Mass transfer model of triethylamine across the n-decane/water interface derived from dynamic interfacial tension experiments

This publication presents a detailed experimental and theoretical study of mass transfer of triethylamine (TEA) across the n-decane/water interface. In preliminary investigations, the partition of TEA between n-decane and water is determined. Based on the experimental finding that the dissociation of TEA takes place in the aqueous and in the organic phase, we assume that the interfacial mass transfer is mainly affected by adsorption and desorption of ionized TEA molecules at the liquid/liquid interface. Due to the amphiphilic structure of the dissociated TEA molecules, a dynamic interfacial tension measurement technique can be used to experimentally determine the interfacial mass transport. A model-based approach, which accounts for diffusive mass transport in the finite liquid bulk phases and for adsorption and desorption of ionized TEA molecules at the interface, is employed to analyze the experimental data. In the equilibrium state, the interfacial tension of dissociated TEA at the n-decane/water interface can be adequately described by the Langmuir isotherm. The comparison between the theoretical and the experimental dynamic interfacial tension data reveals that an additional activation energy barrier for adsorption and desorption at the interface has to be regarded to accurately describe the mass transport of TEA from the n-decane phase into the aqueous phase. Corresponding adsorption rate constants can be obtained by fitting the theoretical predictions to the experimental data. Interfacial tension measurements of mass transfer from the aqueous into the organic phase are characterized by interfacial instabilities caused by Marangoni convection, which result in an enhancement of the transfer rate across the interface.     

The first layer of water on Rh(111): microscopic structure and desorption kinetics

The adsorption states and growth process of the first water (D2O) layer on Rh(111) were investigated using infrared reflection absorption spectroscopy, temperature programed desorption, and spot-profile-analysis low energy electron diffraction. Water molecules wet the Rh(111) surface intact. At the early stage of first layer growth, a (square root 3 x square root 3)R30 degrees commensurate water layer grows where "up" and "down" species coexist; the up and down species represent water molecules which have free OD, pointing to a vacuum and the substrate, respectively. The up domain was a flatter structure than an icelike bilayer. Water desorption from Rh(111) was a half-order process. The activation energy and the preexponential factor of desorption are estimated to be 60 kJ/mol and 4.8 x 10(16) ML(1/2)/s at submonolayer coverage, respectively. With an increase in water coverage, the flat up domain becomes a zigzag layer, like an ice bilayer. At the saturation coverage, the amount of down species is 1.3 times larger than that of the up species. In addition, the activation energy and the preexponential factor of desorption decrease to 51 kJ/mol and 1.3 x 10(14) ML(1/2)/s, respectively.     

Absorption of chlorine into water

Solubility and diffusion data have been used to describe absorption of chlorine into water. When the gas dissolves in water, hydrochloric acid produced by partial hydrolysis of molecular chlorine diffuses rapidly into the bulk liquid. Because the surface of the absorbent is depleted in hydrochloric acid, the solubility of chlorine in the interfacial liquid is significantly higher than the equilibrium solubility at the same chlorine partial pressure. During desorption of dissolved chlorine, hydrochloric acid diffuses from the interior and collects in the interfacial region. Differential equations for absorption and desorption with coupled flow of a second solute component are solved numerically. Calculated concentration profiles are in good agreement with profiles estimated by chemical analysis of layers of absorbent.     

Influence of surfactant on gas bubble stability

Gas-bubble stability is achieved either by a reduction in the Laplace pressure or by a reduction in the permeability of the gas-liquid interface. Although insoluble surfactants have been shown definitively in many studies to lower the permeability of the gas-liquid interface and hence increase the resistance to interfacial mass transfer, remarkably little work has been done on the effects of soluble surfactants. An experimental system was developed to measure the effect of the soluble surfactant dodecyl trimethylammonium bromide on the desorption and absorption of carbon dioxide gas through a quiescent planar interface. The desorption experiments conformed to the model of non-steady-state molecular diffusion. The absorption experiments, however, produced an unexpected mass transfer mechanism, with surface renewal, probably because of instability in the density gradient formed by the carbon dioxide. In general, the soluble surfactant produced no measurable reduction in the rate of interfacial mass transfer for desorption or absorption. This finding is consistent with the conclusion of Caskey and Barlage that soluble surfactants produce a significantly lower resistance to interfacial mass transfer than do insoluble surfactants. The dynamic adsorption and desorption of the surfactant molecules at the gas-liquid interface creates short-term vacancies, which presumably permit the unrestricted transfer of the gas molecules through the interface. This surfactant exchange does not occur for insoluble surfactants. Gas bubbles formed in the presence of a high concentration of soluble surfactant were observed to dissolve completely, while those formed in the presence of the insoluble surfactant stearic acid did not dissolve easily, and persisted for very long periods. The interfacial concentration of stearic acid rises during bubble dissolution, as it is insoluble, and must eventually achieve full monolayer coverage and a state of compression, lowering the permeability of the interface. Thus, insoluble surfactants or hydrophobic impurities from solid surfaces may account for increased bubble stability.     

