Fast, Easy, and Comprehensive Techniques for Microscopic Observations of Fungal and Oomycete Organisms Inside the Roots of Herbaceous and Woody Plants.

The roots of herbaceous and woody plants growing in soil are complex structures that are affected by both natural and artificial fungal colonization to various extents. To obtain comprehensive information about the overall distribution of fungi or oomycetes inside a plant root system, rapid, effective, and reliable screening methods are required. To observe both fine roots, i.e., a common site for penetration of fungi and oomycetes, and mature roots, different techniques are required to overcome visual barriers, such as root browning or tissue thickening. In our protocol, we propose using fast, cost-effective, and non-harmful methods to localize fungal or oomycete structures inside plant roots. Root staining with a fluorescent dye provides a quick initial indication of the presence of fungal structures on the root surfaces. The protocol is followed by clearing and staining steps, resulting in a deeper insight into the root tissue positioning, abundance, and characteristic morphological/reproductive features of fungal or oomycete organisms. If required, the stained samples can be prepared by using freeze-drying for further observations, including advanced microscopic techniques. Key features • The protocol enhances tissue-clearing techniques employing KOH or NaOH and is applicable to a broad range of roots from different plant species. • Hydroxides are mixed with hydrogen peroxide to obtain an efficient bleaching solution, which effectively clears roots without causing significant tissue damage. • The protocol could also be used for staining of fungi or oomycetes localized both on the root surface or inside the root tissues. • Simple combination of non-fluorescent methyl blue and fluorescent solophenyl flavine dyes allows the observation of fungal organisms in both brightfield and fluorescence microscopy.

Preparation of Aminated Sodium Lignosulfonate and Efficient Adsorption of Methyl Blue Dye.

The aminated sodium lignosulfonate (AELS) was prepared through a Mannich reaction and characterized via FT-IR, TG, SEM and XPS in this study. Subsequently, the adsorption capacity of AELS for methyl blue (MB) was evaluated under various conditions such as pH, adsorbent dosage, contact time, initial concentration and temperature. The adsorption kinetics, isotherms and thermodynamics of AELS for methyl blue were investigated and analyzed. The results were found to closely adhere to the pseudo-second-order kinetic model and Langmuir isotherm model, suggesting a single-molecular-layer adsorption process. Notably, the maximum adsorption capacity of AELS for methyl blue (153.42 mg g-1) was achieved under the specified conditions (T = 298 K, MAELS = 0.01 g, pH = 6, VMB = 25 mL, C0 = 300 mg L-1). The adsorption process was determined to be spontaneous and endothermic. Following five adsorption cycles, the adsorption capacity exhibited a minimal reduction from 118.99 mg g-1 to 114.33 mg g-1, indicating good stability. This study contributes to the advancement of utilizing natural resources effectively and sustainably.

Highly fluorescent quinone-capped silver hydrosol for environmental remediation and sensing applications.

A metal-enhanced fluorescence was achieved from in situ-generated Ag0 nanoparticles in the proximity of 2-hydroxy benzaldehyde (2HB). Such nanoparticles eliminated methyl blue (MB) dye from water exclusively in the presence of Zn2+ and were proven to be an efficient adsorbent for environmental remediation (maximum uptake capacity 1065 mg·g-1). Ag was zero valent in the absorbent, while Zn2+ was in Zn(OH)2 form. Fe3+ brought back MB in the aqueous medium due to the strong interaction of MB with Fe3+ and the regeneration of blue color helped to design a selective and sensitive Fe3+ sensing platform colorimetrically (linear detection range 10-4-10-6 M; linear detection limit 10-6 M). The silver nanoparticle-induced metal-enhanced fluorescence was quenched efficiently with MB. Pb2+ restored the quenched fluorescence by removing MB from the proximity of the metalized surface of silver, and Pb2+ sensing was performed fluorometrically (linear detection range; 10-5-5 × 10-8 M limit of detection 5 × 10-8 M). Iron and lead were also estimated in a variety of natural water sources, including rainfall, drinking water from taps, and water from the Ganga River via spiking method.

Multifunctional photocatalyst of graphitic carbon embedded with Fe2O3/Fe3O4 nanocrystals derived from lichen for efficient photodegradation of tetracycline and methyl blue.

