The effect of different polymer length on water droplets of reverse AOT microemulsion

We study the effect of polyethylene glycol (PEG) on the dynamic and structure of water droplets at the reverse sodium bis-(2-ethylhexyl) sulfosuccinate (AOT) microemulsion. The mixture of water and oil with anionic surfactant AOT can form microemulsion. The dynamic of microemulsion in the presence of PEG is investigated by photon correlation spectroscopy technique. We mainly focus on the variation of the translational diffusion behaviour as a function of the polymer concentration and polymer length scale. By increasing the content of the lowest PEG length scale (M_n = 285), the dynamic of microemulsion slows down. In addition, one relaxation process is distinguished for all polymer concentration. However, for the two higher polymer length scale (M_n = 2200 and 6000), two relaxations are observed and the dynamic of microemulsion speeds up. We used the small angle X-ray scattering technique to monitor the size and the polydispersity of the mixture system (AOT microemulsion/PEG).     

Studies on Middle-Phase Microemulsions of Green Surfactant n-Dodecyl Polyglucoside C12G1.46

The three-phases behavior in the quaternary stsem of n-dodecyl polyglucoside C12G1.46/1-butanol/cyclohexane/water has been studied at 40℃ in terms of the variables γ and δ.Increasing δ at constant γcauses a phase inversion from an oil-in-water microemulsion in contact with excess oil(winsor I or 2) to a water-in-oil microemulsion in contact with excess water (winsor Ⅱor 2)via a middle-phase microemulsion in contact with excess oil and water(winsor Ⅲor 3).By taking into account the different solubilities of alkyl polyglucoside and 1-butanol in the oil phase,the composition of the hydrophile-lipophile balanced interfacial film in the middle of the three-phase body can be calculated.The effects of different oils and aqueous media on the phase behavior and on the composition of the interfacial film and the efficiency for alkyl polyglucoside to make equal weights of water and oil to a single phase were investigated.It was found that the oil molecules with small molecular volumes can improve the solubilizing efficiency of the surfactant to form single-phase microemulsion.In inorganic salt(NaCl) and acid(HCl) solutions,less 1-butanol is needed than that in alkali(NaOH) solution to form middle-phase microemulsion.     

Dependence on Oil Chain‐Length of the Curvature Elastic Properties of Nonionic Surfactant Films: Droplet Growth from Spheres to a Bicontinuous Network

Using NMR self‐diffusion and ²H‐NMR relaxation experiments, we have investigated growth of oil‐in‐water microemulsion droplets when spontaneous curvature is lowered, starting at emulsification failure boundary. We compare two ternary nonionic microemulsion systems, containing penta‐ethylene glycol dodecyl ether (C₁₂E₅), and decane or hexadecane, at same surfactant‐to‐oil ratio and approximately the same spontaneous curvature. Droplet growth in microemulsions appears in general to be only minor. Quantitative differences between the two systems indicate differences in the curvature elastic constants.     

A self-diffusion study in aqueous solution and lyotropic mesophases of amphiphilic block copolymers

 Water-soluble poly(ethylene oxide)–poly(propylene oxide)–poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO–PPO–PPO) triblock copolymers are high-molecular-weight nonionic copolymers and form micellar solutions and liquid-crystalline mesophases in water. We studied the temperature dependence of polymer and water self-diffusion in solutions and lyotropic mesophases of the PEO₁₃ PPO₃₀ PEO₁₃/water and PEO₂₁ PPO₄₇ PEO₂₁/water binary systems. The self-diffusion measurements were performed by means of the pulsed field gradient spin-echo NMR method. The analysis of the water mobility was realised using “the obstruction factor” and “the two-site model”, which consider the reduction of the water self-diffusion due to the microstructure of the lyotropic aggregates and to the presence of one part of the solvent bound to the polymer aggregate surfaces. We calculated the water obstruction factors and the hydration numbers as a function both of the polymer composition and of the temperature. The results are compared with the data obtained in mesophases formed by classical surfactants. Received: 16 September 1999 Accepted in revised form: 24 November 1999     

Fluorescence Quenching of Anthracene by N,N-Diethylaniline in the Sodium Dodecyl Sulfate/Benzyl Alcohol/Water System

Photoinduced electron-transfer reaction of anthracene with N,N-diethylaniline (DEA) was studied in the SDS (sodium dodecyl sulfate)/BA (benzyl alcohol)/H₂O system. In an oil/water microemulsion, only the excited anthracene located at the interface can be quenched by DEA. In a water/oil microemulsion, this quenching reaction occurs in the BA continuous phase. Besides being the quencher of the excited anthracene, DEA could also change the system's structure.     

