Spatial Barrier Research Articles

Conditionally activated immunotoxins with prolonged half-life can enhance the anti-tumor activity

Immunotoxin has become a highly promising therapy for treating cancer and has achieved good results in preclinical trials targeting various cancers. However, there are still some issues that limit the development and application of immunotoxins, such as short half-life and toxic side effects on healthy tissues. In this study, we designed a tumor-conditional immunotoxin called NbHSA-uPA-A1-PE24. Anti-HSA nanobody (NbHSA) was fused to the N-terminus of A1-PE24 (immunotoxin targeting mesothelin) via a linker cleavable by tumor-associated proteases, urokinase-type plasminogen activator (uPA). NbHSA binds to HSA (human serum albumin) in the blood circulation, which not only prolongs the half-life of immunotoxins, but also creates a certain spatial barrier between A1 and mesothelin, thereby reducing the toxicity of NbHSA-uPA-A1-PE24 to healthy tissues expressing mesothelin. Moreover, uPA cleavable element rendered the immunotoxin conditional activation specifically in tumor microenvironment. In animal experiments, the half-life of the newly designed immunotoxins was increased dramatically. Noted, NbHSA-uPA-A1-PE24 has better enrichment at tumor, and shows robust anti-tumor effects in multiple preclinical models, such as pancreatic cancer and gastric cancer models. The results indicate that this strategy has greater potential and higher safety for application in tumor treatment, providing new ideas and strategies for the development of immunotoxins for cancer patients.

Calculation of Efficiency Limit of Heterojunction Solar Cells Based on S-Q Theory

The ideal solar cell defined by the Shockley-Queisser (S-Q) theory is an important milestone in the analysis of photovoltaic devices based on some assumptions. One or more of the above assumptions are gradually evaded and even exceed or close to S-Q efficiency limit, so the development and improvement of S-Q theory is necessary. Heterojunction solar cells are one of the hot research fields in photovoltaics. In order to address the hindering effect of energy band discontinuity in the spatial barrier region of heterojunction solar cells on the transport of photogenerated carriers, this paper revised the assumptions of S-Q theory based on the original S-Q theory of photovoltaic cells. It is assumed that the carrier mobility in the barrier region is finite and the infinite mobility in the S-Q model is abandoned. But the mobility in the N-type and P-type neutral region is still infinite. The lumped relationship between carrier mobility and resistance in the barrier region is derived. Thus the physical process of charge transport is described in detail in this paper based on the continuity equation for semiconductors considering the effect of absorption coefficients to prevent the quasi-Fermi level from crossing the conduction or valence band. Thus, the revised S-Q theoretical limit model of heterojunction solar cell was constructed. The diode equivalent circuit diagram is deduced and the photovoltaic conversion efficiency is evaluated eventually. The loss effects of charge transmission and band gap mismatch on the performance of heterojunction solar cells are analyzed in detail in this paper. The calculation results under the condition of 5780K blackbody radiation and 300K cell temperature with N-type wide bandgap(EH) and P-type narrow bandgap(EL) materials show that the highest conversion efficiency is about 31% with hole resistance of 0.01 Ω·cm^2 and electronic resistance of 0.01 Ω·cm^2. The electronic resistance has more negative and complicated effects on solar cell performance than hole resistance based on the results of the calculation. When Re and Rh are small, the best conversion efficiency is achieved between 1.22 and 1.32 of the narrow bandgap. Increasing Re can increase the open circuit voltage of solar cells, but there are losses in efficiency and fill factor of solar cells. When Re is large enough, for example, Re=1000, the open circuit voltage of solar cells is not limited by EL and can exceed the bandgap limit of the narrow bandgap material. Increasing Rh also reduces efficiency and fill factor but has less effects than Re. The change of absorption coefficient makes the photogenerated current of L and H branches change, and the radiation recombination loss of both branches can be regulated.

