Advances in Colloid and Interface Science最新文献

Pickering emulsions (PEs) can be used as efficient carriers for encapsulation and controlled release of different bioactive compounds. Recent research has revealed the potential of prolamins in development of nanoparticle- and emulsion-based carriers which can improve the stability and bioavailability of bioactive compounds. Prolamin-based particles have been effectively used as stabilizers of various PEs including single PEs, high internal phase PEs, multiple PEs, novel triphasic PEs, and PE gels due to their tunable self-assembly behaviors. Prolamin particles can be fabricated via different techniques including anti-solvent precipitation, dissolution followed by pH adjustment, heating, and ion induced aggregation. Particles fabricated from prolamins alone or in combination with other hydrocolloids or polyphenols have also been used for stabilization of different PEs which were shown to be effective carriers for food bioactives, providing improved stability and functionality. This article covers the recent advances in various PEs stabilized by prolamin particles as innovative carriers for bioactive ingredients. Strategies applied for fabrication of prolamin particles and prolamin-based carriers are discussed. Emerging techno-functional applications of prolamin-based PEs and possible challenges are also highlighted.

Quantum dots (QDs), a novel category of semiconductor materials, exhibit extraordinary capabilities in tuning optical characteristics. Their emergence in biophotonics has been noteworthy, particularly in bio-imaging, biosensing, and theranostics applications. Although conventional QDs such as PbS, CdSe, CdS, and HgTe have garnered attention for their promising features, the presence of heavy metals in these QDs poses significant challenges for biological use. To address these concerns, the development of Ag chalcogenide QDs has gained prominence owing to their near-infrared emission and exceptionally low toxicity, rendering them suitable for biological applications. This review explores recent advancements in Ag chalcogenide QDs, focusing on their synthesis methodologies, surface chemistry modifications, and wide-ranging applications in biomedicine. Additionally, it identifies future directions in material science, highlighting the potential of these innovative QDs in revolutionizing the field.

Ionic liquids (ILs) play a crucial role in the design of novel materials. The ionic nature of ILs provides numerous advantages in drug delivery, acting as a green solvent or active ingredient to enhance the solubility, permeability, and binding efficiency of drugs. They could also function as a structuring agent in the development of nano/micro particles for drug delivery, including micelles, vesicles, gels, emulsion, and more. This review summarize the ILs and IL-based gel structures with their advanced drug delivery applications. The first part of review focuses on the role of ILs in drug formulation and the applications of ILs in drug delivery. The second part of review offers a comprehensive overview of recent drug delivery applications of IL-based gel. It aims to offer new perspectives and attract more attention to open up new avenues in the biomedical applications of ILs and IL-based gels.

The recent rise of 2D materials has extended the opportunities of tuning a variety of properties. Tribo-corrosion, the complex synergy between mechanical wear and chemical corrosion, poses significant challenges across numerous industries where materials are subjected to both tribological stressing and corrosive environments. This intricate interplay often leads to accelerated material degradation and failure. This review critically assesses the current state of utilizing 2D nanomaterials to enhance tribo-corrosion and -oxidation behavior. The paper summarizes the fundamental knowledge about tribo-corrosion and -oxidation mechanisms before assessing the key contributions of 2D materials, including graphene, transition metal chalcogenides, hexagonal boron nitride, MXenes, and black phosphorous, regarding the resulting friction and wear behavior. The protective roles of these nanomaterials against corrosion and oxidation are investigated, highlighting their potential in mitigating material degradation. Furthermore, we delve into the nuanced interplay between mechanical and corrosive factors in the specific application of 2D materials for tribo-corrosion and -oxidation protection. The synthesis of key findings underscores the advancements achieved through integrating 2D nanomaterials. An outlook for future research directions is provided, identifying unexplored avenues, and proposing strategies to propel the field forward. This analysis aims at guiding future investigations and developments at the dynamic intersection of 2D nanomaterials, tribo-corrosion, and -oxidation protection.

Proteins in ionic liquids (ILs) and deep eutectic solvents (DESs) have gained significant attention due to their potential applications in various fields, including biocatalysis, bioseparation, biomolecular delivery, and structural biology. Scattering approaches including dynamic light scattering (DLS) and small-angle X-ray and neutron scattering (SAXS and SANS) have been used to understand the solution behavior of proteins at the nanoscale and microscale. This review provides a thorough exploration of the application of these scattering techniques to elucidate protein properties in ILs and DESs. Specifically, the review begins with the theoretical foundations of the relevant scattering approaches and describes the essential solvent properties of ILs and DESs linked to scattering such as refractive index, scattering length density, ion-pairs, liquid nanostructure, solvent aggregation, and specific ion effects. Next, a detailed introduction is provided on protein properties such as type, concentration, size, flexibility and structure as observed through scattering methodologies. This is followed by a review of the literature on the use of scattering for proteins in ILs and DESs. It is highlighted that enhanced data analysis and modeling tools are necessary for assessing protein flexibility and structure, and for understanding protein hydration, aggregation and specific ion effects. It is also noted that complementary approaches are recommended for comprehensively understanding the behavior of proteins in solution due to the complex interplay of factors, including ion-binding, dynamic hydration, intermolecular interactions, and specific ion effects. Finally, the challenges and potential research directions for this field are proposed, including experimental design, data analysis approaches, and supporting methods to obtain fundamental understandings of complex protein behavior and protein systems in solution. We envisage that this review will support further studies of protein interface science, and in particular studies on solvent and ion effects on proteins.

