Charged molecular films on brownian particles: structure, interactions, and relation to stability

The interfacial film of physically adsorbed ionic amphiphilic molecules on submicron particles dispersed in water was studied by a combination of surface tension measurements, laser light scattering (LLS) and high-shear experiments in a microchannel. General features in the structure and morphology of the molecular film are identified and understood in the framework of the two-step Langmuir adsorption model deduced from the adsorption isotherm. On the basis of this approach, the phase transitions and structural ordering of the film at the solid-liquid interface are analyzed in detail. A novel methodology based on high-shear aggregation experiments subsequently analyzed by means of LLS is proposed and turns out to be able to provide significant information on the phase transitions and structural arrangements of the adsorbed molecules (in substantial agreement with the adsorption isotherm model) as well as on the resulting interactions. Particularly important for applications is the result that, with no added salt, the films on two particles can adhere/fuse, leading to aggregation as long as an uncovered (hydrophobic) patch is present (unsaturated molecular layers). In the opposite case of fully developed layers, by analyzing the mechanism of shear aggregation of charged particles in the low-salt limit, we show that, when the hydrophobic attraction is absent, short-range hydration repulsive forces dominate over Derjaguin-Landau-Verwey-Overbeek (DLVO) forces and adhesion can never be achieved even upon application of very high collision energies. Consistently, a lower limiting boundary for the hydration interaction is calculated and found to be in agreement with data in the literature.     

银包玻珠核壳复合粒子的表面处理及环氧导电胶的电性能

以化学还原法合成的银包玻珠核壳复合粒子(Ag/GM)为原料, 乙二胺为表面处理剂, 制备了表面吸附有乙二胺的Ag/GM, 并用它作为导电填料组成了导电胶. 与化学还原法直接合成或沸水处理的Ag/GM相比, 乙二胺处理的Ag/GM能更有效地分散在环氧树脂胶黏剂中, 且能与环氧树脂基体产生化学键合, 降低Ag/GM和环氧树脂基体间的界面能, 用其制备的导电胶的导电率较高, 导电渗滤阈值较低. 同时, 结合导电网络理论和等效电路图, 阐明了用乙二胺处理的Ag/GM作填料制备的导电胶具有较低体积电阻率的原因.     

Application of 1H NMR spectroscopy method for determination of characteristics of thin layers of water adsorbed on the surface of dispersed and porous adsorbents

The paper presents 1H NMR spectroscopy as a perspective method of the studies of the characteristics of water boundary layers in the hydrated powders and aqueous dispergated suspensions of the adsorbents. The method involves measurements of temperature dependence proton signals intensity in the adsorbed water at temperatures lower than 273 K. Free energy of water molecules at the adsorbent/water interface is diminished due to the adsorption interactions causing the water dosed to the adsorbent surface freezes at T < 273 K. Thickness of a non-freezing layer of water can be determined from the intensity of the water signal of 1H NMR during the freezing-thawing process. Due to a disturbing action of the adsorbent surface, water occurs in the quasi-liquid state. As a result, it is observed in the 1H NMR spectra as a relatively narrow signal. The signal of ice is not registered due to great differences in the transverse relaxation times of the adsorbed water and ice. The method of measuring the free surface energy of the adsorbents from the temperature dependence of the signal intensity of non-freezing water is based on the fact that the temperature of water freezing decreases by the quantity which depends on the surface energy and the distance of the adsorbed molecules from the solid surface. The water at the interface freezes when the free energies of the adsorbed water and ice are equal. To illustrate the applicability of the method under consideration the series of adsorption systems in which the absorbents used differed in the surface chemistry and porous structure. In particular, the behaviour of water on the surface of the following adsorbents is discussed: non-porous and porous silica (aerosils, silica gels); chemically and physically modified non-porous and porous silica (silanization, carbonization, biopolymer deposition); and pyrogeneous Al2O3 and aluminasilicas. The effect of preliminary treatment of the adsorbent (thermal, high pressure, wetting with polar and non-polar solvents) on the characteristics of the structurized water layers was discussed. The influence of the adsorbent porous structure on the free energy of the adsorbed water was also studied. The discussion of the obtained results was made.     

