In this study, gelatin and pullulan were successfully prepared as a novel type of protein–polysaccharide composite nanofibrous membrane by electrospinning at room temperature with deionized water as the solvent. The effects of gelatin content on the properties of the solution, as well as the morphology of the resultant nanofibers, were investigated. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was utilized to observe the surface morphology. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) was used to study the interaction between gelatin and pullulan. Incorporation of pullulan with gelatin will improve the spinnability of the mixed aqueous solution due to lower surface tension. Moreover, the conductivity of the solution had a greater effect on the fiber diameters, and the as-spun fibers became thinner as the viscosity and the surface tension increased due to the addition of the polyelectrolyte gelatin. Gelatin and pullulan formed hydrogen bonds, and the intermolecular hydrogen bonds increased while the intramolecular hydrogen bond decreased, which resulted in better mechanical properties. The electrospun gelatin/pullulan nanofibers could mimic both the structure and the composition of the extracellular matrix, and thus could be applied in tissue engineering.
Background As a vital osmoticum, proline has an important role in enhancing the tolerance of plants to environmental stress. It is unclear whether the application of exogenous proline can improve the tolerance of Brassica juncea to cadmium (Cd). Results This study investigated the effects of different concentrations of proline (20, 40, 60, 80, and 100 mg/L) under Cd stress at different times (0 d, 2 d, and 7 d) on the growth and physiology of B. juncea. Treatment with exogenous proline not only increased the content of proline in B. juncea but also alleviated Cd-induced seedling growth inhibition via the maintenance of higher photosynthetic pigment content and cell viability and a decrease in the content of Cd. Moreover, it increased the activities of antioxidant enzymes and the glutathione/glutathione disulfide ratio to reduce the accumulation of reactive oxygen species. Compared with other concentrations, 60 mg/L of exogenous proline was the most effective at mitigating Cd toxicity in B. juncea. Conclusions Exogenous proline treatment enhanced the tolerance to Cd via a decrease in Cd accumulation and reestablishment of the redox homeostasis in B. juncea.
Most sheet facial masks for skincare are made of nonwovens and loaded with liquid active ingredients, which are usually opaque and require additives for long‐term preservation. Herein, a Transparent Additive‐Free Fibrous (TAFF) facial mask is reported for skin moisturizing. The TAFF facial mask consists of a bilayer fibrous membrane. The inner layer is fabricated by electrospinning functional components of gelatin (GE) and hyaluronic acid (HA) into a solid fibrous membrane to get rid of additives, the outer layer is an ultrathin PA6 fibrous membrane that is highly transparent, especially after absorbing water. The results indicate that the GE‐HA membrane can quickly absorb water and become a transparent hydrogel film. By employing the hydrophobic PA6 membrane as the outer layer, directional water transport is achieved, which enables TAFF facial mask with excellent skin moisturizing effect. The skin moisture content is up to 84% ± 7% after placing the TAFF facial mask on the skin for 10 min. In addition, the relative transparency of the TAFF facial mask on the skin reaches 97.0% ± 1.9% when ultrathin PA6 membrane is used as the outer layer. The design of the transparent additive‐free facial mask may serve as a guideline for developing new functional facial masks.
Aqueous zinc batteries (AZBs) are one of the most promising large-scale energy storage devices by virtue of their high specific capacity, high degree of safety, non-toxicity, and significant economic benefits. However, Zn anodes in aqueous electrolyte suffer from zinc dendrites and side reactions, which lead to a low coulombic efficiency and short life cycle of the cell. Since electrolytes play a key role in the Zn plating/stripping process, versatile strategies have been developed for designing an electrolyte to handle these issues. Among these strategies, electrolyte additives are considered to be promising for practical application because of the advantages of low cost and simplicity. Moreover, the resulting electrolyte can maximally preserve the merits of the aqueous electrolyte. The availability and effectiveness of additives have been demonstrated by tens of research works. Up to now, it has been essential and timely to systematically overview the progress of electrolyte additives in mild acidic/neutral electrolytes. These additives are classified as metal ion additives, surfactant additives, SEI film-forming additives, and complexing additives, according to their functions and mechanisms. For each category of additives, their functional mechanisms, as well as the latest developments, are comprehensively elaborated. Finally, some perspectives into the future development of additives for advanced AZBs are presented.
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