乙烯是决定水果采后品质和货架期的关键因素，现有的乙烯吸附机制难以同时满足绿色、高效、低成本的实际需求。申请人前期研究发现，玉米醇溶蛋白基纳米纤维能吸附乙烯，蛋白的“官能团效应”和纳米纤维的“表面效应”决定其吸附性能，但具体机理不明。因此，本项目拟把蛋白结构和纤维形貌作为阐明吸附机理的突破口，以玉米醇溶蛋白为研究对象，利用高场强超声波对蛋白的“降聚增活效应”，阐明超声条件对蛋白结构（分子间作用力、空间构象、聚集状态）的改变规律；再借助静电纺丝构建玉米醇溶蛋白基纳米纤维，揭示不同电纺条件对蛋白基纳米纤维形貌（直径、孔径、孔隙率）的影响规律；利用光谱、电镜等技术解析蛋白结构和纤维形貌变化与乙烯吸附性能间的相关性，最后通过与Langmuir、BET吸附模型拟合，综合探讨蛋白“官能团效应”和纳米纤维“表面效应”对乙烯吸附的协同增效机制。项目研究为利用降聚玉米醇溶蛋白基纳米纤维吸附乙烯提供理论依据。

Ethylene plays a key role in determining the postharvest quality and shelf life of fruits. However, it is difficult to satisfy actual demands for sustainability, high efficiency and low cost via existing ethylene adsorption mechanisms. Recently, we noticed that zein-based nanofibers can adsorb ethylene effectively, and the adsorption performance was determined by the "functional groups effect" of zein and the "surface effect" of nanofibers. But the concrete mechanism has not been reported. Therefore, the structure of zein and the morphology of nanofibers are taken as the key points to elucidate the adsorption mechanism of zein-based nanofibers in this project. Based on the “depolymerization and activation effect” of zein induced by high intensity ultrasound, the influence of ultrasonic conditions on the structure (intermolecular forces, spatial conformation and aggregation) of zein will be investigated. The zein-based nanofibers will be fabricated via electrospinning. The effects of different electrospinning conditions on the morphology (diameter, pore size and porosity) of zein-based nanofibers will be revealed. The relationship between the structure of zein, the morphology of zein-based nanofibers and ethylene adsorption performance will be studied via spectroscopy, electron microscopy and so forth. Based on the above results, the synergistic mechanism between "functional group effect" of zein and "surface effect" of nanofibers will be explored by fitting with Langmuir and BET adsorption models. The above research will provide theoretical basis for development of depolymerization zein-based nanofibers as a new ethylene absorbent.