Pulsed electric field (PEF) as a green processing technology is drawing greater attention due to its eco-friendliness and potential to promote sustainable development goals. In this study, the effects of different electric field strengths (EFS, 0–30 kV/cm) on the structure and physicochemical features of casein micelles (CSMs) were investigated. It was found that the particle sizes of CSMs increased at low EFS (10 kV/cm) but decreased at high EFS (30 kV/cm). The absolute ζ-potential at 30 kV/cm increased from −26.6 (native CSMs) to −29.5 mV. Moreover, it was noticed that PEF treatment leads to changes in the surface hydrophobicity; it slightly increased at low EFS (10 kV/cm) but decreased at EFS > 10 kV/cm. PEF enhanced the protein solubility from 84.9 (native CSMs) to 87.1% (at 10 kV/cm). PEF at low EFS (10 kV/cm) intensified the emission fluorescence spectrum of CSMs, while higher EFS reduced the fluorescence intensity compared to native CSMs. Moreover, the analysis of the Amide Ι region showed that PEF-treated CSMs reduced the α-helix and increased the β-sheet content. Raman spectra confirmed that PEF treatment > 10 kV/cm buried tyrosine (Tyr) residues in a hydrophobic environment. It was also found that PEF treatment mainly induced changes in the disulfide linkages. In conclusion, PEF technology can be employed as an eco-friendly technology to change the structure and physiochemical properties of CSMs; this could improve their techno-functional properties.

In this study, carbon-supported MnO₂ nanocomposites have been prepared using the microwave-assisted heating method followed by two different approaches. The MnO₂/C nanocomposite, labeled as sample S1, was prepared directly by the microwave-assisted synthesis of mixed KMnO₄ and carbon powder components. Meanwhile, the other MnO₂/C nanocomposite sample labeled as S2 was prepared indirectly via a two-step procedure that involves the microwave-assisted synthesis of mixed KMnO₄ and MnSO₄ components to generate MnO₂ and subsequent secondary microwave heating of synthesized MnO₂ species coupled with graphite powder. Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy have been used for characterization of MnO₂/C nanocomposites morphology, structure, and composition. The electrochemical performance of nanocomposites has been investigated using cyclic voltammetry and galvanostatic charge/discharge measurements in a 1 M Na₂SO₄ solution. The MnO₂/C nanocomposite, prepared indirectly via a two-step procedure, displays substantially enhanced electrochemical characteristics. The high specific capacitance of 980.7 F g⁻¹ has been achieved from cyclic voltammetry measurements, whereas specific capacitance of 949.3 F g⁻¹ at 1 A g⁻¹ has been obtained from galvanostatic charge/discharge test for sample S2. In addition, the specific capacitance retention was 93% after 100 cycles at 20 A g⁻¹, indicating good electrochemical stability.

The adsorption of Eu(III) on composites synthesised from graphene oxide (GO), maghemite (MGH), and chitosan (CS) has been studied using different approaches. The physicochemical and morphological characteristics of the composites GO-MGH, GO-CS, GO-MGH-CS I, II, and III were determined by XRD, Mössbauer spectroscopy, FTIR, Raman spectroscopy, and TEM. According to the results of batch experiments, the maximum experimental adsorption capacity was 52, 54, 25, 103, and 102 mg/g for GO-MGH, GO-CS, GO-MGH-CS I, II, and III, respectively. The data obtained are in better agreement with the Langmuir, pseudo-second-order, and pseudo-first-order models only for GO-MGH. Thus, the adsorption of Eu(III) on the composites was a favourable, monolayer, and occurred at homogeneous sites. The nature of adsorption is chemical and, in the case of GO-MGH, physical. Tests of the composites in natural waters showed a high removal efficiency for Eu(III), Pu(IV), and Am(III), ranging from 74 to 100%. The ANFIS model has quite good predictive ability, as shown by the values for R², MSE, SSE, and ARE. The GO-MGH-CS composites with the high adsorption capacity could be promising candidates for the removal of Eu(III) and the pre-concentration of Pu(IV) and Am(III) from natural waters.

