Direct Mixing Research Articles

Experimental and modeling investigation of ultrafine polyvinylidene fluoride hollow fiber membrane module for recovery of lactic acid from aqueous solutions

AbstractThis study investigated the aqueous lactic acid extraction process using indigenous ultrafine polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) hollow fiber membrane contactor. Ultrafine PVDF hollow fibers with tighter pore structure were produced by wet spinning technique and fabricated in‐house with an epoxy resin. A kinetic study was performed by varying acid concentrations ranging from 60 to 1320 mol/m3 in an aqueous phase and 210–620 mol/m3 tri‐n‐octylamine (TOA) concentration in 1‐octanol diluent. The solutions were allowed to flow countercurrently using peristaltic pumps at constant aqueous and organic flow velocity of 0.006 and 0.005 m/s, respectively. A PRO/II simulation of the membrane contactor system was carried out to validate experimental results. The study showed a maximum acid extraction of 88 ± 0.1% for initial acid and amine concentrations of 250 and 620 mol/m3, respectively, which corresponds to a high KD value of 11.5 which is larger than the value found from PRO/II simulation for direct mixing of the aqueous and organic phases which demonstrates the merit of the membrane contactor. The exploratory study on kinetics has helped in understanding the mass transfer phenomena of the solute across the membrane. In addition, membrane characterization was done to investigate the surface and cross‐sectional morphologies and mechanical strength properties.

Preparation by direct mixing and characterization of graphene nanoplatelet filled poly(dimethyl siloxane) composites

The present study investigated the effect of GN nanoplatelets on the properties of PDMS composites, prepared by direct mixing, using sonication. The calculation of the ratio of intensities of D (1350 cm−1) and G (1580 cm−1) bands (ID/IG), recorded by RAMAN spectroscopy, suggested an increase in carbon defects, upon the incorporation of grapheme into the PDMS matrix. This effect was attributed to the sonication procedure applied to the mixture. The thermal stability of the composites deteriorated, especially for higher GN concentrations (0.8 and 1 phr), as detected by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). As to their mechanical properties, the tensile strength was enhanced up to 69% for composites reinforced with 0.5 phr GN, whereas the elongation at break increased for all composites, along with the modulus of elasticity, which improved especially at higher GN content (0.5 and 0.8 phr). The incorporation of GN nanoplatelets affected the elastomeric network, restricting the swelling of specimens immersed in toluene, especially for the 0.5 phr GN composite. Membranes of PDMS composites reinforced with 0.5 phr and 1 phr GN, exhibited a decrease in oxygen permeability of 28% and 53% respectively, in comparison with unreinforced PDMS specimens.

Preparation and characterization of physico-mechanical and structural properties of phthalimide derivative polymeric nanocomposites

In this study, phthalimide derived polymer-TiO2 nanocomposites were prepared by direct mixing method and their mechanical properties were compared. The high content filler polymer nanocomposites with sufficient interface bonding with the polymer matrix have been prepared to maximize the properties of the filler. In the direct mixing method, the polymer obtained by free radical polymerization of the monomer was mixed with TiO2 in high weight percentages. The pulse-echo method was used to characterize the elastic constants of the polymer and polymer-TiO2 nanocomposites through detection of the ultrasonic waves. Transverse and longitudinal ultrasonic velocities have been used to calculate Young?s modulus of these samples. The ultrasonic velocity and Young?s modulus values of polymer-TiO2 nanocomposites showed a linear relationship with the weight percentage of the polymer, which is due to the strong and effective interaction between the particles resulting from by reinforcing TiO2 to the polymer structure. The clustering that emerged with the increase in the amount of reinforcement in the SEM images became more pronounced and it was observed that pure polymer and TiO2 were homogeneously distributed. The porosity and hardness measurements of the polymer and polymer-TiO2 nanocomposites were examined. The hardness and porosity of the polymer structure approximately increased as the percentage values of TiO2 increased. Moreover, TGA results of polymer nanocomposites obtained by direct mixing showed that the thermal stability increased linearly as the weight ratio increase of TiO2 in comparison with the pure polymer.

