Xuee Wu

Direct electron transfer of glucose oxidase immobilized in an ionic liquid reconstituted cellulose-carbon nanotube matrix

Conductive cellulose-multiwalled carbon nanotube (MWCNT) matrix with a porous structure and good biocompatibility has been prepared using a room temperature ionic liquid (1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium acetate) as solvent. Glucose oxidase (GOx) was encapsulated in this matrix and thereby immobilized on a glassy carbon surface. The direct electron transfer and electrocatalysis of the encapsulated GOx has been investigated using cyclic voltammetry and chronoamperometry. The GOx exhibited a pair of stable, well defined and nearly symmetric reversible redox peaks. The experimental results also demonstrate that the immobilized GOx retains its biocatalytic activity toward the oxidation of glucose and therefore can be employed in a glucose biosensor. The results show that the bioelectrode modified by the cellulose-MWCNT matrix has potential for use in biosensors and other bioelectronics devices.

A Role for Microbial Palladium Nanoparticles in Extracellular Electron Transfer

Herein we have demonstrated a DET mechanism used by D. desulfuricans; where the periplasmic cytochromes and hydrogenases play an important role, and Pd nanoparticles bound to the microbes may participate in the electron transfer process. The present work is of importance not only for the fundamental studies of electron transfer processes in microbial physiology and ecology, but also for increased understanding and improvement of the performance of bioelectrochemical techniques e.g. precious metals are extensively used and important catalysts, and therefore present in many industry processing wastewaters. Bio-nanoparticles can oxidize in situ metabolites e.g. H2, formate and ethanol in the anode chambers, while also acting as cathodic catalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction[23]. In addition, this study indicates the feasibility of using bioelectrochemical systems for metal immobilization, recovery or detoxification

A one-compartment fructose/air biological fuel cell based on direct electron transfer

The construction and characterization of a one-compartment fructose/air biological fuel cell (BFC) based on direct electron transfer is reported. The BFC employs bilirubin oxidase and d-fructose dehydrogenase adsorbed on a cellulose-multiwall carbon nanotube (MWCNT) matrix, reconstituted with an ionic liquid, as the biocathode and the bioanode for oxygen reduction and fructose oxidation reactions, respectively. The performance of the bioelectrode was investigated by chronoamperometric and cyclic voltammetric techniques in a standard three-electrode cell, and the polarization and long-term stability of the BFC was tested by potentiostatic discharge. An open circuit voltage of 663 mV and a maximum power density of 126 microWcm(-2) were obtained in buffer at pH 5.0. Using this regenerated cellulose-MWCNT matrix as the immobilization platform, this BFC has shown a relatively high performance and long-term stability compared with previous studies.

Molecular motion of a water-soluble nitroxyl radical in gelatin gels

Electron spin resonance spectroscopy (ESR) has been used to measure the rotational correlation times and translational diffusion constants of a radical spin probe in gelatin gels. The radical used is NaTMIOS, the sodium salt of sulphonated 1,1,3,3-tetramethylisoindolin-2-yloxyl. It was found that the mobility of the radical was influenced by the gelatin concentration and by temperature. It was concluded that the spin probe was constrained by the polymer chains and, when conditions were such that the distance between the chains was of the order of the size of the probe, rotational motion was severely impeded.

Grafting of ionic liquids on stainless steel surface for antibacterial application

Stainless steel (SS) is favored for many uses due to its excellent chemical resistance, thermal stability and mechanical properties. Biofilms can be formed on stainless steel and may lead to serious hygiene problems and economic losses in many areas, e.g. food processing, public infrastructure and healthcare. For the first time, our work endeavored to make SS having antibacterial properties, ionic liquids (ILs) were grafted on SS surface via silane treatment followed by thiol-ene click reaction. The chemical structure and composition of the ILs grafted stainless-steel coupon surfaces were characterized by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and attenuated total reflection-Fourier transform infrared (ATR-FTIR) spectroscopy. The antibacterial activity has been investigated, and the results showed that the ILs grafted SS surface exhibited significant antibacterial effects against Gram-negative Escherichia coli. Additionally, the results obtained here indicated that the ILs used here having bromide anion showed much better antibacterial activity against E. coli than the corresponding ILs with tetrafluoroborate and hexafluorophosphate as anions. These results obtained here can help to design novel and more efficient stainless steel having antibacterial surface.

