Understanding the pH-dependent behavior of graphene oxide aqueous solutions: a comparative experimental and molecular dynamics simulation study

Understanding the pH-dependent behavior of graphene oxide (GO) aqueous solutions is important to the production of assembled GO or reduced GO films for electronic, optical, and biological applications. We have carried out a comparative experimental and molecular dynamics (MD) simulation study to uncover the mechanisms behind the aggregation and the surface activity of GO at different pH values. At low pH, the carboxyl groups are protonated such that the GO sheets become less hydrophilic and form aggregates. MD simulations further suggest that the aggregates exhibit a GO-water-GO sandwichlike structure and as a result are stable in water instead of precipitating. However, at high pH, the deprotonated carboxyl groups are very hydrophilic such that individual GO sheets prefer to dissolve in bulk water like a regular salt. The GO aggregates formed at low pH are found to be surface-active and do not exhibit characteristic features of surfactant micelles. Our findings suggest that GO does not behave like conventional surfactants in pH 1 and 14 aqueous solutions. The molecular-level understanding of the solution behavior of GO presented here can facilitate and improve the experimental techniques used to synthesize and sort large, uniform GO dispersions in a solution phase.     

Wetting characteristics of aqueous rhamnolipids solutions

The wetting properties of surfactants on solid surfaces form the basis of many industrial and biological processes. The preferential adsorption of the surfactants from aqueous solutions onto solid surfaces alter the adhesion tension of the surface and this behavior may cause partial to complete wetting of the surfaces by the aqueous surfactant solutions. However, different types of surfactants show different wetting characteristics. To study the wetting properties of biologically produced rhamnolipids (RL), advancing contact angles of the aqueous solutions of the RL mixture of R1 and R2 in a ratio of R2/R1=1.1 were measured as a function of surfactant concentration. For a comparison of the wetting performance, sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) was chosen as the reference surfactant. A hydrophilic glass surface, a hydrophobic polymer, polyethylene terephthalate (PET), and gold surface were used as the solid surfaces to determine the wetting characteristics of rhamnolipids. At low surfactant concentrations (RL concentration <3x10(-5)M, SDS concentration<3x10(-4)M) contact angle (Theta) varied in a certain range depending on the character of the surfactant interactions with the surface. This was followed by a decrease in contact angle. Parallel to this behavior, at low surfactant concentrations the adhesion tension decreased, then remained constant and an increase at higher surfactant concentrations was obtained on hydrophobic surfaces. On hydrophilic surfaces a steady decrease in adhesion tension was observed with both surfactant solutions.     

The influence of hydrophobic counterions on micellar growth of ionic surfactants

This review covers the effects of hydrophobic counterions on the phase behavior of ionic surfactants and the properties of the phases. Mixing hydrophobic counterions with ionic surfactant micellar solutions may initiate the micellar growth and transform the micellar microstructure into different morphologies. This behavior may also be achieved by mixing ionic surfactants with hydrophilic counterions, although higher counterionic concentrations are then required. First, the role of hydrophilic and hydrophobic counterions in regards to micelle growth is discussed. Second, the effect of the hydrophobic counterion on the self-assembly of cationic and anionic surfactants and their viscoelastic behavior are presented. Third, the relationships between geometry, hydrophobicity and their consequences on micellar growth for different hydrophobic counterions are reviewed. Forth, the influence of hydrophobic counterion substituents (substitution pattern) on the phase behavior is discussed. Some results we previously obtained for different isomers of hydroxy naphthaoic acids and the cationic surfactant cetyltrimethylammonium hydroxide are included. With these systems the effect that the hydrophobic counterion microenvironment has on the phase behavior, rheological behavior and the micellar microstructure is discussed. The results from other research groups are also discussed.     

New insights into the interactions between dendrimers and surfactants by two dimensional NOE NMR spectroscopy

The interactions between polyamidoamine dendrimers and different surfactants including sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) and dodecyltrimethyl ammonium bromide in aqueous solutions have been investigated by a NOESY NMR technique. Strong NOE cross-peaks between hydrophobic chain protons of SDS and methylene protons of cationic dendrimers were found, suggesting a strong tendency for the long hydrophobic tails of SDS to associate with the hydrophobic pockets of dendrimers. The hydrophilic head of SDS localizes near the core or the boundary of each generation of dendrimers, and the hydrophobic chain of SDS localizes in the relative nonpolar pockets of dendrimers. The encapsulation of surfactant monomers by dendrimers is dependent on the charge type of the surfactants, the surface functionality, and the generation of dendrimers. The NOESY analysis provides a new insight into interactions between dendrimers and surfactants in comparison with previous investigations.     

