What is the mechanism of soap film entrainment?

Classical Frankel's law describes the formation of soap films and their evolution upon pulling, a model situation of film dynamics in foams (formation, rheology, and destabilization). With the purpose of relating film pulling to foam dynamics, we have built a new setup able to give an instantaneous measurement of film thickness, thus allowing us to determine film thickness profile during pulling. We found that only the lower part of the film is of uniform thickness and follows Frankel's law, provided the entrainment velocity is small. We show that this is due to confinement effects: there is not enough surfactant in the bulk to fully cover the newly created surfaces which results in immobile film surfaces. At large velocities, surfaces become mobile and then Frankel's law breaks down, leading to a faster drainage and thus to a nonstationary thickness at the bottom of the film. These findings should help in understanding the large dispersion of previous experimental data reported during the last 40 years and clarifying the pulling phenomenon of thin liquid films.     

Foam films in the presence of functionalized gold nanoparticles

Dry aqueous foams made of anionic surfactant (SDS) and spherical gold nanoparticles are studied by small angle X-ray scattering and by optical techniques. To obtain stable foams, the surfactant concentration is well above the critical micelle concentration. The specular reflectivity signal obtained on a very thin film (thickness 20 nm) shows that functionalized nanoparticles (17 nm typical size) are trapped within the film in the form of a single monolayer. In order to isolate the film behavior, investigations are made on a single film confined in a tube. The film thinning according to the ratio of functionalized nanoparticle and SDS micelles (1:1, 1:10, 1:100) is mainly governed by the structural arrangement of SDS micelles. In thick films, nanoparticles tend to form aggregates that disappear during drainage. In particular self-organization of nanoparticles (with different surface charge) inside the film is not detected.     

AuPd和AgPd枝晶纳米催化剂催化甲酸分解制氢

由枝晶构成的AuPd和AgPd三维多孔泡沫薄膜在室温下分解甲酸制氢具有高催化活性。该高催化活性是由于纳米枝晶中存在大量的活性位点,如台阶、角、扭结、边缘以及合金间的电子效应。多孔泡沫膜除了具有较高的活性外,还具有其他优良的性能：在不需要有机添加剂的情况下,利用氢气泡模板法在Ti基板上可在5 min内快速沉积多孔泡沫催化剂,无需后处理便可用于催化甲酸分解制氢;通过将电沉积泡沫膜浸入或者拉出HCOOH+HCOONa溶液,可控制氢气的产生或停止;该泡沫催化剂通过去离子水清洗或者在H₂SO₄溶液中进行循环伏安扫描、干燥后就可活化重新使用。     

Assembly of metal nanoparticle-carbon nanotube composite materials at the liquid/liquid interface

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs)-mediated self-assembly of metal (Au and Ag) nanoparticles at the liquid/liquid interface in the form of a stable nanocomposite film is reported. The metallic luster results from the electronic coupling of nanoparticles, suggesting the formation of closely packed nanoparticle thin films. The interfacial film could be transferred to mica substrates and carbon-coated transmission electron microscopy (TEM) grids. The transferred films were very stable for a prolonged time. The samples were characterized by UV-vis spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), TEM, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). SEM and TEM results show that the films formed at the liquid/liquid interface are indeed composite materials consisting of CNTs and nanoparticles. XPS measurements further indicate the presence of the interaction between nanoparticles and CNTs.     

Foam superstabilization by polymer microrods

Few foam systems stabilized by solid particles have been reported, and usually the particles have been used in combination with surfactants. We report how foams can be stabilized solely with a new class of anisotropic particles, hydrophobic polymer microrods of diameter less than 1 mum and length of a few tens of micrometers. The obtained foams were extraordinary stable, retaining a constant volume over many days and even surviving drying of most of the free liquid. The bubbles in these foams were sterically stabilized by dense thick "hairy" layers. The rigid intertwined protective shells around the bubbles did not allow the formation of thin films between them. The lifetime of these foams was orders of magnitude longer than the ones stabilized with typical foaming surfactants such as sodium dodecyl sulfate. The addition of sodium dodecyl sulfate led to hydrophilization of the microrods and suppressed the superstabilization effect. Thus, common foaming agents effectively act as defoamers for the ultrastable foams stabilized by microrods.     