Synthesis,characterization, and aqueous self‐assembly of amphiphilic poly(ethylene oxide)‐functionalized hyperbranched fluoropolymers

Complex amphiphilic polymers were synthesized via core‐first polymerization followed by alkylation‐based grafting of poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO). Inimer 1‐(4′‐(bromomethyl)benzyloxy)‐2,3,5,6‐tetrafluoro‐4‐vinylbenzene was synthesized and subjected to atom transfer radical self‐condensing vinyl polymerization to afford hyperbranched fluoropolymer (HBFP) as the hydrophobic core component with a number‐averaged molecular weight of 29 kDa and polydispersity index of 2.1. The alkyl halide chain ends on the HBFP were allowed to undergo reaction with monomethoxy‐terminated poly(ethylene oxide) amine (PEO_x‐NH₂) at different grafting numbers and PEO chain lengths to afford PEO‐functionalized HBFPs [(PEO_x)_y‐HBFPs], with x = 15 while y = 16, 22, or 29, x = 44 while y = 16, and x = 112 while y = 16. The amphiphilic, grafted block copolymers were found to aggregate in aqueous solution to give micelles with number‐averaged diameters (D_av) of 12–28 nm, as measured by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). An increase of the PEO:HBFP ratio, by increase in either the grafting densities (y values) or the chain lengths (x values), led to decreased TEM‐measured diameters. These complex, amphiphilic (PEO_x)_y‐HBFPs, with tunable sizes, might find potential applications as nanoscopic biomedical devices, such as drug delivery vehicles and ¹⁹F magnetic resonance imaging agents. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 48: 3487–3496, 2010     

Alternative Diesel Fuel: Microemulsion Phase Behavior and Combustion Properties

The phase behavior of water, diesel, limonene, and ethanol was investigated at ambient temperature using single nonionic alkyl polyglycol ethers (C₁₄E₃). Visual inspection as well as crosspolarizers was used to detect transparency and anisotropy. Ternary phase diagrams were determined. Combustion experiments using a four-cylinder diesel engine were carried out. Isotropic water in diesel microemulsion region (L₂) and anisotropic liquid crystalline region (LC) were found with all combinations. Increasing the ratio of limonene to diesel reduced the microemulsion region while the presence of ethanol increased it on the expense of the LC region. Combustion tests performed on a selected formulation from the ternary phase diagram of water, diesel, ethanol, and C₁₄E₃ revealed substantial reduction of soot, NO_x, and CO₂ emissions compared to neat diesel.     

Microemulsions studies: Correlation between viscosity,electrical conductivity and electrochemical and fluorescent probe measurements

Microemulsion systems involving brine and dodecane, and stabilized by sodium dodecylsulfate and both pentanol and heptanol have been investigated. Results of various experiments including conductivity and viscosity measurements, electrochemical diffusion coefficients and fluorescent probe studies have been gathered and compared in order to gain additional understanding of the microemulsion structure. The diffusion coefficients of hydrophilic hydroquinone and hydrophobic ferrocene obtained from the Levich equation at the rotating disc electrode, vary as the self-diffusion coefficients of water and dodecane, respectively; the results are consistent with those obtained by other workers from tracer or NMR self-diffusion studies. The fluorescence analysis of the polarity sensed by pyrene and the microviscosity felt by dipyrenylpropane suggests that the progressive addition of pentanol and dodecane to SDS micelles leads to solubilizate the probes more in the droplet interior where they experience a more hydrophobic environment. The systematic study of the two microemulsion systems provides insight into the microscopic properties of the oil domains in which the fluorescent probes are assumed to be located. In the system stabilized by n-heptanol as cosurfactant, the microviscosity sensed by P(CH₂)₃P is shown to be much lower than the bulk viscosity of the microemulsion. All the results evidence the well-known structural transitions: water continuous, bicontinuous and oil continuous in the single monophasic area of the brine/ SDS/n-pentanol/dodecane system; premicellar aggregates and water swollen micelles in the W/O area of the brine/SDS/n-heptanol/dodecane system.     

