Plant Ionomics: A Platform for Identifying Novel Gene Regulating Plant Mineral Nutrition

In the present era of genomics, ionomics is one of the major pillars for the structural and functional genomic study. The complete set of ions present in an organism is referred to as the ionome of the organism. Hence, the ionomics is defined as the, “study of quantitative complement of low molecular weight molecules present in cells in a particular physiological and developmental state of the plant” [1]. The complete ionomic profiling of the plants are done by using a number of analytical tools like ICP-MS, ICP-OES, X-Ray crystallography, Neutron Activation Analysis (NAA) etc. All these analytical tools gave complete profile of the ions present in the plants. These data are stored in a database called PiiMS (Purdue Ionomics Information Management System) [2]. The huge data available in the database helps in the forward and reverse genetic approach for studying the structural and functional genomics of the particular organism. This review describes the role of the ionomic study in crop plants like arabidopsis, rice and maize.

Plant Ionomics： From Elemental Profiling to Environmental Adaptation

Ionomics is a high-throughput elemental profiling approach to study the molecular mechanistic basis underlying mineral nutrient and trace element composition （also known as the ionome） of living organisms. Since the concept of ionomics was first introduced more than 10 years ago, significant progress has been made in the identification of genes and gene networks that control the ionome. In this update, we summa- rize the progress made in using the ionomics approach over the last decade, including the identification of genes by forward genetics and the study of natural ionomic variation. We further discuss the potential application of ionomics to the investigation of the ecological functions of ionomic alleles in adaptation to the environment.

Bipolar ionomer electrolytes with desirable self-discharge suppression for supercapacitors

Supercapacitors based on electric double layers are prone to serious self-discharge due to electrolyte ion desorption and the resulting energy loss severely limits the application range of supercapacitors.Rational design of polymer electrolyte systems to address this problem shows considerable generality and high feasibility.Herein,we reported a quasi-solid-state bipolar ionomer electrolyte prepared by an in-situ layer-by-layer ultraviolet-curing method,which has an integrated Janus structure with an intermediate binding layer.Based on the synergistic effect of confining impurity ions by ionizable groups and electrostatic repulsion to stabilize the electric double layers and superimposing synergies on both sides,the assembled device not only possesses ideal supercapacitor characteristics,but also exhibits an ultrahigh voltage retention of 71% after being left to stand for 100 h after being fully charged.Furthermore,through the quasi-in-situ energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy linear scanning,the characteristics of ion diffusion in this ionomer electrolyte are revealed,suggesting its correlation with self-discharge behavior.

Development and Challenges of Electrode Ionomers Used in the Catalyst Layer of Proton-Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells:A Review

The electrode ionomer plays a crucial role in the catalyst layer(CL) of a proton-exchange membrane fuel cell(PEMFC) and is closely associated with the proton conduction and gas transport properties,structural stability,and water management capability.In this review,we discuss the CL structural characteristics and highlight the latest advancements in ionomer material research.Additionally,we comprehensively introduce the design concepts and exceptional performances of porous electrode ionomers,elaborate on their structural properties and functions within the fuel cell CL,and investigate their effect on the CL microstructure and performance.Finally,we present a prospective evaluation of the developments in the electrode ionomer for fabricating CL,offering valuable insights for designing and synthesizing more efficient electrode ionomer materials.By addressing these facets,this review contributes to a comprehensive understanding of the role and potential of electrode ionomers for enhancing PEMFC performance.