Effect of Lipid Phase State and Foam Film Type on the Properties of DMPG Stabilized Foams

The drainage and stability of DMPG (l-α-phosphatidyl-dl-glycerol dimyristoyl) foams were studied by a microconductivity method under conditions where three different foam film types could be formed—thin foam films (TFF), common black foam films (CBF), and Newton black foam films (NBF). Foaming properties were investigated at 20 and 28°C where DMPG is in the gel and liquid-crystalline states. Higher conductivity signals were observed at the higher temperature where DMPG was in the liquid-crystalline state, which is indicative of wetter or more stable foams under these conditions. This effect was observed independent of foam film type. However, for a given phase state, the type of foam films formed significantly influenced the stability and rate of drainage of the foam. Indeed, the water content of the foams, obtained under conditions for formation of different foam films, is ranked in the order TFF > CBF > NBF. When the temperature was increased to 28°C (i.e., in the liquid-crystalline state), CBF and NBF showed a slight decrease in film thickness and an increase in film lifetime and surface molecular diffusion coefficient in the adsorbed layer. It is likely that the fluidity of the interfacial layer is an important factor contributing to DMPG foam stabilization.     

Highly concentrated (gel) emulsions,versatile reaction media

Highly concentrated (gel) emulsions are characterised by dispersed phase volume fractions exceeding 0.74, the critical value for the most compact packing of monodispersed undistorted spheres. Their structure consists of polyhedral droplets separated by thin films of continuous phase, a structure resembling gas–liquid foams. Their rheological properties vary from elastic to viscoelastic having a gel appearance. One of the most promising applications is their use as reaction media. The recent advances in the preparation of low-density polymeric materials (solid foams, aerogels) are reviewed and new applications are described. These include the preparation of dual meso/macroporous inorganic oxide materials and the use of gel emulsions as alternative to conventional solvent media in chemical and enzyme-catalysed reactions.     

Comparative Study of Extensional Viscoelasticity Properties of Liquid Films and Stability of Bulk Foams

The extensional viscoelasticity modulus and conductivity of liquid films and stability of bulk foams were investigated respectively. The effects of sinusoidal exciting frequency, polymer type, and polymer concentration on liquid film viscoelasticity modulus were systematically discussed. Higher film viscoelasticity modulus could be assigned for FS01/MPAM film systems than for FS01/HPAM ones. The film conductivity result showed that FS01/HPAM or FS01/MPAM liquid film systems could delay the liquid drainage speed under dynamic conditions compared with FS01 ones. Bulk foam test based on Waring Blender method indicated that FS01/HPAM foam was more stable than FS01/MPAM. Compared with static bulk foam test, the extensional viscoelasticity and conductivity method could reflect the dynamic behavior of liquid films.     

Aerosol assisted chemical vapor deposition using nanoparticle precursors: a route to nanocomposite thin films

Gold nanoparticle and gold/semiconductor nanocomposite thin films have been deposited using aerosol assisted chemical vapor deposition (CVD). A preformed gold colloid in toluene was used as a precursor to deposit gold films onto silica glass. These nanoparticle films showed the characteristic plasmon absorption of Au nanoparticles at 537 nm, and scanning electron microscopic (SEM) imaging confirmed the presence of individual gold particles. Nanocomposite films were deposited from the colloid concurrently with conventional CVD precursors. A film of gold particles in a host tungsten oxide matrix resulted from co-deposition with [W(OPh)(6)], while gold particles in a host titania matrix resulted from co-deposition with [Ti(O(i)Pr)(4)]. The density of Au nanoparticles within the film could be varied by changing the Au colloid concentration in the original precursor solution. Titania/gold composite films were intensely colored and showed dichromism: blue in transmitted light and red in reflected light. They showed metal-like reflection spectra and plasmon absorption. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and energy-dispersive X-ray analysis confirmed the presence of metallic gold, and SEM imaging showed individual Au nanoparticles embedded in the films. X-ray diffraction detected crystalline gold in the composite films. This CVD technique can be readily extended to produce other nanocomposite films by varying the colloids and precursors used, and it offers a rapid, convenient route to nanoparticle and nanocomposite thin films.     