We propose a feasible and economical method of constructing biomass-based multifunctional photocatalysts with excellent adsorption performance and high photodegradation abilities toward tetracycline (TC) and methyl blue (MB) under visible light. A series of novel hybrids of porous graphitic carbon embedded with Fe2O3/Fe3O4 nanocrystals (denoted as Fe2O3/Fe3O4@C) were derived from lichen doped with different dosages of Fe3+ by calcination at 700°C under a N2 atmosphere. The Fe2O3/Fe3O4@C hybrids exhibited nanoflake-like shapes, mesoporous structures, and efficient visible light harvesting, thus indicating enhanced adsorption ability and photoactivity toward pollutants. The formed Fe2O3/Fe3O4 heterojunction improved the separation efficiency and inhibited the recombination of photogenerated carriers, whereas the carbon network improved the transfer of photogenerated electrons. Under optimised conditions, the Fe2O3/Fe3O4@C-1 hybrid demonstrated enhanced photodegradation efficiencies of 96.4% for TC and 100% for MB under visible light. In addition, electron spin resonance and trapping measurements were performed to identify active species and determine the photocatalytic mechanism toward pollutants. •O2- and •OH were the active species involved, playing critical roles in the TC and MB photodegradation processes. In addition, a bacterium test revealed that the products of TC degradation by Fe2O3/Fe3O4@C-1 showed low biological toxicity. This work provides a promising preparation strategy or biomass-based photocatalysts for application in environmental pollutant treatment.

Fabrication of ordered layered SnO2/TiO2 heterostructures and their photocatalytic performance for methyl blue degradation.

The rapid growth in population and industrialization has given rise to serious environmental issues, especially the water pollution. Photocatalysis with the assist of semiconductor photocatalysts has been considered as an advanced oxidation technique for degrading a variety of pollutants under solar irradiation. In this work, we have fabricated SnO2-TiO2 heterostructures with different ordered layers of SnO2 and TiO2 via the sol-gel dip-coating technique and utilized in photocatalysis for degradation of methyl blue dye under UV irradiation. The influence of the layer's position on SnO2 and TiO2 properties is investigated via the various techniques. The grazing incidence X-ray diffraction (GIXRD) analysis reveals that the as-prepared films exhibit pure anatase TiO2 and kesterite SnO2 phases. The 2SnO2/2TiO2 heterostructure exhibit the maximum crystallite size and smallest deviation from the ideal structure. Scanning electron microscopy cross-section images manifest good adhesion of the layers to each other and to the substrate. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy reveals the characteristic vibration modes of SnO2 and TiO2 phases. UV-visible spectroscopy measurements indicate that all films exhibit high transparency (T = 80%) and the SnO2 film reveals a direct band gap of 3.6 eV, while the TiO2 film exhibits an indirect band gap of 2.9 eV. The optimal 2SnO2/2TiO2 heterostructure film revealed best photocatalytic degradation performance and the reaction rate constant for methylene blue solution under UV irradiation. This work will trigger the development of highly efficient heterostructure photocatalysts for environmental remediation.

Microwave hydrothermal preparation of reduced graphene oxide-induced p-AgO/n-MoO3 heterostructures for enhanced photocatalytic activity through S-scheme mechanism and its electronic performance.

Through a powerful and modest closed system Microwave hydrothermal process, a methodological analysis is made in the rational synthesis of the reduced graphene oxide-induced p-AgO/n-MoO3 (RGAM) heterostructures. These have strong p-n junction heterostructures with considerable electron-hole recombination functioning as solar catalysts. The enhanced photocatalytic activity through the plasmonic step scheme (S-scheme mechanism) describes the effective charge recombination process. The energy band positions, bandgap, and work function are determined to understand the Fermi level shifts; this describes the S-scheme mechanism by UPS analysis which assessed an electron transfer between AgO and MoO3, yielding work function values of 6.34 eV and 6.62eV, respectively. This photocatalytic activity aids in dye removal by 94.22%, and heavy metals such as chromium (Cr) are eliminated by the surface action of sunlight on the produced material during solar irradiation. Electrochemical studies such as photocurrent response, cyclic voltammogram, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy for RGAM heterostructures were also carried out. The study helps to broaden the search for and development of new hybrid carbon composites for electrochemical applications.

