Waste tire rubber powder-modified asphalt (RMA) has been widely used in road construction, which was traditionally limited by the poor compatibility of RMA, affecting pavement performance. By synthesizing epoxy soybean oil with amide groups (ESO/TETA) and grafting it onto desulfurized rubber powder (DCR) through microwave irradiation, a surface-functionalized rubber powder (MDCR) was produced successfully. The effects of the physical properties, storage stability, thermal stability, and rheological behavior of the modified asphalt were studied. The results show that the MDCR with a polar surface improved the compatibility and adhesive interactions between the modified crumb rubber and the asphalt. The MDCR content could reach 50%, and the phase separation could meet the requirements of 2.2 °C, which has application conditions in engineering for stable storage. Additionally, the inclusion of MDCR in the asphalt formulations significantly mitigated the temperature sensitivity of the modified asphalt. Importantly, when the MDCR constituted from 20% to 50% of the asphalt, there was a noted reduction in the phase angle at temperatures above 70 °C, indicating a significant improvement in the elastic efficiency. The MDCR also led to substantial enhancements in the resistance of the asphalt to high-temperature and high-stress rutting, addressing the crucial limitations in the consumption ability of waste tire rubber powder and improving the overall performance of RMA in pavement applications.

Protein–protein interactions are involved in diverse biological processes. These interactions are therefore vital targets for drug development. However, the design of peptide modulators targeting membrane-based protein–protein interactions is a challenging goal owing to the lack of experimentally-determined structures and efficient protocols to probe their functions. Here we employed rational peptide design and molecular dynamics simulations to design a membrane-insertable peptide that disrupts the strong trimeric self-association of the fifth transmembrane domain (TMD5) of the oncogenic Epstein–Barr virus (EBV) latent membrane protein-1 (LMP-1). The designed anti-TMD5 peptide formed 1 : 2 heterotrimers with TMD5 in micelles and inhibited TMD5 oligomerization in bacterial membranes. Moreover, the designed peptide inhibited LMP-1 homotrimerization based on NF-κB activity in EVB positive lymphoma cells. The results indicated that the designed anti-TMD5 peptide may represent a promising starting point for elaboration of anti-EBV therapeutics via inhibition of LMP-1 oligomerization. To the best of our knowledge, this represents the first example of disrupting homotrimeric transmembrane helices using a designed peptide inhibitor.

Utilizing waste tire crumb rubber (CR) in asphalt modification is a promising method to enhance pavement performance while addressing the issue of waste tire disposal. Elevating CR content without compromising the pavement performance of asphalt is crucial for its practical and sustainable applications. However, conventional crumb-rubber-modified asphalt (CRMA) exhibits weakened physical and pavement properties when the CR content exceeds 25 wt%. Here, we propose a hybridization strategy combining CR and devulcanized CR (DCR) to produce high-performance modified asphalt with a total rubber content of up to 43 wt%. Modified asphalt containing 30 wt% CR and 13 wt% DCR (30CR-13DCRMA) demonstrates remarkable physical properties, with a softening point of 78.4 °C and a ductility of 15.33 cm. Rheology tests further reveal its superior rutting resistance (G*/sin δ), fatigue tolerance (G*·sin δ), and overall pavement performance compared to neat CR- or DCR-modified asphalt. Through rheological analysis, sol fraction measurement, gel permeation chromatography (GPC), and atomic force microscope (AFM) tests, it is revealed that the synergistic effect of CR and DCR can enhance the absorption capabilities of rubber particles, promoting their full swelling and resulting in a biphasic hard/soft microstructure within the asphalt matrix. This structural reorganization contributes to the outstanding comprehensive properties of this modified asphalt. This work establishes a hybrid-rubber asphalt system with high CR incorporation and well-balanced performance, offering a viable pathway toward sustainable pavement engineering.

Passenger car waste tires (PCWTs) are difficult to recycle as asphalt modifiers due to their high styrene-butadiene rubber (SBR) content and poor compatibility with asphalt. This study investigates whether hexadecylamine (HDA)-assisted thermo-mechanical devulcanization can transform PCWT rubber into an effective modifier for styrene-butadiene-styrene (SBS)-composite-modified asphalt, and how rubber dosage influences the performance balance. PCWT rubber was devulcanized using HDA-assisted twin-screw extrusion and incorporated into 90# asphalt with 3 wt% SBS at 20 wt% and 30 wt% dosages, alongside non-devulcanized PCWT and truck tire rubber for comparison. Comprehensive characterization, including sol fraction, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy/energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM/EDS), dynamic shear rheometer (DSR), multiple stress creep recovery (MSCR), and bending beam rheometer (BBR), was conducted. The results demonstrate that HDA-assisted devulcanization effectively breaks sulfur crosslinks while preserving the rubber backbone, significantly improving compatibility and low-temperature performance. Increasing the devulcanized rubber dosage from 20 wt% to 30 wt% compensates for the reduced high-temperature stiffness, achieving a balanced performance profile comparable to truck tire rubber. The novelty of this work lies in establishing HDA-assisted thermo-mechanical devulcanization as a viable pathway for converting otherwise underutilized PCWT rubber into a high-performance asphalt modifier, thereby expanding the feedstock options for crumb rubber-modified asphalt.