Influence of the ambient medium on the disjoining pressure of liquid metallic films

We have found the electron density of states in a thin liquid metallic film for an arbitrary form of the boundary conditions for the wavefunctions of the electrons on the film surface. Assuming a Fermi distribution of the electron energies, we have calculated the thermodynamic characteristics of the film and determined and electronic component of the disjoining pressure. It has been shown that the ambient medium and the state of the surface determine the value and the sign of the electronic component of the disjoining pressure. We have determined the conditions for which a stable state of liquid metallic films is ensured.     

An investigation of the stable orientations of orthorhombic particles in a thin film and their effect on its critical failure pressure

The effects of shape and contact angle on the behaviour of orthorhombic particles at an interface and in thin films were investigated using Surface Evolver. It is shown that the energetically stable orientations of the particle change with its aspect ratio. Long, wide, flat particles with low contact angles are more stable in flat orientations, i.e. with two faces parallel to the flat film surface. More cubic particles with higher contact angles are more stable in twisted orientations, where the opposite sides of the film can be drawn together at the sharp edges of the particle. The combination of contact angle and orientation has been found to have a large effect on the capillary pressure required to rupture the film. A film containing a particle in a flat orientation will rupture at a capillary pressure up to three times greater than one containing an identical particle in a twisted orientation. Wider, flatter particles with low contact angles stabilise thin liquid films to a greater extent than cubic particles with high contact angles.     

Nanocrystalline structure and soft magnetic properties of nickel–molybdenum alloy thin films electrodeposited from acidic and alkaline aqueous solutions

Nanocrystalline nickel–molybdenum (Ni–Mo) alloy thin films were electrochemically synthesized in acidic and alkaline aqueous solutions. Transmission electron microscope bright-field images and electron diffraction patterns of the electrodeposits made it obvious that pure Ni consists of a submicron crystalline phase with the grain diameter of several hundred nanometers, while Ni–20 %Mo alloy was composed of a nanocrystalline phase with the grain diameter of a few nanometers. It was estimated that the nanocrystalline phase of electrodeposited Ni–Mo alloy thin films was introduced by the formation of supersaturated Ni–Mo solid solution phase with Mo content in the deposit more than 20 %. Submicron crystalline pure Ni thin films were hardly magnetized in perpendicular direction to the film plane while the nanocrystalline Ni–20 %Mo alloy thin films were isotropically magnetized. It was suggested that the isotropical magnetization behavior was caused by decreasing the demagnetizing field and the magneto crystalline anisotropy with a decrease in the magnetic moment and the average crystal grain size. Coercive force of a submicron crystalline pure Ni thin film electrodeposited from an acidic aqueous solution was ca. 100 Oe while that of a nanocrystalline Ni–20 %Mo alloy thin film electrodeposited from an alkaline aqueous solution was only 1～2 Oe. Soft magnetic properties of Ni–Mo alloy thin films electrodeposited from an alkaline aqueous solution were better than that from an acidic aqueous solution and it was improved with an increase in Mo content in the deposit. It was estimated that the electrodeposited Ni–Mo alloy catalysts could be easily recovered with magnetic field less than 1 kOe.     

Thin liquid films containing micelles or nanoparticles

The stratification/microstructure formation inside suspended thin liquid films containing micelles or other nanoparticles is reviewed with the aim of clarifying some key issues and suggesting unresolved questions requiring further investigation. New experiments reveal that the micellar layer thinning phenomenon is a reversible process in films formed from non-ionic micellar solutions. The important factors contributing to the correlation between the ordered microstructure formation that leads to a high structural stabilization force in a single free suspended film and the stability of macrodispersions (such as foams and emulsions and particle suspensions) are also discussed.     

