Reduction in sodium chloride content in saltine crackers through an edible coating

Aiming to reduce the sodium content in saltine crackers, the present study employed a methodology of salt coating that provided an inhomogeneous distribution of salt so that the salt perception was not altered. To this end, three cracker recipes were prepared and compared. Recipe 1 (F1) was the standard, Recipe 2 (F2) had a 33.3% reduction in salt in the dough, and Recipe 3 (F3) had no salt in the dough but instead a salty coating with the same amount of salt as F2. Physicochemical and sensory analyses revealed that F1 and F3 were not statistically different in salt perception, whereas F2 differed from the others. From these results, it was concluded that the methodology of covering crackers with a salty coating with a 42.5% salt reduction could be an alternative to achieving salt reduction.

Centimetric-Sized Chromium (III) Oxide Object Synthesized by Means of the Carbon Template Replication

A simple, efficient synthesis approach for designing large ceramic pieces, herein termed chromium (III) oxide (Cr2O3) material, is provided. The process can be called the replica technique, or replication. The elaboration of a material with a unique morphology is a result of a ceramic salt coating that has been previously dissolved in ethylene glycol as the solvent; this process is performed on a carbon material surface that is selected as a template. Here, the carbon template was carbon fiber. After a heat treatment to convert the ceramic precursor to the corresponding ceramic oxide followed by the removal of the template, hollow ceramic oxide wires were obtained. The resulting material was characterized by X-ray diffraction, Raman and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopies, and scanning electron microscopy. The material exhibited a multiscale architecture, assembling nanosized nodules to form micron-sized tubes that assemble themselves into a centimetric structure. Objects with such tailored architectures can be used in a large variety of applications in fields as diverse as pyrotechnics, adsorption, and catalysis.

Variability in individual particle structure and mixing states between the glacier–snowpack and atmosphere in the northeastern Tibetan Plateau

Aerosols affect the Earth's temperature and climate by altering the radiative properties of the atmosphere. Changes in the composition, morphological structure, and mixing state of aerosol components will cause significant changes in radiative forcing in the atmosphere. This work focused on the physicochemical properties of light-absorbing particles (LAPs) and their variability through deposition process from the atmosphere to the glacier–snowpack interface based on large-range observations in the northeastern Tibetan Plateau, and laboratory transmission electron microscope (TEM) and energy dispersive X-ray spectrometer (EDX) measurements. The results showed that LAP particle structures changed markedly in the snowpack compared to those in the atmosphere due to black carbon (BC) and organic matter (OM) particle aging and salt-coating condition changes. Considerably more aged BC and OM particles were observed in the glacier and snowpack surfaces than in the atmosphere, as the concentration of aged BC and OM varied in all locations by 4 %–16 % and 12 %–25 % in the atmosphere, whereas they varied by 25 %–36 % and 36 %–48 % in the glacier–snowpack surface. Similarly, the salt-coated particle ratio of LAPs in the snowpack is lower than in the atmosphere. Albedo change contribution in the Miaoergou, Yuzhufeng, and Qiyi glaciers is evaluated using the SNICAR model for glacier surface-distributed impurities. Due to the salt-coating state change, the snow albedo decreased by 16.7 %–33.9 % compared to that in the atmosphere. Such a great change may cause more strongly enhanced radiative heating than previously thought, suggesting that the warming effect from particle structure and mixing change in glacier–snowpack LAPs may have markedly affected the climate on a global scale in terms of direct forcing in the cryosphere.

Variability in individual particle structure and mixing states between the glacier snowpack and atmosphere interface in the northeast Tibetan Plateau

Aerosol impurities affect the earth's temperature and climate by altering the radiative properties of the atmosphere. Changes in the composition, morphology structure and mixing states of aerosol components will cause significantly varied radiative forcing in the atmosphere. This work focused on the physicochemical properties of light-absorbing impurities (LAIs) and their variability through deposition from the atmosphere to the glacier/snowpack surface interface based on large-range observation in northeastern Tibetan Plateau and laboratory transmission electron microscope (TEM) and laboratory energy dispersive X-ray spectrometer (EDX) measurements. The results showed that LAI particle structures changed markedly in the snowpack compared to those in the atmosphere due to black carbon (BC)/organic matter (OM) particle aging and salt-coating condition changes. Considerably more aged BC and OM particles were observed in glacier/snowpack surfaces than in the atmosphere, as the proportion of aged BC and OM varied in all locations by 4 %–16 % and 12 %–25 % in the atmosphere, respectively, whereas they varied by 25 %–36 % and 36 %–48 %, respectively, in the glacier/snowpack surface. Similarly, the salt-coated particle ratio of LAIs in the snowpack is lower than in the atmosphere. Albedo change contribution in the Miaoergou, Yuzhufeng and Qiyi Glaciers is evaluated using the SNICAR model for glacier surface distributed impurities. Due to salt-coating state change, these values decreased by 30.1 %–56.4 % compared to that in the atmosphere. Such great change may cause more strongly enhanced radiative heating than previously thought, suggesting that the warming effect from particle structure and mixing change of glacier/snowpack LAIs may have markedly affected the climate on a global scale in terms of direct forcing in the cryosphere.

Solid-State Diffusion Bonding of Titanium by Using Metal Salt Coated Aluminum Sheet

In this study, the effect of metal salt coating processing of aluminum surface on the bond strength of the solid-state diffusion bonded interface of titanium and aluminum has been investigated by SEM observation of the interfacial microstructures and fractured surfaces after tensile test. Aluminum surfaces were coated by boiling in 5% aqueous solution of NaOH for 90 s and 98% formic acid for 60 s. Bonding process was performed at a bonding temperature of 713 ~ 773 K under a load of 12 MPa (for a bonding time of 900 s). As a result of the metal salt coating processing, high strength joint can be achieved with lower bonding temperature compared with unmodified joints. From this study, it is found out that metal salt coating processing is effective at removing oxide film and substitution to metal salt on the aluminum bonding surface.