Liquid–paper interactions during liquid drop impact and recoil on paper surfaces

The spreading and recoiling of water drops on several flat and macroscopically smooth model surfaces and on sized paper surfaces were studied over a range of drop impaction velocities using a high-speed CCD camera. The water drop spreading and recoiling results on several model hydrophobic and hydrophilic surfaces were found to be in agreement with observations reported in the literature. The maximum drop spreading diameter for those model surfaces at impact was found to be dependent upon the initial drop kinetic energy and the degree of hydrophobicity/hydrophilicity of the surface. The extent of the maximum drop recoiling was found to be much weaker for hydrophilic substrates than for hydrophobic substrates. Sized papers, however, showed an interesting switch of behaviour in the process of water drop impaction. They behave like a hydrophobic substrate when a water drop impacts on it, but like a hydrophilic substrate when water drop recoils. Although the contact angle between water and hydrophilic or hydrophobic non-porous surfaces changes from advancing to receding as reported in literature, the change of contact angle during water impact on paper surface is unique in that the level of sizing was found to have a smaller than expected influence on the degree of recoil. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) was used to probe fibres on a sized filter paper surface under water. The AFM data showed that water interacted strongly with the fibre even though the paper was heavily sized. Implications of this phenomenon were discussed in the context of inkjet print quality and of the surface conditions of sized papers. Results of this study are very useful in the understanding of inkjet ink droplet impaction on paper surfaces which sets the initial condition for ink penetration into paper after impaction.     

Porous structure and hydrophilic-hydrophobic properties of gas diffusion layers of the electrodes in proton-exchange membrane fuel cells

The porous structure and hydrophilic-hydrophobic properties of the gas diffusion layers (GDL) of electrodes on a substrate of carbon paper in proton-exchange membrane fuel cells have been investigated with the methods of standard porosimetry and of pycnometry. GDL containing various fluoroplast concentrations were impregnated with water, and this process has been investigated at 20 and 80°C. The impregnation rate is significantly higher for untreated carbon paper than for teflonated GDL and also increases significantly with increasing temperature. With teflonization of the carbon paper, hydrophilic porosity decreases, while hydrophobic porosity increases. This increase, however, ceases at high fluoroplast concentrations. The concept of hydrophobization effectiveness of the porous carbon substrate of GDL is introduced. It has been established that hydrophobization effectiveness decreases with increasing fluoroplast concentration and depends on the type of suspension. Curves of the angle of wetting of GDL by water versus the pore radius exhibit a minimum. Different values of the angle of wetting of GDL by water in different pores are explained by nonuniform distributions of both fluoroplast particles and hydrophilic surface groups in pores of different dimensions.     

Synthesis of porous poly(styrene-co-acrylic acid) microspheres through one-step soap-free emulsion polymerization: whys and wherefores

Synthesis of porous poly(styrene-co-acrylic acid) (PS-co-PAA) microspheres through one-step soap-free emulsion polymerization is reported. Various porous PS-co-PAA microspheres with the particle size ranging from 150 to 240 nm and with the pore size ranging from 4 to 25 nm are fabricated. The porous structure of the microspheres is confirmed by the transmission electron microscopy measurement and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) analysis. The reason for synthesis of the porous PS-co-PAA microspheres is discussed, and the phase separation between the encapsulated hydrophilic poly(acrylic acid) segment and the hydrophobic polystyrene domain within the PS-co-PAA microspheres is ascribed to the pore formation. The present synthesis of the porous PS-co-PAA microspheres is anticipated to be a new and convenient way to fabricate porous polymeric particles.     