Synergistic regulation of hydrophobicity and basicity for copper hydroxide-derived copper to promote the CO_(2)electroreduction reaction

A simple method was proposed to activate alkaline Cu(OH)_(2)with an acidic ionomer,Nafion,to regulate its surface microenvironment,including hydrophobicity and local basicity.In particular,the direct complete neutralization reaction between Cu(OH)_(2)and Nafion in aqueous solution induces the exposing of vast anions which can exclude the in-situ-formed hydroxides and raise the local basicity.Remarkably,the optimal Nafionactivated Cu(OH)_(2)-derived Cu can efficiently suppress the hydrogen evolution reaction(HER)and improve the selectivity for multi-carbon products in the CO_(2)electroreduction reaction(eCO_(2)RR).The H2 Faradaic efficiency(FE)decreased to 11%at a current density of 300 mA/cm2(−0.76 V vs.RHE)in a flow cell,while the bare one with H2 had an FE of 40%.The total eCO_(2)RR FE reaches as high as 83%,along with an evidently increased C2H4 FE of 44%as compared with the bare one(24%),and good stability(8000 s),surpassing that of most of the reported Cu(OH)_(2)-derived Cu.The experimental and theoretical results both show that the strong hydrophobicity and high local basicity jointly boosted the eCO_(2)RR as acquired by felicitously introducing ionomer on the Cu(OH)_(2)-derived Cu surface.

Foliar Nutrient Balance Standards for Maize (<i>Zea mays</i>L.) at High-Yield Level

Maize is one of the most nutrient demanding staple crops. Tissue nutrient diagnosis of maize is currently conducted using critical nutrient concentration or dual ratio ranges, but such diagnoses are pathological as biased by data redundancy, sub-compositional incoherence and non-normal distribution. The use of orthogonal balances, a compositional data analysis technique, avoids such biases. Our objective was to develop foliar nutrient balance standards for maize. We collected 758 grain yields (15.5% moisture content) and foliar samples at silk stage in maize fields of southern Quebec, Canada, and analyzed ten nutrients in tissues (N, P, K, Ca, Mg, B, Cu, Zn, Mn, Fe). Nutrients were arranged into ad hoc balances and computed as isometric log ratios (ilr). An optimized binary classification performed by a customized receiver operating characteristic procedure showed that a critical Mahalanobis distance of 4.21 separated balanced from imbalanced specimens about yield cut-off of 11.83 Mg grain·ha-1 with test performance of 86%. Quebec maize balance standards differed from published standards computed from DRIS norms collected in other agroecosystems. The Redfield N/P ratio in maize leaves was found to be the least variable balance across regions of the world. The DRIS dual ratios and raw concentration values were found to be geometrically inadequate for conducting diagnosis. The unbiased nutrient balance diagnosis combined the critical Mahalanobis distance and a mobile representation of nutrient balances with ilr means of true negative (TN) specimens centered at fulcrums and back-transformed ilr values of TN specimens into raw concentrations loading the buckets below. Nutrients can be appreciated as relative shortage, adequacy or excess in the concentration domain following statistical analysis and diagnosis in the unbiased balance domain.

SHAPE MEMORY EFFECT OF PU IONOMERS WITH IONIC GROUPS ON HARD-SEGMENTS

SMPU （shape memory polyurethane） non-ionomers and ionomers, synthesized with poly（c-caprolactone） （PCL）, 4, 4＇-diphenylmethane diisocyanate （MDI）, 1,4-butanediol （BDO）, dimethylolpropionic acid （DMPA） were measured with cyclic tensile test and strain recovery test. The relations between the structure and shape memory effect of these two series were studied with respect to the ionic group content and the effect of neutralization. The resulting data indicate that, with the introduction of asymmetrical extender, the stress at 100% elongation is decreased for PU non-ionomer and ionomer series, especially lowered sharply for non-ionomer series; the fixation ratio of ionomer series is not affected obviously by the ionic group content; the total recovery ratio of ionomer series is decreased greatly. After sufficient relaxation time for samples stretched beforehand, the switching temperature is raised slightly, whereas the recovery ratio measured with strain recovery test method is lowered with increased DMPA content. The characterization with FT-IR, DSC, DMA elucidated that, the ordered hard domain of the two series is disrupted with the introduction of DMPA which causes more hard segments to dissolve in soft phase; ionic groups on hard segment enhance the cohesion between hard segments especially at high ionic group content and significantly facilitate the phase separation compared with the corresponding non-ionomer at moderate ionic group content.

