Command filter-based event-triggered control for stochastic MEMS gyroscopes with finite-time prescribed performance.

This paper proposes an adaptive neural control strategy for stochastic microelectromechanical system (MEMS) gyroscopes, aiming to achieve a prescribed performance in a finite time. The radial basis function neural network is introduced to address the system's unknown nonlinear dynamics and stochastic disturbances. Then, the technology of finite-time prescribed performance function, along with the method of command-filtered backstepping design, is utilized to ensure both transient and steady-state performance and simultaneously solve the problem of "explosion of complexity." Moreover, a switching threshold event-triggered control law is proposed to cut down on communication resources and eliminate corresponding parametric inequality restrictions. The proposed adaptive state feedback control strategy is able to guarantee that the output tracking error converges to a prescribed, arbitrarily small residual set. Additionally, the closed-loop system's signals can be semi-globally ultimately uniformly bounded in probability. Finally, numerical simulations demonstrate the effectiveness and superiority of the proposed strategy.

Preserved Ratio Impaired Spirometry and COPD Accelerate Frailty Progression: Evidence From a Prospective Cohort Study.

BACKGROUND: COPD has been found to be associated with frailty. However, longitudinal evidence for associations of COPD with frailty progression is inadequate. Furthermore, recent studies revealed a new phenotype of lung function impairment: preserved ratio impaired spirometry (PRISm) findings. Associations of PRISm findings and their transitions with frailty progression are unclear. RESEARCH QUESTION: What are the associations of PRISm findings, transitions of PRISm findings, and COPD with frailty progression? STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: To analyze the associations of PRISm findings and COPD with frailty progression, 5,901 patients were included from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing. Patients were classified into three lung function patterns of normal spirometry (NS) findings, PRISm findings, and COPD. Frailty progression was assessed by repeated measurements of the frailty index (FI) during follow-up. Among these 5,901 patients, 3,765 patients were included to analyze the associations of PRISm findings transitions with frailty progression. PRISm findings transitions were assessed based on the changes of lung function patterns after a 4-year interval. Linear mixed-effect models were used for statistical analyses. RESULTS: The median follow-up periods were 9.5 years for the analyses of PRISm findings and COPD with frailty progression and 5.8 years for PRISm findings transitions with frailty progression. When compared with participants with NS findings, patients with PRISm findings and COPD demonstrated accelerated FI progression with additional annual increases of 0.301 (95% CI, 0.211-0.392; P < .001) and 0.172 (95% CI, 0.102-0.242; P < .001), respectively. Patients who transitioned from NS findings to PRISm findings also demonstrated accelerated FI progression when compared with those with stable NS findings (ß = 0.242; 95% CI, 0.008-0.476; P = .042). However, no accelerated FI progression was found in patients with PRISm findings who transitioned to NS findings (ß = 0.119; 95% CI, -0.181 to 0.418; P = .438). INTERPRETATION: Our findings indicate that PRISm findings and COPD are associated with accelerated frailty progression. Further studies are needed to elucidate the causality of the association of PRISm findings and COPD with frailty.

Healthy lifestyle scores associate with incidence of type 2 diabetes mediated by uric acid.