Cyclodextrin/Adamantane-Grafted Polyethylene Glycol–Based Self-assembling Constructs for Topical Delivery of Ketorolac Tromethamine: Formulation, Characterization, and In Vivo Studies

Topical formulation of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) exhibits many advantages over the oral administration route, such as avoiding the direct effect on GIT and avoiding the poor oral bioavailability of such drugs. Our study aims to develop a new self-assembling construct based on the hydrophobic interaction between adamantane terminated poly (ethylene glycol) polymers and polymerized β-cyclodextrin. The viscous constructs were developed from direct mixing of host and guest polymer solutions, indicating spontaneous formation without cross-linkers. The modified system was evaluated by different analyses, including X-ray diffractometry, electron microscopy, isothermal titration calorimetry, and rheological analysis. Moreover, such a system's ability for drug loading and release was investigated via the in vitro release of ketorolac tromethamine (KT) as a model of NSAIDs. Finally, the prepared formulas were applied on a rat paw edema model to prove the enhanced anti-inflammatory activities. The obtained results indicated that the modified constructs have a rubbery porous structure with an amorphous nature. Also, from rheological results, the modified system exhibited a viscous behavior with higher loss modulus (G″) compared with storage (G'). The inclusion complexation between cyclodextrin and adamantane moieties was proved by the recorded high binding constants with a 1:1 stoichiometric ratio. Furthermore, the results showed the successful KT incorporation into the modified system and quantitatively released through a semi-permeable membrane in a sustained fashion (over 24 h). Finally, the in vivo results of the medicated constructs showed a significant inhibition of the induced inflammation and swelling, indicating that the modified construct has a great utility for safe non-irritating topical delivery applications.

An experimental investigation on improvement of concrete serviceability by using ferro sialate based bacterial concrete development

GPBC (Geo-Polymer Bacterial Concrete) is a recent developing green concrete which over comes the drawback of emission of carbon-di-oxide and the crack damage in the concrete structures. This project describes the compressive strength and flexural properties of GPBC. The purpose is to incorporate the healing agents into the geo-polymer concrete which makes the cracks heal from inside. Sodium silicate and sodium hydroxide are the alkaline solutions which activates the cementitious materials for the process of geo-polymerization. The bacillus megaterium and bacillus subtilis are the two species which is selected with a 0gm/l, 100gm/1, 200gm/1 as a varying proportion in this study to act as the healing agent and calcium lactate acts as organic precursor, incorporated into the concrete by the direct mixing technique. The mechanical properties such as compressive strength and Flexural behavior of reinforced concrete slab specimens are planned. The 28 days of compressive strength for cubes is done to indicate the strength property of geo-polymer concrete in which the GGBS and Fly ash acts as the strength governing factor. These experimental results of deflection values are compared with corresponding load vs deflection curves are plotted for the experimental studies.

Selective laser melting of high-strength TiB2/AlMgScZr composites: microstructure, tensile deformation behavior, and mechanical properties

A TiB2/AlMgScZr composite was fabricated by selective laser melting (SLM) with direct powder mixing. The microstructure and mechanical properties of SLM-fabricated TiB2/AlMgScZr composites were investigated. Nearly fully dense and crack-free SLM-fabricated TiB2/AlMgScZr parts were obtained. The results showed that TiB2 formed a coherent relationship with the matrix and was swallowed by the solid–liquid interface as a nucleation point to refine grains during the SLM process. In addition, some TiB2 particles did not form a coherent relationship with the matrix, moving the solid–liquid interface at the grain boundary, which reduced the recrystallization fraction and refined the grains significantly. TiB2 also promoted the precipitation of Al3Sc and Al3Zr phases and increased the volume fraction of the Al3Sc and Al3Zr phases during the SLM process. The SLM-fabricated TiB2/AlMgScZr composites showed a very high ultimate tensile strength of ∼483 MPa and excellent ductility of ∼15.8%, which are higher than those of wrought Al alloys. The solid solubility of the Mg element slightly increased in the SLM-fabricated TiB2/AlMgScZr composites because of the high heating and cooling rate during the SLM process. The high heating and cooling rate caused discontinuous strain and Portevin–Le Chatelier effect and weakened the strengthening effect of TiB2 in SLM-fabricated TiB2/AlMgSc composites.

