Modeling the Liquid Phase Exfoliation of Graphene in Polar and Nonpolar Solvents

Exfoliation is a promising technique to obtain graphene from graphite. The search for suitable exfoliation solvents is currently underway. The quality of the solvents used for spontaneous exfoliation is determined by a simple thermodynamic model. The model shows that the solvation energy of the organic solvents is higher for NMP (-177.37 mJ m-2) than other nonpolar solvents. It also shows that the solvation energy is correlated with sheet deformation and surface excess. Four groups of effective solvents are identified, including amine-, sulfoxide-, halogen-benzene-based solvents, in addition to cyclic structures with the oxygen atom. One can predict and screen potential solvents for spontaneous graphene exfoliation based on the reported mechanism.

NEW SURFACE-ACTIVE PETROCOLLECTING AND PETRODISPERSING REAGENT BASED ON STEARIC ACID AND TRYETHYLENETETRAAMINE

New surfactant was synthesized from stearic and triethylenetetraamine at room temperature, without utilizing any catalyst or solvent. Structure and composition of the salt was confirmed by using IR-, NMR- and UV- spectroscopies . Surface tension, conductivity measurements were performed on aqueous solutions of new surfactant. Its surface activity and colloidal-chemical parameters such as critical micelle concentration (CMC), surface pressure at CMC (πCMC), surface tension at CMC (γCMC), surface excess (Γmax), concentration required for 20 mN/m reduction of surface tension (C20), Gibbs energies of adsorption and micellization (ΔGad and ΔGmic) were determined. Moreover, corrosion properties and petrocollecting and petrodispersing properties of this salt was determined and maximum values of petrocollecting coefficients was calculated.

Mercury Goes Solid At Room Temperature At Nanoscale: Toward An Effective Hg Waste Storage

While room temperature bulk mercury is liquid, it is solid in its nanoconfiguration (Ønano−Hg ≤ 2.4 nm). Conjugating the nanoscale size effect and the Laplace-driven surface excess pressure, Hg nanoparticles of Ønano−Hg ≤ 2.4 nm embedded in a 2-D turbostratic BN host matrix exhibited net crystallization at room temperature via the experimentally observed (101) & (003) diffraction Bragg peaks of the solid Hg rhombohedric α-phase. The observed crystallization is correlated to a surface atomic ordering of 7 to 8 reticular atomic planes of the rhombohedric α-phase. Such a novel size effect on the phase transition phenomena in Hg is conjugated to a potential Hg waste storage technology. Considering the vapor pressure of bulk Hg, RT solid nano-Hg confinement represents a viable green approach for Hg waste storage derived from modern halogen-efficient light technology.

Microcapsules Consisting of Whey Proteins-Coated Droplets of Lipids Embedded in Wall Matrices of Spray-Dried Microcapsules Consisting Mainly of Non-Fat Milk Solids

The effects of wall composition and heat treatment on the formation and properties of core-in-wall emulsions (CIWEs) consisting of whey protein-coated milkfat (AMF) droplets and a dispersion of non-fat milk solids (MSNF) were investigated. Microcapsules were prepared by spray drying these CIWEs. The d3.2 of the CIWEs ranged from 0.36 to 0.54 μm. Surface excess of the CIWEs ranged from 1.39 to 6.57 mg/m2, and was influenced by concentration of whey proteins and heat treatment (30 min at 90 °C). Results indicated a preferential adsorption of β-lg at the O/W interface. Whey proteins accounted for up to 90% of the proteins adsorbed at the O/W interface. The core retention during spray drying ranged from 90.3% to 97.6% and microencapsulation efficiency ranged from 77.9% to 93.3%. The microcapsules exhibited an excellent long-term oxidative stability at 20 and 30 °C that was superior to that of microcapsules consisting of milkfat and MSNF, where the O/W interface was populated mainly by caseins. The superior oxidative stability could be attributed to the formation of dense whey-proteins-based films at the O/W interfaces of the CIWEs that isolated the core domains from the environment. The results open new opportunities in developing highly stable lipids-containing microcapsules and dairy powders.

Studies on the Interactions of Paracetamol in Water and Binary Solvent Mixtures at T = (298.15–313.15) K: Viscometric and Surface Tension Approach

Temperature, concentration, and solvent conditions have consequences on the formation and dissolution of the drug. Viscometric measurements of paracetamol solutions of different concentrations in 5, 10, and 15% methanol have been made at 298.15, 303.15, 308.15, and 313.15K. Surface tension values (γ) of the solutions were obtained experimentally by using a stalagmometer as well as were derived from the ultrasonic velocity (U) and density (d) values at 298.15 K. The surface tension data have been analyzed using the Gibbs equation to evaluate surface excess (Γ_2). The surface tension and surface excess data obtained by the two different methods are well in accordance. The viscosity (ɳ) data were used to calculate relative viscosity (ɳ_(r ) ), Falkenhagen coefficients (A_(F )), Jone-Dole’s coefficients (B_(J ) ) and chemical potential (μ). The obtained data have been analyzed based on the Jones-Dole equation to know the molecular interactions.

Molecular Dynamics Study of Adsorption of the Lennard-Jones Truncated and Shifted Fluid on Planar Walls

A comprehensive molecular dynamics study of gas phase and supercritical fluid adsorption on planar walls in dispersive systems is presented. All interactions in the system are described with the Lennard-Jones truncated and shifted (LJTS) potential with a cutoff radius of 2.5 fluid diameters. The adsorption strength is characterized by the solid-fluid interaction energy and the wall density. Both parameters are varied systematically. The present work extends a previous study in which wetting in the same systems was investigated. Therefore, the contact angles are known for all studied systems. They include cases with total wetting as well as cases with partial wetting. The temperature varies between the triple point and 3 times the critical temperature of the LJTS fluid. For the systems with partial wetting, the adsorption is studied not only up to the saturation pressure but also in the metastable region. For all systems, the surface excess is determined as a function of pressure and temperature. Furthermore, data on the thickness and structure of the adsorbed layers is reported. In some of the systems, prewetting is observed.