BACKGROUND: Whether and to what extent serum uric acid (SUA) mediates the association between combined lifestyle behaviors and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) remain unclear. This study aimed to investigate the role of SUA in the relationship between healthy lifestyle scores (HLS) and the incidence of T2DM. METHODS: This prospective study used data from Zhejiang Metabolic Syndrome cohort. A HLS (5-point scale including healthy waist circumference (WC), never smoking, high physical activity, healthy diet and moderate alcohol intake) was estimated in 13,919 participants, who had SUA at baseline examination in 2009-2014, and were followed-up to 2021-2022 to ascertain incident of T2DM. Cox proportional hazards models and mediation analysis were used to examine the associations between HLS, SUA and T2DM. RESULTS: We included 13,919 participants aged 18 years or older without diabetes at baseline (mean age 54.6 [SD 13.9] years, 58.7% female). During a median follow-up of 9.94 years, 645 cases of T2DM occurred. Compared with participants with a poor HLS, those with 4-5 low-risk lifestyle factors showed a 60% reduction in the risk of developing T2DM (adjusted HR, 0.40; 95% CI: 0.28-0.57). Further, the population-attributable risk percent (95% CI) of T2DM for poor adherence to the overall healthy lifestyle (< 4 low-risk factors) was 43.24% (30.02%, 56.46%). The HLS was inversely associated with SUA level. With per score increased in HLS, the beta (95% CI) of SUA (log transformed) was - 0.03 (- 0.03, - 0.02), and the odds ratio (95% CI) of hyperuricemia was 0.82 (0.77, 0.86). The relationship between the HLS and risk of T2DM was mediated by SUA with a 13.06% mediation effect. There was no significant combined effect of HLS and SUA on risk of T2DM (P = 0.097). CONCLUSIONS: The relationship between overall healthy lifestyle behaviors and T2DM was reconfirmed and the association appeared to be mediated by SUA. The mediation effect of baseline SUA was more pronounced among women who were below 60 years old.

Wood-Derived Polymers from Olefin-Functionalized Lignin and Ethyl Cellulose via Thiol-Ene Click Chemistry.

Lignin and cellulose derivatives have vast potential to be applied in polymer materials. The preparation of cellulose and lignin derivatives through esterification modification is an important method to endow cellulose and lignin with good reactivity, processability and functionality. In this study, ethyl cellulose and lignin are modified via esterification to prepare olefin-functionalized ethyl cellulose and lignin, which are further used to prepare cellulose and lignin cross-linker polymers via thiol-ene click chemistry. The results show that the olefin group concentration in olefin-functionalized ethyl cellulose and lignin reached 2.8096 mmol/g and 3.7000 mmol/g. The tensile stress at break of the cellulose cross-linked polymers reached 23.59 MPa. The gradual enhancement in mechanical properties is positively correlated with the olefin group concentration. The existence of ester groups in the cross-linked polymers and degradation products makes them more thermally stable. In addition, the microstructure and pyrolysis gas composition are also investigated in this paper. This research is of vast significance to the chemical modification and practical application of lignin and cellulose.

Recent Advances in Degradation of Polymer Plastics by Insects Inhabiting Microorganisms.

Plastic pollution endangers all natural ecosystems and living creatures on earth. Excessive reliance on plastic products and excessive production of plastic packaging are extremely dangerous for humans because plastic waste has polluted almost the entire world, whether it is in the sea or on the land. This review introduces the examination of pollution brought by non-degradable plastics, the classification and application of degradable materials, and the current situation and strategy to address plastic pollution and plastic degradation by insects, which mainly include Galleria mellonella, Zophobas atratus, Tenebrio molitor, and other insects. The efficiency of plastic degradation by insects, biodegradation mechanism of plastic waste, and the structure and composition of degradable products are reviewed. The development direction of degradable plastics in the future and plastic degradation by insects are prospected. This review provides effective ways to solve plastic pollution.

Simulation Study on the Optimisation of Replenishment of Landscape Water with Reclaimed Water Based on Transparency.