支链化甜菜碱和阳离子表面活性剂在聚甲基丙烯酸甲酯表面的吸附及其润湿性质

利用座滴法研究了两性离子表面活性剂支链十六烷基(聚氧乙烯)_n醚羟丙基羧酸甜菜碱(n = 0, 3)和阳离子表面活性剂支链十六烷基(聚氧乙烯)_n醚羟丙基季铵盐溶液在聚甲基丙烯酸甲酯(PMMA)表面上的润湿性质,考察了表面活性剂类型、结构及浓度对接触角的影响趋势。研究发现,表面活性剂浓度低于临界胶束浓度(cmc)时,分子通过氢键以平躺的方式吸附到PMMA界面,亲水基团靠近固体界面, PMMA表面被轻微疏水化;表面张力和粘附张力同时降低,导致此阶段接触角随浓度变化不大。浓度高于cmc时,表面活性剂通过疏水作用吸附,亲水基团在外, PMMA表面被明显亲水改性,接触角随浓度升高显著降低。由于具有相同的支链烷基,表面活性剂类型变化和聚氧乙烯基团的引入对接触角影响不大。     

Mixed micelles of polyethylene glycol (23) lauryl ether with ionic surfactants studied by proton 1D and 2D NMR

(1)H NMR chemical shift, spin-lattice relaxation time, spin-spin relaxation time, self-diffusion coefficient, and two-dimensional nuclear Overhauser enhancement (2D NOESY) measurements have been used to study the nonionic-ionic surfactant mixed micelles. Cetyl trimethyl ammonium bromide (CTAB) and sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) were used as the ionic surfactants and polyethylene glycol (23) lauryl ether (Brij-35) as the nonionic surfactant. The two systems are both with varying molar ratios of CTAB/Brij-35 (C/B) and SDS/Brij-35 (S/B) ranging from 0.5 to 2, respectively, at a constant concentration of 6 mM for Brij-35 in aqueous solutions. Results give information about the relative arrangement of the surfactant molecules in the mixed micelles. In the former system, the trimethyl groups attached to the polar heads of the CTAB molecules are located between the first oxy-ethylene groups next to the hydrophobic chains of Brij-35 molecules. These oxy-ethylene groups gradually move outward from the hydrophobic core of the mixed micelle with an increase in C/B in the mixed solution. In contrast to the case of the CTAB/Triton X-100 system, the long flexible hydrophilic poly oxy-ethylene chains, which are in the exterior part of the mixed micelles, remain coiled, but looser, surrounding the hydrophobic core. There is almost no variation in conformation of the hydrophilic chains of Brij-35 molecules in the mixed micelles of the SDS/Brij-35 system as the S/B increases. The hydrophobic chains of both CTAB and SDS are co-aggregated with Brij-35, respectively, in their mixed micellar cores.     

Hydrogels in aqueous phases of polyvinylalcohol (PVA), surfactants and clay minerals

Aqueous solutions of synthetic clay minerals have been studied in the presence of surfactants and water-soluble polyvinylalcohol (PVA). The PVAs (PVA 1, PVA 2) had a molecular weight of about 10⁵ Dalton and a degree of hydrolysis of 82%. The PVA-samples were surface active and lowered the surface tension to 43 mN/m. As a consequence of their amphiphilic nature the PVA molecules bind strongly to clay mineral particles. On saturation the clay mineral particles adsorb the fivefold weight of PVA of their own weight. It is concluded that the thickness of the adsorbed layers on both sides of the clay mineral is in the range of the hydrodynamic diameter of the PVA-coils in the bulk phase.When the clay mineral particles are not saturated with PVA, they act as cross-linking agents for the PVA. The whole systems are physically cross-linked and assume gel-like properties. Rheological measurements show that samples behave like soft matter with a yield stress value. All of them have a frequency independent storage modulus which is an order of magnitude larger than the loss modulus. The hydrogels become stronger as PVA concentration increases.Small amounts of cationic surfactants bind on the clay mineral. The interface of the clay mineral becomes more hydrophobic and the binding of the PVA on the clay mineral is strengthened. With rising concentration of the surfactant the surfactant molecules bind on PVA and the PVA becomes hydrophilic. As a consequence the PVA can no longer bind on the clay mineral and the gels transform to viscous and turbid solutions. Small amounts of cationic surfactants therefore stiffen the hydrogels while larger amounts cause phase separation and a solution with low viscosity. Anionic surfactants like SDS do not bind on the clay mineral, but strongly on the PVA. With increasing SDS concentration, the hydrogels become stiffer at first but thereafter they break and transform to viscous fluids.In PVA-solutions without the clay minerals both cationic and anionic surfactants bind to the PVAs in the aqueous solution. With increasing concentration of surfactant, the viscosities of the solutions pass over a maximum. In this respect the PVAs behave like hydrophobically modified water soluble polymers. The surfactants bind to the hydrophobic microdomain and thereby crosslink the polymer molecules. On saturation the polyvinyl alcohol with anionic surfactant become hydrophilic and the network character disappears to a certain extent.     