Importance of molecular details in predicting bacterial adhesion to hydrophobic surfaces

Electrostatic and hydrophobic forces are generally recognized as important in bacterial adhesion. Current continuum models for these forces often wrongly predict measurements of bacterial adhesion forces. The hypothesis tested here is that even qualitative guides to bacterial adhesion often require more than continuum information about hydrophobic forces; they require knowledge about molecular details of the bacteria and substrate surface. In this study, four different strains of bacteria were adsorbed to silica surfaces hydrophobized with alkylsilanes. The thickness of the lipopolysaccharide layers varied on the different bacteria, and the lengths of the alkylsilane molecules were varied from experiment to experiment. Bacterial adhesion was assessed using column experiments and atomic force microscopy (AFM) experiments. Results show that hydrophobized surfaces have higher bacterial sticking coefficients and stronger adhesion forces than bare silica surfaces, as expected. However, adhesion decreased as the solution Debye length became longer than the alkylsilane, perhaps since the silane molecules could not "reach" the bacterial surface. Similarly, those bacteria with a long o-antigen layer had decreased adhesion, perhaps since the silane molecules could not reach surface-bound proteins on the bacteria. This study reveals that macroscopic measurements such as contact angle are not able to fully describe bacterial adhesion; rather, additional details such as the molecular length are required to predict adhesion.     

十二烷基苯磺酸钠在SiO2表面聚集的分子动力学模拟

采用分子动力学方法研究了阴离子表面活性剂十二烷基苯磺酸钠(SDBS)在无定形SiO2固体表面的吸附. 设置不同的水层厚度, 观察固液界面和气液界面吸附的差异. 模拟发现表面活性剂分子能够在短时间内吸附到SiO2表面, 受碳链和固体表面之间相互作用的影响形成表面活性剂分子层, 并依据吸附量的大小形成不同的聚集结构; 在水层足够厚的情况下, 由于有较多的表面活性剂分子吸附在固体表面,从而形成带有疏水核心的半胶束结构; 计算得到的成对势表明极性头与钠离子或水分子之间的结合或解离与二者之间的能垒有关, 解离能垒远大于结合能垒, 引起更多Na+聚集在极性头周围而只有少数Na+存在于溶液中; 无论气液还是固液界面, 极性头均伸向水相, 与水分子形成不同类型的氢键. 模拟表明, 分子动力学方法可以作为实验的一种补充, 为实验提供必要的微观结构信息.     

Water density in the electric double layer at the insulator/electrolyte solution interface

I studied the spatial structure of the thick transition region between n-hexane and a colloidal solution of 7-nm silica particles by X-ray reflectivity and grazing incidence small-angle scattering. The interfacial structure is discussed in terms of a semiquantitative interface model wherein the potential gradient at the n-hexane/sol interface reflects the difference in the potentials of "image forces" between the cationic Na(+) and anions (nanoparticles) and the specific adsorption of surface charge at the interface between the adsorbed layer and the solution, as well as at the interface between the adsorbed layer and n-hexane. The X-ray scattering data revealed that the average density of water in the field approximately 10(9)-10(10) V/m of the electrical double layer at the hexane/silica sol interface is the same as, or only few percent higher (1-7%) than, its density under normal conditions.     

Chemical force spectroscopy in heterogeneous systems: intermolecular interactions involving epoxy polymer,mixed monolayers,and polar solvents

We used chemical force microscopy (CFM) to study adhesive forces between surfaces of epoxy resin and self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) capable of hydrogen bonding to different extents. The influence of the liquid medium in which the experiments were carried out was also examined systematically. The molecular character of the tip, polymer, and liquid all influenced the adhesion. Complementary macroscopic contact angle measurements were used to assist in the quantitative interpretation of the CFM data. A direct correlation between surface free energy and adhesion forces was observed in mixed alcohol-water solvents. An increase in surface energy from 2 to 50 mJ/m(2) resulted in an increase in adhesion from 4-8 nN to 150-300 nN for tips with radii of 50-150 nm. The interfacial surface energy for identical nonpolar surface groups of SAMs was found not to exceed 2 mJ/m(2). An analysis of adhesion data suggests that the solvent was fully excluded from the zone of contact between functional groups on the tip and sample. With a nonpolar SAM, the force of adhesion increased monotonically in mixed solvents of higher water content; whereas, with a polar SAM (one having a hydrogen bonding component), higher water content led to decreased adhesion. The intermolecular force components theory was used for the interpretation of adhesion force measurements in polar solvents. Competition between hydrogen bonding within the solvent and hydrogen bonding of surface groups and the solvent was shown to provide the main contribution to adhesion forces. We demonstrate how the trends in the magnitude of the adhesion forces for chemically heterogeneous systems (solvents and surfaces) measured with CFM can be quantitatively rationalized using the surface tension components approach. For epoxy polymer, inelastic deformations also contributed heavily to measured adhesion forces.     