Water-scarce cities have fewer surface water (SW) resources available for ecological use, causing landscape water to deteriorate due to water shortage and fail to perform their intended landscape functions. As a result, many cities use reclaimed water (RW) to replenish them. However, this could cause concern among the people, as RW usually has higher nutrient concentrations, which may stimulate algae growth and deteriorate the aesthetic senses of the receiving water bodies. In order to assess the feasibility of using RW for this purpose, this study used Xingqing Lake in Northwest China as insight into the effect of RW replenishment on the visual landscape quality of urban landscape water. Water transparency (measured by SD) is used as an intuitive indicator to reflect the comprehensive influence of suspended solids and algae growth on the water's aesthetic quality. Scenario analyses were carried out after calibrating and validating one-year data in MIKE 3 software with both SD and algae growth calculations, and the results showed that the low concentration of suspended matter in RW could compensate for the decrease in SD due to algal blooms caused by high concentrations of nitrogen and phosphorus, and the effect on SD is especially pronounced under conditions that are not conducive to algal growth, such as good flow conditions and low temperature. In addition, to meet a SD ≥ 70 mm, the total water inflow required can be significantly reduced with the optimal application of RW. It is also indicated that partial or complete utilization of RW to replace SW for replenishing the landscape water could be feasible from the viewpoint of landscape quality, at least for the landscape water investigated in this study. This can provide a method for the improvement to urban water management practices by using RW for replenishment in water-scarce cities.

Perfluorooctane sulfonate-induced apoptosis in kidney cells by triggering the NOX4/ROS/JNK axis and antagonism of cannabidiol.

Perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) is one of the persistent organic pollutants (POPs), which can cause severe nephrotoxicity in mammals. Cannabinol (CBD), a nonpsychoactive cannabinoid obtained from the cannabis plant, has attracted attention in recent years for its excellent antioxidant properties. NADPH oxidase 4 (NOX4) has an important effect in supporting normal renal physiological function. The potential mechanisms of PFOS nephrotoxicity and whether CBD can prevent renal damage caused by PFOS remain unclear. This work aimed to study the mechanisms of PFOS-induced kidney damage and the protective role of CBD against PFOS-induced kidney damage. We demonstrated that PFOS led to renal insufficiency and structural damage in mice, induced overexpression of NOX4 and the onset of oxidative stress, and activated apoptosis of the mitochondrial pathway via the JNK signaling pathway. However, treatment with CBD reversed these changes. For further investigation of the potential mechanism of PFOS-induced renal cell apoptosis, the expression of NOX4 was inhibited in vitro experiments using Apocynin, an effective NOX4 inhibitor. The outcomes showed that PFOS-induced ROS production and JNK signaling pathway activation and apoptosis in human embryonic kidney (HEK293) cells were significantly reduced after inhibition of NOX4. This suggests that PFOS-induced NOX4 overexpression serves as an upstream event for JNK pathway activation. In conclusion, the findings suggest that PFOS induces apoptosis in renal cells via the NOX4/ROS/JNK pathway. Meanwhile, CBD alleviated PFOS-induced renal apoptosis through the inhibition of NOX4/ROS/JNK axis activation.

Effect of Solid Fat Content in Fat Droplets on Creamy Mouthfeel of Acid Milk Gels.

Previous studies have shown that emulsions with higher solid fat content (SFC) are related to a higher in-mouth coalescence level and fat-related perception. However, the effect of SFC in fat droplets on the fat-related attributes of emulsion-filled gels has not been fully elucidated. In this study, the effect of SFC on the creamy mouthfeel of acid milk gel was investigated. Five kinds of blended milk fats with SFC values ranging from 10.61% to 85.87% were prepared. All crystals in the blended milk fats were needle-like, but the onset melting temperature varied widely. Blended milk fats were then mixed with skim milk to prepare acid milk gels (EG10−EG85, fat content 3.0%). After simulated oral processing, the particle size distribution and confocal images of the gel bolus showed that the degree of droplet coalescence in descending order was EG40 > EG20 > EG60 > EG10 ≥ EG85. There was no significant difference in apparent viscosity measured at a shear rate of 50/s between bolus gels, but the friction coefficients measured at 20 mm/s by a tribological method were negatively correlated with the coalescence result. Furthermore, quantitative descriptive analysis and temporal dominance of sensations analysis showed that SFC significantly affected the ratings of melting, mouth coating, smoothness and overall creaminess, as well as the perceived sequence and the duration of melting, smoothness and mouth coating of acid milk gels. Overall, our study highlights the role of intermediate SFC in fat droplets on the creamy mouthfeel of acid milk gels, which may contribute to the development of low-fat foods with desirable sensory perception.