Novel coated Si2N2O/SiO2 crucible for photovoltaic Si growth: Crystallization behavior and interaction with molten Si

The fused SiO2 crucible for photovoltaic (PV) Si growth can only be used once due to inevitable crystallization breakage and “Si ingot/crucible” adhesion, which lowers quality and yield of PV Si. In this work, novel Si2N2O/SiO2 crucible with α-Si3N4 coating was developed to realize inhibited crystallization and easy demolding. The results display that the high-temperature crystallization behavior was significantly inhibited by introducing 20 wt% Si2N2O into fused SiO2. After heating at 1450–1550 °C for 30min, the crystallinity of Si2N2O/SiO2 crucible was less than 8.85 wt%, which was at least 87.06 % lower than that of fused SiO2 crucible. After Si growth at 1550 °C for 1h, the crystallinity of Si2N2O/SiO2 crucibles was 79.23 % lower than that of fused SiO2 crucible. The above crystallization-inhibiting effect is attributed to the spatial barrier of Si2N2O and the in-situ formation of O-Si-N bonds with higher bind energy. Moreover, after Si growth, the coated Si2N2O/SiO2 crucible can maintain intact microstructure and macroscopic morphology due to inhibited crystallization and infiltration against molten Si. Therefore, this novel coated Si2N2O/SiO2 crucible has significant application prospects for re-usability in PV Si manufacture industry.

Ultra-stable high-internal-phase emulsions fabricated solely by hydrophilic cellulose nanofiber via inter-droplet jamming

High-internal-phase emulsions (HIPEs) has been increasing interest owing to their large surface area and controllable flow behavior, however, their heavy addition of emulsifiers, e.g., surfactants and surface-active particles, leads to high cost and emulsifier abuse. To solve these issues, we report a new strategy to prepare HIPEs by solely adding a surface-inactive, hydrophilic cellulose nanofiber (CNF). Compared to conventional HIPEs, the highly flocculated CNF is closely packed in the liquid films between oil droplets instead of anchoring at the oil-water interfaces, as referred to the inter-droplet jamming. An efficient jamming behavior is observed at a low CNF concentration (as low as 0.075 wt%) and at very high volume fractions of oil (near 0.85), maintaining the HIPEs over timescales of two years, without the liquid drainage or phase separation. This unexpected stability is mainly attributed to the increase by dozen orders of magnitude in the viscoelasticity of the jammed films as compared with that in the bulk phase, generating a significantly spatial barrier to prevent the depletion attraction between droplets. This simple approach should offer a new pathway to achieve nature-inspired, pure and controlled materials.

Experimental study on the mechanism of nanoparticles improving the stability of high expansion foam

AbstractHigh expansion (Hi‐Ex) foam is recommended to suppress the leakage and diffusion of cryogenic liquid due to its light weight and large volume. However, the disadvantages of low stability and high break rate under environmental conditions are all limited the further application in vapor mitigation and fire extinguishing. So that, this paper focus on the effect and mechanism of nanoparticles in stabilizing Hi‐Ex foam. Three kinds of nanoparticles with different concentration were selected to evaluate the effect of foam half‐life and the mechanism of particles on improving the foam stability. The results indicated that different particle concentrations can improve the foam stability to a specific extent, and the maximum improving of half‐life can increase by 95.4% in the presence of the hydrophilic SiO2 at .5 wt%. Meanwhile, the hydrophilicity, size, and morphology of the particles have a specific impact on the foam stability. The foam expansion rate first increased and then decreased. From the microscopic point of view, the bubble size gradually increases with time by two processes of ripening and coalescence and satisfied in a logarithmic distribution. While, the liquid film thickness remarkably decreases due to foam drainage without particles and the adsorption and accumulation of nanoparticles on foam lamella can provide a spatial barrier for the film thinning and the inter bubble diffusion. Finally, the microscopic interaction mechanism on improving the foam stability has been further explored and revealed in these two aspects.