Ethoxylated nonionic surfactants in hydrophobic solvent: interaction with aqueous and membrane-immobilized poly(acrylic acid)

Interaction between ethoxylated nonionic surfactants and poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) in aqueous solutions is well-documented in the literature. In the present study, pure ethoxylated surfactant solution in a hydrophobic solvent was permeated through a partially cross-linked PAA composite membrane to quantify the surfactant-PAA interaction in the heterogeneous system. Partitioning of the mixture of the surfactants (15-S-5) between the hydrophobic solvent and aqueous solution of PAA was also studied. The role of ethylene oxide group variation in the surfactant-PAA interaction for the heterogeneous system was established by performing experiments with pure surfactants having the same alkyl chain length but varying ethoxylate chain lengths. It was observed that the surfactants with a higher number of ethylene oxide groups per molecule exhibit stronger interaction with PAA. The literature data for adsorption of pure ethoxylated surfactants (C12E(n)) on a hydrophobic solid-water interface was correlated and compared with the data obtained in our study. It was calculated that resistance in terms of transfer of surfactant molecules from a hydrophobic solvent domain to PAA domain lowers the extent of PAA-surfactant interaction by an order of magnitude. Only 40% of available carboxyl groups were accessible for interaction with the ethoxylated nonionic surfactants due to diffusion limitations. Finally the pH sensitivity of the PAA-surfactant complex was verified by successful regeneration of the membrane on permeation of slightly alkaline water. The regeneration and reuse of membrane is especially attractive in terms of process development for nonionic surfactant separation from hydrophobic solvents.     

Synergistic improvement of foam stability with SiO2 nanoparticles (SiO2-NPs) and different surfactants

Foam fluids are widely used in petroleum engineering, but long-standing foam stability problems have limited the effectiveness of their use. The study explores the synergistic effects and influencing factors of SiO₂ nanoparticles (SiO₂-NPs) with different wettability properties and three different surfactants. The paper investigates the foaming performance of different types of surfactants and analyzes and compares the stability of foam after adding hydrophilic and hydrophobic SiO₂-NPs from macroscopic as well as microscopic perspectives, and the effects of temperature and inorganic salts on the stability of mixed solutions. The experimental results show that: 1) hydrophilic nanoparticles can significantly enhance the foam stability of amphoteric surfactants, with a small increase in the foam stability of anionic and cationic surfactants; 2) The concentration of nanoparticles did not have a significant effect on the stability of the cationic surfactants and this conclusion was verified in the experimental results of the surface tension measured below;3) The cationic surfactants showed better temperature resistance at temperatures of 50–90 °C. Both amphoteric surfactant solutions with the addition of hydrophilic SiO₂-NPs or hydrophobic SiO₂-NPs significantly improved the temperature resistance of the foam at high temperatures. The anionic surfactant solution with hydrophobic SiO₂-NPs did not enhance the solution temperature resistance; 4) The surface tension of the surfactant solution gradually increases with increasing concentration of hydrophilic or hydrophobic SiO₂-NPs and then levels off; 5) the hydrophilic SiO₂-NPs had a significant effect on the salt tolerance of the anionic and amphoteric surfactant solutions. The salt tolerance of cationic surfactant solutions with hydrophobic SiO₂-NPs was better than that of surfactants with hydrophilic SiO₂-NPs.     

Dynamic surface properties of the solutions of β-casein-surfactant complexes

Dynamic surface elasticity of the solutions of β-casein-surfactant complexes are measured by the oscillation barrier method as functions of surface age and surfactant concentration. Small amounts of added ionic surfactants greatly affect the kinetic dependence of dynamic surface elasticity. The pattern of kinetic dependence is determined by the sign of the charge of surface-active ion. Results obtained can be explained if we take into account the strong electrostatic interaction between charged amine acid residues in the protein and surface-active ions, as well as different distribution of positive and negative charges along the protein chain. The proposed recently mechanism of adsorption of β-casein, which suggests the consecutive formation of loops and tails from relatively hydrophilic and hydrophobic parts of protein molecule, is confirmed.     