Kinetic adsorption of methyl blue dye from aqueous solution by PVC/PVC-based copolymer containing quaternary amine.

The present study has investigated the use of a blend polymer polyvinyl chloride/polyvinyl chloride-graft-poly[2-(dimethylamino) ethyl methacrylate containing a quaternary amine in its structure (PVC/PVC-g-PDMAEM(N+)) as an adsorbent for the removal of methyl blue dye from aqueous solution. The synthesized polymer blend has been characterized by Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FT-IR), scanning Electron Microscope-energy-dispersive spectroscopy (SEM-EDX), and the scanning Spectrophotometer Ultraviolet-visible (UV-Vis). The adsorption studies have been performed by batch experiments. Moreover, the pH effect, adsorbent dose, initial dye concentration, and contact time effect have been explored. Furthermore, the kinetic experimental data have been analyzed using pseudo-first and pseudo-second-order models. The results have shown that the adsorption process is more described by the pseudo-second-order model with a high determination coefficient. The equilibrium adsorption data have been analyzed using three widely applied isotherms: Langmuir, Freundlich, and Tempkin. The best fit was found to be Freundlich isotherm with maximum monolayer adsorption of Methyl Blue (MB) equal to 142.86 mg/g, which was observed at pH = 7. The results have indicated that the PVC/PVC-g-PDMAEM(N+) blend polymer is an efficient adsorbent for removing anionic dyes from wastewater.

Sulfonated polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane-cyclodextrin hybrid polymers for efficient removal of micropollutants from water.

Herein, ß-cyclodextrin-containing hybrid polymers (P1, P2 and P3) were prepared through crosslinking partially benzylated ß-cyclodextrin (PBCD) by octavinylsilsesquioxane (OVS). P1 stood out in screening studies and the residual hydroxyl groups of PBCD was sulfonate-functionalized. The obtained P1-SO3Na showed greatly enhanced adsorption towards cationic MPs and maintained the excellent adsorption performance towards neutral MPs. The rate constants (k2) of cationic MPs upon P1-SO3Na were 9.8-34.8 times larger than those upon P1. The equilibrium uptakes of the neutral and cationic MPs upon P1-SO3Na were above 94.5 %. Meanwhile, P1-SO3Na demonstrated appreciable adsorption capacities, excellent selectivity, effective adsorption of mixed MPs at environmental levels and good reusability. These results confirmed the great potential of P1-SO3Na as effective adsorbent to remove MPs from water.

Effect of Poling on Photocatalysis, Piezocatalysis, and Photo-Piezo Catalysis Performance of BaBi4Ti4O15 Ceramics.

This study focuses on analyzing the poling effect of BaBi4Ti4O15 (BBT) on the basis of photo and piezo-catalysis performance. BBT powder is prepared via a solid state reaction followed by calcination at 950 °C for 4 h. BBT is characterized by an X-ray diffractometer, scanning electron microscopy, Raman spectroscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The optical bandgap of BBT is evaluated with the help of Tauc's plot and found to be 3.29 eV, which comes in the photon energy range of ultra-violet radiation. BBT powder is poled by using Corona poling in the presence of 2 kV mm-1 of electric field. An aqueous solution of methyl blue (MB) dye in the presence of UV radiation is used to evaluate the photo/piezocatalysis performance. Photocatalysis, piezocatalysis, and photo-piezo catalysis degradation efficiencies of poled and unpoled BBT powder are tested for 120 min of UV light irradiation. Photo-piezocatalysis shows degradation efficiencies of 62% and 40% for poled and unpoled BBT powder, respectively. Poling of BBT powder shows significant enhancement in degradation performance of MB dye in aqueous solution. Scavenger tests are also performed to identify reactive species.

Sulfuric acid induced-synthesis coupled with ethanol extraction-water precipitation purification method for orange fluorescent carbon dots with dual-emission: Application for methyl blue detection and cell imaging.

