photocatalysts for environmental remediation. Full article

This study reports the synthesis and characterization of a dinuclear zinc(II) complex, [Zn₂(L1)₂(L2)]·DMF·Et₃N (C₄₅H₅₄F₂N₁₀O₅S₂Zn₂), constructed from a fluoro-substituted thiosemicarbazone Schiff base ligand (2-(3-fluoro-5-hydroxybenzylidene)-N-methylhydrazine-1-carbothioamide, L1) and a rigid bipyridine auxiliary ligand (1,4-di(pyridin-4-yl)-2,5-dimethoxybenzene, L2) under solvothermal conditions. Single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis reveals that the complex crystallizes in the monoclinic space group C2/c, featuring discrete dinuclear [Zn₂] units in which each Zn(II) center adopts a distorted square pyramidal geometry. These dinuclear units are extended into one-dimensional zigzag chains along the crystallographic c-axis via bridging L2 ligands, and further assembled into a two-dimensional supramolecular layer through hydrogen-bonding interactions involving lattice triethylamine and DMF molecules, ultimately forming a three-dimensional network. Both DMF and triethylamine molecules are disordered about a twofold rotation axis. This work highlights the structural directing roles of the fluoro-substituted multidentate Schiff base ligand and the rigid auxiliary ligand in the assembly of zinc(II) coordination polymers. Full article

Amid global warming, mountain forests increasingly serve as summer climate shelters, yet the behavioral logic of forest sojourning extends beyond mere heat avoidance. This study employs a grounded theory approach, based on semi-structured in-depth interviews with 30 summer forest sojourners in Lingchuan County, China, to construct a theoretical model of the “dual-pathway driving mechanism for psychophysical state transition.” The findings reveal three interconnected dimensions. First, forest sojourning is associated with two intertwined motivational pathways—heat avoidance (damage aversion) and wellness pursuit (benefit seeking)—forming a nested structure where heat avoidance is the surface layer and wellness pursuit the underlying driver, with participants retrospectively describing a perceived shift in motivational salience as their sojourn deepened. Second, psychophysical restoration is perceived by participants as emerging from a synergy of environmental perception, activity experience, and companionship interaction, as a conceptual heuristic formula formally expressed as Restorative Effect ≈ Environmental Perception × Activity Experience × Companionship Interaction. Third, the core value of forest sojourning lies in enabling a fundamental existential state transition from “fast-paced survival” to “slow-living being,” which becomes internalized as value identification with pristine ecology and opposition to over-commercialization, crystallizing into normative expectations for destination development. This model extends push-pull theory in wellness tourism, advances restorative mechanisms research within Attention Restoration Theory, and redirects tourism value inquiry from experience evaluation toward existential states, providing theoretical foundations for the sustainable planning of forest wellness destinations. Full article

The 7075-T6 aluminum alloy exhibits excellent specific strength due to the presence of precipitated η′ phase, but its surface mechanical performance under demanding conditions is often limited. In this study, a horizontal cylindrical magnetron sputtering system was used to deposit TiN coatings on the surface of 7075-T6 aluminum alloy to enhance its surface mechanical properties and structural performance. The effects of deposition temperature, substrate bias voltage, and N₂/Ar flow ratio on the microstructure, surface morphology, phase composition, hardness, and residual stress of the coatings were systematically investigated. The results showed that at 80 °C, enhanced lateral atomic diffusion promoted the transformation of the coating growth mode from coarse columnar crystals to dense quasi-layered structures. The surface roughness decreased from 0.193 μm at room temperature to 0.077 μm, the (111) preferred orientation significantly increased, the hardness reached 383 HV, and the compressive stress was −2.8 GPa. However, when the temperature was raised to 120 °C, grain coarsening and TiN/7075Al interface thermal mismatch stress dominated, and the hardness decreased by approximately 19.3%. At −80 V bias, the atomic impact effect produced by ion bombardment made the coating densified optimally, with the lowest surface roughness of 0.068 μm, a hardness of 377 HV, and a compressive stress of −3.1 GPa; at −150 V, excessive bombardment led to severe re-sputtering and lattice distortion, resulting in a compressive stress of −6.8 GPa and a hardness of 351 HV. When N₂/Ar = 10/25, the reaction sputtering kinetics and chemical thermodynamic conditions reached the optimal balance, achieving the highest diffraction peak signal-to-noise ratio and the narrowest full width at half maximum. These results reveal the temperature-dependent competitive relationship between thermally activated coating densification and thermal mismatch-induced structural degradation, providing insights into the optimization of TiN coating deposition parameters on aluminum alloys. Full article

