Enhancement Of Functional Properties Research Articles

Recent progress on materials for functional additive manufacturing

Material science in additive manufacturing (AM) has experienced remarkable advancements in the development of functional materials. This review systematically investigates the state-of-the-art research on AM of functional materials, providing a comprehensive overview of AM systems and methodologies employed for functional materials and applications. The review delves into various functional materials, including magnetic, metal powder, perovskite, piezoelectric, thermoelectric, and carbon-based materials, exploring their fabrication and applications in creating multifunctional components and devices. Furthermore, it examines the integration of these functional materials, enabling manufacturing on curved surfaces, the development of flexible components, and the enhancement of functional properties. By analyzing the latest developments in this rapidly evolving field, this review offers insights into current challenges, future directions, and potential innovations, promoting a deeper understanding of AM technology and stimulating further advancements toward the realization of advanced functional devices and systems.

Enhancement of functional properties, digestive properties, and in vitro digestion product physiological activity of extruded corn gluten meal by enzymatic modification.

Enzymatic modification is an effective means of improving the functional properties, digestive properties, and in vitro digestion product physiological activity of proteins, thus significantly expanding protein uses in various food applications. In this study, the addition of chymotrypsin (CT) at pH 9.0 and 11.0 was found to significantly improve the functional properties (solubility, foaming properties, water holding capacity, oil holding capacity, etc.) and digestive properties of extruded corn gluten meal (ECGM). Similar changes were observed when treating ECGM with glutaminase, protein glutaminase, and papain. These changes were likely due to the increase in number of carboxyl groups and the multiple effects of change in protein net charge and conformation caused by enzymatic deamidation. Of note, ECGM deamidated by CT showed the highest degree of deamidation, solubility, and gastrointestinal digestibility at pH 11.0, up to 44.92%, 43.75%, and 82.22%, respectively. In addition, CT-ECGM digestion product exhibited strong antioxidant activity and potential to promote alcohol metabolism in both a static digestion model and dynamic digestion model, even comparable to commercial corn peptides (CCP), while being inexpensive and of low bitterness compared to CCP. Meanwhile, the physiological activity enhanced as the molecular weight of digestion product decreased with the digested component having strongest activity. This study may promote the application of ECGM as a food component in the food industry or even as a substitute for CCP. © 2023 Society of Chemical Industry.

Enhancement of functional properties by blending cocoon extracted Antheraea mylitta silk fibroin with polyvinyl alcohol for applications in biomedical field

AbstractIn this study, regenerated Antheraea mylitta silk fibroin (ASF) and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) dissolved in formic acid were blended together in variable ratios to prepare blend films. The blend films presented homogeneous morphology with no visible phase separation as observed in scanning electron microscope (SEM). The structural analysis of blend films through fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and X‐ray diffraction indicated the formation of co‐crystals due to interaction of fibroin with PVA molecular chains. The thermal properties assessed using thermogravimetric analyzer and differential scanning calorimeter supported the molecular interactions with altered thermal stability of blend films. Incorporation of PVA into ASF enhanced the mechanical properties of blend films. The water uptake capacity, biocompatibility and biodegradability were analyzed. The L929 fibroblast skin cells seeded on blend films were found to have attached the film surface and started attaining their conventional morphology after 48 h, as observed under SEM. Alamar blue assay confirmed the cytocompatibility of blend films with more than 95% cells being viable. Based on the aforementioned encouraging results, we can assert the utility of these blend films in biomedical field for tissue regeneration applications.

Effect of heat-treatment mechanism on structural and electromechanical properties of eco-friendly (Bi, Ba)(Fe, Ti)O3 piezoceramics

Lead-free piezoelectric ceramics, (Bi0.70Ba0.35)(Fe0.65Ti0.35)O3 (BBFT), were fabricated via a solid-state reaction method and then treated using different heat-treatment processes (furnace cooling, air quenching (AQ), and water quenching). In all these ceramics, the X-ray diffraction analysis revealed morphotropic phase boundaries between the rhombohedral and tetragonal phases. Changes in the average grain size, relative density, and electrical properties in the BBFT–AQ composition were observed. For the optimum BBFT–AQ ceramic, significantly enhanced dynamic (d33* ~ 340 pm/V) and static (d33 ~ 165 pC/N) piezoelectric coefficients were obtained. Moreover, the d33* increased to 40% (d33* ~ 475 pm/V) with increasing temperature from 25 °C to 75 °C upon the application of a 4.0 kV/mm electric field. The related defect states were established by the variation in the transition of Fe3+ to Fe2+ and OV or $$V_{O}^{ \bullet \bullet }$$ concentration observed using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis. These factors are directly related to the electromechanical response enhancement in the BBFT piezoceramics. This study provides a paradigm for a deeper analysis of particular scientific heat-treatment mechanisms and the enhancement of functional properties in BBFT ceramics.

