Potential-modulation spectroscopy at solid/liquid and liquid/liquid interfaces.

Potential-modulation spectroelectrochemical methods at solid/liquid and liquid/liquid interfaces are reviewed. After a brief summary of the basic features and advantages of the methods, practical applications of potential-modulation spectroscopy are demonstrated using our recent studies of solid/liquid and liquid/liquid interfaces, including reflection measurements for a redox protein on a modified gold electrode and fluorescence measurements for various dyes at a polarized water/1,2-dichloroethane interface. For both interfaces, the use of linearly polarized incident light enabled an estimation of the molecular orientation. The use of a potential-modulated transmission-absorption measurement for an optically transparent electrode with immobilized metal nanoparticles is also described. The ability of potential-modulated fluorescence spectroscopy to clearly elucidate the charge transfer and adsorption mechanisms at liquid/liquid interfaces is highlighted.     

Extensible automated dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction

In this study, a convenient and extensible automated ionic liquid-based in situ dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction (automated IL-based in situ DLLME) was developed. 1-Octyl-3-methylimidazolium bis[(trifluoromethane)sulfonyl]imide ([C₈MIM]NTf₂) is formed through the reaction between [C₈MIM]Cl and lithium bis[(trifluoromethane)sulfonyl]imide (LiNTf₂) to extract the analytes. Using a fully automatic SPE workstation, special SPE columns packed with nonwoven polypropylene (NWPP) fiber, and a modified operation program, the procedures of the IL-based in situ DLLME, including the collection of a water sample, injection of an ion exchange solvent, phase separation of the emulsified solution, elution of the retained extraction phase, and collection of the eluent into vials, can be performed automatically. The developed approach, coupled with high-performance liquid chromatography–diode array detection (HPLC–DAD), was successfully applied to the detection and concentration determination of benzoylurea (BU) insecticides in water samples. Parameters affecting the extraction performance were investigated and optimized. Under the optimized conditions, the proposed method achieved extraction recoveries of 80% to 89% for water samples. The limits of detection (LODs) of the method were in the range of 0.16–0.45 ng mL⁻¹. The intra-column and inter-column relative standard deviations (RSDs) were <8.6%. Good linearity (r > 0.9986) was obtained over the calibration range from 2 to 500 ng mL⁻¹. The proposed method opens a new avenue for automated DLLME that not only greatly expands the range of viable extractants, especially functional ILs but also enhances its application for various detection methods. Furthermore, multiple samples can be processed simultaneously, which accelerates the sample preparation and allows the examination of a large number of samples.     

Droplet coalescence near liquid/liquid critical points

The state of matter within a fluid layer near a critical point differs profoundly in many aspects from states further removed from the critical point. The interfacial tension tends to vanish, the interface thickens, and long-range concentration fluctuations exist. Because of these effects, critical phenomena have been investigated as possible sources of instability in thin films. Shear-field coalescence studies have been performed between phases of a simple ternary system containing no surfactant as a function of distance from a critical point. The coalescence efficiency was measured as a function of temperature through time dependent photomicrographic analysis of emulsion samples within a shear-field coalescence cell. The apparatus, procedure, and analysis are outlined. No evidence was found for the promotion of coalescence by critical phenomena for values of reduced temperature, T_r = (T − T_c)/T_c, down to 4×10⁻⁴.     

Surface-functionalized ionic liquid crystal-supported ionic liquid phase materials: ionic liquid crystals in mesopores

The influence of confinement on the ionic liquid crystal (ILC) [C(18)C(1)Im][OTf] is studied using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), polarized optical microscopy (POM), and diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy (DRIFTS). The ILC studied is supported on Si-based powders and glasses with pore sizes ranging from 11 to 50 nm. The temperature of the solid-to-liquid-crystalline phase transition seems mostly unaffected by the confinement, whereas the temperature of the liquid-crystalline-to-liquid phase transition is depressed for smaller pore sizes. A contact layer with a thickness in the order of 2 nm is identified. The contact layer exhibits a phase transition at a temperature 30 K lower than the solid-to-liquid-crystalline phase transition observed for the neat ILC. For applications within the "supported ionic liquid phase (SILP)" concept, the experiments show that in pores of diameter 50 nm a pore filling of α>0.4 is sufficient to reproduce the phase transitions of the neat ILC.     