Two-dimensional (2D) organic–inorganic hybrid perovskites exhibit coupled ionic, electronic, and electromechanical responses that can strongly influence local charge transport. Here, solution-processed mixed-halide butylammonium lead perovskite crystals were mechanically exfoliated and investigated using X-ray diffraction, atomic force microscopy, piezoresponse force microscopy (PFM), and conductive atomic force microscopy (c-AFM). PFM measurements under −5, 0, and +5 V revealed clear bias-dependent changes in amplitude and phase, indicating an electric field-sensitive local electromechanical response. Local c-AFM measurements showed nonlinear bipolar hysteresis, with a pronounced increase in current near +7–8 V and a decrease near −7 to −6 V during the subsequent negative sweep. Because the crystals are mixed ionic–electronic conductors and the nanoscale tip–sample junction introduces substantial injection and contact barriers, the observed behavior is interpreted as resistive switching-like conductivity modulation, rather than definitive ferroelectric switching. The results are consistent with the combined contributions of charge injection, trap filling, possible ionic redistribution, and piezoelectricity-associated modulation of the local transport barrier. These findings provide nanoscale insight into electric field-dependent electromechanical and out-of-plane conductive behaviors in layered 2D hybrid perovskites. Full article

Urban Digital Twins excel at modeling physical infrastructure but remain structurally limited in capturing the qualitative, experiential dimensions of urban life—particularly sense of place, which empirical research links to civic stewardship and long-term sustainability. This study investigates whether generative AI can serve as a participatory elicitation interface for surfacing these missing human data layers. Through a mixed-methods experimental design, 24 residents of Austin, Texas, each selected a personally meaningful public urban space and created visual representations using both hand-drawn sketching and iterative co-creation with the text-to-image model DALL-E. Pre- and post-experiment surveys and semi-structured interviews captured participants’ perceptions of the outputs and self-reported shifts in place awareness. The findings reveal a dialectical tension: DALL-E consistently defaulted to generic visual archetypes, overriding participants’ localized descriptions. However, this algorithmic homogenization paradoxically deepened participants’ sense of place through a process we term ‘validation by contrast’—residents utilized the AI’s inaccurate outputs as a foil to consciously articulate what made their environments authentically meaningful. These findings suggest that for human-centric Digital Twins, the actionable data lies not in the AI-generated image itself, but in the negotiation process through which residents defend and crystallize their authentic spatial identity. Full empirical validation of this pattern, including systematic comparison across representation modalities, is reserved for future work. Full article

In this work, a Fe-based amorphous coating (Fe₄₄Cr₁₈Mo₇Ni₄Cu₂B₂₀Si₃C₂) was fabricated via high-velocity oxygen fuel (HVOF) spraying, and the effect of annealing temperature on its microstructure, phase composition, and corrosion resistance in 3.5 wt.% NaCl solution was investigated. The as-sprayed (AS) coating exhibits an amorphous content of 85.71% and a porosity of 1.37%. Annealing at 540 °C (H540) reduces porosity to 0.98% without significant crystallization, whereas annealing at 640 °C (H640) and 740 °C (H740) triggers extensive crystallization (amorphous content drops to 24.18% and 19.20%), and porosity increases to 1.82% and 2.17%. Electrochemical tests show that corrosion resistance deteriorates progressively with increasing temperature. i_corr increases from 3.56 μA/cm² (AS) to 50.0 μA/cm² (H740), while R_p decreases from 8472 to 669 Ω·cm². EIS reveals that the AS coating is dominated by the inner barrier layer (R_b >> R_t), whereas annealing causes a drastic collapse of R_b (from 8.374 × 10⁴ to 5.011 Ω·cm²). This degradation is attributed to crystallization-induced grain boundaries and reduced effective Cr content, which impair passive film integrity and accelerate corrosion. Full article

Hyperbolic mode resonance (HMR) has emerged as a solution to conventional sensing limitations. HMR is introduced into a photonic crystal fiber (PCF) for sensing in this research. A dual-channel PCF sensor for both refractive index (RI) and temperature measurement is proposed. The device has two independent sensing channels on the dual-side polishing surface of the PCF. An Au/SnO₂ bilayer in the RI channel induces HMR, while the SnO₂/PDMS bilayer in the temperature channel induces lossy mode resonance, with PDMS as the temperature-sensitive material. By introducing an Au layer to excite the HMR effect, the sensor achieves enhanced resonance depth and figure of merit (FOM) without sacrificing sensitivity. When the RI ranges from 1.34 to 1.426 and the temperature varies from 25 °C to 100 °C, the optimized sensor achieves a maximum RI sensitivity of 9100 nm/RIU and a maximum temperature sensitivity of −5 nm/°C. A $2\times 2$ sensitivity-matrix analysis confirms effective dual-parameter decoupling, with demodulation errors below $5\times {10}^{-4}$ RIU and 0.1 °C under simultaneous RI and temperature variations. This PCF sensor offers high sensitivity, quantifiably low crosstalk, wide detection range and good fabrication tolerance, making it promising for biomedical, environmental and industrial applications. Full article