In this work, by adjusting the sulfuric acid content in reaction solvent of ethanol, orange fluorescent carbon dots (O-FCDs) with dual-emission wavelength and blue fluorescent carbon dots (B-FCDs) with single-emission wavelength were successfully prepared using 1,3-dihydroxynaphthalene as precursor. Coupling with ethanol extraction-water precipitation purification method, pure O-FCDs and B-FCDs with yields of 9.0 % and 21.3 %, quantum yields (QYs) of 43.0 % and 13.7 % were obtained, respectively. The structures and optical properties of O-FCDs and B-FCDs were investigated by TEM, AFM, Raman, FT-IR, XPS, UV-vis, fluorescence analysis etc. The results revealed that sulfuric acid promoted the carbonization and the oxidation of precursor in the reaction process. In comparison with the B-FCDs, O-FCDs showed narrower lattice spacing and band gap, demonstrating the important role of sulfur-doping in fluorescence tuning. Additionally, O-FCDs showed good sensitivity for methyl blue with a linear response range of 0.05-100 µM (LOD was 20 nM) and the satisfactory results were obtained when O-FCDs were applied to the detection of methyl blue in real fish sample. Moreover, two FCDs showed good biocompatibility and negligible cytotoxicity proved by MTT experiment, while, O-FCDs showed better cell imaging effects than that of B-FCDs. Therefore, the O-FCDs had a broad application prospect as sensing platform in detection of methyl blue and for imaging in biological field.

N,P-codoped carbon quantum dots-decorated TiO2 nanowires as nanosized heterojunction photocatalyst with improved photocatalytic performance for methyl blue degradation.

N,P-doped carbon quantum dots (N,P-CQDs) are deemed as a promising candidate to environmentally friendly materials owing to the inexpensive, biocompatible nature. TiO2 nanowire is a prospective photocatalyst because of its efficient migration of photoexcited carriers in wastewater treatment. However, the N,P-CQDs-decorated TiO2 nanowire (N,P-CQDs/NW-TiO2) photocatalysts have been rarely reported. In this study, we build N,P-CQDs on the surface of TiO2 nanowires via a simple deposition process. Our investigations demonstrate that N,P-CQDs/NW-TiO2 has a great photocatalytic degradation for methyl blue (MB) under irradiation. The degradation rate of can reach 93.6% within 120 min under proper conditions. The excellent degradation performance of N,P-CQDs/NW-TiO2 is ascribed to the mesoporous structure and high separation rate of photoexcited carriers. In addition, the N,P-CQDs/NW-TiO2 have outstanding recycled photocatalytic capability. After being recycled four times, the N,P-CQDs/NW-TiO2 still maintain 59.9% photocatalytic activity. The fabricated nanosized photocatalyst can be widely utilized in the field of photocatalysis for wastewater treatment.

Facile synthesis of Zn-doped CdS nanowires with efficient photocatalytic performance.

In this study, one-dimensional zinc (Zn)-doped cadmium sulphide (CdS) nanowires were synthesised by a solvothermal method. The Zn doping concentrations were varied from 1 to 5 mol% (ZnxCd1-xS where x = 0.001, 0.003 and 0.005). As-prepared materials were characterised by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) spectroscopy and UV-visible spectroscopy. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) was conducted to measure the charge transfer resistance. The photocatalytic performance of prepared materials was evaluated by the photodegradation of methylene blue (MB) dye. The result showed that 5% Zn-doped CdS is more photoactive as compared to other corresponding doped and undoped CdS. The increase in photocatalytic performance is due to improvement in the charge separation.

Facile transformation of carboxymethyl cellulose beads into hollow composites for dye adsorption.

Novel millimeter hollow microspheres were fabricated from carboxymethyl cellulose microspheres and polyethyleneimine using glutaraldehyde as a crosslinking agent. The hollow microspheres prepared with different polyethyleneimine usages and different polyethyleneimine treatment time were investigated deeply and characterized via SEM-EDX, FT-IR, and BET surface area analysis. It was shown that polyethyleneimine could break the coordination bonds between the carboxyl and Al (III) in carboxymethyl cellulose microspheres, leading to the formation of hollow structures. Most importantly, the usage and treatment time of polyethyleneimine can distinctly tailor the structure of the carboxymethyl cellulose microspheres, resulting in the formation of different hollow microspheres with varied shell thickness and size. Most importantly, we found that the prepared hollow microspheres have excellent adsorption performance toward targeted methyl blue under testing conditions. By virtue of the large accessible amount of -NH2 groups and its unique hollow structure, this type of millimeter hollow microspheres have broad application prospects in the treatment of emerging contaminants in wastewater.