Design and development of instant linear gel for coal bed methane gas operations

Linear gel fracturing fluids are expressed with an extensive range of materials/polymers in an aqueous base. Earlier we developed fracturing linear gel with fossil diesel, bio-diesel and also used suspending anti-settling agents and emulsifiers. Here we report on a novel and an efficient method for the preparation of linear gel direct mix with water, guar gum and sodium acetate together instantly. In this research work, we used water instead of diesel without any need to mix anti-settling agents, suspending agents, emulsifiers that resulted in 30 viscosity linear gel. The degradation pattern observed from the breaker test showed that a reduction in gel viscosity depends on time, temperature & breaker concentration. Ammonium per sulphate or Ammonium per oxidisulphate and enzyme-G were used for oxidation purpose to break the gel gradually at a particular static temperature. Observations from experiments revealed that a small concentration of breaker provides rapid break compared to oxidative breakers. This article, designing of fracturing fluids describes how to use the fluid's viscosity generated by the gelling agents like guar gum for CBM operations.

Use of Clay Minerals to Control Radioactive Cesium Leaching from Municipal Solid Waste Incineration Ash in Fukushima Prefecture in Summer and Winter

Radioactive cesium (r-Cs) released from the 2011 Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant attaches to vegetation/soil and is collected as municipal solid waste (MSW) for incineration, being concentrated in incineration ash (bottom ash [BA], fly ash [FA], and chelate-treated FA [TFA]). r-Cs in FA and TFA can easily leach upon contact with moisture. It is important to prevent further contamination, as r-Cs has negative effects on ecosystems and the human body. Naturally available clay minerals, considered effective for capturing r-Cs, are a good alternative. Here, we sampled ash from MSW incineration facilities in Fukushima in August 2016 and February 2017. We used energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy and Ge semiconductor detector to determine elemental composition and r-Cs concentration in the samples and conducted leaching tests. We also determined the extent of leaching suppression by zeolite, acidic clay, and vermiculite. Chloride contents and r-Cs leaching rates were higher in FA and TFA than in BA, regardless of the season. Prior direct addition and mixing of clay minerals (5 to 20 wt.%) effectively prevented r-Cs leaching. This study is the first to examine r-Cs leaching inhibition by clay mineral direct addition and mixing to MSW incineration ash.

TRANSLATION MOVEMENT REASONS AND RESULTS ‎‎

There is no doubt that after the conquest, the Arabs faced new problems in various aspects of ‎life and thought, which no longer benefited with the simple methods that they were proficient ‎in, but imposed on them new methods that must be learned and worked on, and that the ‎driving force that made Arabs interested in science comes from the Holy Qur’an and the ‎hadiths of the Prophet (PBUH) Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) who urges to seek ‎knowledge, and to convert Arabs from a tribal society into an urban society, and civilization ‎necessitates the necessity of seeking knowledge, and the only way for this is to transfer ‎science to their language through translation, and what the historians agree on is that thanks to ‎Al-Mansour, Al-Rasheed and Al-Ma'moon, translation has flourished and that To secure them ‎Freedom of thought and its expression, then by their gifts and the attractive salaries with ‎which scholars singled out them, then sending them the scientific expeditions to the country ‎of Rome to carry books and scientific and philosophical manuscripts to the House of Wisdom, ‎to be translated and explained by the most famous translators, and some princes, along with ‎the caliphs, assisted and encouraged the translation movement, that They made money to get ‎the manuscripts and made money for the translators and took care of their pension‎‎. Keywords: Translation, Translation Motives, Direct Mixing, Results of The Translati Movement

A short review on synthesis and characterisation of nano SiO2/TiO2 composite for insulation application