Ionic liquid/ionic liquid dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction

In this article, a novel and simple microextraction method, termed ionic liquid/ionic liquid dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction (IL/IL‐DLLME), has been designed and developed for the rapid enrichment and analysis of environmental pollutants. Instead of using hazardous organic solvents, two kinds of ILs, hydrophobic IL and hydrophilic IL, were used as extraction solvent and disperser solvent in IL/IL‐DLLME step, respectively. Permethrin and biphenthrin, two of the often‐used pyrethroid pesticides, were used as model compounds. Factors that may affect the enrichment efficiencies were investigated and optimized in detail. Under optimum conditions, permethrin and biphenthrin exhibited a wide linear relationship over the range 1–100 μg/L. For permethrin and biphenthrin, the precisions were 4.65–7.78%, and limits of detection were found to be 0.28 and 0.83 μg/L, respectively. Satisfactory results were achieved when the present method was applied to analyze the target compounds in real‐world water samples with spiked recoveries over the range 84.1–113.5%. All these facts indicated that IL/IL‐DLLME is a simple and rapid alternative for the enrichment and analysis of environmental pollutants and will have a wide application perspective in the future.     

Broad liquid crystalline temperature range of ferroelectric liquid crystals

Novel ferroelectric liquid crystalline compounds, containing the (S)-2-methyl-l -butyl (4-hydroxybiphenyl-4'-carbonyloxy)biphenyl-4-carboxylate mesogenic group and an oligooxyethylene spacer, were synthesized. The mesomorphic properties of these materials were investigated by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), optical polarizing microscopy (POM) and powder X-ray diffraction measurement. The results indicate that all members of this series exhibit a very broad temperature mesophase range (reaching a maximum around 210°C) including a blue phase (BP), cholesteric (Ch), twist grain boundary A (TGB_A), chiral smectic C (S*_c), and smectic X (S_x) phases. The mesomorphic properties are discussed and a comparison is made with three phenyl rings of ester core analogues.     

Spatially resolved microrheology through a liquid/liquid interface

We present a light-scattering technique for the measurement of the microrheological properties of viscoelastic liquids in small volumes over a large frequency range (on the order of eight decades). The accuracy of the method for model viscoelastic liquids (polyethylene oxide solutions in water) is demonstrated by comparing the results with conventional mechanical measurements of the loss and storage moduli. Then we show that the method can be used to measure variations in viscoelastic properties in a heterogeneous system by measuring the variation in the moduli with position (and time) across a liquid/liquid interface between a viscoelastic polymer solution and a Newtonian liquid.     

Measurement of circular dichroism spectra of liquid/liquid interface by centrifugal liquid membrane method.

The direct measurement of the circular dichroism (CD) spectra of liquid/liquid interface has been achieved for the first time by the centrifugal liquid membrane (CLM) method combined with a conventional CD spectropolarimetry. In the sample chamber of the CD spectropolarimeter, a cylindrical glass cell containing small amounts of organic and aqueous phases was rotated at ca. 7000 rpm to generate a two-phase liquid membrane with a high specific interfacial area. The CD spectra of the J-aggregate of protonated 5,10,15,20-tetraphenylporphyrin formed at the toluene/sulfuric acid interface in the rotating cell have been measured. The results demonstrated the novelty and advantages of this method.     

Polarised liquid/liquid micro-interfaces move during charge transfer

The externally polarised micro-interface between two immiscible electrolyte solutions (ITIES) has been visualised during ion transfer using confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM). A water|1,2-dichloroethane (DCE) micro-interface was formed at the tip of a glass micropipette. The DCE phase contained Nile Red, a fluorophore, which was used to visualise movements in the interface with CLSM. During voltammetric transfer of tetraethylammonium cation from the aqueous phase to DCE (in the micropipette), the interface – with and without adsorbed lipid – was found to undergo significant expansion. The movement of the interface was found to be completely reversible and rapid, as evident from potential step measurements. The studies reported herein have implications for studies of charge transfer at micro-ITIES which generally assume a static interface.     

