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Soybean-oil-based polymer is a promising bio-based water barrier coating on paper packaging but the application is challenged due to its poor water dispersibility. In this present study, 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane (APTES) modified nanocrystalline cellulose (NCC) was used to implement a stable dispersion of acrylated epoxidized soybean oil (AESO) in water and thus synergistically improved the water vapor barrier properties after coating on paper. APTES-NCC was successfully prepared, and displayed a better interface compatibility with AESO through the Michael addition reaction. Compared with NCC, APTES-NCC displayed an improved hydrophobicity and wettability with AESO, with an increase of contact angle from 38.0° to 76.4°, and a decrease of interfacial tension from 91.5 ± 3.5 mN/m to 82.9 ± 1.8 mN/m. As an emulsifier, APTES-NCC can be more effectively adsorbed on the oil-water interface to form a more stable emulsion than NCC, with a decrease of AESO droplets size from 4.8 µm to 3.1 µm, and a remarkable improvement in static and centrifugal stability. In rheological measurement, the APTES-NCC/AESO emulsion showed a wider linear viscoelastic region (3.4%), better viscoelasticity and thermal curing properties than that of NCC/AESO emulsion, which further explained that the stability of APTES-NCC/AESO emulsion were improved. Therefore, APTES-NCC/AESO emulsion as a coating on paper cured into a continuous barrier film can effectively improve the water vapor barrier properties of paper, and the water vapor transmission rate (WVTR) of paper can be reduced from 1392.8 g/m 2 •24 h (NCC/AESO emulsion-coated) to 1286.3 g/m 2 24 h (APTES-NCC/AESO emulsion-coated), both are significantly lower than that of base paper (1926.7 g/m 2 •24 h). CLSM testing showed that APTES-NCC could interact effectively with AESO to forming a tight barrier on paper surface and at the same time, sealing the pores inside the paper to resist water vapor penetration. The high-stable AESO emulsion prepared by APTES-NCC is expected to facilitate the utilization of NCC and AESO as a value-added material in making sustainable barrier packaging., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Herein, we present a simple strategy to enhance the stability of water-sensitive SrLiAl 3 N 4 :Eu 2+ phosphor through embedding the phosphor particles into low-melting Sn-P-F-O glass using phosphor-in-glass (PiG) approach. After being immersed in water for 96 h, the emission intensity of the SrLiAl 3 N 4 :Eu 2+ -PiG sample was maintained at 80% of its pristine intensity, indicating the moisture-resistance property of SrLiAl 3 N 4 :Eu 2+ was significantly enhanced. Employing the narrow-band red-emitting SrLiAl 3 N 4 :Eu 2+ -PiG sample and a blue COB (chip-on-board), a plant growing LED device was fabricated. The emission spectrum of the device matches well with the absorption of Chlorophyl (a and b) in plants, indicating the as-prepared SrLiAl 3 N 4 :Eu 2+ -PiG are suitable to be applied in plant lighting field. We believe that this simple method reported in this communication can be easily expanded to other water-sensitive luminescence materials., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Airborne particulate matter (PM) pollution has become a serious threat to human health, thus it is highly desired for a high-filtration-performance and good-wearing-comfort face mask. Herein, a highly breathable and thermal comfort filter medium consisting of electret polyethersulfone/barium titanate nanofibrous membrane (PES/BaTiO 3 NFM) integrated on a nonwoven polypropylene substrate was developed. Benefiting from the high porosity and optimized injection charge energy, the PES/BaTiO 3 membrane was endowed with a good air permeability of 743 mm s -1 , a modest water vapor permeability of 6.24 kg m -2  d -1 , and an enhanced charge storage stability. In addition, the electret PES/BaTiO 3 NFM1.5 medium with a low basis weight of 4.32 g m -2 still shows a high filtration efficiency of 99.99% and a low pressure drop of 67 Pa after being treated at 200 °C for 45 min, which is better than that of commercial media. Moreover, 3D simulation based on the characters of composite membrane was processed to graphically express the airflow distribution during the filtration process. Significantly, the NFM1.5 with a high infrared (IR) transmittance of 93.4% led to an effective radiative cooling to human body radiation. This multifunctional fibrous medium design may provide new insights into the development of environmental adaptive protection materials., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

