Transport characteristics of microemulsions

The dependence of transport characteristics (kinematic viscosity, conductivity, diffusion coefficient) of microemulsions in the octane/water/pentanol/sodium dodecyl sulfate system on the volume fraction of water () was studied by viscosimetry, conductometry, and photon correlation spectroscopy The percolation character of the specific conductivity of microemulsions is revealed; the conductivity and geometrical percolation thresholds are determined. The known percolation models of microemulsions and the dependence of the specific conductivity on the most probable dimension of microdrops are discussed. A cellular model of the microemulsion studied is proposed and its validity is shown in the region of comparatively low values above the conductivity percolation threshold.Translated fromIzvestiya Akademii Nauk. Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 9, pp. 1521–1528, September, 1993.     

Influence of the Electrolyte Film Thickness on Charge Dynamics of Ionic Liquids in Ionic Electroactive Devices

Developing advanced ionic electroactive devices such as ionic actuators and supercapacitors requires the understanding of ionic diffusion and drifting processes, which depend on the distances over which the ions travel, in these systems. The charge dynamics of [C(4)mim][PF(6)] ionic liquid films and Aquivion membranes with 40 wt% [C(2)mim][TfO] were investigated over a broad film thickness (d) range. It was found that the double layer charging time τ(DL) follows the classic model τ(DL) = λ(D)d/(2D) very well, where D is the diffusion coefficient and λ(D) the Debye length. In the longer time regimes (t ? τ(DL)) where diffusion dominates, the charge dynamics become voltage dependent. For low applied voltage, the later stage charge process seems to follow the d(2) dependence. However, at high voltages (> 0.5 V) in which significant device responses occur, the charging process does not show d(2) dependence so that τ(diff) = d(2)/(4D), corresponding to the ion diffusion from the bulk region, was not observed.     

Piezoresistive characteristics of single wall carbon nanotube/polyimide nanocomposites

A systematic study of the effect of single wall carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) on the enhanced piezoresistive sensitivity of polyimide nanocomposites from below to above percolation was accomplished. The maximum piezoresistive stress coefficient (Π) of 1.52 × 10^?3 MPa^?1 was noted at just above the percolation threshold concentration (Φ ～ 0.05 wt %) of SWCNT. This coefficient value exceeds those of metallic piezoresistive materials by two orders of magnitude (4.25 × 10^?5 MPa^?1 for aluminum). The high piezoresistive characteristics appear to originate from a change in the intrinsic resistivity of the composite caused by the variation of the tunneling distance between conducting inclusions (SWCNTs) under compression or tension. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 47: 994–1003, 2009     

Application of thermal analysis for investigations of polymer powders for coatings

Polypropylene coatings obtained by the fluidized bed method were investigated. It was proved that the application of thermal analysis methods for their characterization gave many useful data, as a consequence of the similar conditions of thermal measurements and plastics powder processing. Significant correlations were found between the thermal properties and the standard coating poperties.

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Zusammenfassung Durch Fluidisationsverfahren erhaltene Polypropylenbeschichtungen wurden untersucht. Es wurde festgestellt, daß infolge der ähnlichen Bedingungen von thermischen Messungen und Plastpulverisierungsverfahren die Anwendung von thermischen Untersuchungsmethoden zu deren Charakterisierung viele nützliche Angaben liefern. Es konnten eindeutige Beziehungen zwischen thermischen Eigenschaften und Standardbeschichtigungseigenschaften gefunden werden.

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Refractive index of water-AOT-n-heptane microemulsions

Refractive index measurements on water/AOT/n-heptane microemulsions as a function of the volume fraction of the dispersed phase (water plus AOT) and of the water/AOT molar ratio R have been performed at 25°C. The refractive index was found to vary monotonically with without any change in rate during the crossover of the percolation threshold. Such a behavior suggested that, well above the percolation threshold, the water-AOT-n-heptane microemulsions are still formed by water-containing AOT reversed micelles dispersed in the oil phase. The analysis of the experimental data allowed an evaluation the fraction of the water molecules bonded to the AOT head group as a function of R.     