From colloids in liquid crystals to colloidal liquid crystals

ABSTRACT

Liquid crystals in combination with nanoparticles are a fascinating topic of research, because of the wealth of aspects and questions to study. These range from simple effects of nanoparticles on phase transitions and phase diagrams, to the tuning of physical properties, adding of novel functionalities, all the way to the formation of spontaneous order by nanoparticles themselves and the possibilities that templating has for future materials design and applications. This article intends to provide a flavour of the multiplicity, variety and diversity that these thermotropic and lyotropic systems have to offer in the area of materials development, which we believe will become increasingly important, especially for switchable non-display applications and nanotechnology. It is not intended to provide a conclusive overview, which would be a presumptuous attempt considering the limited space available, but rather to place our own work into a wider context and to point out some more recent developments and trends in liquid crystal – nanoparticle dispersions.     

Application of ionic liquid in liquid phase microextraction technology

Ionic liquids (ILs) are novel nonmolecular solvents. Their unique properties, such as high thermal stability, tunable viscosity, negligible vapor pressure, nonflammability, and good solubility for inorganic and organic compounds, make them excellent candidates as extraction media for a range of microextraction techniques. Many physical properties of ILs can be varied, and the structural design can be tuned to impart the desired functionality and enhance the analyte extraction selectivity, efficiency, and sensitivity. This paper provides an overview of the applications of ILs in liquid phase microextraction technology, such as single‐drop microextraction, hollow fiber based liquid phase microextraction, and dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction. The sensitivity, linear calibration range, and detection limits for a range of target analytes in the methods were analyzed to determine the advantages of ILs in liquid phase microextraction.     

Electroviscoelasticity of liquid/liquid interfaces: fractional-order model

A number of theories that describe the behavior of liquid-liquid interfaces have been developed and applied to various dispersed systems, e.g., Stokes, Reiner-Rivelin, Ericksen, Einstein, Smoluchowski, and Kinch. A new theory of electroviscoelasticity describes the behavior of electrified liquid-liquid interfaces in fine dispersed systems and is based on a new constitutive model of liquids. According to this model liquid-liquid droplet or droplet-film structure (collective of particles) is considered as a macroscopic system with internal structure determined by the way the molecules (ions) are tuned (structured) into the primary components of a cluster configuration. How the tuning/structuring occurs depends on the physical fields involved, both potential (elastic forces) and nonpotential (resistance forces). All these microelements of the primary structure can be considered as electromechanical oscillators assembled into groups, so that excitation by an external physical field may cause oscillations at the resonant/characteristic frequency of the system itself (coupling at the characteristic frequency). Up to now, three possible mathematical formalisms have been discussed related to the theory of electroviscoelasticity. The first is the tension tensor model, where the normal and tangential forces are considered, only in mathematical formalism, regardless of their origin (mechanical and/or electrical). The second is the Van der Pol derivative model, presented by linear and nonlinear differential equations. Finally, the third model presents an effort to generalize the previous Van der Pol equation: the ordinary time derivative and integral are now replaced with the corresponding fractional-order time derivative and integral of order p<1.     

Confinement effect on the adsorption from a binary liquid system near liquid/liquid phase separation

The preferential adsorption of one component of a binary system at the inner surfaces of mesoporous silica glasses was studied in a wide composition range at temperatures close to liquid/liquid phase separation. Confinement effects on the adsorption were investigated by using three controlled-pore glass (CPG-10) materials of different mean pore size (10 to 50 nm). For the experimental system (2-butoxyethanol+water), which exhibits an upper miscibility gap, strong preferential adsorption of water occurs, as the coexistence curve is approached at bulk compositions, at which water is the minority component. In this strong adsorption regime the area-related surface excess amount of adsorbed water decreases with decreasing pore width, while the shift in the volume-related mean composition of the pore liquid shows an opposite trend, i.e., greatest deviation from bulk composition occurring in the most narrow pores. A simple mean-field lattice model of a liquid mixture confined by parallel walls is adopted to rationalize these experimental findings. This model reproduces the main findings of the confinement effect on the adsorption near liquid/liquid phase separation.     