Synthesis, Crystal Structure and Biological Activity of Two Triketone-Containing Quinoxalines as HPPD Inhibitors.

Two new triketone-containing quinoxaline derivatives were designed by fragment splicing strategy and synthesized using 3,4-diaminobenzoic acid and substituted cyclohexanedione as starting materials. Both compounds were characterized by IR, 1H and 13C NMR, HRMS and X-ray diffraction. 3-Hydroxy-5-methyl-2-(quinoxaline-6-carbonyl)cyclohex-2-en-1-one (6a) crystallized in the triclinic system, space group Pi, a = 7.9829(2) Å, b = 8.1462(2) Å, c = 10.7057(3) Å, α = 84.3590(10)°, ß = 89.7760(10)°, γ = 87.4190(10)°, Z = 2, V = 692.12(3) Å3, F(000) = 296, Dc = 1.335 Mg/m3, m(MoKa) = 0.095 mm-1, R = 0.0683 and wR= 0.1983. 3-Hydroxy-5,5-dimethyl-2-(3-ethoxyquinoxaline-6-carbonyl)cyclohex-2-en-1-one (6b) crystallized in the monoclinic system, space group P21/c, a = 10.1554(6) Å, b = 9.6491(6) Å, c = 17.7645(10) Å, ß = 90.784(2)°, Z = 4, V = 1740.59(18) Å3, F(000) = 720, Dc = 1.299 Mg/m3, m(MoKa) = 0.092 mm-1, R = 0.0462 and wR = 0.1235. Physicochemical property comparison and ADMET prediction showed that compound 6a had similar properties to the commercial herbicide mesotrione. Molecular docking results showed that the interactions between 6a and AtHPPD were similar to mesotrione. Moreover, the extended aromatic ring system and the additional alkyl form more interactions with the surrounding residues. Examination of AtHPPD inhibition and herbicidal activity showed that 6a had similar inhibition values to mesotrione and had a superior inhibitory effect on Echinochloa crus-galli.

Structural Evolution of Graphitic Carbon Derived from Ionic Liquids-Dissolved Cellulose and Its Application as Lithium-Ion Battery Anodes.

With an attempt to replace petroleum-derived commercial graphite (CG) with biomass-derived carbon, microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) dissolved in 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium acetate (BMIMAcO) was facilely carbonized to prepare cellulose-derived carbon under a low-temperature range of 250-1600 °C. TEM and AFM results revealed structural evolution of carbon nanosheets starting from carbon dots. The XRD and Raman results showed that the degree of crystallinity of the MCC-derived carbon was apparently enhanced as the temperature was increased to 93.02% at 1600 °C, while the XPS results revealed that the nitrogen content was greatly reduced with increasing temperature. BMIMAcO not only induced low-temperature graphitization of MCC-derived carbon but also provided nitrogen doping for the carbon. Used as an anode of lithium-ion batteries (LIBs), the carbon synthesized at 750 °C showed the best cyclic stability and reversible capacity (1052.22 mAh g-1 at 0.5 A g-1 after 100 cycles and 1017.46 mAh g-1 at 1 A g-1 after 1000 cycles) compared to other MCC-derived carbon and CG. In addition, the costs of cellulose-derived carbon are much lower than those of the petroleum-derived graphite, showing environmental and economical merits for LIB anode production.

Rheological behaviors, structural properties and freeze-thaw stability of normal and waxy genotypes of barley starch: a comparative study with mung bean, potato, and corn starches.