Kinetics-Driven Crystal Facet Evolution Mechanism of Atomically Ordered Intermetallic PtFe Nanocubes toward Electrochemical Catalysis.

Crystal structure engineering in nanoparticles has been regarded as a vital method in catalyst development and design. Herein, PtFe nanocubes, manufactured with ordered PtFe intermetallic structure and a desired facet of {202}, have been successfully prepared via the combination of selective deposition strategy and spatial barrier effect. In-situ X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy found that the growth of the high-index facet and formation of the nanocube for o-PtFe-202 materials arise from the surface Fe2+ modification stabilized effect and the selective deposition of Cl-, respectively. Moreover, density functional theory calculations and X-ray adsorption spectroscopies further proved that the improved oxygen reduction reaction activity and stability of o-PtFe-202 mainly originate from the synergistic effect of the desired high-index facet, ordered crystal structure, and resulting optimal d-band center of Pt. As expected, the o-PtFe-202 exhibits excellent mass activity (2.48 mA·ugPt-1) and specific activity (7.78 mA·cm-2), with only a 7.3% decrease in mass activity after 30 000 cycles.

Methionine inducing carbohydrate esterase secretion of Trichoderma harzianum enhances the accessibility of substrate glycosidic bonds

BackgroundThe conversion of plant biomass into biochemicals is a promising way to alleviate energy shortage, which depends on efficient microbial saccharification and cellular metabolism. Trichoderma spp. have plentiful CAZymes systems that can utilize all-components of lignocellulose. Acetylation of polysaccharides causes nanostructure densification and hydrophobicity enhancement, which is an obstacle for glycoside hydrolases to hydrolyze glycosidic bonds. The improvement of deacetylation ability can effectively release the potential for polysaccharide degradation.ResultsAmmonium sulfate addition facilitated the deacetylation of xylan by inducing the up-regulation of multiple carbohydrate esterases (CE3/CE4/CE15/CE16) of Trichoderma harzianum. Mainly, the pathway of ammonium-sulfate's cellular assimilates inducing up-regulation of the deacetylase gene (Thce3) was revealed. The intracellular metabolite changes were revealed through metabonomic analysis. Whole genome bisulfite sequencing identified a novel differentially methylated region (DMR) that existed in the ThgsfR2 promoter, and the DMR was closely related to lignocellulolytic response. ThGsfR2 was identified as a negative regulatory factor of Thce3, and methylation in ThgsfR2 promoter released the expression of Thce3. The up-regulation of CEs facilitated the substrate deacetylation.ConclusionAmmonium sulfate increased the polysaccharide deacetylation capacity by inducing the up-regulation of multiple carbohydrate esterases of T. harzianum, which removed the spatial barrier of the glycosidic bond and improved hydrophilicity, and ultimately increased the accessibility of glycosidic bond to glycoside hydrolases.

Adsorption mechanism of the novel amphoteric dispersant and its effect on structure and properties of hydration products

The novel amphoteric dispersant (NAD) was prepared by free radical polymerization of acrylic acid (AA), vinyl butylpolyoxyethylene ether (VBPE), N,N-dimethyl-methacryloxyethyl-aminopropyl sulfonate (DMAPS) and acrylate sulfated starch (ASS). It is characterized that the introduction of zwitterionic monomer as side groups and modified starch as branch chains. The chemical structure and its effects on the fluidity, strength, durability and microstructure of cement-based composites containing clay were tested. The results indiacted that zwitterions can improve the chelating adsorption capacity and eliminate the influence of chloride ions, while modified starch branch chain can improve the effect of slow coagulation and water retention. NAD has excellent dispersing and mud resistance effect, which makes the interface of cement hydration products clear, regular shape, uniform distribution and compact structure.The dispersion mechanism was proposed and it is think that NAD was mainly adsorbed on the interface of cement particles by zwitterion chelation adsorption and on the interface of the mud particles by anion groups. Meanwhile, the polyoxyethylene and the starch branch chains synergistic to form spatial barrier layer, showing excellent effects on blocking mud water absorption, improving dispersing and regulating hydration products structure. The research results have positive significance for the developing highly effective anti-mud dispersants.