Chemical oscillation with periodic adsorption and desorption of surfactant ions at a water/nitrobenzene interface.

Chemical oscillations with periodic adsorption and desorption of surfactant ions, alkyl sulfate ions, at a water/nitrobenzene interface have been investigated. The interfacial tension was measured with a quasi elastic laser scattering (QELS) method and the interfacial electrical potential was obtained. We found that this oscillation consists of a series of abrupt adsorptions of ions, followed by a gradual desorption. In addition, we observed that each abrupt adsorption was always accompanied by a small waving motion of the liquid interface. From the analysis of the video images of the liquid interface or bulk phase, we could conclude that each abrupt adsorption is caused by nonlinear amplification of mass transfer of ions from the bulk phase to the liquid interface by a Marangoni convection, which was generated due to local adsorption of the surfactant ions at the liquid interface that resulted in the heterogeneity of the interfacial tension. In the present paper, we describe the mechanism of the chemical oscillation in terms of the hydrodynamic effect on the ion adsorption processes, and we also show the interfacial chemical reaction with ion exchange during the ion desorption process.     

Fast Water Relaxation through One‐Dimensional Channels by Rapid Energy Transfer

Water in carbon nanotubes is surrounded by hydrophobic carbon surfaces and shows anomalous structural and fast transport properties. However, the dynamics of water in hydrophobic nanospaces is only phenomenologically understood. In this study, water dynamics in hydrophobic carbon nanotubes is evaluated based on water relaxation using nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and molecular dynamics simulations. Extremely fast relaxation (0.001 s) of water confined in carbon nanotubes of 1 nm in diameter on average is observed; the relaxation times of water confined in carbon nanotubes with an average diameter of 2 nm (0.40 s) is similar to that of bulk water (0.44 s). The extremely fast relaxation time of water confined in carbon nanotubes with an average diameter of 1 nm is a result of frequent energy transfer between water and carbon surfaces. Water relaxation in carbon nanotubes of average diameter 2 nm is slow because of the limited number of collisions between water molecules. The dynamics of interfacial water can therefore be controlled by varying the size of the hydrophobic nanospace.     

Photophysics and electrochemistry relevant to photocatalytic water splitting involved at solid–electrolyte interfaces

Direct photon to chemical energy conversion using semiconductor–electrocatalyst–electrolyte interfaces has been extensively investigated for more than a half century. Many studies have focused on screening materials for efficient photocatalysis. Photocatalytic efficiency has been improved during this period but is not sufficient for industrial commercialization. Detailed elucidation on the photocatalytic water splitting process leads to consecutive six reaction steps with the fundamental parameters involved: The photocatalysis is initiated involving photophysics derived from various semiconductor properties(1: photon absorption, 2: exciton separation). The generated charge carriers need to be transferred to surfaces effectively utilizing the interfaces(3: carrier diffusion, 4: carrier transport). Consequently, electrocatalysis finishes the process by producing products on the surface(5: catalytic efficiency, 6: mass transfer of reactants and products). Successful photocatalytic water splitting requires the enhancement of efficiency at each stage. Most critically, a fundamental understanding of the interfacial phenomena is highly desired for establishing "photocatalysis by design" concepts, where the kinetic bottleneck within a process is identified by further improving the specific properties of photocatalytic materials as opposed to blind material screening. Theoretical modeling using the identified quantitative parameters can effectively predict the theoretically attainable photon-conversion yields. This article provides an overview of the state-of-the-art theoretical understanding of interfacial problems mainly developed in our laboratory.Photocatalytic water splitting(especially hydrogen evolution on metal surfaces) was selected as a topic,and the photophysical and electrochemical processes that occur at semiconductor–metal, semiconductor–electrolyte and metal–electrolyte interfaces are discussed.     