Carbon matrix effects on the micro-structure and performance of Pt nanowire cathode prepared by decal transfer method

High performance cathode for polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell was prepared by depositing Pt nanowires in a carbon matrix coated on a substrate, and using decal transfer method to fabricate the membrane electrode assembly. The effects of carbon and ionomer contents on the electrode micro-structure and fuel cell performance are investigated by physical characterization and single cell testing. The Pt nanowires are gradient distributed across the cathode thickness, and more Pt exists near the membrane. Both the carbon and ionomer contents can affect the Pt nanowires distribution and aggregation. In addition, the carbon loading dominates the transport distance of gas and proton, and the ionomer content affects the triple phase boundaries and porosity in the cathode. The optimal structure of Pt nanowire cathode is obtained at 0.10 mg·cm^-2 carbon loading and 10 wt% ionomer.

Compatibilization of PBT/PP Blends by Adding Side-chain Liquid Crystalline Ionomer with Quaternary Pyridinium Groups

A side-chain liquid crystalline ionomer（SLCI） was synthesized by grafting copolymerization of 4-（4-ethoxybenzoyloxy）-4＇-allyloxybiphenyl and N-allyl-pyridium bromide on polymethylhydrosiloxane. The SLCI was blended with polypropylene（PP） and polybutylene terephthalate（PBT） by melt mixing. The thermal behavior, liquid crystalline properties, morphological structure, and mechanical properties of the blends were investigated by differential scanning calorimetry（DSC）, polarizing optical microscopy（POM）, scanning electron microscopy（SEM）, and tensile measurement. When a proper amount of SLCI was added, fine configurations were formed in the PBT/PP/SLCI blend system, and the mechanical properties were improved due to improved adhesion at the interface. When excess SLCI was added, an inhomogeneous structure resulted, which caused the mechanical properties to deteriorate.

NOVEL SULPHONATED POLYSILOXANE POLYUREA-URETHANE IONOMERS

A series of novel polysiloxane polyurea-urethane blockcopolymers based on methylene bis(p-phenylisocyanate (MDI), sodium-s-1,2-dihydroxy propyl sulphonate (SDPS) and aminopropyl-terminated polydimethylsiloxane (ATPS) was synthesized with varying length of soft segments and neutralizing cation. The effect of the chemical composition and the cation on the morphology and mechanical properties of the samples were studied. It was found that the SDPS chain extender based samples have definite chemical structure (-MDI-SDPS-MDI-ATPS-). As the length of the soft segment increases, an improvement of phase separation was observed. In addition, when SO3Na was translated into SO3H or the sulphonic acid groups were neutralized with different charge cations (Na+, Zn2+ and Al3+), the morphology and mechanical properties changed greatly.

Setting kinetics and mechanical properties of flax fibre reinforced glass ionomer restorative materials

Regardless of the excellent properties of glass ionomer cements,their poor mechanical properties limit their applications to non-load bearing areas.This study aimed to investigate the effect of incorporated short,chopped and randomly distributed flax fibers（0,0.5,1,2.5,5 and 25 wt%） on setting reaction kinetics,and mechanical and morphological properties of glass ionomer cements.Addition of flax fibers did not significantly affect the setting reaction extent.According to their content,flax fibers increased the compressive（from 148 to 250 MPa） and flexure strength（from 20 to 42 MPa）.They also changed the brittle behavior of glass ionomer cements to a plastic one.They significantly reduced the compressive（from 3 to 1.3 GPa） and flexure modulus（from 19 to 14 GPa）.Accordingly,flax fiber-modified glass ionomer cements could be potentially used in high-stress bearing areas.