Adsorption of surfactants to fluid interfaces occurs in numerous technological and daily-life contexts. The coverage at the interface and other properties of the formed adsorption layers determine the performance of a surfactant with regard to the desired application. Given the importance of these applications, there is a great demand for the comprehensive characterization and understanding of surfactant adsorption layers. In this review, we provide an overview of suitable experimental and simulation-based techniques and review the literature in which they were used for the investigation of surfactant adsorption layers. We come to the conclusion that, while these techniques have been successfully applied to investigate Langmuir monolayers of water-insoluble surfactants, their application to the study of Gibbs adsorption layers of water-soluble surfactants has not been fully exploited. Finally, we emphasize the great potential of these methods in providing a deeper understanding of the behavior of soluble surfactants at interfaces, which is crucial for optimizing their performance in various applications.

Colloidal particles of spherical shape are important building blocks for nanotechnological applications. Materials with tailored physical properties can be directly synthesized from self-assembled particles, as is the case for colloidal photonic crystals. In addition, colloidal monolayers and multilayers can be exploited as a mask for the fabrication of complex nanostructures via a colloidal lithography process for applications ranging from optoelectronics to sensing. Several techniques have been adopted to modify the shape of both individual colloidal particles and colloidal masks. Thermal treatment of colloidal particles is an effective route to introduce colloidal particle deformation or to manipulate colloidal masks (i.e. to tune the size of the interstices between colloidal particles) by heating them at elevated temperatures above a certain critical temperature for the particle material. In particular, this type of morphological manipulation based on thermal treatments has been extensively applied to polymer particles. Nonetheless, interesting shaping effects have been observed also in inorganic materials, in particular silica particles. Due to their much less complex implementation and distinctive shaping effects in comparison to dry etching or high energy ion beam irradiation, thermal treatments turn out to be a powerful and competitive tool to induce colloidal particle deformation. In this review, we examine the physicochemical principles and mechanisms of heat-induced shaping as well as its experimental implementation. We also explore its applications, going from tailored masks for colloidal lithography to the fabrication of colloidal assemblies directly useful for their intrinsic optical, thermal and mechanical properties (e.g. thermal switches) and even to the synthesis of supraparticles and anisotropic particles, such as doublets.

Surfactant mass transport towards an interface plays a critical role during formation of emulsions, foams and in industrial processes where two immiscible phases coexist. The understanding of these mechanisms as experimentally observed by dynamic interfacial tension measurements, is crucial. In this review, theoretical models describing both equilibrated systems and surfactant kinetics are covered. Experimental results from the literature are analysed based on the nature of surfactants and the tensiometry methods used. The innovative microfluidic techniques that have become available to study both diffusion and adsorption mechanisms during surfactant mass transport are discussed and compared with classical methods. This review focuses on surfactant transport during formation of droplets or bubbles; stabilisation of dispersed systems is not discussed here.

Solid Oxide Fuel Cells (SOFCs) have proven to be highly efficient and one of the cleanest electrochemical energy conversion devices. However, the commercialization of this technology is hampered by issues related to electrode performance degradation. This article provides a comprehensive review of the various degradation mechanisms that affect the performance and long-term stability of the SOFC anode caused by the interplay of physical, chemical, and electrochemical processes. In SOFCs, the most used anode material is nickel-yttria stabilized zirconia (Ni–YSZ) due to its advantages of high electronic conductivity and high catalytic activity for H₂ fuel. However, various factors affecting the long-term stability of the Ni–YSZ anode, such as redox cycling, carbon coking, sulfur poisoning, and the reduction of the triple phase boundary length due to Ni particle coarsening, are thoroughly investigated. In response, the article summarizes the state-of-the-art diagnostic tools and mitigation strategies aimed at improving the long-term stability of the Ni–YSZ anode.

Two-dimensional covalent organic frameworks (2D COFs) are an emerging class of crystalline porous materials formed through covalent bonds between organic building blocks. COFs uniquely combine a large surface area, an excellent stability, numerous abundant active sites, and tunable functionalities, thus making them highly attractive for numerous applications. Especially, their abundant active sites and weak interlayer interaction make these materials promising candidates for tribological research. Recently, notable attention has been paid to COFs as lubricant additives due to their excellent tribological performance. Our review aims at critically summarizing the state-of-art developments of 2D COFs in tribology. We discuss their structural and functional design principles, as well as synthetic strategies with a special focus on tribology. The generation of COF thin films is also assessed in detail, which can alleviate their most challenging drawbacks for this application. Subsequently, we analyze the existing state-of-the-art regarding the usage of COFs as lubricant additives, self-lubrication composite coatings, and solid lubricants at the nanoscale. Finally, critical challenges and future trends of 2D COFs in tribology are outlined to initiate and boost new research activities in this exciting field.