Silica dioxide (SiO2) and titanium dioxide (TiO2) are nanoparticle fillers that are widely incorporated into polymer matrix for thermal insulation application. Combination of both fillers in producing polymer nanocomposite is interesting to review. This paper reviews on the current and recent research on the method to incorporate the SiO2/TiO2 nanoparticles as the fillers into various polymer matrix such as direct mixing, intercalation, sol-gel and in situ polymerisation as well as the effect of nanofillers on the thermal properties, morphology studies, rheology behaviour, mechanical property, and conductivity (thermal and electrical) of the SiO2/TiO2 polymer nanocomposites. This paper also reviews the effect of SiO2/TiO2 nanoparticles to the polymer nanocomposites in term of dielectric properties as a potential electrical insulation material. SiO2 nanoparticles presented to be the best filler to enhance the dielectric properties compared to the TiO2. When both of nanofillers are incorporated into the polymer matrix, a better result in term of mechanical, thermal, and electrical insulation properties are produced.

Macroscopic MOF Architectures: Effective Strategies for Practical Application in Water Treatment.

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) have potential applications in removing pollutants such as heavy metals, oils, and toxins from water. However, due to the intrinsic fragility of MOFs and their fine powder form, there are still technical barriers to their practical application such as blockage of pipes, difficulty in recovery, and potential environmental toxicity. Therefore, attention has focused on approaches to convert nanocrystalline MOFs into macroscopic materials to overcome these limitations. Recently, strategies for shaping MOFs into beads (0D), nanofibers (1D), membranes (2D), and gels/sponges (3D) with macrostructures are developed including direct mixing, in situ growth, or deposition of MOFs with polymers, cotton, foams or other porous substrates. In this review, successful strategies for the fabrication of macroscopic materials from MOFs and their applications in removing pollutants from water including adsorption, separation, and advanced oxidation processes, are discussed. The relationship between the macroscopic performance and the microstructure of materials, and how the range of 0D to 3D macroscopic materials can be used for water treatment are also outlined.

Enhanced Microwave Absorption of Shape Anisotropic Fe3O4 Nanoflakes and Their Composites

As a widely applied microwave absorbing material, Fe3O4 with various nanostructures has been extensively studied to further satisfy the practical applications. Herein, uniform Fe3O4 nanoflakes (FNFs) are synthesized by electrospinning and subsequent thermal treatment. The absorbers filled with 30 wt% FNFs (thickness: 1.5 mm) show superior reflection loss (RL) of −60.26 dB at 15.20 GHz due to the hierarchically cross‐linked conductive network and shape anisotropy. Furthermore, the FNFs composited with carbon nanotube (FNFs/CNT) and coated with polypyrrole (FNF@PPy) are prepared by direct mixing and vapor‐phase polymerization, respectively, to optimize the microwave absorption. Fast carrier mobility and enlarged interfacial area are realized to enhance electrical conductance and polarization loss. FNFs/CNT present multiple RL peaks of −50.9, −54.3, and −45.1 dB at 3.38, 6.70, and 12.65 GHz, respectively. Meanwhile, FNF@PPy shows wider effective absorbing bandwidths at low‐frequency of C‐band (2.32 GHz, 5.68–8.0 GHz) and S‐band (1.02 GHz, 2.79–3.81 GHz). This study confirms the considerable microwave absorbing performances of FNFs and their composites, and provides candidates for different potential applications in microwave absorption.

Developing Heat Mitigation Wall by Integrating PCM into Building Material

Population growth and industrial demand are related in construction of buildings and houses which contribute to increment of energy consumption. The invention of phase change materials (PCMs) with high latent heat capacity were explored to be integrated into building materials. PCMs are substances that are capable of storing large amounts of thermal energy as latent heat during their phase transition. Development of this product can ensure a comfortable indoor temperature in buildings without depending on air conditioning system which consumes more energy and damage the environment not to mention contributing towards global climate change. This research concentrated on proposing the method of PCM incorporation and its heat resistance performance. Calcium Chloride Hexahydrate (CaCl<sub>2</sub>.6H<sub>2</sub>O) was used in this research while the incorporation method is direct mixing into gloss paint and added into zip-lock plastic then covered by conventional cement plaster. From the data obtained, we can see the PCM incorporated wall is better in heat resistance than wall without PCM resulting difference in temperature between internal and external wall 3 ˚C rather than 1 ˚C. For the conclusion , PCM incorporated wall can decrease the internal temperature of building slightly contributing to conserving nature by reducing air conditioner system consumption.