Water absorption and desorption in an epoxy resin with degradation

Hygrothermal aging at elevated temperatures tends to induce degradation in epoxy resins. To predict the effects of this degradation, a knowledge of absorption and transport behavior of water is needed. In this work, a model material (DGEBA/DDA) has been employed to study the water absorption and absorption/desorption behavior during hygrothermal aging at 90°C, accompanied by degradation. The absorption results show an weight increase during the initial aging period followed by a decrease at later times. Absorption/desorption results show a similar phenomenon but with a net, overall weight loss after a certain period of aging. By assuming that water diffusion is approximately Fickian and that degradation of the resin is mainly caused by hydrolysis reactions, a model has been developed to describe the above-observed phenomena. Results show that the model is in good agreement with experimental data. Moreover, the model proposed can be used to estimate the average molecular weight of the intercrosslink chains after aging. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci B: Polym Phys 35: 2659–2670, 1997     

Na+ transport across the beta alumina-propylene carbonate interface

Interfacial Na⁺ ion transport between polycrystalline beta alumina and propylene carbonate has been studied using a galvanostatic transient technique which separates interfacial overpotential from bulk resistivity effects. No interfacial polarization is detected during ion entry into beta alumina and exit from beta alumina across a dry interface from 30–1000 μA cm^?2. Transport across an interface contaminated with adsorbed water follows Tafel-type i/E behavior with a transition coefficient (α) of 0.24 and exchange current (i₀) of 3.0×10^?6 A cm^?2 at 23°C. Interfacial transport appears to take place through an intermediate state in which the mobile ion is adsorbed on the interface. Large increases in interfacial polarization occur at both dry and hydrated interfaces for ionic currents exceeding the rate of adsorption or desorption.     

丙烯酸-丙烯酰胺原位插层共聚制备高吸水性蒙脱土纳米复合材料的研究

在钠基蒙脱土(MMT)悬浮液中，采用丙烯酸(AA)和丙烯酰胺(AM)两种单体进行原位插层共聚，得到高吸水性纳米复合材料。研究了引发剂和交联剂对材料吸水率的影响。X射线衍射(XRD)结果表明：复合材料中蒙脱土片层001面的层问距随mMMT／mM的减小而增大，当mMMT／mM≤1／3时，复合材料中的蒙脱土已完全剥离。DSC测试表明，在蒙脱土含量较低时，其玻璃化转变温度Tg随MMT含量的升高逐渐提高。吸水速率和保水能力测试结果表明，材料吸收去离子水能力达610g／gR，吸收盐水(wNaCl=0．009)能力达89g／gR。蒙脱土片层的引入。在一定程度上提高了材料的初期吸水速率和加压下的保水能力。     

Electrochemical quartz crystal microbalance study of perchlorate and perrhenate anion adsorption on polycrystalline gold electrode

The electrochemical quartz crystal microbalance (EQCM) was used to study adsorption/desorption of perchlorate and perrhenate ions on a bare polycrystalline gold electrode. An electrode mass change in perrhenate solution was about double that of perchlorate. The equivalent mass of adsorbed anions (about 260 and 120 g F⁻¹ respectively) suggests adsorption of perchlorate and perrhenate anions on a polycrystalline gold electrode in the double-layer region. Water molecules are partially expelled from the gold surface during the initial stages of anion adsorption. The water loss is about three times larger for perrhenate compared to perchlorate due to the bigger ionic radius (volume) of the perrhenate anion.     

Interfacial constraints on water and proton transport across nafion membranes

Water and proton transport across a Nafion membrane are measured as functions of water activity and applied electric potential with a polymer electrolyte hydrogen pump. Water and proton transport across the membrane must match water and proton transport entering and leaving the electrode/membrane/vapor three phase interfaces at the anode and cathode. At low applied electric potential proton and water fluxes are correlated. At moderate to high applied electric potential the proton current is constant, independent of applied electric potential, while the water transport increases with increasing electric potential. At high applied electric potential water and proton transport become uncoupled at the membrane interfaces; water is transported across the membrane/vapor interface and protons are transported across the membrane/electrode interface. The applied electric potential drives electro‐osmosis to redistribute the water in the membrane. Water redistribution is limited by the interfacial transport of water across the membrane/vapor interface. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci. Part B: Polym. Phys. 2015 , 53, 1580–1589     

The solubility and diffusion of water in poly(aryl-ether-ether-ketone) (PEEK)

The transport properties of water in neat poly(aryl-ether-ether-ketone) (PEEK) coupons (2 to 6 mm thick) were investigated by gravimetric and mass spectrometric methods. The solubility of water increases from 0.44 wt.% at 35°C to 0.55 wt.% at 95°C; the temperature coefficient is 8 kJ/mol (1.9 kcal/mol). The diffusion processes for sorption, desorption, and resorption at 35°, 50°, 65°, 80°, and 95°C are, within experimental error, the same. The activation energy for diffusion is 42.7 kJ/mol (10.2 kcal/mol). The diffusion process is classical Case I Fickian in the temperature region investigated.     