Moisture Absorption and Desorption in an Ionomer-Based Encapsulant:A Type of Self-Breathing Encapsulant for CIGS Thin-Film PV Modules

As an alternative to conventional encapsulation concepts for a double glass photovoltaic(PV)module,we introduce an innovative ionomer-based multi-layer encapsulant,by which the application of additional edge sealing to prevent moisture penetration is not required.The spontaneous moisture absorption and desorption of this encapsulant and its raw materials,poly(ethylene-co-acrylic acid)and an ionomer,are analyzed under different climatic conditions in this work.The relative air humidity is thermodynamically the driving force for these inverse processes and determines the corresponding equilibrium moisture content(EMC).Higher air humidity results in a larger EMC.The homogenization of the absorbed water molecules is a diffusion-controlled process,in which temperature plays a dominant role.Nevertheless,the diffusion coefficient at a higher temperature is still relatively low.Hence,under normal climatic conditions for the application of PV modules,we believe that the investigated ionomer-based encapsulant can“breathe”the humidity:During the day,when there is higher relative humidity,it“inhales”(absorbs)moisture and restrains it within the outer edge of the module;then at night,when there is a lower relative humidity,it“exhales”(desorbs)the moisture.In this way,the encapsulant protects the cell from moisture ingress.

Ionomer Toughened Polyolefine

The morphology and properties of HDPE blends with Zn-SEPDM and GR were studied through SEM and mechanical property test. The results show that as Zn-SEPDM/GR content amounts to 20%, the blend becomes an IPN in structure, and that a rather high impact and tensile strength of HDPE may be obtained after blending. The antistatic effect, the softening point,and HDT of the blend are higher as compared to HDPE/Zn-SEPDM/ZnSt (zinc stearate).The effect of Zn-SEPDM on the compatibility the morphology and properties of IPP blends were studied by DSC, TEM and mechanical properties test. The results show that as Zn-SEPDM content exceeds 20%. Zn-SEPDM in the blend becomes continuous and an abrupt change in impact strength is incurred there from. Owing to the incorporation of ionic groups into EPDM.the strong interactions betWeen the chains make both the impact and the tensile strength of IPP remarkably higher

STUDY ON LIGHTLY SULFONATED SYNDIOTACTIC POLYSTYRENE IONOMERS

Sulfonated syndiotactic polystyrene ionomers (SsPS) with 1.8 mol% degree of sulfonation have been studied. WAXD shows that the crystallinity of SsPS ionomers was decreased with increasing diameter size of the counter ions and sPS > SsPS-H > SsPS-K > SsPS-Zn. Moreover, SsPS ionomers only have alpha crystal form, while original sPS has two crystal forms: alpha and beta crystal form. TGA shows that the thermal stability of SsPS ionomers is higher than that of the original sPS and SsPS-Zn > SsPS-K > SsPS-H. DSC shows that all the glass transition temperatures (T-g) of SsPS ionomers are higher than that of the neat sPS and SsPS-Zn > SsPS-Na > SsPS-K > SsPS-H. However, the melting temperature (T-m) and crystallization peak temperature (T-p) of SsPS ionomers are lower and SsPS-H > SsPS-Zn > SsPS-K > SsPS-Na, while the crystallinity (X-c) of SsPS-Zn is the lowest. Nonisothermal crystallization kinetics shows that the Avrami index of sPS and SsPS-H are both about 4, suggesting the nucleation growth of SsPS-H with lower degree of sulfonation still keeps its three-dimension form. FTIR spectra of SsPS ionomers show a splitting absorption band for asymmetric stretching vibration of sulfonation group. The CH in-plane bending vibration of benzene ring shifted to higher wavenumber and the symmetric stretching vibration of sulfonation group changed slightly with different counter ion neutralized SsPS ionomers.

Study on Copolymerization of Rare Earth-Carboxylic Acid Complex

Complex of rare earth with carboxylic acid was prepared by precipitation and direct method. It was copolymerized with such monomers as acrylic acid and other ones to synthesize ionomer of rare earth and organic polymer with different rare earth contents. Its glass-transition temperature and heat stability were analyzed by TG and DTA. Infra-red detector was used to show its structure. The effect of rare earth complex prepared by different methods on copolymerization and properties of copolymers was also discussed.