Nafion coated stainless steel for anti-biofilm application

Biofilms can adhere to most surfaces and have caused a wide range of problems in various industrial processes as well as daily life activities. In this work, the anti-biofilm ability of Nafion-coated stainless steel surface was investigated and our results showed that stainless steel discs coated with 1% Nafion can significantly reduce E. coli adhesion. Nafion has a large amount of negatively charged sulphonate groups, and the findings of this study suggest that the negative surface charge can greatly reduce bacterial adhesion through increasing the electrostatic repulsion between negatively charged bacterial cells and Nafion coated stainless steel surface. The roughness of coated and uncoated stainless steel discs made no significant differences while the hydrophobic of the discs increased after coated with Nafion.

Experimental investigation of egg ovalbumin scaling on heated stainless steel surface and scale-removal compared with that of whey protein.

Fouling and cleaning on a heat exchanger surface during milk processing have been studied extensively in the past due to their great importance in energy, product quality, and safety. However, little information is available for egg ovalbumin (OVA) fouling and cleaning behavior. In the present work, fouling and cleaning behaviors of OVA were investigated using a real-time monitoring system for heat transfer coefficient. A comparison was made between the behavior of whey protein concentrate (WPC) and that of OVA. WPC has been well studied which can be used as a benchmark. Ultrasonic cleaning was also applied to investigate the cleaning behavior of OVA fouling. Results have shown that OVA created more thermal resistance than WPC in the 2 h fouling process. It was also much more difficult to remove the OVA deposit than the WPC fouling. Different from what were observed from WPC deposit, there was no optimal cleaning rate for OVA deposit in the NaOH concentration range tested (0-2.0 wt%), while WPC fouling is known to have the highest cleaning rate around 0.5 wt% NaOH concentration at moderate temperatures.

In vitro gastric digestion of cooked white and brown rice using a dynamic rat stomach model

The changes in physical, rheological and enzyme-digestive behaviours of cooked white and brown rice, with similar amylose content, were investigated using a dynamic in vitro rat stomach (DIVRS) model and a static soaking method. The brown rice had a higher resistance on disintegration and lower gastric emptying rate with 53% of the brown rice particles retained in the stomach at the end compared to 32% for the white rice. Furthermore, the release rate of maltose from the starch hydrolysis was higher in the white rice throughout the digestion suggesting the lower glycemic potency of the brown rice. These differences could be contributed from the rigid bran layer in the brown rice which would inhibit the moisture absorption into rice kernels, limit textural degradation, and generate higher gastric digesta viscosity leading to lower mixing and mass transfer efficiency. This study suggests that the structural difference could affect physiochemical properties during gastric digestion.

Investigation on a soft tubular model reactor based on bionics of small intestine-residence time distribution

Abstract The human small intestine is responsible for virtually all nutrient uptake and more than 95% of the water absorption in digestion, which is attributed to the vast mucosal surface area and the peristalsis of small intestine. Under the broad conceptual framework of bio-inspired chemical process engineering, by mimicking the structure and functions of small intestine, a flexible tubular reactor with villous protrusions distributed evenly on the inner wall was designed and constructed in this study. In order to understand the flow behavior in the reactor, the residence time distribution (RTD) of fluid particles in the reactor was measured by introducing electrochemical active tracer. Also, a simple mechanism of peristalsis was introduced, and its effects on the RTD in the reactor were investigated. The experimental results showed that the tailing of RTD function curve in the small intestine model reactor was extended significantly compared to a normal tubular reactors. The residence time and mixing of fluid (particles) in the reactor can be regulated efficiently by controlling the peristaltic actions (frequency and location).