Multiple Threshold Percolation in Polymer/Filler Composites

Local variations in filler particle concentration and/or shape and orientation in static filler/polymer composites are modelled as distributions of percolation thresholds. The concentration variations can be due to insufficient mixing, formation of semicrystalline voids during cooling from the melt, shrinkage during polymer curing, flow during physical compression or the like. Irregular filler shapes, especially elongated shapes, reduce the percolation threshold; thus natural variations in the shapes and orientations of filler particle aggregates lead to locally varying percolation thresholds. A distribution of percolation thresholds leads to an apparent percolation threshold based on the conductivity below the mean percolation threshold. For filler concentrations above the apparent percolation threshold the dielectric constant continues to increase before reaching a lowered peak value at the mean percolation threshold and then decreasing. Own experimental results on EBA /carbon black composites support the theory.     

Determination of the concentration dependence of polyelectrolyte diffusion coefficients by application of the Boltzmann gradient method

The concentration dependence of a polyelectrolyte diffusion coefficient in aqueous low salt solution (KCl, 1 mM) is determined from a single dynamic gradient experiment. The Boltzmann method is applied to calculate the diffusion coefficient. A special diffusion cell is constructed that minimizes aberrations in the optical detection of the polyion concentration profile. Bovine serum albumin (BSA) is chosen as a model polyion. To get information about the diffusion process down to very small polyion concentrations, the BSA molecule is fluorescently labeled. The fluorescence intensity is used as a measure of the polyion concentration. The change of the polyion net charge caused by labeling is discussed. The cell is illuminated by an LED, and the fluorescence intensity profile is detected by a CCD camera. Experiments at 5 and 17 degrees C show that the diffusion coefficient of labeled BSA remains constant in the very low polyion concentration range below a threshold of about 1.5 g/l. This is in contradiction to the linear concentration dependence of polyion diffusion coefficients at very low concentrations often postulated in the literature without reference to direct experimental evidence. Our finding is confirmed by dynamic light scattering experiments published recently. An explanation for this behavior based on a modified Donnan osmotic compressibility approach is given.     

The Effect of Simulation Cell Size on the Diffusion Coefficient of an Ionic Surfactant Aggregate

Results of all-atom molecular dynamics simulation have been presented for salt-free aqueous solutions of sodium dodecyl sulfate at its fixed total concentration in a simulation cell containing one to four preliminarily formed quasi-stable ionic aggregates with equal aggregation numbers n = 32. The obtained molecular dynamics trajectories have been used to study the structural and transport properties of the micellar solution. The value of the counterion diffusion coefficient obtained using the Green–Kubo relation has turned out to be somewhat higher than the corresponding value calculated by the Einstein equation. The diffusion coefficients of the aggregates in the systems containing from two to four aggregates have appeared to be higher than the diffusion coefficient of a single aggregate in a cell. The mean force potential obtained for the interaction between the aggregates having aggregation number n = 32 as a function the distance between the aggregate centers of mass has a local minimum in the system containing four such aggregates.     

Ternary mutual diffusion coefficients of ZnCl2−KCl−H2O at 25°C by Rayleigh interferometry

Mutual diffusion coefficients and densities were measured for aqueous ZnCl₂–KCl mixtures at 25° by using free-diffusion Rayleigh interferometry and pycnometry, respectively. The ZnCl₂ concentrations were fixed at 1.5 mol-dm^–3, whereas those of KCl were 0.5, 1.25, 2.0, or 4.0 mol-dm^–3. This corresponds to a half charged zinc-chlorine storage battery at various suporting electrolyte concentrations. The main-term coefficient of ZnCl₂ only varies by 10% with KCl concentration, whereas that of KCl varies by about 22%. The ZnCl₂ cross-term coefficient remains small and positive; in contrast the KCl cross-term coefficient goes through a maximum and is negative at high and low KCl concentrations. At KCl concentrations of 0.5 and 4.0 mol-dm^–3, solutions with the KCl c0 are statically and dynamically (diffusively) unstable at the top and bottom of the boundary. Evaluation of the parameters of the non-linear least-squares solution to the diffusion equation is difficult for the 1.25 mol-dm^–3 KCl case, since this system has nearly equal eigenvalues in its diffusion coefficient matrix.     