接枝环氧树脂/硅溶胶杂化水分散液的制备与表征

利用原位分散法制备了接枝环氧树脂 硅溶胶杂化水分散液 ,并通过红外光谱和 ζ电位测定 ,表征了接枝环氧树脂与硅溶胶之间的杂化作用 .实验结果表明 ,与接枝环氧树脂水分散液相比 ,杂化水分散液的粒径和粘度均减小 .按此探讨了形成杂化水分散液的历程 .初步测定了杂化水分散液成膜后的表面性能 ,发现它们具有更高的硬度和更好的疏水性能 ,与成膜过程中硅溶胶在膜表面的富集效应有关     

Spreading of proteins and its effect on adsorption and desorption kinetics

The kinetics of adsorption of lysozyme and alpha-lactalbumin from aqueous solution on silica and hydrophobized silica has been studied. The initial rate of adsorption of lysozyme at the hydrophilic surface is comparable with the limiting flux. For lysozyme at the hydrophobic surface and alpha-lactalbumin on both surfaces, the rate of adsorption is lower than the limiting flux, but the adsorption proceeds cooperatively, as manifested by an increase in the adsorption rate after the first protein molecules are adsorbed. At the hydrophilic surface, adsorption saturation (reflected in a steady-state value of the adsorbed amount) of both proteins strongly depends on the rate of adsorption, but for the hydrophobic surface no such dependency is observed. It points to structural relaxation ("spreading") of the adsorbed protein molecules, which occurs at the hydrophobic surface faster than at the hydrophilic one. For lysozyme, desorption has been studied as well. It is found that the desorbable fraction decreases after longer residence time of the protein at the interface.     

Forces between surfaces in liquids

The results and implications of direct force measurements between molecularly smooth mica surfaces in liquids are reviewed. These discussions include four interactions fundamental to colloid science: van der Waals forces, double layer forces, adhesion forces and structural or solvation forces (e.g. hydration forces). Also considered are the effects of preferential surface adsorption of solute molecules on these interactions, e.g. surfactant adsorptions from aqueous solutions and water condensation from non-aqueous solvents.In aqueous media it is apparent that the DLVO theory is valid at all surface separations down to the “force barrier”, but that under certain conditions hydration forces can become significant at distances below 30 Å.The measured adhesion force between two solid surfaces can be simply related to their surface energies and where meniscus forces are also present due to “capillary condensation” from vapor solvent, their effect on adhesion can be understood in terms of straightforward bulk thermodynamic principles. Here, too, it is concluded that structural forces cannot be ignored.Our results suggest that structural forces may either very monotonically with distance or be oscillatory with a periodicity equal to the molecular size. Their origin, nature, mode of action and importance for particle interactions will no doubt take many years to sort out.     

Influence of silica fillers during the electron irradiation of DGEBA/TETA epoxy resins, part III: Solid-state NMR investigations

The influence of silica fillers on chemical modifications of diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A/triethylene tetramine (DGEBA/TETA) epoxy resins induced by electron beam irradiation has been studied by ¹³C CP-MAS (Cross Polarisation and Magic Angle Spinning) NMR. Four kinds of silica filler were investigated: a pure micrometric silica, a treated micrometric silica, a pure nanometric silica and a treated nanometric silica. On the unirradiated epoxy resins, the magnetization transfer curves reveal structural differences due to the kind of silica fillers. A decrease of the epoxy network rigidity in the presence of nanometric silica fillers is shown. During irradiation, the formation of phenolic ends and enamine functions is confirmed. The slowing of the magnetization transfer of the pure and treated micrometric silica filled epoxy resin reveals an important decrease of the rigidity of these resins. On the pure and treated nanometric silica filled epoxy resins, reactions of the reactive species created by the irradiation in the epoxy resin and the silica particles surface are shown.     

Molecular dynamics simulation of nanocolloidal amorphous silica particles: Part I

Explicit molecular dynamics simulations were applied to a pair of amorphous silica nanoparticles in aqueous solution, with diameter of 4.4 nm and with four different background electrolyte concentrations, to extract the mean force acting between the two silica nanoparticles. Dependences of the interparticle forces on the separation and the background electrolyte concentration were demonstrated. The nature of the interaction of the counterions with charged silica surface sites (deprotonated silanols) was investigated. A "patchy" double layer of adsorbed sodium counterions was observed. Dependences of the interparticle potential of mean force on the separation and the background electrolyte concentration were demonstrated. Direct evidence of the solvation forces is presented in terms of changes of the water ordering at the surfaces of the isolated and double nanoparticles. The nature of the interaction of the counterions with charged silica surface sites (deprotonated silanols) was investigated in terms of quantifying the effects of the number of water molecules separately inside each pair of nanoparticles by defining an impermeability measure. A direct correlation was found between the impermeability (related to the silica surface "hairiness") and the disruption of water ordering. Differences in the impermeability between the two nanoparticles are attributed to differences in the calculated electric dipole moment.     