The rheological behaviors, structural properties and freeze-thaw stability of starch isolated from Tetonia barley (Normal genotype, Reg. No. CV-334, PI 646199) and Transit barley (Waxy genotype, Reg. No. CV-348, PI 660128) were investigated, along with other common starch sources for comparison. Transit barley starch showed the highest loss tangents (tan δ) during a frequency sweep test, which suggested a predominance of elastic properties over viscous properties. However, the tan δ of Tetonia barley starch was similar to that of potato starch, which indicated more solidity in comparison to Transit barley starch. Transit barley starch had the highest gelatinization temperature and the lowest gelatinization enthalpy (P < 0.05). Moreover, Tetonia and Transit barley starches displayed weak diffraction peak intensities by X-ray diffraction analysis. Additionally, Transit barley starch showed the lowest % syneresis even when freeze-thawed up to five cycles (P < 0.05). However, Tetonia barley starch had the worst freeze-thaw stability (P < 0.05), which was verified via scanning electron microscopy analysis of freeze-thawed starch gels. The results of present study indicate that barley starch can be practically applied as a functional ingredient in some specialty starchy foods.

Rubber Seed Oil-Based UV-Curable Polyurethane Acrylate Resins for Digital Light Processing (DLP) 3D Printing.

Novel UV-curable polyurethane acrylate (PUA) resins were developed from rubber seed oil (RSO). Firstly, hydroxylated rubber seed oil (HRSO) was prepared via an alcoholysis reaction of RSO with glycerol, and then HRSO was reacted with isophorone diisocyanate (IPDI) and hydroxyethyl acrylate (HEA) to produce the RSO-based PUA (RSO-PUA) oligomer. FT-IR and 1H NMR spectra collectively revealed that the obtained RSO-PUA was successfully synthesized, and the calculated C=C functionality of oligomer was 2.27 per fatty acid. Subsequently, a series of UV-curable resins were prepared and their ultimate properties, as well as UV-curing kinetics, were investigated. Notably, the UV-cured materials with 40% trimethylolpropane triacrylate (TMPTA) displayed a tensile strength of 11.7 MPa, an adhesion of 2 grade, a pencil hardness of 3H, a flexibility of 2 mm, and a glass transition temperature up to 109.4 °C. Finally, the optimal resin was used for digital light processing (DLP) 3D printing. The critical exposure energy of RSO-PUA (15.20 mJ/cm2) was lower than a commercial resin. In general, this work offered a simple method to prepare woody plant oil-based high-performance PUA resins that could be applied in the 3D printing industry.

Nitrate shifted microenvironment: Driven aromatic-ring cleavage microbes and aromatic compounds precursor biodegradation during sludge composting.

The aim of this study was to clarify the aromatic cleavage pathways and microbes involved in the adverse effect of nitrate on aromatic compounds humic substances during sludge composting. Results showed that the functional microbes involved in aromatic compounds humic substances precursors (catechol, tyrosine, tryptophan and phenylalanine) cleavage pathways significantly enriched after nitrate addition. Linear regression analysis showed that aromatic-ring cleavage functional microbes exhibited significant negative correlation with aromatic humic substances (p < 0.05). Furthermore, network analysis indicated that most of microbial communities prefer cooperative with aromatic-ring cleavage functional microbes. Structural equation model further revealed that composting microenvironment drove aromatic-ring cleavage functional microbes activities, resulting in the biodegradation of complex aromatic compounds. This study parsed the effect of a negative factor on aromatic compounds humic substances from an opposing perspective. Properly controlling nitrate concentration and aromatic-ring cleavage functional microbes involved in precursors cleavage was suggested to the practice of composting.

Insight into the effects of regulating denitrification on composting: Strategies to simultaneously reduce environmental pollution risk and promote aromatic humic substance formation.

Denitrification during composting is a hidden danger that causes environmental pollution risk and aromatic humic substance damage, which needs to be better regulate urgently. In this study, two denitrification regulation methods, moisture and biochar amendment, were conducted during chicken manure composting. Denitrification performance data showed two regulation methods obviously reduced NO3--N, NO2--N and N2 contents. Humic substance increased by 25.3 % and 29.1 % under two regulations. Microbiological analysis indicated that two regulation methods could decreasing denitrifying functional microbes with aroma degradation capability. Subsequently, denitrification gene narG, nirS, nosZ were significantly inhibited (p < 0.05) and the aromatic degradation metabolism pathways were down-regulated. Correlation analysis further revealed the important influence of interspecific interactions and non-biological characteristics on functional microbes. These results provided important scientific basis to denitrification regulation in the practice of composting, which achieved the purpose of simultaneously controlling environmental pollution risk and conducing end-product formation.