On the behavior of the electrostatic colloidal interaction in the membrane filtration of latex suspensions

In order to investigate effects of the colloidal interaction in the membrane filtrations, the dead-end ultrafiltration of latex colloids was conducted with fully retentive membranes. Experimental results concerning the permeate flux during the filtration indicate that the void fraction of cake layer increased with the decrease of the ionic strength, due to the expanded Debye double layer thickness around the particles. The concentration dependence of the gradient diffusion coefficient of colloidal particles has been examined as a function of solution ionic strength. The NVT Monte Carlo simulation was applied on the bulk suspension so as to determine the thermodynamic coefficient, and the hydrodynamic coefficient was evaluated from the previously developed relation for an ordered system. The long-range electrostatic interactions between the particles are determined by using a singularity method, which provides accurate solutions to the linearized electrostatic field. The predictions on the variation of concentration polarization layer have been presented, from which we found that both the permeate flux and the particle diffusion are related to determine the concentration distribution above the cake layer.     

Dynamic light scattering study of heat aggregation of insulin

Dynamic light scattering measurements on heat aggregation of zinc-insulin between temperaturesT=20 °C and 40 °C in 0.1 M NaCl aqueous solutions with pH= 4.01, 7.5 and 9.03, are reported. The experiments were performed on very dilute solutions in the concentration range 20 to 160 g/cc. It has been observed that the process of heat aggregation was linear with temperature. The concentration dependence of translational diffusion coefficient was found to be negative in consistence with an earlier result. Upon temperature reversal the hysteresis-like behavior was found to be predominantly large at pH=7.5. The process of dissociation of Insulin aggregates with temperature reversal was also found to be linear with temperature decrement. Both the coefficients of heat aggregation and dissociation (upon temperature reversal) were larger at pH=7.5 than at pH=4.01 and 9.03. The low polydispersity in the correlation spectra indicated that both the association and dissociation processes were apparently stepwise in nature.     

Cross surface ambipolar charge percolation in molecular triads on mesoscopic oxide films

We report on cross surface ambipolar charge percolation within a monolayer of a molecular triad adsorbed on semiconducting or insulating mesoscopic metal oxide films. The triad consists of a triphenlyamine (TPA) donor and a perylenemonoimide (PMI) acceptor connected by a bithiophene (T2) bridge. The self-assembled PMI-T2-TPA monolayer exhibits p-type or n-type conduction depending on the potential that is applied to the conducting glass (FTO) electrode supporting the oxide films. Cross surface electron transfer is turned on at around -1.24 V (vs Fc+/Fc) where the PMI moiety is electroactive. The color of the film changes from red to blue during the reduction of the PMI. By contrast, lateral hole transfer is turned on at around 0.8 V (vs Fc+/Fc) where the TPA moiety becomes electroactive. The stepwise oxidation of the T2-TPA units at 0.79 and 1.28 V (vs Fc+/Fc) is associated with a color change of the film from red to black. Cyclic voltammetric as well as chronocoulometric and spectroelectrochemical measurements were applied to determine the percolation threshold for cross surface charge transfer and the diffusion coefficients for the electron and hole hopping process. The effect of oxide surface states on the lateral charge motion was also investigated.     

Swelling ratio driven changes of probe concentration in pH- and ionic strength-sensitive poly(acrylic acid) hydrogels

Poly(acrylic acid) gels are known to swell to different extent (measured by the swelling ratio) depending on pH and ionic strength of the solution. The experimental method employed by us to monitor the concentration and diffusion coefficient of the probes allows the simultaneous determination of their concentration and diffusion coefficient for any value of the ionic strength and pH of the solution trapped in the polymeric network. Two different electroactive probe systems, 1,1′-ferrocenedimethanol and 2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine 1-oxyl, were selected for the examination. Small values of the swelling ratio, obtained either by application of a high ionic strength or a low pH, result in an unexpected high concentration of both probes in the gel samples. Correspondingly, the probes diffusion coefficients were much smaller compared to their values in the swollen gels.     