Constructing Interfacial Charge Transfer Channels and Electric Field in Violet Phosphorus-Based van der Waals Heterojunction for Phototherapy of Periodontitis.

Periodontitis, a chronic oral disease instigated by bacteria, severely compromises human oral health. The prevailing clinical treatment for periodontitis involves mechanical scraping in conjunction with antibiotics. Phototherapy is employed to rapidly remove the bacteria and achieve periodontitis treatment, effectively circumventing the adverse effects associated with traditional therapies. Constructing 2D/2D van der Waals (VDW) heterojunctions is a key strategy for obtaining excellent photocatalytic activity. Herein, a 2D/2D violet phosphorus (VP)/Ti3C2 VDW heterojunction is designed using an interfacial engineering strategy. By constructing an electron transport "bridge" (P-Ti bond) at the heterogeneous interface as an effective transfer channel for photogenerated carriers, a compact monolithic structure between the VP and Ti3C2 phases is formed, and the spatial barrier for electron transfer at the interface is eliminated. Meanwhile, the strong directional built-in electric field induced by the intensive electron-coupling effect at the heterogeneous interface served as an internal driving force, which greatly accelerates the exciton dissociation and charge transfer in the photocatalytic process. These excited photogenerated electrons and holes are trapped by O2 and H2O on the surfaces of Ti3C2 and VP, respectively, and are subsequently catalytically converted to antibacterial reactive oxygen species (ROS). The VP/Ti3C2 VDW heterojunction eradicated 97.5% and 98.48% of Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli, respectively, by photocatalytic and photothermal effects under visible light for 10 min. The VP/Ti3C2 nanoperiodontal dressing ointment effectively attenuated inflammatory response, reduced alveolar bone resorption, and promoted periodontal soft and hard tissue repair. Its periodontitis therapeutic effect outperforms the clinically used Periocline.

Spatio-temporal heterogeneity and coupling effect of mining economy, social governance and environmental conservation: Evidence from Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China.

In order to solve the problem of coordinated development among mining economy, social governance and environmental conservation in global resource-based cities, we choose Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region as the research area. The advantage of resource endowment and resource industry was measured by location quotient and input-output method. The panel data related to mining governance from 2010 to 2021 were selected to build the evaluation and coupling analysis model between mining economic, social governance and environmental conservation, and the spatial-temporal heterogeneity and coupling effect of them were analyzed by comprehensive empowerment evaluation, spatial autocorrelation analysis and barrier degree methods. The results show that: (1) Except for the overall upward trend of social governance, the development level of mining economy and environmental conservation are basically stable; (2) The resource-rich areas have obvious mining economic advantages, and the central cities have good social governance capabilities, and the environmental conservation effectiveness is uncertain; (3) The coupling effect between mining economy and social governance is stronger than that between mining economy and environment conservation, and the synergistic coupling effect of the three is relatively random. Finally, we put forward some policy response strategies to Guangxi, and theoretical and practical reference would be provided for resource-based cities around the world.

Research on the improvement of conventional public transportation in the context of population aging

With the aggravation of the trend of population aging, the conventional bus planning and service in Lhasa city need to be adjusted continuously to meet the needs of the elderly, so that they can enjoy convenient transportation services to better integrate into the city life, so the conventional bus improvement in the context of aging is a relevant study. According to the research characteristics of this paper, Lhasa Chengguan District is selected as the research area, and the current situation of regular bus development in the region is briefly analyzed, and based on the Gaode Map API to obtain the station and road network data, the spatial barrier model is used to assess the accessibility of regular buses, and then ArcGIS is used to visualize the data. Finally, the conventional bus improvement strategy adapted to the aging society is proposed from the three aspects of bus stops and road network, bus facilities for aging, and bus service quality, so as to provide the elderly with more convenient, comfortable, and barrier-free bus services, thus realizing the sustainable development of Lhasa City.