Particle nucleation and monomer partitioning in styrene O/W microemulsion polymerization

Particle nucleation in the polymerization of styrene microemulsions was found to take place throughout the polymerization as indicated by measurements of the particle number as a function of conversion. A mechanism based on the nucleation in the microemulsion droplets was proposed to explain the experimental findings although homogeneous nucleation and coagulation during polymerization were not completely ruled out. A thermodynamic model was developed to simulate the partitioning of monomer in the different phases during polymerization. The model predicts that the oil cores of the microemulsion droplets were depleted early in the polymerization (4% conversion). Due to the high monomer/polymer swelling ratio of the polymer particles, most of the monomer resides in the polymer particles during polymerization. The termination of chain growth inside the polymer particles was attributed to the chain transfer reaction to monomer. The low n? (less than 0.5) of the microemulsion system was attributed to the fast exit of monomeric radicals.     

Fluorimetric and conductometric study of water—n-octane—sodium dodecyl sulfate—n-pentanol microemulsions

The influence of the water concentration in the water—n-octane—sodium dodecyl sulfate—n-pentanol microemulsions on the polarity index I ₁/I ₃, the efficiency of formation of the fluorescent probe (pyrene) excimers I _ex/I _m, and the conductivity of the system in a wide interval of water—oil ratios was studied. Analysis of changes in the polarity index shows that in all types of the microemulsions pyrene is solubilized in the hydrophobic part of the water—oil interface between the surfactant hydrocarbon radicals. Depending on the water—oil ratio, the site of its localization changes, and the effective permittivity of the medium _eff varies from 5 to 11. Variations of the conductivity and polarity index allow one to observe three structures in the mucroemulsion, viz., water—oil, bicontinual region, and oil—water. Variation of the I _ex/I _m ratio reveals only the transition from the water—oil microemulsion to the oil—water microemulsion.     

Polymerization Reactions in an Al(OBus)3-(COOH)2 System

Reactions in an Al(OBu^s)₃-(COOH)₂ (OA)-tetrahydrofuran (THF)/(CD₃)₂SO (DMSO-d₆) system (Al(OBu^s)₃: THF : DMSO-d₆: OA = 1 : 5 : 5 : x, x = 0.01 –3) were studied, without the addition of water and the process was monitored by NMR. When x 0.3, homogeneous solutions were obtained, whereas white precipitates formed with x 0.7. The formation of sec-butyl alcohol was evident with x 0.6, indicating that oxalate groups coordinate to aluminum to release sec-butyl alcohol. ¹³C NMR spectra of the solutions after 1 day suggest the presence of polymeric species if 0.03 x 0.6. The addition of a small amount of water resulted in the formation of a white precipitate (Al(OBu^s)₃: THF : DMSO-d₆ : OA : H₂O = 1 : 5 : 5 : 0.3 : y,y = 0.03–0.3), indicating that water, possibly formed by esterification in the Al(OBu^s)₃-OA-THF/DMSO-d₆ system, does not take a major role in the present system.     

Solubilization, microstructure, and thermodynamics of fully dilutable U-type Brij microemulsion

A U-type microemulsion of Brij 96 has been characterized with respect to the change in cosurfactant, oil chain length on dilution, water solubility, and water solubilization capacity. The phase behavior of the systems has been mapped with different oils. Several techniques, viz., conductivity, optical microscopy, dilution method, absorption, and FT-IR spectroscopy, have been used for microemulsion analysis. The equilibrium within the microemulsion droplets and liquid crystals has been visualized using optical microscopy. The microemulsions have evidenced volume-induced conductance percolation in all the cosurfactants (n₂–n₆ alcohols). The energetics of transfer of alcohol from the bulk oil to the interface has been determined through dilution method. To gain insight into the microenvironment of microemulsion, two optical probes, hydrophilic (Methyl orange) and hydrophobic (Nile red), have been utilized in absorption spectroscopy. Lastly, FT-IR has been explored to observe the state and dissolution behavior of water with increasing weight fraction.     