Binding constants and partial molar volumes of primary alcohols in sodium dodecylsulfate micelles

The densities of methanol, ethanol, 1-propanol, 1-butanol and 1-hexanol were measured in aqueous solutions of sodium dodecylsulfate at 25°C. The partial molar volumes of the alcohols at infinite dilution in the aqueous surfactants solutions were calculated and discussed using a mass-action model for the alcohol distribution between the aqueous and the micellar phase. The partial molar volumes of the alcohols in the aqueous and in the micellar phases, and the ratios between the binding constant and the aggregation number, were calculated. The partial molar volume for all the alcohols in micellar phase is 10 cm³-mol^–1 smaller than that in octane. This can be related to the strong hydrophilic interaction between the head groups of the alcohol and the micellized surfactant. From the extrapolated values of the distribution constant and the partial molar volumes in the aqueous and micellar phases, the standard partial molar volume of heptanol in micellar solutions was found to decrease with increasing surfactant concentration. The standard free energy of transfer of alcohols from water to micelles was rationalized in terms of hydrophilic and hydrophobic contributions. A model is proposed in which the empty space around each solute is assumed to be the same in the gas and liquid phases, and is used to explain the behavior of micelles in the presence of amphiphilic solutes.     

Drying dissipative structures of nonionic surfactants in aqueous solution

Macroscopic and microscopic dissipative structural patterns form in the course of drying a series of aqueous solutions of polyoxyethylenealkyl ethers. The shift from the single round hill with accumulated surfactant molecules to the broad ring patterns of the hill in a macroscopic scale occurs as the HLB (hydrophile-liophile balance) of the surfactant molecules increases. The patterns correlate intimately with the HLB values of the surfactants. Microscopic patterns of small blocks, starlike patterns, and branched strings are formed. The size and shape of the surfactant molecules themselves influence the drying patterns in part. The pattern area and the time to dryness have been discussed as a function of surfactant concentration and HLB of the surfactants. The convection flow of water accompanying the surfactant molecules, the change in the contact angles at the drying frontier between solution and substrate in the course of dryness, and interactions among the surfactants and substrate are important for the macroscopic pattern formation. Microscopic patterns are determined in part by the shape and size of the molecules, translational Brownian movement of the surfactant molecules, and the electrostatic and hydrophobic interactions between surfactants and/or between the surfactant and substrate in the course of solidification.     

PHASE BEHAVIOR OF DILUTE SODIUM DODECYL SULFATE-HEXANOL-BRINE SYSTEMS

ABSTRACT

Dilute aqueous “solutions” of anionic surfactants injected during enhanced oil recovery processes usually contain liquid crystalline material. Phase behavior has been studied in a model system containing sodium chloride brine with surfactant, alcohol, and salt contents maintained below 6, 10, and 3 weight percent respectively. Pseudoternary phase diagrams at constant salinities are used to represent the results. Some interpretation of the results is given in terms of micellar shape transformations produced by changes in the relative hydrophilic and hydrophobic properties of surfactant-alcohol mixtures.     

Gemini表面活性剂分子结构对其水溶液中聚集行为的影响

Gemini表面活性剂是通过联接基团将两个具有亲水亲油性质的两亲结构单元在其亲水头基上或靠近亲水头基处以共价键方式连接而成的一类表面活性剂。这类表面活性剂由于联接基团的引入具有比传统单链表面活性剂更高的表面活性,同时分子结构中更多的可调控因素使其在水溶液中表现出更为丰富的自聚集行为,而且分子不同部位结构的改变对分子内或分子间相互作用产生不同的影响,可实现通过分子结构的设计有效调控其自聚集能力和聚集体结构。本综述将从联接基团、烷基链、亲水头基、反离子和其它功能性基团这五个方面概述近些年Gemini表面活性剂水溶液中聚集行为方面的研究进展,总结人们对Gemini表面活性剂分子间相互作用规律的认识,期望对于进一步发展这类高效的表面活性剂体系提供有益的帮助。     

新型表面活性膦在长链烯烃氢甲酰化反应中的助催化作用

 考察了新型表面活性膦配体DPPTS(对-十二烷基苯基二苯基膦的磺酸钠盐)和OPPTS(对-辛基苯基二苯基膦的磺酸钠盐)在铑络合物催化的水/有机两相长链烯烃氢甲酰化反应中的助催化作用. 在催化烯烃氢甲酰化反应时,观察到烯烃与膦配体之间有一定的链长匹配效应; 含DPPTS的催化剂体系在低膦/铑比条件下表现出比含表面活性剂十六烷基三甲基溴化铵和水溶性配体三苯基膦三磺酸钠的催化剂体系高得多的催化活性,而且铑流失到有机相极少,仅为加入总铑量的0.8%. 这种亲水基团和磷原子处于碳链同一端的表面活性膦配体比文献报道的亲水基团和磷原子分别处于碳链两端的表面活性膦配体具有更好的助催化活性.     