The combined actions of the granule surface barrier and multiscale structural evolution of starch on in vitro digestion of oat flour

The digestive properties of oat-based food have garnered considerable interest. This study aimed to explore the internal and external factors contributing to different digestion properties of oat flour under actual processing conditions. Analysis of the ordered structure of oat starch revealed that an increase in gelatinization moisture to 60 % led to a decrease in crystallinity, R1047/1022 value, and helical structures content to 0, 0.48 %, and 1.45 %, respectively. Even when the crystal structure was completely destroyed, the short-range structure retained a certain degree of order. Surface structure observations of starch granules and penetration experiments with amylase-sized polysaccharide fluorescence probes indicated that non-starch components and small pores effectively hindered the diffusion of the probes but low-moisture (20 %) gelatinization substantially damaged this barrier. Furthermore, investigations into starch digestibility and starch molecular structure revealed that the ordered structure remaining inside the starch after high gelatinization delayed the digestion rate (0.028 min−1) and did not increase the content of resistant starch (7.10 %). It was concluded that the surface structure and non-starch components of starch granules limited the extent of starch digestion, whereas the spatial barrier of the residual ordered structure affected the starch digestion rate.

Barrier Height, Ideality Factor and Role of Inhomogeneities at the AlGaN/GaN Interface in GaN Nanowire Wrap-Gate Transistor.

It is essential to understand the barrier height, ideality factor, and role of inhomogeneities at the metal/semiconductor interfaces in nanowires for the development of next generation nanoscale devices. Here, we investigate the drain current (Ids)-gate voltage (Vgs) characteristics of GaN nanowire wrap-gate transistors (WGTs) for various gate potentials in the wide temperature range of 130-310 K. An anomalous reduction in the experimental barrier height and rise in the ideality factor with reducing the temperature have been perceived. It is noteworthy that the variations in barrier height and ideality factor are attributed to the spatial barrier inhomogeneities at the AlGaN/GaN interface in the GaN nanowire WGTs by assuming a double Gaussian distribution of barrier heights at 310-190 K (distribution 1) and 190-130 K (distribution 2). The standard deviation for distribution 2 is lower than that of distribution 1, which suggests that distribution 2 reflects more homogeneity at the AlGaN/GaN interface in the transistor's source/drain regions than distribution 1.

A Ternary (P, Se, S) Covalent Inorganic Framework as a Shuttle Effect-Free Cathode for Li-S Batteries.

Developing new cathode materials to avoid shuttle effect of Li-S batteries at source is crucial for practical high-energy applications, which, however, remains a great challenge. Herein, a new class of sulfur-containing ternary covalent inorganic framework (CIF), P4 Se6 S40 , is explored, by simply comelting powders of P, S, and Se. The P4 Se6 S40 CIF with open framework enables all active sites available during electrochemical reactions, giving a high capacity delivery. Moreover, introducing Se atoms can improve intrinsic electronic conductivity of S chains yet without remarkably compromising the capacity because Se is also electrochemical active to lithium storage. More importantly, Se atoms in S-Se chains can serve as a heteroatom barrier to block the bonding of S atoms around, effectively avoiding the formation of long-chain polysulfides during cycling. Besides, stable Li3 PS4 with a tetrahedral configuration formed after lithiation works as not only a good ionic conductor to promote Li ion diffusion, but a three-dimensional spatial barrier and chemical anchor to suppress the dissolution and diffusion of lithium polysulfides (LiPS), further inhibiting the shuttle effect. Consequently, the P4 Se6 S40 cathode delivers high capacity and excellent capacity retention with even a high loading of 10.5 mg cm-2 which far surpasses the requirement for commercial applications.

