High intensity ultrasonic (HUS, 20 kHz, 400 W) pre-treatments of soybean protein isolate (SPI) improved the water holding capacity (WHC), gel strength and gel firmness (final elastic moduli) of glucono-δ-lactone induced SPI gels (GISG). Sonication time (0, 5, 20, and 40 min) had a significant effect on the above three properties. 20 min HUS-GISG had the highest WHC (95.53 ± 0.25%), gel strength (60.90 ± 2.87 g) and gel firmness (96340Pa), compared with other samples. Moreover, SH groups and non-covalent interactions of GISG also changed after HUS pre-treatments. The HUS GISG had denser and more uniform microstructures than the untreated GISG. Rheological investments showed that the cooling step (reduce the temperature from 95 to 25 °C at a speed of 2 °C/min) was more important for the HUS GISG network formation while the heat preservation step (keep temperature at 95 for 20 min) was more important for the untreated GISG. HUS reduced the particle size of SPI and Pearson correlation test showed that the particle size of SPI dispersions was negatively correlated with WHC, gel strength and gel firmness.

No abstract

Immunogenic cell death (ICD) is a form of regulated cell death (RCD) induced by various stresses and produces antitumor immunity via damage-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs) release or exposure, mainly including high mobility group box 1 (HMGB1), calreticulin (CRT), adenosine triphosphate (ATP), and heat shock proteins (HSPs). Emerging evidence has suggested that ionizing radiation (IR) can induce ICD, and the dose, type, and fractionation of irradiation influence the induction of ICD. At present, IR-induced ICD is mainly verified in vitro in mice and there is few clinical evidence about it. To boost the induction of ICD by IR, some strategies have shown synergy with IR to enhance antitumor immune response, such as hyperthermia, nanoparticles, and chemotherapy. In this review, we focus on the molecular mechanisms of ICD, ICD-promoting factors associated with irradiation, the clinical evidence of ICD, and immunogenic forms of cell death. Finally, we summarize various methods of improving ICD induced by IR.

No abstract

A cotton-candy inspired, multi-functional protein fabric with novel ribbon-like fibre morphology is proposed for advanced and sustainable filtration application.

Building nanostructured active materials and rational porous structures in air filters will be significant in realizing high filtration efficiency and low normalized pressure drop. The construction of nanofabrics by electrospinning can lead to large active surface areas, but it has been challenging to control the porous structures to reduce the normalized pressure drop, in particular for thick fabrics. To address this issue, here, we report a protein-functionalized composite air filter with hierarchical structures. This composite is made of bacterial nanocellulose coated by protein nanoparticles and microcellulose fibers from wood pulp. The protein-functionalized nanocellulose can not only help expose the functional groups of protein for trapping pollutants but also act as a binder to reinforce the composite fabrics. At the same time, the long microcellulose fibers form large pores, reducing normalized pressure drop and improving mechanical properties. By adjusting the component ratios, we demonstrate a high-performance protein/nanocellulose/microcellulose composite air filter with high filtration efficiency of above 99.5% for PM 1−2.5 but extremely low normalized pressure drop of 0.194 kPa/g, which is only about 1% of that for protein nanofabrics constructed by electrospinning. This study brings about a cost-effective strategy based on protein-functionalized hierarchical composite fabrics for fabrication of an advanced, green, sustainable air filter.

Although a high-efficiency air filter can be achieved from electrospun nanofabrics, it has been challenging to reduce the pressure drop, increase the filtration capacity, and improve the production rate of the electrospinning process. Here, we report a hierarchically structured all-biomass air filter with high filtration efficiency and low air pressure drop based on applying Pickering emulsions to generate proteinfunctionalized nanostructures. Specifically, the air filter consists of cellulose nanofibers (CNF)/zein nanoparticles as active fillers prepared from Pickering emulsions and porous structures of microfibers as the frame from wood pulp (WP). The zein-protein-coated nanoparticles, CNF/zein, contribute in multiple ways to improve removal efficiency of the filters. First, the exposed functional groups of zein-protein help to trap air pollutants including toxic gaseous molecules via interaction mechanisms. Second, the nanoparticles with a high surface area promote the capture capability for small particulate pollutants. Meanwhile, the long-micron WP fibers forming a frame with large pores significantly reduce the pressure drop. Via adjusting the component ratios of in the Pickering emulsion, we report an optimized air filter with the high efficiency for capturing both types of pollutants: particulate matter (PM) and chemical gasses such as HCHO and CO, and the extremely low normalized pressure drop, that is, approximately 1/170 of the zein-based nano air filter by electrospinning. This study initiates a cost-effective strategy for forming a hierarchical nano-and microstructure, enabling high efficiency of capturing particulate pollutants of a wide size range and more species. More significantly, this is the first study in which Pickering emulsion is applied as a critical approach with integration of bio-and nano-technology to make high-performance, green air filters.

Uncovering the key contributions of molecular details to capture polysulfides is important for applying suitable materials that can effectively restrain the shuttle effect in advanced lithium–sulfur batteries. This is particularly true for natural biomolecules with substantial structural and compositional diversities strongly impacting their functions. Here, natural gelatin and zein proteins are first denatured and then adopted for fabrication of nanocomposite interlayers via functionalization of carbon nanofibers. From the results of experiment and molecular dynamic simulations, it is found that the lengths of the sidechains on the two proteins play critical roles. The short‐branched gelatin shows significantly stronger adsorption of polysulfides, as compared with zein comprising many long‐chain residues. The gelatin‐based interlayer, along with its good porous structures/electrical conductivity, greatly suppresses the shuttle effect and yields exceptional electrochemical performance. Furthermore, the implementation of proteins as functional binder additives further supports the finding that gelatin enables stronger polysulfide‐trapping. As a result, high‐loading sulfur cathodes (9.4 mg cm−2) are realized, which deliver a high average areal capacity of 8.2 mAh cm−2 over 100 cycles at 0.1 A g−1. This work demonstrates the importance of sidechain length in capturing polysulfides and provides a new insight in selecting and design of desired polysulfide‐binding molecules.