Novel one-step method to construct gellan gum-zein core-shell structured starch beads for regulating starch digestion.

A simple and efficient one-step method combining ion crosslinking and antisolvent exchange has been developed to construct gellan gum/corn starch@zein (GG/CS@Z) core-shell structured beads. This novel approach aims to reduce the digestibility and digestion rate of starch. The GG/CS@Z beads were comprehensively characterized using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), confocal laser scanning microscope (CLSM), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), swelling power experiments and in vitro simulated digestion tests, respectively.

Design and Characterization of a Novel Core-Shell Nano Delivery System Based on Zein and Carboxymethylated Short-Chain Amylose for Encapsulation of Curcumin.

Curcumin is a naturally occurring hydrophobic polyphenolic compound with a rapid metabolism, poor absorption, and low stability, which severely limits its bioavailability. Here, we employed a starch-protein-based nanoparticle approach to improve the curcumin bioavailability. This study focused on synthesizing nanoparticles with a zein "core" and a carboxymethylated short-chain amylose (CSA) "shell" through anti-solvent precipitation for delivering curcumin.

A short linear glucan nanocomposite hydrogel formed by in situ self-assembly with highly elastic, fatigue-resistant and self-recovery.

Polyacrylamide (PAM) hydrogels are widely used in wide-ranging applications in biology, medicine, pharmaceuticals and environmental sectors. However, achieving the requisite mechanical properties, fatigue resistance, self-recovery, biocompatibility, and biodegradability remains a challenge. Herein, we present a facile method to construct a nanocomposite hydrogel by integrating short linear glucan (SLG), obtained by debranching waxy corn starch, into a PAM network through self-assembly.

Controlled growth of MoS via surface-energy alterations.

Monolayer MoS in triangular configurations with rich edges or high-quality uniform films are either catalytically active for the hydrogen evolution reaction or flexible for functional electronic and optoelectronic devices. Here, we have experimentally discovered that these two types of MoS products can be selectively synthesized on graphene or sapphire substrates, which are associated with both different adsorption energy and diffusion-energy barrier for vapor precursors during growth. Our study not only provides insights into the on-surface synthesis of high-quality MoS monolayers, but also can be applied to the growth of vertically-stacked and large-scale in-plane lateral MoS-graphene heterostructures.

Critical Annealing Temperature for Stacking Orientation of Bilayer Graphene.

It is rarely reported that stacking orientations of bilayer graphene (BLG) can be manipulated by the annealing process. Most investigators have painstakingly fabricated this BLG by chemical vapor deposition growth or mechanical means. Here, it is discovered that, at ≈600 °C, called the critical annealing temperature (CAT), most stacking orientations collapse into strongly coupled or AB-stacked states.

Continuous-wave and chemical vapor deposition graphene-based passively Q-switched Er:YO ceramic lasers at 2.7 μm.

We report on 976-nm diode-pumped Er:YO ceramic lasers in continuous-wave and passively Q-switched regimes. The maximum output power of continuous-wave laser operation is about 0.78 W with slope efficiency of about 11.

Capabilities of transition metals in retarding the bonding of carbon atoms to minimize dendritic graphene.

The avoidance of growing dendritic graphene on the copper substrate during the chemical vapor deposition process is greatly desired. Here we have identified a mechanism, in which (1) transition metal plates placed inside the copper pockets reduce the majority of active carbon atoms to eventually suppress the graphene growth rate, and (2) transition metals etch graphene C-C bonds along defective edges to grow into zigzag-edge ending domains with higher priorities. Via isotopic labeling of the methane method, we have observed bright-dark-alternating hexagonal-shaped rings, which are shown in Raman mapping images.

A visualization method for probing grain boundaries of single layer graphene via molecular beam epitaxy.

Graphene, a member of layered two-dimensional (2D) materials, possesses high carrier mobility, mechanical flexibility, and optical transparency, as well as enjoying a wide range of promising applications in electronics. Adopting the chemical vaporization deposition method, the majority of investigators have ubiquitously grown single layer graphene (SLG), which inevitably involves polycrystalline properties. Here we demonstrate a simple method for the direct visualization of arbitrarily large-size SLG domains by synthesizing one-hundred-nm-scale MoS single crystals via a high-vacuum molecular beam epitaxy process.

Temperature-Related Morphological Evolution of MoS Domains on Graphene and Electron Transfer within Heterostructures.

Other than the well-known sulfurization of molybdate compound to synthesize molybdenum disulfide (MoS ) layers, the dynamic process in the whole crystalline growth from nuclei to triangular domains has been rarely experimentally explored. Here, a competing sulfur-capture principle jointly with strict epitaxial mechanism is first proposed for the initial topography evolution and the final intrinsic highly oriented growth of triangular MoS domains with Mo or S terminations on the graphene (Gr) template. Additionally, potential distributions on MoS domains and bare Gr are presented to be different due to the charge transfer within heterostructures.