Polyethyleneimine grafted starch nanocrystals as a novel biosorbent for efficient removal of methyl blue dye.

In this paper, a novel biosorbent of SNCs-PEI was successfully prepared by grafting polyethylenimine (PEI) onto the starch nanocrystals (SNCs) using glutaraldehyde as a crosslinking agent. The optimal preparation conditions of SNCs-PEI were determined by the orthogonal experiments of the three-factor and three-level, and the SNCs-PEI was characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDAX), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The zeta potential of SNCs-PEI was +26.3 mV (pH 7), which had a good adsorption performance for the anionic dye methyl blue (MB). The adsorption kinetics and isotherm of MB by SNCs-PEI were studied. At the temperature of 25, 30 and 35 °C, its maximum adsorption capacity was 337.84, 377.36 and 383.14 mg g-1, respectively. The adsorption of MB by the SNCs-PEI was a spontaneous and endothermic process according to the thermodynamic analysis.

KIT-6 induced mesostructured TiO2 for photocatalytic degradation of methyl blue.

In this study, titania/silica nanocomposite and mesoporous TiO2 (m-TiO2) photocatalysts are developed by KIT-6 template via a sol-gel approach. The synthesized photocatalysts are characterized by XRD, EDX, SEM, Raman, PL, and UV-vis DRS analysis techniques. The as-synthesized series revealed a high surface area, smaller size, a greater number of accessible active sites, and enhanced light-harvesting capability. The m-TiO2 photocatalysts' charge recombination capability was curiously inferior to the rest of as-synthesized TiO2/KIT-6 nanocomposite materials. The band-gap of as-synthesized materials were suitable for their activity in UV light irradiations. It was pragmatic that the photocatalytic degradation efficiency of m-TiO2 photocatalysts was superior as compared to that of commercial TiO2 photocatalyst under UV light irradiations, owing to the synergistic outcome of the anatase phase and a greater number of accessible active-sites availability as a result of high surface area. Moreover, the m-TiO2 was critically evaluated by investigating various parameters affecting the photocatalytic degradation reaction of MB including the effect of irradiation time, pH, catalyst dosage, and dye concentration. The m-TiO2, 45wt% composite material and commercial-TiO2 exhibited 99.27, 91.20, and 84.67% degradation of methyl blue in 50 min, respectively. Finally, the m-TiO2 exhibited excellent recyclability with negligible loss of activity performance.

Azo-dye derived oxidized-nitrogen rich carbon sheets with high adsorption capability for dye effluent under both batch and continuous conditions.

The removal of methyl blue (MB) from wastewater using graphene and its derivative is very successful due to their high aromaticity which drives adsorption via π-π and electron-donor-acceptor (EDA) interactions; however, graphene is expensive and difficult to synthesize, which limit its practical application. Meanwhile, low aromatic carbon materials (LACM) derived from farm-water and other materials are cheaper and easier to synthesize but have limited π-π and EDA interactions and low adsorption capacity. Herein, we demonstrate that LACM with oxidized-nitrogen (N-O-) functionality overcomes this limitation via chemisorption of MB through a combination of hydrophobic-hydrophobic interactions and EDA interactions. This is confirmed using XPS analysis of LACM/N-O- post MB adsorption. Consequently, a remarkable adsorption capacity of 3904 mg g-1 is achieved under batch condition which is the highest ever reported for any MB adsorbent. Furthermore, LACM/N-O- works equally well under continuous-flow adsorption conditions which shows its practicability. Amongst several LACM precursors tested, only Azo-dyes are able to generate LACM/N-O- implying that the NN moiety is key to N-O- formation. A carbonization temperature of 700 °C generates the highest N-O- sites hence the highest adsorption capacity. Characterization of LACM/N-O- is done mainly using BET, XPS, Raman, TGA, and FTIR analysis.

Amine functionalized sodium alginate hydrogel for efficient and rapid removal of methyl blue in water.