A microfluidic approach for measuring capillary pressure in PEMFC gas diffusion layers

A dearth of experimental capillary pressure data limits our understanding and optimization of liquid water transport in PEMFC gas diffusion layers (GDLs). A microfluidic device and method is described for measuring the capillary pressure as a function of liquid water saturation for these thin porous materials with complex, heterogeneous wetting properties. A sample sandwich (hydrophilic membrane–GDL–hydrophobic membrane) is key for probing the entire hydrophilic and hydrophobic pore volume of the GDL during sequential liquid intrusion and gas intrusion experiments. The capillary pressure curves for an as-purchased Toray 090 and two differentially-processed Avcarb P75T GDLs were evaluated; each material displayed highly repeatable, but quantitatively different, room temperature capillary pressure curves that matched qualitative differences in their macroscopic wettability. The measurements show that hysteresis between the liquid intrusion and gas intrusion curves is significant. For example, both the Toray and fully wet-proofed Avcarb GDLs appear hydrophobic during most of the liquid intrusion curve and hydrophilic during most of the gas intrusion curve. The implications of this work for water management, and future device designs and experiments are described.     

Reorientation dynamics of nanoconfined water: power-law decay, hydrogen-bond jumps, and test of a two-state model

The reorientation dynamics of water confined within nanoscale, hydrophilic silica pores are investigated using molecular dynamics simulations. The effect of surface hydrogen-bonding and electrostatic interactions are examined by comparing with both a silica pore with no charges (representing hydrophobic confinement) and bulk water. The OH reorientation in water is found to slow significantly in hydrophilic confinement compared to bulk water, and is well-described by a power-law decay extending beyond one nanosecond. In contrast, the dynamics of water in the hydrophobic pore are more modestly affected. A two-state model, commonly used to interpret confined liquid properties, is tested by analysis of the position-dependence of the water dynamics. While the two-state model provides a good fit of the orientational decay, our molecular-level analysis evidences that it relies on an over-simplified picture of water dynamics. In contrast with the two-state model assumptions, the interface dynamics is markedly heterogeneous, especially in the hydrophilic pore and there is no single interfacial state with a common dynamics.     

不同浸润性多孔电极表面的气泡行为

采用氢气模板法制备了具有多孔结构的电极; 通过改变电镀电流密度和电镀时间实现了电极表面多孔结构孔径和分布的控制; 通过改变表面化学组成有效调控了电极表面的浸润性质. 比较了具有不同微观结构和表面化学组成的电极在给定条件下电解水过程中气泡的产生及行为机制. 实验结果表明: 相对于亲水的多孔电极, 疏水的多孔电极表面能够黏附气泡, 更易倾向于形成稳定的气膜; 多孔结构对于亲水电极表面气泡行为的影响比对疏水电极表面气泡行为的影响更为显著; 与没有多孔结构的亲水电极相比, 具有多孔结构的亲水电极表面产生的气泡数量多, 速率快; 与较小孔径的多孔亲水电极相比, 较大孔径的多孔亲水电极表面产生气泡速率快且黏附气泡数量少. 该研究结果为微气泡减阻电极的设计提供了理论依据.     

Double-pass casting: A novel technique for developing high performance ultrafiltration membranes

Double-pass casting was evaluated as a technique to overcome hard-to-cast membranes or hard-to-mix solutions. Two types of polyethersulfone (PES) membranes were tested, one incorporating a hydrophilic surface modifying additive and the other with a hydrophobic one. It was found that the morphological improvement was more obvious for hydrophobic membranes since their solutions were not completely homogenous and hard-to-cast. The double-pass hydrophobic membranes had smoother surfaces and more porous support layers, resulting in higher fluxes, higher volume of treated water (67.4% increase) but decreased natural organic matters (NOM) rejection. The new casting approach produced hydrophilic membranes having a spongy structure (as opposed to finger-like cavities), yet they had similar NOM rejection, a 12.4% higher flux than the single-pass membranes prepared from the same dope. This is attributed to the quite homogenous hydrophilic casting solutions and to the performance of the original hydrophilic membranes (single-pass casting) that was relatively good.     