Eco-friendly utilization of sawdust: Ionic liquid-modified biochar for enhanced Li+ storage of TiO2.

In China, forestry logging and wood processing produce hundreds of thousands of tons of sawdust every year, which is either discarded or burned. These nonecofriendly practices result in some challenges associated with greenhouse gas emissions. Sawdust-based biochar tailored for anodes of lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) can effectively realize value-added utilization of sawdust. The purpose of the current work is to prepare TiO2/biochar nanocomposites to improve the electrical conductivity and structural stability of the anode. However, poor interfacial interaction between TiO2 and carbon in the TiO2/C composites arising from their heterogeneous nature leads to structural deformation of the composites used as anodes of lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). A strategy of constructing ionic liquid-coupled biochar/TiO2 interfaces is proposed to obtain chemically bonded interfaces between TiO2 and sawdust-derived biochar. In this study, TiO2/C-880 composites are prepared by one-step carbonization of TiO2 nanoparticles (NPs) and sawdust at 880 °C previously dissolved in 1-butyl-3-methyl-imidazolium ([Bmim]H2PO4)/dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO). The morphologies of TiO2/C-880 demonstrate that the TiO2 is encapsulated by porous biochar with intimate interfaces, and the X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) results indicate the formation of N-Ti-O/N-O-Ti and Ti-O-P bonds that bridge the two components. TiO2/C-880 electrodes have high reversible specific capacities (404 mAh g-1 at 0.1 A g-1) and desirable long-term cyclic stability (100 mAh g-1 at 2 A g-1 throughout 2500 cycles). Moreover, large diffusion coefficients (DLi+) ranging from 5.9 × 10-11 to 1.2 × 10-9 cm2 s-1 are obtained from galvanostatic intermittent titration (GITT) curves. The N-Ti-O/N-O-Ti and Ti-O-P bonds at the interfaces offer routes for fast Li+/electron transport, which account for the high performance of the TiO2/C-880 electrodes.

Identifying the role of exogenous amino acids in catalyzing lignocellulosic biomass into humus during straw composting.

This study was aimed at exploring the mechanism of promoting humus formation by the addition of exogenous amino acids. Amino acids not only participated in the synthesis of humus directly as precursors, but also changed the functions of bacterial communities. The composition and diversity of bacterial community changed with the addition of amino acids. The ability of bacterial community to degrade lignocellulose was enhanced, which provided precursors for humus synthesis. The key bacteria for humus formation and organic matter transformation were identified using random forests. These bacteria showed growth advantage with the addition of amino acids. The results showed that exogenous amino acids tended to transform organic matter and synthesize humus. Variance partitioning analysis confirmed that the bacterial community was the driving force of humus synthesis. These results were further verified by the structural equation model. These findings provided new ideas and understanding for straw waste composting.

Comparative Study of Oxidative Structural Modifications of Unadsorbed and Adsorbed Proteins in Whey Protein Isolate-Stabilized Oil-in-Water Emulsions under the Stress of Primary and Secondary Lipid Oxidation Products.

The impact of typical primary or secondary lipid oxidation (LPO) products, selected as linoleic acid 13-hydroperoxide (13-HPODE) and malondialdehyde (MDA), on the structural modification of unadsorbed or adsorbed proteins in whey protein isolate (WPI)-stabilized oil-in-water (O/W) emulsions during storage up to 48 h at 37 °C in the dark was investigated. The results showed that either 13-HPODE and MDA could lead to structural modifications of unadsorbed or adsorbed proteins with a concentration-dependent manner and time relationship, respectively. Moreover, higher levels of MDA rendered a higher degree of oxidative modifications of WPI than 13-HPODE, indicated by the higher protein carbonyl contents and N'-formyl-L-kynurenine (NFK) and lower fluorescence intensity. Additionally, adsorbed proteins were more easily oxidized by LPO products than unadsorbed proteins. Overall, our results indicated that the formation of secondary LPO products and the protein position were crucial factors to increase the degree of oxidative modifications of WPI in O/W emulsion systems.

