Reinforcement the whipping capabilities of aerated emulsions by multi-enzymatic modification of palm olein: Fat crystal-membrane interactions insights.

With the development of the new tea drink market and increasing public attention to health, low-saturated fat aerated emulsions are becoming more popular. However, low saturation levels can easily lead to poor whipping capabilities. This study systematically investigated the mechanisms by which multiple enzyme-modified palm olein, used as a low-saturated fat base in aerated emulsions.

Effects of liquid oils on partial coalescence and whipping capabilities of aerated emulsions: Differences between diacylglycerol and triacylglycerol.

Liquid oils are typically used to dilute solid fat in aerated emulsions, yet the structure of lipid components determines their functional properties. This study investigates the mechanism of liquid diacylglycerol (DAG) and triacylglycerol (TAG) on the whipping capabilities of aerated emulsions from the perspective of fat crystal- membrane interactions. Although there were no significant differences in thermodynamic properties, DAG significantly delayed the reduction in lamella thickness of fat crystals compared to TAG, thereby maintaining the density of the fat crystal network at high liquid oil levels.

Effect of diacylglycerol on partial coalescence of aerated emulsions: Fat crystal-membrane interaction and air-liquid Interface interaction insights.

Currently, the poor whipping capabilities of anhydrous milk fat (AMF) in aerated emulsion products are a major obstacle for their use in beverages like tea and coffee, as well as in cakes and desserts, presenting fresh hurdles for the food industry. In this study, the mechanism of action of diacylglycerols (DAGs) with different carbon chain lengths and degrees of saturation on the partial coalescence of aerated emulsions was systematically investigated from three fundamental perspectives: fat crystallization, air-liquid interface rheology, and fat globule interface properties. The optimized crystallization of long carbon chain length diacylglycerol (LCD) based on stearate enhances interactions between fat globules at the air-liquid interface (with an elastic modulus E' reaching 246.

Identification of the conductivity type of single-walled carbon nanotubes via dual-modulation dielectric force microscopy.

The conductivity type is one of the most fundamental transport properties of semiconductors, which is usually identified by fabricating the field-effect transistor, the Hall-effect device, etc. However, it is challenging to obtain an Ohmic contact if the sample is down to nanometer-scale because of the small size and intrinsic heterogeneity. Noncontact dielectric force microscopy (DFM) can identify the conductivity type of the sample by applying a DC gate voltage to the tip, which is effective in tuning the accumulation or depletion of charge carriers.

Interlayer Charge Transfer Induced Electrical Behavior Transition in 1D AgI@sSWCNT van der Waals Heterostructures.

The emergence of one-dimensional van der Waals heterostructures (1D vdWHs) opens up potential fields with unique properties, but precise synthesis remains a challenge. The utilization of mixed conductive types of carbon nanotubes as templates has imposed restrictions on the investigation of the electrical behavior and interlayer interaction of 1D vdWHs. In this study, we efficiently encapsulated silver iodide in high-purity semiconducting single-walled carbon nanotubes (sSWCNTs), forming 1D AgI@sSWCNT vdWHs.

Quantitative amplitude-modulation scanning Kelvin probe microscopy via the second eigenmode excitation.

Amplitude modulation scanning Kelvin probe microscopy (AM-SKPM) is widely used to measure the contact potential difference (CPD) between probe and samples in ambient or dry inert atmosphere. However, AM-SKPM is generally considered quantitatively inaccurate due to crosstalk between the cantilever and the sample. Here we demonstrate that the accuracy of AM-SKPM-based CPD measurements is drastically improved by exciting the SKPM probe at its second eigenmode.

Visualization of Interfacial Band Bending in Photomultiplying Organic Photodetectors.

Charge injection is a basic transport process that strongly affects performance of optoelectronic devices such as light-emitting diodes and photodetectors. In these devices, the charge injection barrier is related to the band bending at the active layer/electrode interface and exhibits sophisticated dependence on interface structure and device operating conditions, making it difficult to determine via either theoretical prediction or experimental measurements. Here, cross-sectional scanning Kelvin probe microscopy (SKPM) has been applied in organic photodetectors to visualize the interfacial band bending.

Efficiency above 12% for 1 cm Flexible Organic Solar Cells with Ag/Cu Grid Transparent Conducting Electrode.

With the rapid progress of organic solar cells (OSCs), improvement in the efficiency of large-area flexible OSCs (>1 cm) is crucial for real applications. However, the development of the large-area flexible OSCs severely lags behind the growth of the small-area OSCs, with the electrical loss due to the large sheet resistance of the electrode being a main reason. Herein, a high conductive and high transparent Ag/Cu composite grid with sheet resistance <1 Ω sq and an average visible light transparency of 84% is produced as the transparent conducting electrode of flexible OSCs.

Reconfiguration of interfacial energy band structure for high-performance inverted structure perovskite solar cells.

Charged defects at the surface of the organic-inorganic perovskite active layer are detrimental to solar cells due to exacerbated charge carrier recombination. Here we show that charged surface defects can be benign after passivation and further exploited for reconfiguration of interfacial energy band structure. Based on the electrostatic interaction between oppositely charged ions, Lewis-acid-featured fullerene skeleton after iodide ionization (PCBB-3N-3I) not only efficiently passivates positively charged surface defects but also assembles on top of the perovskite active layer with preferred orientation.

Functional Scanning Force Microscopy for Energy Nanodevices.

Energy nanodevices, including energy conversion and energy storage devices, have become a major cross-disciplinary field in recent years. These devices feature long-range electron and ion transport coupled with chemical transformation, which call for novel characterization tools to understand device operation mechanisms. In this context, recent developments in functional scanning force microscopy techniques and their application in thin-film photovoltaic devices and lithium batteries are reviewed.