Catalyzing the translocation of polypeptides through attractive interactions

Facilitated translocation of polypeptides through a protein pore is a ubiquitous and fundamental process in biology. Several translocation systems possess various well-defined binding sites within the pore lumen, but a clear mechanistic understanding of how the interaction of the polypeptides with the binding site alters the underlying kinetics is still missing. Here, we employed rational protein design and single-channel electrical recordings to obtain detailed kinetic signatures of polypeptide translocation through the staphylococcal alpha-hemolysin (alphaHL) transmembrane pore, a robust, tractable, and versatile beta-barrel protein. Acidic binding sites composed of rings of negatively charged aspartic acid residues, engineered at strategic positions within the beta barrel, produced dramatic changes in the functional properties of the alphaHL protein, facilitating the transport of cationic polypeptides from one side of the membrane to the other. When two electrostatic binding sites were introduced, at the entry and exit of the beta barrel, both the rate constants of association and dissociation increased substantially, diminishing the free energy barrier for translocation. By contrast, more hydrophobic polypeptides exhibited a considerable decrease in the rate constant of association to the pore lumen, having to overcome a greater energetic barrier because of the hydrophilic nature of the pore interior.     

A Zinc Phthalocyanine Based Periodic Mesoporous Organosilica Exhibiting Charge Transfer to Fullerenes

Periodic mesoporous organosilica (PMO) materials offer a strategy to position molecular semiconductors within a highly defined, porous network. We developed thin films of a new semiconducting zinc phthalocyanine‐bridged PMO exhibiting a face‐centered orthorhombic pore structure with an average pore diameter of 11 nm. The exceptional degree of order achieved with this PMO enabled us to create thin films consisting of a single porous domain throughout their entire thickness, thus providing maximal accessibility for subsequent incorporation of a complementary phase. The phthalocyanine building blocks inside the pore walls were found to be well‐aggregated, enabling electronic conductivity and extending the light‐harvesting capabilities to the near IR region. Ordered 3D heterojunctions capable of promoting photo‐induced charge transfer were constructed by impregnation of the PMO with a fullerene derivative. When integrated into a photovoltaic device, the infiltrated PMO is capable of producing a high open‐circuit voltage and a considerable photocurrent, which represents a significant step towards potential applications of PMOs in optoelectronics.     

Confinement effects on the morphology of photopatterned porous polymer monoliths for capillary and microchip electrophoresis of proteins

We find that the morphology of porous polymer monoliths photopatterned within capillaries and microchannels is substantially influenced by the dimensions of confinement. Porous polymer monoliths were prepared by UV-initiated free-radical polymerization using either the hydrophilic or hydrophobic monomers 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate or butyl methacrylate, cross-linker ethylene dimethacrylate and different porogenic solvents to produce bulk pore diameters between 3.2 and 0.4 microm. The extent of deformation from the bulk porous structure under confinement strongly depends on the ratio of characteristic length of the confined space to the monolith pore size. The effects are similar in cylindrical capillaries and D-shaped microfluidic channels. Bulk-like porosity is observed for a confinement dimension to pore size ratio >10, and significant deviation is observed for a ratio <5. At the extreme limit of deformation a smooth polymer layer 300 nm thick is formed on the surface of the capillary or microchannel. Surface tension or wetting also plays a role, with greater wetting enhancing deformation of the bulk structure. The films created by extreme deformation provide a rapid and effective strategy to create robust wall coatings, with the ability to photograft various surface chemistries onto the coating. This approach is demonstrated through cationic films used for electroosmotic flow control and neutral hydrophilic coatings for electrophoresis of proteins.     

Capillary flooding of wood with microemulsions from Winsor I systems

A new approach based on microemulsions formulated with at least 85% water and minority components consisting of oil (limonene) and surfactant (anionic and nonionic) is demonstrated for the first time to be effective for flooding wood's complex capillary structure. The formulation of the microemulsion was based on phase behavior scans of Surfactant-Oil-Water systems (SOWs) and the construction of pseudo-ternary diagrams to localize thermodynamically stable one-phase emulsion systems with different composition, salinity and water-to-oil ratios. Wicking and fluid penetration isotherms followed different kinetic regimes and indicated enhanced performance relative to that of the base fluids (water, oil or surfactant solutions). The key properties of microemulsions to effectively penetrate the solid structure are discussed; microemulsion formulation and resultant viscosity are found to have a determining effect in the extent of fluid uptake. The solubilization of cell wall components is observed after microemulsion impregnation. Thus, the microemulsion can be tuned not only to effectively penetrate the void spaces but also to solubilize hydrophobic and hydrophilic components. The concept proposed in this research is expected to open opportunities in fluid sorption in fiber systems for biomass pretreatment, and delivery of hydrophilic or lipophilic moieties in porous, lignocellulosics.     