Characteristics of a liquid/liquid optical waveguide using sheath flow and its application to detect molecules at a liquid/liquid interface.

The formation conditions and characteristics of a liquid/liquid optical waveguide (LLW) were studied using a two-phase sheath flow, where the inner organic phase flow acted as the core and the outer aqueous flow acted as the clad. In immiscible solvent systems, i.e., toluene/water and diethyl ether/water systems, the LLWs were formed in the range of higher than ca. 600 of the Reynolds number (Re), where the linear velocity of the organic solvent was much higher than that of the aqueous solution. On the other hand, in a miscible solvent system, i.e., a tetrahydrofuran/water system, a stable LLW was formed in the range of a much lower Re than in immiscible systems. Moreover, the molecules at the toluene/water interface of the LLW were observed with both fluorescence and absorbance measurement systems. In particular, the change in the fluorescence spectrum of 1-anilino-8-naphthalenesulfonate (ANS) at the interface within 1 ms was observed by this method, indicating the usefulness of the LLW for a fast kinetic study of a liquid/liquid interface.     

High-performance liquid magneto-chromatography

High-performance liquid magneto-chromatography (HPLMC) is a new chromatography technique with two distinctive features: (a) a high surface area stationary phase with paramagnetic properties composed of magnetite embedded in a silica gel, and (b) a magnetic field (variable intensity 0-5.5 mT) that selectively retains paramagnetic substances in the stationary phase depending on their magnetic susceptibility. The system can also be used to separate diamagnetic compounds such as biologically active organic molecules, but these first need to be complexed with Fe and Cu compounds to render them paramagnetic. Herein, we describe the experimental setup and the relationship between the retention factor and the magnetic field intensity, i.e., the force interaction of the complexes in relation to the magnetized magnetite. The expression derived also provides the effective magnetic susceptibility (Deltachi) of the components separated.     

Electrochemistry at micro- and nanoscopic liquid/liquid interfaces

In this tutorial review, we will briefly introduce the history and basic concepts of micro- and nanoscopic liquid/liquid interfaces (size from nm to μm) in electrochemical studies of charge (electron and ion) transfer reactions at soft molecular interfaces. Their advantages and problems are usually compared with those of conventional liquid/liquid interfaces (size from mm to cm); and with solid/electrolyte interfaces. Three methods of fabrication of micro-liquid/liquid interfaces and one approach to support a nano-liquid/liquid interface are surveyed. The experimental and theoretical aspects are discussed along with possible approaches to characterize these micro- and nanoscopic liquid/liquid interfaces, and the methods to modify them with new functionality. Unique examples of applications of electrochemistry at micro- and nanoscopic liquid/liquid interfaces are provided. Some novel and potential research interests in the future in this field are discussed.     

Solar energy conversion using dye-sensitised liquid|liquid interfaces

A novel approach to solar energy conversion is presented on the basis of photoinduced heterogeneous electron transfer at polarised interfaces between two immiscible electrolyte solutions. Preliminary studies at the water|1,2-dichloroethane interface sensitised by water-soluble zinc porphyrin heterodimers exhibited conversion efficiencies around 0.1%, corresponding to a photocurrent to absorbed photon flux ratio close to unity. The conversion efficiency is increased in the presence of redox couples acting as supersensitiser in the aqueous phase. The characteristic power relationship for these interfaces is also presented, and the possibility of solar cells where no solid electrodes are directly involved in the photogeneration and transport of charge carriers is envisaged.     

H-shaped liquid crystals inducing nematic order in the isotropic liquid

ABSTRACT

We prepared a homologous series of H-shaped liquid crystals I-n and investigated their phase transition properties using optical microscopy and differential scanning calorimetry. All the compounds exhibited a nematic phase at room temperature. The phase transition behaviour is explained in terms of molecular shape anisotropy. Furthermore, those compounds were found to exhibit electro-optical switching in the isotropic liquid in the vicinity of the nematic–isotropic liquid transition, indicating that the microscopic nematic order with a certain coherence length of the molecules exists in the optically isotropic temperature range.