Development and characterization of NaCl-KCl/Kaolin composites for thermal energy storage

Molten chloride salts are considered a promising thermal storage materials because of their high energy storage density and thermal stability. However, the application of molten chloride salts is districted by its the corrosion behavior with metal containers. Encapsulation is one viable method for corrosion prevention. In this study, molten chloride salts as phase change materials (PCMs) were combined with encapsulation materials to form stable shape phase change materials (SSPCMs). The PCM was the mixture of NaCl and KCl eutectic salts, and the encapsulation material was kaolin. The SSPCMs were prepared by direct mixing and sintering, and the morphology and the thermal behaviors of the SSPCMs were investigated. The results showed that PCMs were uniformly distributed in kaolin, and the kaolin was compatible with NaCl-KCl. With the increase of the ratio of NaCl-KCl eutectic salt, the latent heat and energy storage density of SSPCMs increased. Meanwhile, the results indicated that the NaCl-KCl/kaolin composite with salt content of 80 wt% demonstrated the best performance with the phase change enthalpy of 178 J/g and the energy storage density of 171.32 J/cm3. Besides, it could maintain intact shape after 400 thermal cycling tests from 600 to 700 °C.

Liquid Metal Composites with Enhanced Thermal Conductivity and Stability Using Molecular Thermal Linker.

Gallium-based liquid metal (LM) composite with metallic fillers is an emerging class of thermal interface materials (TIMs), which are widely applied in electronics and power systems to improve their performance. In situ alloying between gallium and many metallic fillers like copper and silver, however, leads to a deteriorated composite stability. This paper presents an interfacial engineering approach using 3-chloropropyltriethoxysilane (CPTES) to serve as effective thermal linkers and diffusion barriers at the copper-gallium oxide interfaces in the LM matrix, achieving an enhancement in both thermal conductivity and stability of the composite. By mixing LM with copper particles modified by CPTES, a thermal conductivity (κ) as high as 65.9 W m-1 K-1 is achieved. In addition, κcan be tuned by altering the terminal groups of silane molecules, demonstrating the flexibility of this approach. The potential use of such composite as a TIM is also shown in the heat dissipation of a computer central processing unit. While most studies on LM-based composites enhance the material performance via direct mixing of various fillers, this work provides a different approach to fabricate high-performance LM-based composites and may further advance their applications in various areas including thermal management systems, flexible electronics, consumer electronics, and biomedical systems.

Duohua huangjing (Polygonatum cyrtonema Hua) seedling basal rot caused by Fusarium redolens in China.