Marangoni flow of Ag nanoparticles from the fluid-fluid interface

Fluid flow is observed when a volume of passivated Ag nanoparticles suspended in chloroform is mixed with a water/ethanol (v/v) mixture containing acidified 11-mercaptoundecanoic acid. Following mechanical agitation, Ag nanoparticles embedded in a film are driven from the organic-aqueous interface. A reddish-brown colored film, verified by transmission electron microscopy to contain uniformly dispersed Ag nanoparticles, is observed to spontaneously climb the interior surface of an ordinary, laboratory glass vial. This phenomenon is recorded by a digital video recorder, and a measurement of the distance traveled by the film front versus time is extracted. Surface (interfacial) tension gradients due to surfactant concentration, temperature, and electrostatic potential across immiscible fluids are known to drive interface motion; this well-known phenomenon is termed Marangoni flow or the Marangoni effect. Experimental results are presented that show the observed mass transfer is dependent on an acid surfactant concentration and on the volume fraction of water in the aqueous phase, consistent with fluid flow induced by interfacial tension gradients. In addition, an effective desorption rate constant for the Marangoni flow is measured in the range of approximately 0.01 to approximately 1 s(-1) from a fit to the relative film front distance traveled versus time data. The fit is based on a time-dependent expression for the surface (interface) excess for desorption kinetics. Such flow suggests that purposeful creation of interfacial tension gradients may aid in the transfer of 2- and 3-dimensional assemblies, made with nanostructures at the liquid-liquid interface, to solid surfaces.     

Application of Statistical Rate Theory of Interfacial Transport to Study Solid Surface Heterogeneity from Controlled-rate Thermal Desorption

Controlled-rate thermodesorption (CRTD) spectra are obtained by adjusting the heating rate in such a way that the rate of desorption can be constant. A quantitative analysis of the obtained spectra is presented, based on application of the statistical rate theory of interfacial transport (SRTIT) to describe both adsorption and desorption kinetics. The SRTIT approach relates the rates of adsorption and desorption to the chemical potentials of the adsorbate in the gaseous and in the adsorbed phases. This quantitative analysis of the CRTD spectra yields the condensation approximation for the actual adsorption energy distribution. For the purpose of illustration, an analysis is made of water desorption from a synthetic apatite mineral under CRTD and classical TPD conditions. The influence of the adsorption and desorption rates is also discussed. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

强度调制光电流谱研究纳晶薄膜电极过程

用强度调制光电流谱研究半导体纳晶薄膜电极光生电荷的界面转移和输运动力学过程.从测量不同外加电压和不同硫化钠溶液浓度下CdSe纳晶薄膜电极的光电流响应得到了参数:归一化稳态光电流和表面态寿命,分析界面空穴的直接转移和通过表面态的间接转移过程.通过测量不同背景光强下TiO2纳晶薄膜电极的电子扩散系数研究电子输运过程.应用HCl化学处理方法明显增大了电子扩散系数,改善了电子在TiO2纳晶薄膜电极中的输运性能.     

Water adsorption, desorption, and clustering on FeO(111)

The adsorption of water on FeO(111) is investigated using temperature programmed desorption (TPD) and infrared reflection absorption spectroscopy (IRAS). Well-ordered 2 ML thick FeO(111) films are grown epitaxially on a Pt(111) substrate. Water adsorbs molecularly on FeO(111) and desorbs with a well resolved monolayer peak. IRAS measurements as a function of coverage are performed for water deposited at 30 and 135 K. For all coverages (0.2 ML and greater), the adsorbed water exhibits significant hydrogen bonding. Differences in IRAS spectra for water adsorbed at 30 and 135 K are subtle but suggest that water adsorbed at 135 K is well ordered. Monolayer nitrogen TPD spectra from water covered FeO(111) surfaces are used to investigate the clustering of the water as a function of deposition or annealing temperature. Temperature dependent water overlayer structures result from differences in water diffusion rates on bare FeO(111) and on water adsorbed on FeO(111). Features in the nitrogen TPD spectra allow the monolayer wetting and 2-dimensional (2D) ordering of water on FeO(111) to be followed. Voids in a partially disordered first water layer exist for water deposited below 120 K and ordered 2D islands are found when depositing water above 120 K.     