A novel approach for modulating the spatial distribution of fat globules in acid milk gel and its effect on the perception of fat-related attributes.

Modulating the inhomogeneous distribution of fat globules within an emulsion gel is now being considered an effective method to increase the perception of fat-related sensory attributes. However, the methods for preparing the inhomogeneous gel were relatively complicated in previous studies. In the present study, milks enriched with different sizes of fat globule were obtained and then used to prepare glucono-δ-lactone-induced milk gels. The gels with different spatial distributions of fat globules were obtained through natural creaming. To ensure the high fat content layer exist on the gel surface, the two gels made from the same milk were superimposed from the bottom to form a new gel. In situ confocal microscopy showed that under the same overall fat content, the superimposed gel containing larger fat globules (L-L gel) exhibited the greatest inhomogeneity in microstructure with the highest average surface fat area fraction (10.9%), and the largest difference in fat content between the surface and the inside layers (9.1%). To illustrate the effect of inhomogeneous distribution of fat globules in gels on the perception of fat-related attributes, quantitative descriptive sensory analysis as well as the lubrication properties measurement under simulated oral processing conditions were carried out. The results showed the superimposed gels exhibited higher creaminess ratings and lower friction coefficients at 20 mm/s than those of the original gels. Overall, the study modulated the spatial distribution of fat globules in acid milk gels through natural creaming and superimposition and illustrated its positive effect on the perception of fat-related sensory attributes.

Flexible Anti-Metal RFID Tag Antenna Based on High-Conductivity Graphene Assembly Film.

We propose a flexible anti-metal radio frequency identification (RFID) tag antenna based on a high-conductivity graphene assembly film (HCGAF). The HCGAF has a conductivity of 1.82 × 106 S m-1, a sheet resistance of 25 mΩ and a thickness of 22 µm. The HCGAF is endowed with high conductivity comparable to metal materials and superb flexibility, which is suitable for making antennas for microwave frequencies. Through proper structural design, parameter optimization, semiautomatic manufacturing and experimental measurements, an HCGAF antenna could realize a realized gain of -7.3 dBi and a radiation efficiency of 80%, and the tag could achieve a 6.4 m read range at 915 MHz on a 20 × 20 cm2 flat copper plate. In the meantime, by utilizing flexible polyethylene (PE) foam, good conformality was obtained. The read ranges of the tags attached to curved copper plates with different bending radii were measured, as well as those of those attached to several daily objects. All the results demonstrate the excellent performance of the design, which is highly favorable for practical RFID anti-metal applications.

Facile Fabrication of Superhydrophobic Cross-Linked Nanocellulose Aerogels for Oil-Water Separation.

A facile and environmental-friendly approach was developed for the preparation of the cross-linked nanocellulose aerogel through the freeze-drying process and subsequent esterification. The as-prepared aerogel had a three-dimensional cellular microstructure with ultra-low density of 6.05 mg·cm-3 and high porosity (99.61%). After modifying by chemical vapor deposition (CVD) with hexadecyltrimethoxysilane (HTMS), the nanocellulose aerogel displayed stable super-hydrophobicity and super-oleophilicity with water contact angle of 151°, and had excellent adsorption performance for various oil and organic solvents with the adsorption capacity of 77~226 g/g. Even after 30 cycles, the adsorption capacity of the nanocellulose aerogel for chloroform was as high as 170 g/g, indicating its outstanding reusability. Therefore, the superhydrophobic cross-linked nanocellulose aerogel is a promising oil adsorbent for wastewater treatment.