Herein, a potential hydrogel based on sodium alginate (SA) integrated with polyethyleneimine (PEI) was fabricated and employed for the elimination of methyl blue (MB) in aqueous media. The SA/PEI hydrogel demonstrated excellent removal performance for MB, i.e. ~99% of MB could be removed from water within ~30 min using 0.5 g/L SA/PEI hydrogel at 100 mg/L initial concentration. The SA/PEI hydrogel presented maximum adsorption capacity for MB as-high as 400.0 mg/g with the adsorption isotherm and kinetics abide with the Langmuir isotherm model and pseudo second-order kinetics, respectively. The adsorption process followed through chelation between the functionality of the hydrogel and MB as-confirmed by the X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis. After four consecutive adsorption/desorption cycles, the adsorption capacity of the SA/PEI hydrogel remained up to ~60% of its adsorption capacity in first cycle. Thus, being a cost-effective and eco-friendly material, the SA/PEI hydrogel can be a potential adsorbent in the decontamination of MB in wastewater.

Nitrogen-enriched carbon sheet for Methyl blue dye adsorption.

In this work, nitrogen-enriched carbon sheet (NECS) was successfully fabricated by using sodium gluconate as a carbon source via melamine assisted chemical blowing approach. The obtained material exhibits sheet-like morphology with ultra-thin thickness and has a high specific surface area of 604 m2g-1 and high nitrogen contents of 11.2 wt%. The NECS showed an excellent adsorption performance towards the removal of anionic dye Methyl blue (a-Mb). The adsorption of a-Mb onto NECS better fitted the Langmuir isotherm model with the highest adsorption capacity of 847 mg g-1. Interestingly, the NECS showed a pH-sensitive behavior towards the adsorption efficiency of a-Mb dye in which the adsorption capacity abruptly increased from 34 to 701 mg g-1 when the pH of the solution was decreased from 10 to 2. Furthermore, the adsorbed materials can be easily regenerated without obvious efficiency loss over a five adsorption-desorption cycles.

Synthesis, Structural Property, Photophysical Property, Photocatalytic Property of Novel ZnBiErO4 under Visible Light Irradiation.

A novel photocatalyst ZnBiErO4 was firstly synthesized by solid-state reaction method and its structural and photocatalytic properties were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and UV-Vis diffuse reflectance. The results demonstrated that ZnBiErO4 crystallized with tetragonal crystal structure with space group I41/A. The lattice parameters for ZnBiErO4 were proved to be a = b = 10.255738 Å and c = 9.938888 Å. The band gap of ZnBiErO4 was estimated to be about 1.69 eV. Compared with nitrogen doped TiO2, ZnBiErO4 showed excellent photocatalytic activities for degrading methyl blue during visible light irradiation. The photocatalytic degradation of methyl blue with ZnBiErO4 or N-doped TiO2 as catalyst followed the first-order reaction kinetics. Moreover, the apparent first-order rate constant of ZnBiErO4 or N-doped TiO2 was 0.01607 min-1 or 0.00435 min-1. The reduction of total organic carbon, formation of inorganic products, such as SO42- and NO3- and the evolution of CO2 revealed the continuous mineralization of methyl blue during the photocatalytic process. ZnBiErO4 photocatalyst had great potential to purify textile industry wastewater.

Formation of mannitol core microparticles for sustained release with lipid coating in a mini fluid bed system.

The goal of this study was to prepare sustained release microparticles for methyl blue and aspartame as sparingly and freely water-soluble model drugs by lipid film coating in a Mini-Glatt fluid bed, and to assess the effect of coating load of two of lipids, hard fat and glyceryl stearate, on the release rates. 30g drug-loaded mannitol carrier microparticles with average diameter of 500 or 300µm were coated with 5g, 10g, 20g and 30g lipids, respectively. The model drugs were completely released in vitro through pores which mainly resulted from dissolution of the polyol core beads. The release of methyl blue from microparticles based on 500µm carrier beads extended up to 25days, while aspartame release from microparticles formed from 300µm carrier beads was extended to 7days. Although glyceryl stearate exhibits higher wettability, burst and release rates were similar for the two lipid materials. Polymorphic transformation of the hart fat was observed upon release. The lipid-coated microparticles produced with 500µm carrier beads showed slightly lower burst release compared to the microparticles produced with 300µm carrier beads as they carried relatively thicker lipid layer based on an equivalent lipid to mannitol ratio. Aspartame microparticles showed a much faster release than methyl blue due to the higher water-solubility of aspartame.