Surface graft polymerization of glycidyl methacrylate onto polyethylene and the adhesion with epoxy resin

Surface graft polymerization of glycidyl methacrylate (GMA) was carried out onto a high- density polyethylene (PE) sheet pretreated with corona to introduce peroxides onto the PE surface. Graft polymerization of GMA was effected by UV irradiation of the coronatreated PE in the presence of monomer solution without the use of any photosensitizer. The graft layer was found by staining the PE cross section to localize in the surface region of PE. The physical change in the PE surface was characterized by scanning electron microscopy, while the chemical changes due to the GMA graft polymerization were assessed by the dynamic contact angle, FT-IR, and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) measurement. The peroxide formation by corona exposure was confirmed by the XPS measurement after derivatization with SO₂. The epoxy groups introduced onto the PE surface by the GMA graft polymerization were reactive with water (in the presence of HCI) and amines. The adhesion between the GMA-grafted PE and an epoxy resin was studied by means of a shear strength test method. The GMA-grafted PE exhibited strong interfacial adhesion with the epoxy resin, compared to the original and corona-treated PE. The adhesion strength of the GMA-grafted PE was nearly two times higher than that of the corona-treated PE. This strongly suggests that the enhanced adhesion between the surface-grafted PE and the epoxy resin is ascribed to covalent bonding of the epoxy groups on the GMA-grafted surface to the amines in the epoxy resin. © 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Computer simulation of adhesion between hydrophilic and hydrophobic self-assembled monolayers in water

The grand canonical Monte Carlo technique and atomistic force fields are used to calculate the force-distance relations and free energies of adhesion between carboxyl and methyl terminated alkanethiolate self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) in water. Both symmetric and asymmetric confinements are considered, as formed by like and unlike SAMs, respectively. As the confinement is increased, water confined by the hydrophobic methyl terminated SAMs experiences capillary evaporation. As a consequence, the adhesion energy is determined by the direct interaction between bare SAMs. In the asymmetric system, an incomplete capillary evaporation is observed, with the number of water molecules dropped by more than an order of magnitude. The remaining water molecules are all adsorbed on the hydrophilic SAM, while the hydrophobic SAM is separated from the rest of the system by a thin vapor layer. The calculated free energies of adhesion are in acceptable agreement with experiment.     

Enhancement of composite‐metal interfacial adhesion strength by dendrimer

The interface between carbon fiber reinforced polymer composites and metal plays a critical role in determining the strength of epoxy/metal laminated composites. We propose to introduce one dendrimer layer into the epoxy/metal interface, aiming to enhance the interfacial adhesion strength so that the interface could more effectively transfer the load from epoxy to metal. In this paper, the preparation and adsorption of dendrimer layer onto the alumina surface were systematically investigated. The results show that a highly stable and nanopatterned dendrimers layer was dip‐coated onto alumina substrates by adsorbing poly (amidoamine) dendrimers. It was confirmed that the dendrimers were adsorbed onto the alumina via acid‐base chemical interactions. The adsorption depends on the reaction time. The adhesion property between dendrimers and alumina was examined by sonication method. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Adsorption of trypsin on hydrophilic and hydrophobic surfaces

The adsorption of trypsin onto polystyrene and silica surfaces was investigated by reflectometry, spectroscopic methods, and atomic force microscopy (AFM). The affinity of trypsin for the hydrophobic polystyrene surface was higher than that for the hydrophilic silica surface, but steady-state adsorbed amounts were about the same at both surfaces. The conformational characteristics of trypsin immobilized on silica and polystyrene nanospheres were analyzed in situ by circular dichroism and fluorescence spectroscopy. Upon adsorption the trypsin molecules underwent structural changes at the secondary and tertiary level, although the nature of the structural alterations was different for silica and polystyrene surfaces. AFM imaging of trypsin adsorbed on silica showed clustering of enzyme molecules. Rinsing the silica surface resulted in 20% desorption of the originally adsorbed enzyme molecules. Adsorption of trypsin on the surface of polystyrene was almost irreversible with respect to dilution. After adsorption on silica the enzymatic activity of trypsin was 10 times lower, and adsorbed on polystyrene the activity was completely suppressed. The trypsin molecules that were desorbed from the sorbent surfaces by dilution with buffer regained full enzymatic activity.     

