Vaporization Thermodynamics of Pyrrolidinium, Pyridinium, and Imidazolium-Based Ionic Liquids Bearing the Bis(fluorosulfonyl)imide [FSI] and the Bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide [NTf2] Anions

New experimental vapor pressures in the range 407 K to 460 K and vaporization enthalpy of the ionic liquids (IL) N-alkyl-N-methyl-pyrrolidinium bis(fluorosulfonyl)imide ionic liquids have been measured using quartz crystal microbalance. The absolute vapor pressures and vaporization enthalpies were compared with analogous pyrrolidinium-based ILs with the bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide anion. The evaluated difference in vaporization enthalpy of ILs with bis(fluorosulfonyl)imide and bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide anions allowed for estimation of corresponding property for a wide set of ILs with bis(fluorosulfonyl)imide anion. The results are relevant to chemical engineering calculations of processes involving ILs as reaction and separation media.

Dynamic pH and Thermal Analysis of Paper-Based Microchip Electrophoresis

Paper-based microchip electrophoresis has the potential to bring laboratory electrophoresis tests to the point of need. However, high electric potential and current values induce pH and temperature shifts, which may affect biomolecule electrophoretic mobility thus decrease test reproducibility and accuracy of paper-based microfluidic electrophoresis. We have previously developed a microchip electrophoresis system, HemeChip, which has the capability of providing low-cost, rapid, reproducible, and accurate point-of-care (POC) electrophoresis tests for hemoglobin analysis. Here, we report the methodologies we implemented for characterizing HemeChip system pH and temperature during the development process, including utilizing commercially available universal pH indicator and digital camera pH shift characterization, and infrared camera characterizing temperature shift characterization. The characterization results demonstrated that pH shifts up to 1.1 units, a pH gradient up to 0.11 units/mm, temperature shifts up to 40 °C, and a temperature gradient up to 0.5 °C/mm existed in the system. Finally, we report an acid pre-treatment of the separation media, a cellulose acetate paper, mitigated both pH and temperature shifts and provided a stable environment for reproducible HemeChip hemoglobin electrophoresis separation.

Survival and growth of saprotrophic and mycorrhizal fungi in recalcitrant amine, amide and ammonium containing media

The elimination of hazardous compounds in chemical wastes can be a complex and technically demanding task. In the search for environmental-friendly technologies, fungal mediated remediation and removal procedures are of concern. In this study, we investigated whether there are fungal species that can survive and grow on solely amine-containing compounds. One compound containing a primary amine group; 2-diethylaminoethanol, one compound with a primary amide group; 2,6-dichlorobenzamide (BAM), and a third compound containing a quaternary ammonium group; N3-trimethyl(2-oxiranyl)methanaminium chloride, were selected. The choice of these compounds was motivated by their excessive use in large scale manufacturing of protein separation media (2-diethylaminoethanol and the quaternary amine). 2,6-dichlorobenzamide, the degradation product of the herbicide 2,6-dichlorobenzonitrile (dichlobenil), was chosen since it is an extremely recalcitrant compound. Utilising part of the large fungal diversity in Northern European forests, a screening study using 48 fungal isolates from 42 fungal species, including saprotrophic and mycorrhizal fungi, was performed to test for growth responses to the chosen compounds. The ericoid (ERM) mycorrhizal fungus Rhizoscyphus ericae showed the best overall growth on 2-diethylaminoethanol and BAM in the 1–20 g L-1 concentration range, with a 35-fold and 4.5-fold increase in biomass, respectively. For N3-trimethyl(2-oxiranyl)methanaminium chloride, the peak growth occurred at 1 g L-1. In a second experiment, including three of the most promising fungi (Laccaria laccata, Hygrophorus camarophyllus and Rhizoscyphus ericae) from the screening experiment, a simulated process water containing 1.9% (w/v) 2-diethylaminoethanol and 0.8% (w/v) N3-trimethyl(2-oxiranyl)methanaminium chloride was used. Laccaria laccata showed the best biomass increase (380%) relative to a control, while the accumulation for Rhizoscyphus ericae and Hygrophorus camarophyllus were 292% and 136% respectively, indicating that mycorrhizal fungi can use amine- and amide-containing substrates as nutrients. These results show the potential of certain fungal species to be used in alternative green wastewater treatment procedures.