Modulating the properties of myofibrillar proteins-stabilized high internal phase emulsions using chitosan for enhanced 3D-printed foods

The 3D printability of myofibrillar proteins (MP)-based high internal phase emulsions (HIPEs) is a concern. This study investigated the influence of chitosan (CS) concentrations (0–1.5 wt%) on the physicochemical properties, microstructure, rheological properties, and stability of MP-based HIPEs. Results showed that the interaction between MP and CS efficiently modulated the formation of HIPEs by modifying interfacial tension and network structure. The addition of CS (≤ 0.9 wt%, especially at 0.6 wt%) acted as a spatial barrier, filling the network between droplets, which triggered electrostatic repulsion between CS and MP particles, enhancing MP's interfacial adsorption capacity. Consequently, droplet sizes decreased, emulsion stability increased, and HIPEs became more stable during freeze-thaw cycles, centrifugation, and heat treatment. The rheological analysis further demonstrated that the low energy storage modulus (G', 330.7 Pa) of MP-based HIPEs exhibited sagging and deformation during the self-supporting phase. However, adding CS (0.6 wt%) significantly increased the G' (1034 Pa) of MP-based HIPEs. Conversely, increasing viscosity and spatial resistance attributed to CS (> 0.9 wt%) noticeably caused larger droplet sizes, thereby diminishing the printability of MP-based HIPEs. These findings provide a promising strategy for developing high-performance and consumer-satisfaction 3D printing inks using MP-stabilized HIPEs.

Polyurethane and nano-TiO2 modifiers mitigate aging of asphalt binders by inhibiting aggregation of polar molecules: A molecular dynamics study

The aim of this study was to employ molecular dynamics to investigate how the addition of polyurethane and nano-TiO2 modifiers affects the strengthening mechanism and anti-aging properties of asphalt binders. In this study, asphalt molecular model, nano-TiO2 cluster model, PU molecular model, and PU/nano-TiO2/asphalt molecular model were constructed. The radius of gyration, free volume, diffusion coefficient, and indicators of structural alterations were used to analyze the impacts of PU and nano-TiO2 modifiers on the molecular structure of asphalt. The results indicate that the aging process of asphalt introduces oxygen-containing active functional groups. These groups increase the interaction forces among polar molecules, resulting in the aggregation of polar molecules and the disruption of the original colloidal structure. The spatial barrier effect of polyurethane chains hinders the self-aggregation behavior of asphaltene molecules. Asphaltenes are adsorbed onto the nano-TiO2 clusters, thereby impeding the formation of large-sized polar molecular aggregates. The primary role of polyurethane and nano-TiO2 is to mitigate the aging-induced aggregation of asphaltene polar molecules, preserving asphalt performance. However, it's important to note that asphalt will inevitably undergo aging over time.

Identification of Critical Links in Urban Road Network Based on GIS

A GIS-based method is proposed to identify critical links in urban road networks. This study utilizes a geographic information system (GIS) to evaluate the distribution of road infrastructure, road density, and network accessibility at the micro, meso, and macro levels. At the micro level, GIS is used to assess the distribution of public facilities along the roads. At the meso level, a city’s road density distribution is evaluated. At the macro level, a spatial barrier model and a transportation network model are constructed to assess the network accessibility. An inverse distance weighting method is employed to interpolate the accessibility. Furthermore, a network topology is established, and the entropy method is utilized to evaluate the sections comprehensively. The sections are ranked based on the evaluation results to identify the critical links in the urban road network. The road-network data and points of interest (POI) data from the Anning District in Lanzhou are selected for a case study, and the results indicate that the top five critical links have scores of 0.641, 0.571, 0.570, 0.519, and 0.508, respectively. Considering the three indicators enhances the accuracy of critical section identification, demonstrating the effectiveness of the proposed method. Visualizing each indicator using GIS 10.7 provides a new approach to identifying critical links in urban road networks and offers essential theoretical support for urban planning.