Modification of Interfacial Interaction of PBT/PP Blends by Adding Main-chain Liquid Crystalline Ionomer with Sulfonic Group

A main-chain liquid crystalline ionomer（MLCI） containing sulfonic group was synthesized by an interfacial condensation reaction.The MLCI was blended with polybutylene terephthalate（PBT） and polypropylene（PP）.MLCI interacted with both the dispersed（PP） phase and the matrix（PBT） phase to modify the interfacial interaction of PBT and PP.Differential scanning calorimetry（DSC）,scanning electron microscopy（SEM） and FTIR imaging system analysis demonstrated the significance of interfacial interaction in the polymer blends.MLCI brought about good adhesion at the interfacial,which reduced the disperse phase size and enabled a fine PP phase at matrix.The mechanical properties of the ternary blends were improved when a proper amount of MLCI was added.This was attributed to enhanced adhesion at the interface,which invoked better mechanical properties in the blends.

Soil and Leaf Micronutrient Composition in Contrasting Habitats in Podzolized Sands of the Amazon Region

Plant macronutrient distribution in podzolized sands of the Amazon caatinga has received attention in several studies;however, the distribution of micronutrients has not been assessed. Soil micronutrient availability has been hypothesized to reflect contrasting habitat characteristics as well as fundamental differences in substrate, and leaf micronutrient composition may reflect the macronutrient content needed to maintain balance for leaf cell functions. In this study, soil and leaf samples were obtained in a toposequence (valley, slope, and mound). Available soil micro- and macronutrients as well as total leaf content were measured by inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectrometer and mass spectroscopy. Soil Zn (-1) and B (-1) as well as Cu (-1) levels were very low. Soil Mn was low in the valleys and slopes (0.62-0.87 mg·kg-1), but higher in the mound (6.59 mg·kg-1). Soil Fe (11.48-21.13 mg·kg-1) was well above the critical level in all of the habitats. Leaf micronutrients Cu, B, Zn, and Fe were below the critical levels for tropical crops of 3-7, 20-70, 15-20, and 72 mg·kg-1, respectively. Leaf Mn (88 mg·kg-1) and Al (<50 mg·kg-1) were below the accumulators level. A strong relationship between leaf micro- and macronutrients suggests the maintenance of a homeostatic elemental composition, which may favour photosynthetic function. Therefore, the local distribution of species may be shaped by their abilities to maintain a balance of micronutrient collected through roots under critically low levels of available Zn, B, and Cu whilst excluding potentially deleterious ions of Mn, Fe, and Al.

The Evaluation of a Resin-modified Glass Ionome Cement for Bonding Orthodontic Brackets

To evaluate the shear bond strength（SBS） and bond failure interface after the debonding of orthodontic brackets with a resin-modified glass ionomer cement（RMGIC） under six bonding conditions, 140 premolar teeth were randomly divided into seven groups. The brackets of all groups, except for control group, were bonded using a RMGIC. The teeth were debonded using a universal testing machine. The shear bond strength, adhesive remnant index （ARI） and enamel fracture were examined for each debonding. A significant difference existed in SBS under wet and dry conditions in two groups of Fuji Ortho LC. Different degree of enamel fracture was seen in groups of Fuji Ortho LC（dry/37% phosphoric acid treated） after debonding. Bond failed predominantly at the enamel-adhesive interface, except for phosphoric acid treated groups. The RMGIC achieve a clinically effective adhesion in orthodontics under different bonding conditions.

The Setting Chemistry of Glass Ionomer Cement

The setting chemistry of glass ionomer cement was imestigated by using mechanical determination of compressive strength at predetermined intervals,and measurement of structure changes of correspondling fracture sample by means of IR spectra and differential scanning calorimetry（DSC）.Zinc polycarboxylate cement was used as a comparison sample.The compressive strength of glass ionomer cement（GIC） increases with aging.IR spectra and DSC of corresponding fracture sample show the structure changes of the matrix and interface layer comprising of silica gel during the predetermined intervals studied.however,no significant changes occur in the zinc polycarxyolate cement.Hence the structure changes of the matrix and/or interface layer are responsible for compressive strength increasing with aging.The structure changes include the crosslink density,the ratio of complex form to ionic form,the content ratio of Al-PAA to Ca-PAA,the forming and maturing process of the interface layer comprising of silica gel.