Soft solution synthesis of a zinc oxide nano-screw superstructure and its composite with nitrogen-doped titania

Novel zinc oxide thin films with nano-screw superstructure were prepared via a soft solution route without any polymer additives. A ZnO thin film could be produced directly on the substrates. The ZnO thin film with nano-screw superstructure was prepared using visible-light-induced nitrogen-doped titania nano-particles. The ZnO nano-screw/TiO_2−x N _y composite film showed excellent photocatalytic deNO _x ability and quantum efficient.     

Synthesis of hexaaluminate catalysts for methane combustion by reverse microemulsion medium

The aim of this study is to synthesize the catalysts of Fe- and Mn-substituted hexaaluminate by reverse microemulsion medium for methane catalytic combustion application. Pseudo-ternary phase diagrams in quaternary microemulsion systems of cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB), n-butanol, n-octane, and water [or Al(NO₃)₃ solution] were presented. The effects of the alcohol chain length, ratio of sur-factant to cosurfactant, and salt concentration on the formation and stability of microemulsion systems were studied. The phase behavior of microemulsion systems was confirmed through the varying of the conductivity with the water content. The performance and structure of the catalysts, La(Mn _x /Fe _x )Al_12−x ⁻ O_19-δ synthesized with the optimal parameter in the phase diagrams of microemulsions systems were characterized by BET, TG-DTA, and XRD. The micro fix-bed reactor was used to measure the catalytic activities of catalysts to methane combustion. The results showed that this synthesis method could yield non-agglomerated and highly dispersed precursors that would undergo crystallization at the lower temperature of 950°C. When temperature was raised up to 1050°C, the complete crystalline La-hexaaluminate was shaped. The hexaaluminate substituted with Fe had high-catalytic activity and stability at high temperature, while the Mn-substituted had higher catalytic activity at lower temperature. When the cooperation of Fe and Mn occurred, i.e., LaFeMnAl₁₀O_19−δ exhibited a high surface area and catalytic activity to CH₄ combustion, the CH₄ light-off temperature was only 475°C and the complete combustion temperature was 660°C. This was attributed to the synergistic effect between Fe and Mn. Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 20706004) and Beijing Natural Science Foundation (Nos. 2062017 and 8072018)     

无表面活性剂微乳液体系：N,N－二甲基甲酰胺/呋喃甲醛/水

通常微乳液一般由四个组分构成：水相、油相、表面活性剂和助表面活性剂。本文报道了一种不含表面活性剂的微乳液体系(简称SFME),由呋喃甲醛(油相),水和N,N－二甲基甲酰胺(DMF)三组分构成,不含传统的表面活性剂。对其相行为进行了研究,发现存在一个单相微乳液区和一个两相平衡区。采用电导率法和冷冻蚀刻电镜(FF-TEM)考察了单相区域中微乳液的微结构,结果表明可分为油包水(O/W)、双连续(BC)和水包油(W/O)三个区域。液滴直径介于40-70nm。     

超微镍粉的微乳液法制备研究

采用水（溶液）／二甲苯／SDS／正戊醇反相微乳液体系,用水合肼还原硫酸镍制备了纳米级（15－100nm)镍微粒,采用XRD、TEM等法对产物进行了鉴定与表征,考察了微乳液体系诸构成因素对纳米级镍制备的影响规律。     

Middle-phase microemulsions of green surfactant alkyl polyglucosides

Microemulsions are important organized molecular assembles in surfactant solutions and are used in various fields such as tertiary oil recovery, pharmaceutics, cosmetics, nanoparticle synthe-sis and chemical engineering. The more commonly used nonionic surfactants to produce micro- emulsions are the ethylene oxide-based compounds (CiEj). In recent years alkyl polyglucosides have been received considerable attention in producing microemulsions[17]. Alkyl polyglucosides (APG), which are widely…     