Duohua huangjing (Polygonatum cyrtonema Hua) seedling basal stem rot caused by Fusarium redolens in China Tao Tang1, Fanfan Wang1, Jie Guo1, Xiaoliang Guo1, Yuanyuan Duan1,Jingmao You1* 1 Institute of Chinese Herbal Medicines, Hubei Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Enshi, 445000, China. Duohua huangjing (Polygonatum cyrtonema Hua), a herbal medicine, that is mostly planted in several provinces in China. In April 2020, severe diseases with about 40% seedling losse was found in the Huangjing seedling base in Shiyan city, Hubei province. The symptoms included softening and decay of the roots and stem bases, a progressive yellowing and wilting of leaves, and finally being completely rotted. Small pieces of symptomatic stems (0.5 cm in length) and leaves (0.5 × 0.5 cm in size) were surface sterilized with 75% ethanol for 30 s, followed by 0.1% HgCl2 for 1 min, rinsed three times with sterile water, and then dried with sterilized absorbent paper. The sections were placed on potato dextrose agar (PDA) medium containing 10 µg/ml of ampicillin and incubated at 25°C in the dark. After 3 days incubation, eight isolates with the same colony morphology were sub-cultured and purified by hyphal tip isolation. Macroconidia were sickle-shaped, 15.8 - 32.3 × 3.1 - 5.6 μm (n = 25), and three to five septate. Microconidia were oval or kidney-shaped, 5.2 - 11.4 × 2.0 - 3.2 μm (n = 25), and zero to one septate. To confirm the identity of the pathogen, molecular identification was performed with strain HJCD1. Following DNA extraction, PCR was performed using the TSINGKE 2×T5 Direct PCR Mix kit. Target areas of amplification were the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) and translation elongation factor 1α (TEF-1α) using ITS1/4 (White et al. 1990) , EF1/EF2 (Taylor et al. 2016), respectively. Following BLAST searches and phylogenetic reconstruction, the ITS region (GenBank MW485770.1) showed 99% identity with those of Fusarium redolens in GenBank (KU350713.1) and the TEF-1α (GenBank MW503930.1) showed 100% identity with F. redolens GenBank (MK922537.1). Pathogenicity tests were performed to fulfill Koch's postulates. Huangjing seedlings were rinsed with sterile water, wiped clean with sterile absorbent paper, and transferred to a tray covered with wet filter paper to maintain high humidity. The mycelial piugs of F. redolens HJCD1 were inoculated onto the surface of leaves and basal stems. Controls were inoculated with sterile PDA plugs. The inoculated seedlings were sealed with plastic wrap, and then cultivated in a 25 ℃ growth chamber with 16 h of light per day. The pathogen-inoculated plants exhibited etiolation and typical wilt symptoms after 4 days, whereas no symptoms were observed in the control plants. F. redolens was reisolated from the infected tissues, and colony morphology and ITS sequence of re-isolates were same as that of HJCD1. The pathogen has been reported previously in american ginseng in China (Fan et al. 2021), lentil in Pakistan (Rafique et al. 2020), and wild rocket in United Kingdom (Taylor et al. 2019). However, to the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of F. redolens causing seelding basal rot on Duohua huangjing in China.

Experimental Study on Mixing Uniformity of Injection On-Line Mixer of Crop Protection Equipment

In order to promote pesticide application reduction and efficiency enhancement, to avoid the direct mixing of pesticides caused by secondary pollution and life safety risksand, further improve the mixing uniformity of on-line mixing system of crop protection equipment. The numerical simulation on structural parameters and fluid parameters of the mixer was performed by the CFD method to determine the best structural parameters of the mixer. And an injection online mixing system experiment platform was built. The experiments were carried out by high speed photography and spectrophotometry respectively. The experimental results show as following: The variable mixing ratio experiment was carried out in the case of pure reagents mixing test in the mixer. When the water flow is 140 L/min and the pesticide pressure is 1 MPa, the ratio of pesticide solution is controlled in the range of 1:300 ~ 1:3000, and the images of pesticide entering the mixer are collected respectively. The results of image analysis and processing show that the online mixing system has good mixing performance in qualitative analysis. When the mixing ratio is 1:300 to 1:300 and the normal pressure of pesticide is 0.1 MPa, the maximum mixing uniformity variation coefficient of the pesticide solution is 6.87%. When the mixing ratio is 1:300, the minimum mixing uniformity coefficient is 3.33%. It is proved that the overall trend of mixing uniformity variation coefficient increases with the increase of mixing ratio when the pesticide is mixed at normal pressure. When mixing under pressure, the mixing uniformity coefficient of variation is less than 5% and the maximum is 3.903%, which indicates that the mixing uniformity of the mixer is well when mixing under pressure. The results can improve pesticide utilization, safety of plant protection, reduce secondary pollution and reduce pesticide residues. Through the qualitative analysis of high-speed photography, it is found that the drug mixer has good time and space distribution uniformity in the process of drug mixing. The quantitative detection of spectrophotometry shows that the drug liquid has good time and space distribution uniformity after passing through the mixer. The conclusion of this paper has certain guiding function and reference value for plant protection technology and liquid on-line mixing in chemical and pharmaceutical fields.