Ultrasound-assisted Maillard reaction of ovalbumin/xylose: The enhancement of functional properties and its mechanism

This study aims to optimize the ultrasound treatment conditions for enhancing the degree of glycation (DG) of ovalbumin (OVA)-xylose conjugates through Maillard reaction and investigate the correlation between DG and functional properties affected by structural changes. The structural and functional properties of classical heating OVA, glycated OVA, ultrasonic treated OVA, and ultrasound-assisted glycated OVA were investigated to explore the interaction mechanism of ultrasound treatment on foaming and emulsifying properties improvement. Results indicated that the ultrasound assistance increased free sulfhydryl content, surface hydrophobicity and particle size of OVA-xylose conjugates, and thus enhancing the surface properties, which were strongly linear correlated with DG under different glycation parameters (pH, xylose/OVA ratio, heating time). Additionally, circular dichroism spectroscopy analysis revealed that ultrasound promoted the conversion of α-helices to β-sheets and unfolded structures, which was consistent with the formation of short amyloid-like aggregates that observed by atomic force microscopy phenomenon. Overall, our study provides new insights into the effects of ultrasound treatment on Maillard-induced protein functional properties enhancement, which may be a new strategy to tune the DG and functionality of protein-saccharide grafts during ultrasound processing.

Influence of sequential punching in layered structure of needle punched nonwoven on the filtration behavior

An attempt has been made to explore the possibility of modifying the manufacturing technique of a filter media to enhance its filtration performance. The concept of sequential punching by distribution of punches/cm2 in subsequent steps of manufacturing the nonwoven is explored. Experiments were designed to study the influence of differentially punched batts of different basis weight placed in specific order in layered structure on the properties of nonwoven fabric. It is observed that nonwovens with layered structure prepared by sequential punching depicted considerable enhancement in functional properties. The variable punch density and basis weight of batts with their specific position in a layered structure has a significant impact on physical, mechanical and functional properties of nonwoven. The study established the possibilities of developing gradient of mean flow pore size influenced by differential punching and basis weight in layered structure to enhance the filtration efficiency and reduction of pressure drop.

Translating the application of transforming growth factor-β1, chondroitinase-ABC, and lysyl oxidase-like 2 for mechanically robust tissue-engineered human neocartilage.

Strategies to overcome the limited availability of human articular chondrocytes and their tendency to dedifferentiate during expansion are required to advance their clinical use and to engineer functional cartilage on par with native articular cartilage. This work sought to determine whether a biochemical factor (transforming growth factor-β1 [T]), a biophysical agent (chondroitinase-ABC [C]), and a collagen crosslinking enzyme (lysyl oxidase-like 2 [L]) are efficacious in forming three-dimensional human neocartilage from expanded human articular chondrocytes. Among the treatment regimens, the combination of the three stimuli (TCL treatment) led to the most robust glycosaminoglycan content, total collagen content, and type II collagen production. In particular, TCL treatment synergistically increased tensile stiffness and strength of human neocartilage by 3.5-fold and 3-fold, respectively, over controls. Applied to two additional donors, the beneficial effects of TCL treatment appear to be donor independent; tensile stiffness and strength were increased by up to 8.5-fold and 3-fold, respectively, over controls. The maturation of human neocartilage in response to TCL treatment was examined following 5 and 8weeks of culture, demonstrating maintenance or further enhancement of functional properties. The present study identifies a novel strategy for engineering human articular cartilage using serially passaged chondrocytes.

On the multi-scale description of electrical conducting suspensions involving perfectly dispersed rods

Nanocomposites allow for a significant enhancement of functional properties, in particular electrical conduction. In order to optimize materials and parts, predictive models are required to evaluate particle distribution and orientation. Both are key parameters in order to evaluate percolation and the resulting electrical networks. Many forming processes involve flowing suspensions for which the final particle orientation could be controlled by means of the flow and the electric field. In view of the multi-scale character of the problem, detailed descriptions are defined at the microscopic scale and then coarsened to be applied efficiently in process simulation at the macroscopic scale. The first part of this work revisits the different modeling approaches throughout the different description scales. Then, modeling of particle contacts is addressed as they determine the final functional properties, in particular electrical conduction. Different descriptors of rod contacts are proposed and analyzed. Numerical results are discussed, in particular to evaluate the impact of closure approximations needed to derive a macroscopic description.