气相二氧化硅/季铵Gemini表面活性剂稳定的泡沫体系

以zeta电位法研究了季铵Gemini表面活性剂亚甲基-α, ω-双(十二烷基二甲基溴化铵) (12-s-12, s=2, 6)在水溶液中修饰气相二氧化硅(F-SiO₂)粒子。这些粒子随表面活性剂浓度C增加经历了表面从原先的亲水到疏水再重新亲水的改变,其中疏水粒子可以自发吸附在气泡液膜中,从而很好地稳定泡沫。重新亲水的粒子脱附出液膜,仅留下表面活性剂稳定气泡。强的液膜弹性对应于稳定的泡沫。联接链长度影响了Gemini在F-SiO₂粒子表面的吸附,因而也影响了液膜的弹性和对泡沫的稳定。超短s=2联接链的12-2-12由于反离子解离不完全而带有较少的正电荷,在粒子表面的初始吸附弱于12-6-12,但因此减少了吸附分子头基间的静电排斥,可以形成更致密的吸附层。由于12-2-12本身比12-6-12具有更强的界面吸附能力,F-SiO₂粒子和12-2-12的协同作用可以更好地稳定泡沫体系。     

Creation of high-refractive-index amorphous titanium oxide thin films from low-fractal-dimension polymeric precursors synthesized by a sol-gel technique with a hydrazine monohydrochloride catalyst

Amorphous titanium dioxide (TiO(2)) thin films exhibiting high refractive indices (n ≈ 2.1) and high transparency were fabricated by spin-coating titanium oxide liquid precursors having a weakly branched polymeric structure. The precursor solution was prepared from titanium tetra-n-butoxide (TTBO) via the catalytic sol-gel process with hydrazine monohydrochloride used as a salt catalyst, which serves as a conjugate acid-base pair catalyst. Our unique catalytic sol-gel technique accelerated the overall polycondensation reaction of partially hydrolyzed alkoxides, which facilitated the formation of liner polymer-like titanium oxide aggregates having a low fractal dimension of ca. (5)/(3), known as a characteristic of the so-called "expanded polymer chain". Such linear polymeric features are essential to the production of highly dense amorphous TiO(2) thin films; mutual interpenetration of the linear polymeric aggregates avoided the creation of void space that is often generated by the densification of high-fractal-dimension (particle-like) aggregates produced in a conventional sol-gel process. The mesh size of the titanium oxide polymers can be tuned either by water concentration or the reaction time, and the smaller mesh size in the liquid precursor led to a higher n value of the solid thin film, thanks to its higher local electron density. The reaction that required no addition of organic ligand to stabilize titanium alkoxides was advantageous to overcoming issues from organic residues such as coloration. The dense amorphous film structure suppressed light scattering loss owing to its extremely smooth surface and the absence of inhomogeneous grains or particles. Furthermore, the fabrication can be accomplished at a low heating temperature of <80 °C. Indeed, we successfully obtained a transparent film with a high refractive index of n = 2.064 (at λ = 633 nm) on a low-heat-resistance plastic, poly(methyl methacrylate), at 60 °C. The result offers an efficient route to high-refractive-index amorphous TiO(2) films as well as base materials for a wider range of applications.     

Thin film fabrication of PMMA/MEH-PPV immiscible blends by corona discharge coating and its application to polymer light emitting diodes