On autophobing in surfactant-driven thin films

Recent experiments (Afsar-Siddiqui, A. B.; Luckham, P. F.; Matar, O. K. Langmuir 2004, 20, 7575-7582) on the spreading of aqueous droplets containing cationic surfactants over thin aqueous films supported by negatively charged substrates demonstrated trends in the spreading behavior with either increasing surfactant concentration or increasing film thickness. Although the substrate is initially hydrophilic and the droplet spreads, surfactant adsorption at the substrate renders it hydrophobic leading to droplet retraction. We generate a model here using lubrication theory that allows the effect of the surfactant on the wettability to be taken into account. Our numerical results show that due to basal adsorption of surfactant at the interface, the initially hydrophilic solid substrate is rendered hydrophobic. This then drives droplet retraction and dewetting, which is in agreement with the experimentally observed trends.     

Monte Carlo study of surfactant adsorption on heterogeneous solid surfaces

The equilibrium between free surfactant molecules in aqueous solution and adsorbed layers on structured solid surfaces is investigated by lattice Monte Carlo simulation. The solid surfaces are composed of hydrophilic and hydrophobic surface regions. The structures of the surfactant adsorbate above isolated surface domains and domains arranged in a checkerboard-like pattern are characterized. At the domain boundary, the adsorption layers display a different behavior for hydrophilic and hydrophobic surface domains. For the checkerboard-like surfaces, additional adsorption takes place at the boundaries between surface domains.     

Influence of binary surfactant mixtures on the rheology of associative polymer solutions

Hydrophobically modified alkali-soluble emulsion polymers (HASE) are a class of comblike associative polymers that can impart high viscosities to aqueous solutions. The rheology of HASE solutions can be tuned by the addition of surfactants, such as nonylphenol ethoxylates (NP e), where e is the length of the hydrophilic (ethoxylate) chain. While previous studies have considered individual surfactants, our focus here is on binary surfactant mixtures. We find that equimolar NP4-NP12 mixtures significantly enhance the zero-shear viscosities of HASE solutions as compared to equivalent amounts of NP8, especially at high overall surfactant concentrations. Dynamic rheological measurements suggest that the higher viscosities are due to increases in the lifetime of hydrophobic junctions in the polymer-surfactant network. In contrast to the above results, equimolar NP4-NP8 mixtures are rheologically identical to equivalent solutions of NP6. The differences between the two sets of mixtures are further correlated with cloud point measurements and thereby with the overall hydrophilic-lipophilic balance (HLB) of the surfactant system.     

Enantioselectivity of vesicle-forming chiral surfactants in capillary electrophoresis. Role of the surfactant headgroup structure

Two vesicle-forming single-tailed amino acid derivatized surfactants sodium N-[4-n-dodecyloxybenzoyl]-L-leucinate (SDLL) and sodium N-[4-n-dodecyloxybenzoyl]-L-isoleucinate (SDLIL) have been synthesized and used as pseudo-stationary phase in micellar electrokinetic chromatography to evaluate the role of steric factor of amino acid headgroup and hydrophobic/hydrophilic interactions for enantiomeric separations. The aggregation behavior of the surfactants has been studied in aqueous buffered solution using surface tension and fluorescence probe techniques. Results of these studies have suggested formation of vesicles in aqueous solutions. Microenvironment of the vesicle, which determines the depth of penetration of the analytes into vesicle was determined by fluorescence probe technique using pyrene, N-phenyl-1-naphthylamine (NPN), and 1,6-diphenyl-1,3,5-hexatriene (DPH) as probe molecules. Atropisomeric compounds (+/-)-1,1'-bi-2-naphthol (BOH), (+/-)-1,1'-binaphthyl-2,2'-diamine (BDA), (+/-)-1,1'-binaphthyl-2,2'-diylhydrogen phosphate (BNP) and Tr?ger's base (TB) and chiral compound benzoin (BZN) has been enantioseparated. The separations were optimized with respect to surfactant concentration, pH, and borate buffer concentration. SDLL was found to provide better resolution for BOH, BNP, and BZN. On the other hand, SDLIL offers better resolution for BDA. The chromatographic results have been discussed in the light of the aggregation behavior of the surfactants and the interaction of the solutes with the vesicles.