Inexpensive perovskite light-emitting devices fabricated by a simple wet chemical approach have recently demonstrated very prospective characteristics such as narrowband emission, low turn-on bias, high brightness, and high external quantum efficiency of electroluminescence, and have presented a good alternative to well-established technology of epitaxially grown III-V semiconducting alloys. Engineering of highly efficient perovskite light-emitting devices emitting green, red, and near-infrared light has been demonstrated in numerous reports and has faced no major fundamental limitations. On the contrary, the devices emitting blue light, in particular, based on 3D mixed-halide perovskites, suffer from electric field-induced phase separation (segregation). This crystal lattice defect-mediated phenomenon results in an undesirable color change of electroluminescence. Here we report a novel approach towards the suppression of the segregation in single-layer perovskite light-emitting electrochemical cells. Co-crystallization of direct band gap CsPb(Cl,Br)${}_3$ and indirect band gap Cs${}_4$Pb(Cl,Br)${}_6$ phases in the presence of poly(ethylene oxide) during a thin film deposition affords passivation of surface defect states and an increase in the density of photoexcited charge carriers in CsPb(Cl,Br)${}_3$ grains. Furthermore, the hexahalide phase prevents the dissociation of the emissive grains in the strong electric field during the device operation. Entirely resistant to 5.7 × 10${}^6$ V·m${}^{-1}$ electric field-driven segregation light-emitting electrochemical cell exhibits stable emission at wavelength 479 nm with maximum external quantum efficiency 0.7%, maximum brightness 47 cd·m${}^{-2}$, and turn-on bias of 2.5 V.

The production of high-purity hydrogen from hydrogen storage materials with further direct use of generated hydrogen in fuel cells is still a relevant research field. For this purpose, nickel-molybdenum-plated copper catalysts (NiMo/Cu), comprising between 1 and 20 wt.% molybdenum, as catalytic materials for hydrogen generation, were prepared using a low-cost, straightforward electroless metal deposition method by using citrate plating baths containing Ni²⁺–Mo⁶⁺ ions as a metal source and morpholine borane as a reducing agent. The catalytic activity of the prepared NiMo/Cu catalysts toward alkaline sodium borohydride (NaBH₄) hydrolysis increased with the increase in the content of molybdenum present in the catalysts. The hydrogen generation rate of 6.48 L min⁻¹ g_cat⁻¹ was achieved by employing NiMo/Cu comprising 20 wt.% at a temperature of 343 K and a calculated activation energy of 60.49 kJ mol⁻¹ with remarkable stability, retaining 94% of its initial catalytic activity for NaBH₄ hydrolysis following the completion of the fifth cycle. The synergetic effect between nickel and molybdenum, in addition to the formation of solid-state solutions between metals, promoted the hydrogen generation reaction.

This paper describes the activity of PdCo₃O₄/C obtained by wet impregnation towards the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). For this purpose, the Co₃O₄/C substrate was synthesized using the microwave irradiation heating method with further annealing of the substrate at 400 °C for 3 h (Co₃O₄/C-T). Then, the initial Co₃O₄/C substrate was impregnated with palladium chloride (Pd-Cl₂-Co₃O₄/C), and then part of the obtained Pd-Cl₂-Co₃O₄/C catalyst was annealed at 400 °C for 3 h (PdOCo₃O₄/C). The electrocatalytic activity of the prepared catalysts was investigated for the oxygen reduction reaction in alkaline media and compared with the commercial Pt/C (Tanaka wt. 46.6% Pt) catalyst. It was found that the annealed PdOCo₃O₄/C catalyst showed the largest ORR current density value of −11.27 mA cm⁻² compared with Pd-Cl₂-Co₃O₄/C (−7.39 mA cm⁻²) and commercial Pt/C (−5.25 mA cm⁻²).