Wei-Lung Chou

The LiPF₆/LiTFSI dual-salt gel polymer electrolyte possesses a well-distributed framework which benefits lithium ion transport pathway and further enhances its compatibility with lithium metal and electrochemical performance of lithium ion batteries.

Amyloid fibril formation is associated with an array of degenerative diseases. While no real cure is currently available, evidence suggests that suppression of amyloid fibrillogenesis is an effective strategy toward combating these diseases. Brilliant blue R (BBR), a disulfonated triphenylmethane compound, has been shown to interact with fibril-forming proteins but exert different effects on amyloid fibrillogenesis. These inconsistent findings prompted us to further evaluate BBR’s effect on the inhibition/suppresion of protein fibrillogenesis. Using 129-residue hen lysozyme, which shares high sequence homology to human lysozyme associated with hereditary non-neuropathic systemic amyloidosis, as a model, this study is aimed at thoroughly examining the influence of BBR on the in vitro protein fibrillogenesis. We first showed that BBR dose-dependently attenuated lysozyme fibril formation probably by affecting the fibril growth rate, with the value of IC₅₀ determined to be ~4.39 μM. Next, we employed tryptophan fluorescence quenching method to determine the binding constant and number of binding site(s) associated with BBR-lysozyme binding. In addition, we further conducted molecular docking studies to gain a better understanding of the possible binding site(s) and interaction(s) between lysozyme and BBR. We believe some of the information and/or knowledge concerning the structure–function relationship associated with BBR’s suppressing activity obtained here can be applied for the future work in the subject matter related with the therapeutic strategies for amyloid diseases.

Amyloid fibril formation of hen lysozyme (HEWL) can be attenuated by fast green FCF.

Droplet-based microfluidics is a colloidal and interfacial system that has rapidly progressed in the past decade because of the advantages of low fabrication costs, small sample volumes, reduced analysis durations, high-throughput analysis with exceptional sensitivity, enhanced operational flexibility, and facile automation. This technology has emerged as a new tool for many recently used applications in molecular detection, imaging, drug delivery, diagnostics, cell biology and other fields. Herein, we review recent applications of droplet microfluidics proposed since 2013.

This study evaluates the performance of an innovative paired photoelectrochemical oxidative system fabricated in our laboratory to determine the removal efficiency of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) in aqueous solutions. An innovative paired photoelectrochemical oxidative system employed metal redox mediators with high redox potential for anodic oxidation (MEO process) and UV assisted photoelectrochemical oxidation (PEO process) for cathodic oxidation in a divided electrochemical cell. Several parameters were investigated to characterize the removal efficiency of PVA, such as the current density, initial Ce(III) concentration, nitric acid concentration, oxygen flow rate, and UV irradiation intensity. The effects of these parameters on the specific energy consumption were also investigated. Additionally, the conversion yield of Ce(IV) concentration and the electrogeneration of H₂O₂were calculated in this study. The optimum current density, initial Ce(III) concentration, nitric acid concentration, oxygen flow rate, and UV irradiation intensity were found to be 3 mA cm⁻², 0.01 M, 0.3 M, 500 cm³ min⁻¹, and 1.2 mW cm⁻², respectively. The synergistic effect of combination process of MEO and PEO would be as a promising alternative for the removal efficiency of PVA.

Feasibility of salicylic acid removal from an aqueous solution was investigated in an electrochemical cell equipped with either aluminum or iron plates by using electrocoagulation (EC). Several parameters, including electrode materials, solution pH variation, applied voltage, and solution temperature, were investigated. In addition, effects of applied voltage and solution temperature on electric energy consumption and time needed to reach 90% removal were investigated. Experimental results indicated that the Al/Al electrode pair was the most efficient choice of the two electrode pairs tested in terms of salicylic acid removal efficiency. In terms of pH variation during EC, generation of coagulant metal hydroxides for the Al/Al electrode pair was greater than that for the Fe/Fe electrode pair, which also enhanced the removal efficiency. The optimum applied voltage and solution temperature were found to be 20 V and 308 K, respectively. A pseudo-second-order kinetic model provided a good fit to the experimental results at various applied voltages and solution temperatures. In addition, the activation energy was calculated as 20.21 J mole⁻¹ based on pseudo-second-order rate constants from the Arrhenius equation, indicating that salicylic acid precipitation in an aqueous solution was attributable to the EC process.