We introduce a new and facile process, corona discharge coating (CDC), to fabricate thin polymer films of the immiscible poly[2-methoxy-5-(2'-ethylhexyloxy)-p-phenylenevinylene] (MEH-PPV) and poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) blends. The method is based on utilizing directional electric flow, known as electric wind, of the charged unipolar particles generated by corona discharge between a metallic needle and a bottom plate under high electric field (5-10 kV/cm). The electric flow rapidly spreads out the polymer solution on the bottom plate and subsequently forms a smooth and flat thin film over a large area within a few seconds. The method is found to be effective for fabricating uniform thin polymer films with areas larger than approximately 30 mm2. The thin films obtained by CDC exhibit unique microstructures where well-defined spherical and cylindrical domains of approximately 50 nm in diameter coexist. These nanosized domains are found to be much smaller than those in films made by conventional spin coating, which suggests that CDC is beneficial for fabricating phase-separated thin film structures with significantly increased interfacial areas. The effects of the applied voltage, tip-to-plate distance, and substrates on the film formation as well as the resulting microstructure are investigated. Furthermore, the light emitting performance of a device prepared by CDC is compared with one made by spin coating.     

甲胺铅碘前驱体薄膜放置过程中物质结构演变及对后续钙钛矿薄膜的影响

系统研究了甲胺铅碘(MAPbI_3)前驱体薄膜在室温大气中放置过程的物质结构变化过程,发现甲胺铅碘前驱体进一步生成了更多的MAPbI_3钙钛矿,大约220 min后MAPbI_3钙钛矿不再增加而且仍有前驱体。此外还分析了这种结构演变对后续钙钛矿薄膜热退火结果的影响,发现放置后的甲胺铅碘前驱体薄膜退火过程中的X射线衍射强度和紫外-可见吸收均比新制备的薄膜的低,而且通过原子力表面形貌图的对比发现,放置后的薄膜热退火后的薄膜晶体尺寸远小于新制备的甲胺铅碘前驱体薄膜热退火后的晶体尺寸,放置后的薄膜晶体尺寸约为0.2μm,新制备的薄膜晶体尺寸约为1.1μm。主要原因在于:甲胺铅碘前驱体薄膜由于在室温大气中放置过程中多生成了部分甲胺铅碘(MAPbI_3),因此晶体成核数量较多,晶粒数量增加,晶体存在较多缺陷,薄膜结晶度低,所以退火时X射线衍射强度和光谱强度较低,同时晶粒尺寸变小。研究为探讨甲胺铅碘钙钛矿生成机理提供了新的思路和方向,属于甲胺铅碘钙钛矿薄膜性质的基础性研究,对实际生产和工业应用有一定指导意义。     

脉冲激光沉积纳米NiO薄膜

Na Cl型 Ni O是一种 p型半导体 ,广泛用于传感器、催化剂、涂料、磁性材料及电极材料等领域[1～ 5] .最近 ,Poizot等 [6] 又报道了 Ni O可作为锂离子电池的阳极材料 ,使 Ni O成为又一新的研究热点 .纳米 Ni O粉末的制备方法有多种 ,主要包括化学沉淀法和沉淀转换法 ,Ni O薄膜的制备主要采用磁控溅射、化学气相沉积和电沉积等方法 [7～ 12 ] .脉冲激光沉积法具有操作简单和成膜纯净等优点 ,因此是制备薄膜的重要方法之一 .本文采用脉冲激光沉积 (PLD)法在氧气氛中使用金属镍作为靶材料 ,不锈钢作为基片 ,对 Ni O薄膜的制备进行了研究…     

Competitive adsorption of -α-lysophosphatidylcholine/β-lactoglobulin mixtures at the interfaces of foams and foam lamellae

The stability of foams formed with the protein β-lactoglobulin as a function of increasing concentration of the lipid analogue -α-lysophosphatidylcholine were investigated using a microconductivity technique. The drainage, surface diffusion and thickness properties of thin liquid films (foam lamallae) were also studied using optical microscopy including epi-illumination, fluorescence recovery after photobleaching and film interferometry techniques. In addition, the surfactant binding properties of the protein were examined. The addition of small quantities of -α-lysophosphatidylcholine to β-lactoglobulin (molar ratio, R < 7:1) increased the foam stability, whereas a slightly higher concentration of surfactant in the mixture (R = 10) caused foam destabilisation. The explanation of these observations is based on changes in the composition and structure of the adsorbed interfacial layers of the thin films caused by competitive displacement of the protein by the surfactant.