Enhanced physicochemical properties of chitosan films with generation of kafirin particles: optimization response surface methodology.

Biodegradable food packaging has gained significant attention owing to environmental concerns. Chitosan (CS), a natural polysaccharide, is popular in packaging films, however, its high hydrophilicity, brittleness, and low mechanical strength limit its use. To improve CS film performance, kafirin (Kaf), glycerol (GE), and tannic acid (TA) were added to create biocomposite films.

Advancing reliability and efficiency of urban communication: Unmanned aerial vehicles, intelligent reflection surfaces, and deep learning techniques.

Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) have garnered attention for their potential to improve wireless communication networks by establishing line-of-sight (LoS) connections. However, urban environments pose challenges such as tall buildings and trees, impacting communication pathways. Intelligent reflection surfaces (IRSs) offer a solution by creating virtual LoS routes through signal reflection, enhancing reliability and coverage.

Facile construction of agar-based fire-resistant aerogels: A synergistic strategy via in situ generations of magnesium hydroxide and cross-linked Ca-alginate.

Biomass-based aerogel materials have many advantages, such as low thermal conductivity and non-toxicity. These materials are environmentally friendly and have broad development potential in the fields of packaging, cushioning and green building insulation. However, defects, such as low mechanical strength and poor fire safety, greatly limit the application of these materials.

nanoarchitectonics of magnesium hydroxide particles for property regulation of carboxymethyl cellulose/poly(vinyl alcohol) aerogels.

Carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC)-based aerogels with low density, low thermal conductivity, and biodegradability are promising candidates for environmentally friendly heat-insulating materials. However, the application of CMC-based aerogels as insulation materials in building exterior walls is limited by the high water sensitivity, poor mechanical properties and high flammability of these aerogels. In this work, a simple hydration method was used to generate magnesium hydroxide (MH) directly from CMC/polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) mixed sol with active MgO obtained by calcined magnesite as the raw material.

Synergistic Effect of Halloysite Nanotubes and Glycerol on the Physical Properties of Fish Gelatin Films.

Fish gelatin (FG)/glycerol (GE)/halloysite (HT) composite films were prepared by casting method. The morphology of the composite films was observed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The effects of HT and GE addition on the mechanical properties, water resistance and optical properties of the composites were investigated.

Preparation and photo-catalytic behavior of conjugated polymers based on paper-making wastewater.

Based on alkaline paper-making wastewater, a polymer catalyst (FQ) was prepared and characterized by FTIR, ESR and element analysis techniques. The results show that the catalyst has conjugated structure and the conjugate degree increases after heat treatment. The catalyst has quite high photo-catalytic activity, which was verified by the fact that the simulated dyeing wastewater containing methylene blue (MB) or acridine orange (AO) can be degraded completely in 20 minutes under natural light using FQ as the photo-catalyst.