Surfactant-free Aqueous Fabrication of Macroporous Silicone Monoliths for Flexible Thermal Insulation

Hydrophobic silicone macroporous materials prepared in an aqueous solution by the sol–gel method have been considered for various applications such as separation media, heat insulators, and liquid nitrogen adsorbents. In the conventional preparation process, surfactants are used to suppress phase separation to obtain a uniform bulk material. However, a large amount of solvent and time is required to remove them before drying, which hinders industrial-scale synthesis. By copolymerizing tetra-, tri-, and bifunctional organosilicon alkoxides in an aqueous acetic acid–urea solution, flexible macroporous silicone monoliths were successfully obtained. The marshmallow-like monoliths recovered their original shape even after 80 % uniaxial compression and significant bending and water repellency. The thermal conductivity of those materials was ~0.035 W m⁻¹ K⁻¹ and did not increase even under 60 % uniaxial compression. This characteristic property can be used for thermal insulation on surfaces with various shapes and in confined spaces under harsh conditions.

Surfactant-free Fabrication of Macroporous Silicone Monoliths for Flexible Thermal Insulation

Hydrophobic silicone macroporous materials prepared in an aqueous solution by the sol–gel method have been considered for various applications such as separation media, heat insulators, and liquid nitrogen adsorbents. In the conventional preparation process, surfactants are used to suppress phase separation to obtain a uniform bulk material. However, a large amount of solvent and time is required to remove them before drying, which hinders industrial-scale synthesis. By copolymerizing tetra-, tri-, and bifunctional organosilicon alkoxides in an aqueous acetic acid–urea solution, flexible macroporous silicone monoliths were successfully obtained. The marshmallow-like monoliths recovered their original shape even after 80 % uniaxial compression and significant bending and water repellency. The thermal conductivity of those materials was ~0.035 W m⁻¹ K⁻¹ and did not increase even under 60 % uniaxial compression. This characteristic property can be used for thermal insulation on surfaces with various shapes and in confined spaces.

Surfactant-free Fabrication of Macroporous Silicone Monoliths for Flexible Thermal Insulation

Hydrophobic silicone macroporous materials prepared in an aqueous solution by the sol–gel method have been considered for various applications such as separation media, heat insulators, and liquid nitrogen adsorbents. In the conventional preparation process, surfactants are used to suppress phase separation to obtain a uniform bulk material. However, a large amount of solvent and time is required to remove them before drying, which hinders industrial-scale synthesis. By copolymerizing tetra-, tri-, and bifunctional organosilicon alkoxides in an aqueous acetic acid–urea solution, flexible macroporous silicone monoliths were successfully obtained. The marshmallow-like monoliths recovered their original shape even after 80 % uniaxial compression and significant bending and water repellency. The thermal conductivity of those materials was ~0.035 W m⁻¹ K⁻¹ and did not increase even under 60 % uniaxial compression. This characteristic property can be used for thermal insulation on surfaces with various shapes and in confined spaces.

Preparation of Marshmallow-like Macroporous Silicone Monoliths in Simple Surfactant-free Aqueous Systems and Their Application to Flexible Thermal Insulation Materials

<b>Hydrophobic silicone macroporous materials prepared in an aqueous solution by the sol–gel method have been considered for various applications such as oil/water separation media, heat insulators, and liquid nitrogen adsorbents. In the conventional preparation process, surfactants are used to suppress phase separation to obtain a uniform bulk material. However, a large amount of solvent and time are required to remove them before drying, which hinders industrial-scale synthesis. By copolymerizing tetra-, tri-, and bifunctional organosilicon alkoxides in an aqueous acetic acid–urea solution, flexible macroporous silicone monoliths were successfully obtained, which recover their original shape even after 80 % uniaxial compression and large bending. The macroporous materials showed water repellency and heat resistance characteristic of silicone, and the thermal conductivity ~0.035 W m−1 K−1 did not increase even after 60 % uniaxial compression. Those silicone monoliths fabricated by a simple and highly reproducible green process are expected to be used widely.</b>