Immobilization of flame retardant onto silica nanoparticle surface and properties of epoxy resin filled with the flame retardant‐immobilized silica

To prepare silica nanoparticle having flame retardant activity, the immobilization of flame retardant onto hyperbranched poly(amidoamine) (PAMAM)‐grafted silica was investigated. Grafting of PAMAM onto a silica surface was achieved in a solvent‐free dry‐system using PAMAM dendrimer synthesis methodology. The immobilization of bromine flame retardant, poly(2,2′,6,6′‐tetrabromobisphenol‐A) diglycidyl ether (PTBBA), was successfully achieved by the reaction of terminal amino groups of PAMAM‐grafted silica (Silica‐PAMAM) with epoxy groups of PTBBA. The immobilization of PTBBA was confirmed by FTIR and thermal decomposition GC‐MS. The amount of PTBBA immobilized onto Silica‐PAMAM was determined to be 60 wt %. PTBBA‐immobilized Silica‐PAMAM (Silica‐PAMAM‐PTBBA) was dispersed uniformly in a epoxy resin, and the epoxy resin was cured in the presence of hexamethylenediamine. Flame retardant activity of the epoxy resin filled with Silica‐PAMAM‐PTBBA was estimated by limiting oxygen index (LOI). The LOI of epoxy resin filled with Silica‐PAMAM‐PTBBA was higher than that filled with untreated silica and free PTBBA. It was confirmed that the flame retardant activity of epoxy resin was improved by the addition of the Silica‐PAMAM‐PTBBA. The elimination of PTBBA from the epoxy resin filled with Silica‐PAMAM‐PTBBA into boiling water was hardly observed by immobilization of PTBBA onto silica surface. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 47: 6145–6152, 2009     

水/硅胶吸附体系的热化学研究

我们用精密自动绝热量热计测定了几种不同吸附水含量的水/硅胶吸附体系在200～320 K温度范围内的热容. 结果表明, 当吸附水含量使表面复盖度(θ)大于1时, 在相应的C_p～T曲线上会出现吸附水的相变峰. 这说明吸附在硅胶表面上的水分子已经形成了聚集态; 而当θ<1时, 由于尚未形成聚集态水, 故没有相变过程出现, 其C_p～T曲线呈光滑状. 这些现象与H_2O/γ-Al_2O_3吸附体系是一致的. 又由于硅胶表面对水分子的吸附力较γ-Al_2O_3的要小, 故在同样的吸附量的C_p～T曲线上, 水/硅胶的峰要比H_2O/γ-Al_2O_3的尖锐, 且蜂温增高的速度要快. 这些都表明, 吸附在硅胶表面上的二维表相水会随吸附量的增加而以较快的趋势接近于体相水. 此外, 由不同含水量的C_p～T曲线外推, 求出了不含吸附水的硅胶在200～300 K范围内的热容.     

高分子表面活性剂在固/液界面上的吸附形态

采用紫外光谱、XPS研究了羧甲基纤维素型高分子表面活性剂在硅胶 /水界面上的吸附形态 ,结果表明随着高分子表面活性剂溶液浓度增大 ,分子在硅胶表面的吸附由单层逐渐变为多层 ,生成半胶束结构 .     

Forces between silica surfaces with adsorbed cationic surfactants: influence of salt and added nonionic surfactants

Forces have been measured between silica surfaces with adsorbed surfactants by means of a bimorph surface force apparatus. The surfactants used are the cationic surfactant tetradecyltrimethylammonium bromide (TTAB) and the nonionic surfactant hexakis(ethylene glycol) mono-n-tetradecyl ether (C(14)E(6)) as well as mixtures of these two surfactants. The measurements were made at elevated pH, and the effect of salt was studied. At high pH the glass surface is highly charged, which increases the adsorption of TTAB. Despite the low adsorption generally seen for nonionic surfactants on silica at high pH, addition of C(14)E(6) has a considerable effect on the surface forces between two glass surfaces in a TTAB solution. The barrier force is hardly affected, but the adhesion is reduced remarkably. Also, addition of salt decreases the adhesion, but increases the barrier force. In the presence of salt, addition of C(14)E(6) also increases the thickness of the adsorbed layer. The force barrier height is also shown to be related to literature values for surface pressure data in these systems.