Small-angle neutron scattering on shear-induced micellar structures

Small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) experiments on sheared aqueous surfactant solutions of tetradecyltrimethylammoniumsalicylate (TTMA-Sal) are reported. A5-mM-solution without shear shows a weak correlation peak at a momentum transfer of 0.09 nm^–1 which has its origin in the micellar interaction. For shear rates above a threshold value of =40 s^–1 the scattering pattern shows an irregular increase in anisotropy. The analysis of the anisotropic pattern reveals the existence of two types of micelles: Small rodlike micelles which are weakly aligned and very large rodlike aggregates which are strongly aligned and which are present above the threshold value of. The two micelles are in equilibrium with each other and the equilibrium shifts with increasing shear rate to the side of the large oriented micelles.     

Chromatographic analysis of penstemide and serrulatoloside by high-performance liquid chromatography and gradient thin-layer chromatography

Summary A sensitive capillary gas chromatographic method is described for the simultaneous determination of lidocaine, tetracaine, procaine and dibucaine. The method was applied to the determination of anesthetics in tissue homogenates incubated at 38°C at doses between 10 and 400 mg/kg. In the liver tissue thein vitro metabolization of the studied anesthetics is most rapid for tetracaine, also fast for procaine, while for lidocaine and dibucaine the metabolization is very slow. In brain tissue thein vitro metabolization of anesthetics is very slow.The method shows good analytical parameters: linearity between 5 and 40 g/ml; day-to-day reproducibility ca. 8% for a concentration of 20 g/ml, precision ca. 7% for a concentration of 20g/ml. Accuracy is also very good.     

A moving-boundary technique for the measurement of diffusion in liquids. triton X-100 in water

A modified taylor dispersion technique is used to measure liquid-phase mutual diffusion coefficients D. Rather than inject a narrow band of solution of solute concentration C+C into a carrier stream of composition C, the carrier stream is switched from a solution of composition C-(C/2) to a solution of composition C+(C/2), forming an initially-sharp moving boundary at the tube inlet. D is calculated from the refractive index profile across the broadened boundary at the tube outlet. Since the mean of concentration of the diffusing solute (C) is constant throughout the run, the calculated value of D accurately represents the differential value at C, even if relatively large concentration differences are used or if D is sensitive to composition. The advantages of the technique are illustrated by measuring the diffusion of aqueous Triton X-100, a nonionic surfactant. D is found to drop sharply as the concentration is raised through the critical micelle concentration near 0.15 g-L^–1.     

Recovery of thorium-Arsenazo III complex from very dilute solutions by a bubble extraction apparatus

Summary A procedure is proposed for the removal and determination of Arsenazo III complexes from very dilute solutions by ion-pairing with a cationic surfactant. The method is discussed with reference to the system Th-Arsenazo III-tetradecyldimethylbenzylammonium chloride by analyzing the influence of critical parameters such as ionic strength and collector concentration. When applied to natural waters with moderate ionic strength (0.15 mol/l) the procedure allows a fast and quantitative determination of 1–20 g Th from sample volumes as large as 12 l with preconcentration factors reaching up to about 1000.     

Lateral diffusion of proteins in the plasma membrane: spatial tessellation and percolation theory

The obstructed diffusion of proteins in the plasma membrane is studied using computer simulation and an analysis using spatial tessellation and percolation theory. The membrane is modeled as a two-dimensional space with fixed hard disc obstacles, and the proteins are modeled as hard discs. The simulations show a transition from normal to anomalous diffusion as the area fraction, phim, of obstacles is increased and to confined diffusion for area fractions above the pecolation threshold, which occurs for phim=0.22. A Voronoi tessellation procedure is used to map the continuous space system onto an effective lattice model, with the connectivity of bonds determined from a geometric criterion. The estimate of the percolation threshold obtained from this lattice model is in excellent agreement with the simulation results, although the nature of the dynamics in the continuous space model is different from lattice models. At high obstacle area fractions (but below the percolation threshold), the primary mode of transport is a hopping motion between voids, consistent with experiment. The simulations and analysis emphasize the importance of structural correlations between obstacles.