Microemulsion polymerization of acrylamide and styrene: Effect of the structures of reaction media

Isothermal phase diagrams of the system cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB)/n‐butanol/n‐octane/water were constructed, and the effect of the oil (n‐octane) contents on the microemulsions was studied at 40 °C. We determined the microemulsion structures of two systems, CTAB/n‐butanol/10% n‐octane/water and sodium dodecyl sulfonate (As)/n‐butanol/20% styrene/water, by conductivity measurements to investigate the polymerization of acrylamide and styrene in the two microemulsion systems. The polymerization kinetics of the water‐soluble monomer acrylamide in CTAB micelles and the different CTAB/n‐butanol/10% n‐octane/water microemulsion media [water‐in‐oil (W/O), bicontinuous (BC), and oil‐in‐water (O/W)] were studied with water‐soluble sodium bisulfite as the initiator. The maximum polymerization rate in CTAB micelles was found at the second critical micelle concentration. A mechanism of polyacrylamide formation and growth was proposed. A connection between the structures of the microemulsions and the polymerization rates was observed; the maximum polymerization rate occurred at two transition points, from W/O to BC and from BC to O/W, and the polyacrylamide molecular weights, which depended on the structures of the microemulsions, were also found. A square‐root dependence of the polymerization rates on the initiator concentrations was obtained in CTAB micelles and O/W microemulsion media. The polymerization of the oil‐soluble monomer styrene in different As/n‐butanol/20% styrene/water microemulsion media (W/O, BC, and O/W) was also investigated with different initiators: water‐soluble potassium persulfate and oil‐soluble azobisisobutyronitrile. A similar connection between the structures of the microemulsions and the conversions of styrene in CTAB/n‐butanol/10% n‐octane/water for the polymerization of acrylamide was observed again. The structures of the microemulsions had an important role in the molecular weights and sizes of polystyrene. The polystyrene particles were 10–20 nm in diameter in BC microemulsion media and 30–60 nm in diameter in O/W microemulsion media according to transmission electron microscopy. We determined the solubilization site of styrene in O/W microemulsion drops by ¹H NMR spectra to analyze the results of the microemulsion polymerization of styrene. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 39: 3320–3334, 2001     

Oil-Induced Structural Change in Nonionic Microemulsions

Effect of added oil (heptane or squalane) on the microemulsion structures in polyoxyethylene dodecyl ether (C₁₂EO_n) systems was investigated by means of phase behavior and NMR diffusion experiments. In the binary water-C₁₂EO_n systems, an isotropic fluid, D₂ (or L₃), and an aqueous micellar solution, Wm, phases are successively formed with increasing the EO-chain length. Upon addition of heptane, D₂ and Wm phases are merged and a microemulsion of large solubilization is produced at a low surfactant concentration. With squalane, the solubilization of oil in D₂ phase is very low or almost zero, whereas the oil solubilization in Wm phase is relatively large. These structural changes in microemulsions are discussed based on the self-diffusion coefficients of water, oil, and surfactant measured by the PGSE-NMR method. The difference in the phase behavior may be attributed to the difference in the penetration tendency of oil in the surfactant palisade layer.     

CO2-Switchable Nanoemulsion Based on N,N-dimethyl Oleoaminde-Propylamine (DOAPA) and Sodium Dodecyl Sulphate (SDS)

This research reported a CO₂-switchable nanoemulsion that was formulated by dilution of water in oil microemulsion, which was formed by mixture of N,N-dimethyl oleoaminde-propylamine (DOAPA), sodium dodecyl sulphate (SDS), n-hexane, n-butanol, and water. A reversible switch process was observed between a monophasic nanoemulsion and complete phase separation at R = 1:1 with the CO₂ and N₂ bubbling alternately. The phase separation was not found, but the reversible switch between single phase nanoemulsion was detected by zeta potential, electrical conductivity, and dynamic light scattering at R = 1:1.5 and 1.5:1.