Xihua University

This study investigates the preparation of NiCoCrMoW multicomponent alloy metallic composite on stainless steel mesh substrates via electrochemical micro-machining to fabricate columnar catalyst for enhanced hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) performance. Two simple steps of electrodeposition have successful prepared a Ni-NiCoCrMoW micro-metallic composite which are composed of the Ni anchor layer and the outer columnar grain structure layer with high internal stress. Designing the electrochemical micro-machining process that release the internal stresses by cathodic polarization in 0.5 mol/L H₂SO₄, triggers spontaneous deformation and structural changes in the crystalline and the formation of micro-cracks, thus the electrochemically active surface area and the high electrocatalytic sites are increased. Finally, the columnar catalyst exhibits excellent HER performance across acidic, neutral, and alkaline environments, achieving an overpotential of 57 mV at a current density of 10 mA cm^-2 in 0.5 mol/L H₂SO₄. Additionally, electrochemical stability testing demonstrate that the electrodes maintain catalytic activity for over 200 h. This novel electrochemical fabrication process integrating stress engineering with 4D printing principles provides a scalable, cost-effective method for fabricating high-performance HER catalysts, with significant potential for industrial hydrogen production.

This study investigated the effect of interfacial rigidity on the tunable rheol. properties of high internal phase Pickering emulsions (HIPPEs).To produce protein samples with varying degrees of flexibility, walnut protein isolate (WPI) was complexed with casein (CA) through a pH shifting method and further crosslinked with genipin.CA/WPI and genipin-crosslinked CA/WPI (G-CA/WPI) nanocomplexes exhibited significantly decreased particle sizes (lower than 150 nm), increased β-sheet content, and enhanced rigidity.While CA/WPI and G-CA/WPI demonstrated appropriate wettability (close to 90°), their interfacial tensions were relatively higher than that of CA by 2.5-5 mN/m.Notably, the quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) study revealed that the oil-water interface adsorbed with CA/WPI and G-CA/WPI exhibited significantly greater interfacial rigidity (low dissipation shifts <1.2 x 10^-6) than those adsorbed with CA, WPI, or their mixture (M-CA/WPI).The HIPPEs stabilized by 2% CA/WPI and G-CA/WPI exhibited comparable oil droplet sizes to those stabilized by CA or M-CA/WPI, yet they demonstrated significantly enhanced storage modulus by 1.5-5-fold and increased critical stresses by up to 25-fold, indicating their improved viscoelastic properties.Lissajous-Bowditch curves further confirmed that the HIPPEs fabricated with CA/WPI and G-CA/WPI were more resistant to deformation.These findings underscore the pivotal role of protein particle rigidity in the rheol. properties of stabilized HIPPEs, guiding the design of novel HIPPEs with tailored applications.

This work aims to optimize encapsulation of Zanthoxylum schinifolium essential oil (ZSEO) in microcapsule to enhance its stability and slow-release capability. Herein, the ZSEO microcapsules stabilized by bacterial cellulose nanofibrils/whey protein isolate (BCNFs/WPI) complexes and modified by cinnamaldehyde (CA) were successfully prepared via spray drying. The microcapsules formed by 1.0 wt% BCNFs/WPI complexes at a ratio of 1:7 and fortified with 0.7 wt% CA, exhibited superior physical properties, a smaller powder size and the highest encapsulation efficiency (90.81 %). The spectroscopy analysis and molecular dynamics simulations demonstrated the presence of hydrogen bonding and electrostatic interactions between CA and BCNFs/WPI/ZSEO components, contributing to an increase in the binding energy. The release kinetic modeling revealed that the microcapsules exhibited the delayed release capability in both aqueous and oily model fluids. Moreover, the ZSEO microcapsules modified with CA exhibited enhanced stability during in vitro digestion, offering valuable insights into the microencapsulation of essential oils.