Efficient Visible‐to‐UV Photon Upconversion Systems Based on CdS Nanocrystals Modified with Triplet Energy Mediators

AbstractDeveloping high‐performance visible‐to‐UV photon upconversion systems based on triplet–triplet annihilation photon upconversion (TTA‐UC) is highly desired, as it provides a potential approach for UV light‐induced photosynthesis and photocatalysis. However, the quantum yield and spectral range of visible‐to‐UV TTA‐UC based on nanocrystals (NCs) are still far from satisfactory. Here, three different sized CdS NCs are systematically investigated with triplet energy transfer to four mediators and four annihilators, thus substantially expanding the available materials for visible‐to‐UV TTA‐UC. By improving the quality of CdS NCs, introducing the mediator via a direct mixing fashion, and matching the energy levels, a high TTA‐UC quantum yield of 10.4% (out of a 50% maximum) is achieved in one case, which represents a record performance in TTA‐UC based on NCs without doping. In another case, TTA‐UC photons approaching 4 eV are observed, which is on par with the highest energies observed in optimized organic systems. Importantly, the in‐depth investigation reveals that the direct mixing approach to introduce the mediator is a key factor that leads to close to unity efficiencies of triplet energy transfer, which ultimately governs the performance of NC‐based TTA‐UC systems. These findings provide guidelines for the design of high‐performance TTA‐UC systems toward solar energy harvesting.

Influence of free electron charge and free extra framework anions in calcium aluminate@ rGO (CA@ rGO) cement composites with enhanced dielectric and electrochemical properties

Nowadays, the metal oxide-based composites loaded with reduced graphene oxide (rGO) nano sheets are believed to enhance both the electrochemical and dielectric properties. In this study, therefore, the effect of rGO loading contents on the calcium aluminate (CA), namely CA@ rGO, cement composites with high dielectric and electrochemical properties is presented. CA@ rGO composites were successfully synthesized via a simple direct mixing of CA cement with various contents of graphene oxide (GO) precursors followed by a conventional thermal reduction method. Based on XRD and Raman spectroscopy results, all prepared CA@ rGO composites clearly confirmed both the structure of the pristine CA cement as well as the complete conversion of GO precursors to rGO after thermal reduction, and the existence of rGO nano sheets on the surface of CA@ rGO composites. The impedance value results revealed that the enhancement of a high dielectric constant was achieved in the CA@ rGO composites due to both typical interface polarization and the micro-capacitor of CA cement and rGO nano sheets. Meanwhile, the prepared CA@ rGO-4 composite electrode exhibited the highest of electrochemical double-layer capacitive behavior with the specific capacitance (Csc) value of 79.33 F g−1 at 0.2 A g−1. The enhanced super-capacitive performance of CA@ rGO composite can be improved by the synergistic effect of free electron transfer and electron diffusion between the CA cement interface and rGO nano sheets.

Preparation and characterization of nanoparticles from field pea starch by batch versus continuous nanoprecipitation techniques

Starch nanoparticles (SNPs) were produced by batch nanoprecipitation (BNP) and continuous techniques such as flash nanoprecipitation (FNP) and microfluidic nanoprecipitation (MNP). Water and absolute ethanol were used as solvent (S) and antisolvent (AS), respectively, while they can be mixed either dropwise or direct mixing at once. The effects of processing parameters on SNPs properties were investigated including antisolvent/solvent (AS/S) ratio, starch concentration, mixing technique and flow rate. Field emission scanning electronic microscopy (FE-SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectrophotometry were used to characterize the nature of molecular interactions and structure within SNP. The results indicated that BNP can be successfully achieved in a shorter time with a smaller particle size and narrower particle size distribution, even at AS/S ratio as low as 1:1, using direct mixing at once method than the dropwise technique. Increasing the starch concentration at a fixed AS/S ratio of 1:1, initially decreased the average particle size from 135 (2.5 mg/mL) to 123 nm (10 mg/mL), and then increased to ~430 nm (50 mg/mL). Based on the optimized conditions for BNP, continuous methods (FNP and MNP), were investigated in the commercial prospective for potential scale up processing. Under the same conditions, FNP involving confined impinging jet mixer (CIJM) at an overall flow rate of 60 mL/min, had a uniform spherical shape with particle size of ~100 nm, which was superior to all other techniques investigated. Regardless of the techniques used, all SNPs had an amorphous structure with short-range molecular order.