To date, no extensive literature review exists regarding potential uses of mung bean proteins and peptides. As mung bean has long been widely used as a food source, early studies evaluated mung bean nutritional value against the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)/the World Health Organization (WHO) amino acids dietary recommendations. The comparison demonstrated mung bean to be a good protein source, except for deficiencies in sulphur-containing amino acids, methionine and cysteine. Methionine and cysteine residues have been introduced into the 8S globulin through protein engineering technology. Subsequently, purified mung bean proteins and peptides have facilitated the study of their structural and functional properties. Two main types of extraction methods have been reported for isolation of proteins and peptides from mung bean flours, permitting sequencing of major proteins present in mung bean, including albumins and globulins (notably 8S globulin). However, the sequence for albumin deposited in the UniProt database differs from other sequences reported in the literature. Meanwhile, a limited number of reports have revealed other useful bioactivities for proteins and hydrolysed peptides, including angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitory activity, anti-fungal activity and trypsin inhibitory activity. Consequently, several mung bean hydrolysed peptides have served as effective food additives to prevent proteolysis during storage. Ultimately, further research will reveal other nutritional, functional and bioactive properties of mung bean for uses in diverse applications.

Owing to the biological compatibility and mechanical properties of polylactic acid (PLA), it presents an extensive application area (such as packaging, film, and fiber). However, the molten dripping phenomenon during combustion is still a drawback in the application of PLA. In this research, an intumescent flame retardant (A-A) was prepared based on the ionic exchange between p-aminobenzenesulfonic acid and ammonium polyphosphate. After that, A-A was molten compounded with PLA to improve its flame retardancy. It was suggested that the presence of 15% A-A could increase the limiting oxygen index value from 20.0% of neat PLA to 30.5%, enhance the UL results from none to V-0 and restrict the heat release during cone calorimeter test. Most importantly, the dripping behavior of PLA/15A-A composites while burning had been greatly minimized. On the basis of the mechanism analysis, it was suggested that A-A modified the initial degradation routine of PLA matrix, resulting to the rapid construction of protective barrier, thus endowing the antidripping property to the PLA/15A-A composites.

Here we report a facile hydrothermal route for the preparation of BiOBr-Bi 2 WO 6 mesoporous nanosheet composites (MNCs) in the presence of titanium isopropoxide, Ti(O i Pr) 4 . High resolution transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, nitrogen adsorption/desorption analysis and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy were employed for structural and composition analyses of the MNCs. The photogenerated charge transfer and photocatalytic activity of BiOBr-Bi 2 WO 6 MNCs were investigated by Kelvin probe force microscopy and UV-vis spectroscopy. We propose mechanisms to illustrate how titanium alkoxide induces the formation of mesoporous nanosheet heterostructures and the enhanced photodecomposition efficiency of the dye under low light intensity illumination. Overall, our results suggest that titanium alkoxide is not only strongly involved in the growth of BiOBr (001) facets, but also plays a critical role in the pore evolution of the product. Kelvin probe force microscopy analysis allows us to conclude that the resulting nanocomposites demonstrate high photogenerated charge mobility and a long lifetime. Dye molecules can be rapidly and thoroughly decomposed with the photocatalyst under very low light intensity illumination. The enhanced photocatalytic activity is attributed to well matched band edge positions of BiOBr and Bi 2 WO 6 and the large specific surface area of the MNCs in view of the incorporation of mesopores and the highly exposed BiOBr (001) facet due to the use of Ti(O i Pr) 4 during the synthesis. The results presented here are expected to make a contribution toward the development of delicate nanocomposites for photocatalytic water purification and solar energy utilization.

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