Lead-free barium calcium titanate zirconate (BCTZ) ceramics doped with a single rare-earth element generally exhibit excellent piezoelectric properties. However, their electrical properties deteriorate at an excessive dopant content, limiting their application. In this study, amphoteric neodymium (Nd) and yttrium (Y)-codoped BCTZ-NY ceramics were synthesized via a solid-state reaction at 1240 °C.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThis paper reports on the measurement of optical property mapping of apples at the wavelengths of 460, 527, 630, and 710 nm using spatial-frequency domain imaging (SFDI) technique, for assessing the soluble solid content (SSC), firmness, and color parameters. A laboratory-based multispectral SFDI system was developed for acquiring SFDI of 140 "Golden Delicious" apples, from which absorption coefficient ( ) and reduced scattering coefficient () mappings were quantitatively determined using the three-phase demodulation coupled with curve-fitting method. There was no noticeable spatial variation in the optical property mapping based on the resulting effect of different sizes of the region of interest (ROI) on the average optical properties.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIn this work, a robust method for the separation of gardenia yellow and geniposide from gardenia fruit was developed based on a molecularly imprinted solid phase extraction (MISPE) procedure. First, hydrophilic molecularly imprinted microspheres (HMIMs) were prepared using gardenia yellow as the template via reversible addition fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) precipitation polymerization. The resultant HMIMs demonstrated the multiresponsiveness to pH, temperature, and magnetism, achieving controllable uptake and release of gardenia yellow and easy recovery by external magnets.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFLutein is a carotenoid with several beneficial functions, but its poor water solubility, chemical instability, and low bioavailability limits its application. To overcome these shortcomings, self-assembly composite nanoparticles from Stauntonia brachyanthera seed albumin (SBSA), gum Arabic (GA), and carboxymethylcellulose (CMC) were developed for lutein encapsulation. Firstly, SBSA was extracted from seeds and its physicochemical properties were evaluated.
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