Ultra-slow water diffusion in aqueous sucrose glasses

We present measurements of water uptake and release by single micrometre-sized aqueous sucrose particles. The experiments were performed in an electrodynamic balance where the particles can be stored contact-free in a temperature and humidity controlled chamber for several days. Aqueous sucrose particles react to a change in ambient humidity by absorbing/desorbing water from the gas phase. This water absorption (desorption) results in an increasing (decreasing) droplet size and a decreasing (increasing) solute concentration. Optical techniques were employed to follow minute changes of the droplet's size, with a sensitivity of 0.2 nm, as a result of changes in temperature or humidity. We exposed several particles either to humidity cycles (between ～2% and 90%) at 291 K or to constant relative humidity and temperature conditions over long periods of time (up to several days) at temperatures ranging from 203 to 291 K. In doing so, a retarded water uptake and release at low relative humidities and/or low temperatures was observed. Under the conditions studied here, the kinetics of this water absorption/desorption process is controlled entirely by liquid-phase diffusion of water molecules. Hence, it is possible to derive the translational diffusion coefficient of water molecules, D(H(2)O,) from these data by simulating the growth or shrinkage of a particle with a liquid-phase diffusion model. Values for D(H(2)O)-values as low as 10(-24) m(2) s(-1) are determined using data at temperatures down to 203 K deep in the glassy state. From the experiment and modelling we can infer strong concentration gradients within a single particle including a glassy skin in the outer shells of the particle. Such glassy skins practically isolate the liquid core of a particle from the surrounding gas phase, resulting in extremely long equilibration times for such particles, caused by the strongly non-linear relationship between concentration and D(H(2)O). We present a new parameterization of D(H(2)O) that facilitates describing the stability of aqueous food and pharmaceutical formulations in the glassy state, the processing of amorphous aerosol particles in spray-drying technology, and the suppression of heterogeneous chemical reactions in glassy atmospheric aerosol particles.     

Insight into absorption of radiation/energy transfer in infrared matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization: the roles of matrices, water and metal substrates.

Although the ionization/desorption mechanisms in matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI) remain poorly understood, there is a clear difference between the energy absorption processes in the ultraviolet (UV) and infrared (IR) modes of operation. UV-MALDI demands an on-resonance electronic transition in the matrix compound, whereas results presented here support earlier work showing that a corresponding resonant vibrational transition is not a requirement for IR-MALDI. In fact, data from the present study suggest that significant absorption of radiant energy by a potential matrix impairs its performance, although this observation is at variance with some other reports. For example, sinapinic acid, with an IR absorption maximum close to the 2.94 micrometer wavelength of the Er-YAG laser, has been little used as an IR-MALDI matrix. By contrast, succinic acid, with much lower IR absorption and no history of use in UV-MALDI as it has no UV absorption at the wavelength of common UV lasers, has become widely recognized as a good general purpose matrix for IR-MALDI. Despite reports by others that glycerol is an effective matrix for IR-MALDI, we find that glycerol, which also absorbs strongly at 2.94 micrometer, is useful only if applied as a very thin film. Thus the cumulative evidence for the role of the matrix in IR-MALDI appears confusing and often contradictory. Water has been postulated to be a major contributor to the absorption of energy in IR-MALDI. Consistent with this, we find that samples dried from D(2)O, which does not absorb at 2.94 micrometer, give spectra of inferior quality compared with the same samples from H(2)O. Similarly, samples dried under vacuum, that probably contain less water than those dried in the open laboratory, give weaker and more erratic spectra. Another potential participant in energy absorption and energy transfer is the surface of the metal support, an alternative mechanism for IR-MALDI, for which some evidence is presented here.     

Surface hydrophilization for polypropylene microporous membranes: A facile interfacial crosslinking approach

A hydrophilic surface is very important for hydrophobic separation membranes such as polypropylene microporous membranes (PPMMs). In this work a facile and effective method, interfacial crosslinking combined with pretreatment by dielectric barrier discharge plasma at atmospheric pressure, was developed for endowing PPMMs with a hydrophilic and charged surface. Poly(N,N-dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate) (PDMAEMA) and p-xylylene dichloride were selected for quaternization crosslinking to form a positively charged coating layer, which was characterized with FT-IR/ATR, XPS, and FESEM. Water contact angle and pure water flux measurements were conducted to evaluate the surface hydrophilicity. The influence of surface charges on protein filtration was also investigated. It is found that the mass gain of interfacial crosslinking increases almost linearly with increasing the PDMAEMA concentration from 0.5 to 10 g/L. The crosslinking degree is larger than 80% according to the XPS results, ensuring the stability of the crosslinking layer. The surface hydrophilicity is demonstrated by the sharp decrease of water contact angle from 145° to 20°. The pure water flux also increases 3 times under the optimized conditions. Furthermore, the results of protein filtration suggest that these highly hydrophilic and charged surfaces can effectively resist the fouling of proteins.