Electronic-ferry in metal element migration promoting deep activation of NiFe based phosphide for high efficient and stable oxygen evolution reaction

The design principle of high-efficient water electrolysis catalysis in oxygen evolution reaction (OER) has been primarily focused on the construction of multi-metal active centres. However, the spatial barrier between nonadjacent metal sites restricts the electron transfer, thus limits the activation and stability of active sites for improving the OER performance. Herein, a concept of electronic-ferry strategy by metal element migration in OER reconstruction is adopted to form dynamic electron-bridge between heterogeneous metal ions, which synchronously improves the OER kinetics and the corrosion resistance of metals centres. By designing layered NiCrP@NiFeP with concentration gradient, Cr element stepwise-release from the core part endows electron-ferry along the path of Ni2+-Cr4+/Ni3+-Cr6+ and Cr3+-Fe4+, achieving deep activated Ni(Fe)OOH layer with highly stable Fe sites in OER reconstruction process. The reconstructed NiCrP@NiFeP electrode shows 270 mV overpotential at 100 mA cm−2 current density with steady working more than 2600 h.

Efficient Photoelectrochemical Hydrogen Generation Using Eco-Friendly "Giant" InP/ZnSe Core/Shell Quantum Dots.

InP quantum dots (QDs) are promising building blocks for use in solar technologies because of their low intrinsic toxicity, narrow bandgap, large absorption coefficient, and low-cost solution synthesis. However, the high surface trap density of InP QDs reduces their energy conversion efficiency and degrades their long-term stability. Encapsulating InP QDs into a wider bandgap shell is desirable to eliminate surface traps and improve optoelectronic properties. Here, we report the synthesis of "giant" InP/ZnSe core/shell QDs with tunable ZnSe shell thickness to investigate the effect of the shell thickness on the optoelectronic properties and the photoelectrochemical (PEC) performance for hydrogen generation. The optical results demonstrate that ZnSe shell growth (0.9-2.8 nm) facilitates the delocalization of electrons and holes into the shell region. The ZnSe shell simultaneously acts as a passivation layer to protect the surface of InP QDs and as a spatial tunneling barrier to extract photoexcited electrons and holes. Thus, engineering the ZnSe shell thickness is crucial for the photoexcited electrons and hole transfer dynamics to tune the optoelectronic properties of "giant" InP/ZnSe core/shell QDs. We obtained an outstanding photocurrent density of 6.2 mA cm-1 for an optimal ZnSe shell thickness of 1.6 nm, which is 288% higher than the values achieved from bare InP QD-based PEC cells. Understanding the effect of shell thickness on surface passivation and carrier dynamics offers fundamental insights into the suitable design and realization of eco-friendly InP-based "giant" core/shell QDs toward improving device performance.

A new insight into the influence of pH on the adsorption at oil-water interface and emulsion stability of egg yolk protein

This study investigated the impact of varied pH treatments on the structural, emulsification, and interfacial adsorption properties of egg yolk. The solubility of egg yolk proteins decreased and then increased in response to pH changes, with a minimum value (41.95 %) observed at pH 5.0. The alkaline condition (pH 9.0) significantly impacted the secondary/tertiary structure of egg yolk, with the yolk solution displaying the lowest surface tension value (15.98 mN/m). Emulsion stability was found to be optimal when egg yolk was used as the stabilizer at pH 9.0, which corresponded to the more flexible diastolic structure, smaller emulsion droplets, increased viscoelasticity, and enhanced resistance to creaming. At pH 9.0, proteins exhibited a maximum solubility (90.79 %) due to their unfolded conformation, yet the protein adsorption content at the oil-water interface showed relatively low (54.21 %). At this time, electrostatic repulsion between the droplets and the spatial site barrier made by proteins that were unable to efficiently adsorb at the oil-water interface kept the emulsion stable. Moreover, it was found that different pH treatments could effectively regulate the relative adsorption contents of various protein subunits at the oil-water interface, and all proteins except livetin displayed good interfacial adsorption capacity at the oil-water interface.