A series of O-acylated-ω-hydroxy fatty acids (Acyl acids) of up to 34 carbons were synthesized and characterized through DSC, FTIR and Langmuir isotherm measurements to identify potential replacements to petrolatum, a highly used occlusive technology that if unrefined, it can potentially be classified as carcinogenic. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy studies demonstrated that long acyl acids engender orthorhombic packing; packing behavior that is predominant in the lipid matrix of healthy stratum corneum, the outmost layer of the skin. In addition, Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) and Langmuir isotherm studies suggested that the length of the hydrocarbon chain and the position of the ester bond influence the molecular organization of the acyl acids. For instance, 16-(tetradecanoyloxy)hexadecanoic acid (30 carbons) displayed a higher melting point (mp=68°C) than 10-(stearoyloxy)decanoic acid (28 carbons; mp=63°C) and 10-(tetradecanoyloxy)decanoic acid (24 carbons; mp=55°C) according to DSC. Moreover, Langmuir isotherm studies showed that mixtures of acyl acid with distearoylphosphatidylcholine improved packing behavior. Finally, Water Vapor Transmission Rate (WVTR) measurements showed that the compounds in fact decrease WVTR compared to untreated control (P<0.001) which demonstrates the potential of these ingredients as occlusive technologies to combat skin barrier diseases., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

This work compares the effect of adding different biopolyester electrospun coatings made of polycaprolactone (PCL), polylactic acid (PLA) and polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB) on oxygen and water vapour barrier properties of a thermoplastic corn starch (TPCS) film. The morphology of the developed multilayer structures was also examined by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). Results showed a positive linear relationship between the amount of the electrospun coatings deposited onto both sides of the TPCS film and the thickness of the coating. Interestingly, the addition of electrospun biopolyester coatings led to an exponential oxygen and water vapour permeability drop as the amount of the electrospun coating increased. This study demonstrated the versatility of the technology here proposed to tailor the barrier properties of food packaging materials according to the final intended use., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

In general, agricultural soil surfaces being hydrophilic in nature get easily wetted by water. The water beneath the soil moves through capillary effect and comes to the surface of the soil and thereafter evaporates into the surrounding air due to atmospheric conditions such as sunlight, wind current, temperature and relative humidity. To lower the water loss from soil, an experiment was designed in which a layer of hydrophobic soil was laid on the surface of ordinary hydrophilic soil. This technique strikingly decreased loss of water from the soil. The results indicated that the evaporation rate significantly decreased and 90% of water was retained in the soil in 83 h by the hydrophobic layer of 2 cm thickness. A theoretical calculation based on diffusion of water vapour (gas phase) through hydrophobic capillaries provide a meaningful explanation of experimental results. A greater retention of water in the soil by this approach can promote the growth of plants, which was confirmed by growing chick pea (Cicer arietinum) plants and it was found that the length of roots, height of shoot, number of branches, number of leaves, number of secondary roots, biomass etc. were significantly increased upon covering the surface with hydrophobic soil in comparison to uncovered ordinary hydrophilic soil of identical depth. Such approach can also decrease the water consumption by the plants particularly grown indoors in residential premises, green houses and poly-houses etc. and also can be very useful to prevent water loss and enhance growth of vegetation in semi-arid regions., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objective: To provide a systematic review of the existing literature on health consequences of vaporing of electronic cigarettes (ECs)., Methods: Search in: PubMed, EMBASE and CINAHL., Inclusion Criteria: Original publications describing a health-related topic, published before 14 August 2014. PRISMA recommendations were followed. We identified 1101 studies; 271 relevant after screening; 94 eligible., Results: We included 76 studies investigating content of fluid/vapor of ECs, reports on adverse events and human and animal experimental studies. Serious methodological problems were identified. In 34% of the articles the authors had a conflict of interest. Studies found fine/ultrafine particles, harmful metals, carcinogenic tobacco-specific nitrosamines, volatile organic compounds, carcinogenic carbonyls (some in high but most in low/trace concentrations), cytotoxicity and changed gene expression. Of special concern are compounds not found in conventional cigarettes, e.g. propylene glycol. Experimental studies found increased airway resistance after short-term exposure. Reports on short-term adverse events were often flawed by selection bias., Conclusions: Due to many methodological problems, severe conflicts of interest, the relatively few and often small studies, the inconsistencies and contradictions in results, and the lack of long-term follow-up no firm conclusions can be drawn on the safety of ECs. However, they can hardly be considered harmless., (Copyright © 2014. Published by Elsevier Inc.)