The stability of risk and benefit perceptions: a longitudinal study assessing the perception of biotechnology

The study of public perceptions is considered to be important for making sound policy decisions, since the public decides which products will enter and sustain in the market. Stability of public perceptions is important for policy-makers; only if public attitudes and perceptions remain constant, policy-makers will be able to take them into account. The aim of the present study was to examine the stability of participants’ risk and benefit perceptions of gene technology over a period of two years. In spring, 2008 and in spring, 2010, the same sample of participants filled out an identical questionnaire. Results of structural equation modelling show that risk and benefit perceptions of gene technology applications are moderately stable (r = .5–.7). Furthermore, results show that people distinguish between medical, plant and food applications and applications involving animals when evaluating the risk of gene technology. When evaluating the benefits, participants also take consumer-related benefits into account, such as enhancement of functional properties. Results of the present study suggest that risk research should regularly examine people’s risk perceptions in order to gain a clearer picture of the dynamics of people’s perception and preferences not only of novel technologies, but also of entrenched technologies.

Acoustically-enhanced particle dispersion in polystyrene/alumina nanocomposites

Polymer nanocomposites are advanced nanomaterials which exhibit dramatic improvements in various mechanical, thermal and barrier properties as compared with the neat polymer. Polystyrene/ alumina nanocomposites were prepared by an ultrasound-assisted solution casting method at filler loadings ranging from 0.2 to 2% and also at different ultrasonic frequencies, viz. 58 kHz, 192/58 kHz, 430 kHz, 470 kHz and 1 MHz. The composites were subjected to mechanical property tests (tensile and impact tests) and cavitation erosion tests to study the enhancement in functional properties. Filler dispersion in the polymer matrix was observed by SEM analysis. The effect of frequency on filler dispersion in the matrix was studied by SEM analysis and functional property enhancement of the composite material. The composites prepared at dual (high/ low) frequency (192/58 kHz) were found to show better property enhancement at low filler loadings as compared with neat polymer and also with composites prepared without ultrasound, thus reinforcing the finding that ultrasound-assisted synthesis is a promising method for the synthesis of nanocomposites.

Sono-synthesis of polystyrene/alumina nanocomposites

Polymer nanocomposites offer remarkable enhancement in properties compared to pristine polymers, and also compared to conventional micro- and macro-composites. The present study is focused on the preparation of nanocomposites by the usage of ultrasound. Polystyrene/alumina nanocomposites were synthesized using commercial alumina nanoparticles of approximately 200 nm size. These particles were dispersed in polystyrene solution by subjecting to ultrasound. Composites were synthesized at different filler loadings varying from 0.2% to 1% by weight. Dispersion characterization of these composites was carried out using scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction. X-ray diffraction data revealed the incorporation of the filler into the polymer matrix. The mechanical properties, mainly tensile and impact properties, of the composites were studied to analyse the effect of nanofillers on the enhancement in functional properties compared to the neat polymer. Tensile strength and modulus varied with the filler loading in the polymer matrix. Theoretical prediction of the composite modulus was done using existing micromechanical models such as Halpin–Tsai and Mori–Tanaka. A comparison was made between the experimental moduli and the predicted values. Cavitation erosion studies were conducted on the composites and the mass eroded was quantified.

Functional properties of pea (Pisum sativum, L.) protein isolates modified with chymosin.

In this paper, the effects of limited hydrolysis on functional properties, as well as on protein composition of laboratory-prepared pea protein isolates, were investigated. Pea protein isolates were hydrolyzed for either 15, 30 and 60 min with recombined chymosin (Maxiren). The effect of enzymatic action on solubility, emulsifying and foaming properties at different pH values (3.0; 5.0; 7.0 and 8.0) was monitored. Chymosin can be a very useful agent for improvement of functional properties of isolates. Action of this enzyme caused a low degree of hydrolysis (3.9–4.7%), but improved significantly functional properties of pea protein isolates (PPI), especially at lower pH values (3.0–5.0). At these pH values all hydrolysates had better solubility, emulsifying activity and foaming stability, while longer-treated samples (60 min) formed more stable emulsions at higher pH values (7.0, 8.0) than initial isolates. Also, regardless of pH value, all hydrolysates showed improved foaming ability. A moderate positive correlation between solubility and emulsifying activity index (EAI) (0.74) and negative correlation between solubility and foam stability (−0.60) as well as between foam stability (FS) and EAI (−0.77) were observed. Detected enhancement in functional properties was a result of partial hydrolysis of insoluble protein complexes.