Modeling liquid porosimetry in modeled and imaged 3-D fibrous microstructures

In this paper, an analysis to distinguish the geometric and porosimetric pore size distributions of a fibrous material is presented. The work is based on simulating the intrusion of nonwetting fluid in a series of 3-D fibrous microstructures obtained from 3-D image reconstruction or virtual geometries mathematically generated according to the properties of the media. We start our study by computing the pore size distribution of two typical hydroentangled nonwoven materials and present a theoretical model for their geometric pore size distributions based on Poisson line network model of the fibrous media. It is shown that the probability density function of the geometric pore size distribution can be approximated by a two-parametric Gamma distribution. We also study connectivity of the pore space in fibrous media by computing and comparing the accessible and allowed pore volumes in the form access function graphs. It is shown that the so-called ink-bottle effect can significantly influence the fluid intrusion in a porous material. The pore space connectivity of a homogeneous fibrous media is observed to be a function of thickness, solid volume fraction (SVF), and fiber diameter. It is shown that increasing the materials' thickness or SVF, while other properties are kept constant, reduces the pore space connectivity. On the other hand, increasing the fiber diameter enhances the connectivity of the pores if all other parameters are fixed. Moreover, modeling layered fibrous microstructures; it is shown that the access function graphs can be used to detect the location of the bottle neck pores in a layered/composite porous material.     

Chemical environment heterogeneity around the two chlorophyll a′ molecules in photosystem I

Treatment of whole and fractionated plant tissues with hydrophilic and hydrophobic solvent mixtures of varied volume ratio liberates two chlorophyll (Chl) a′ molecules from the photosystem (PS)I core when the solvent hydrophilicity exceeds a critical level, whereas only one molecule is extracted in hydrophobic media. The PSI core proteins, PSI-A and PSI-B, which form a heterodimer, appear to bind one Chl a′ molecule each, in local environments significantly different regarding their hydrophilicity or hydrophobicity.     

Kinetic adhesion of bacterial cells to sand: cell surface properties and adhesion rate

Correlation between microbial surface thermodynamics using the extended DLVO (XDLVO) theory and kinetic adhesion of various bacterial cells to sand was investigated. Two experimental setups were utilized. Adhesion tests were conducted in batch reactors with slow agitation. Also, bacteria were circulated through small sand columns in a closed loop and the results were analyzed with a simple model which accounted for the rate of the adhesion phenomena (omega in h(-1)) and adhesion percentage. Cells surface properties were derived from contact angle measurements. The wicking method was utilized to characterize the sand. Zeta potentials were measured for the sand and the cells. Kinetic of bacterial retention by the porous media was largely influenced by the electrostatic interactions which are correlated with omega from the model (R(2)=0.71). Negative zeta potentials resulted in electrostatic repulsions occurring between the sand and the bacterial cells which in result delayed bacterial adhesion. While no correlation was found between the adhesion percentage and the total interaction energy calculated with the XDLVO theory the respective behavior of hydrophobic and hydrophilic bacteria as well as the importance of electrostatic interactions was evidenced. All the bacterial strains studied adhered more in the column experiments than in the adhesion tests, presumably due to enhanced collision efficiency and wedging in porous media, while filtration could be ignored except for the larger Bacillus strains. Approximate XDLVO calculations due to solid surface nanoscale roughness, retention in a secondary minimum and population heterogeneity are discussed. Our results obtained with a large variety of different physicochemical bacterial strains highlights the influence of both surface thermodynamics and porous media related effects as well as the limits of using the XDLVO theory for evaluating bacterial retention through porous media.     

负载型TiO2-聚酰亚胺亲水复合膜的制备与分离性能

采用溶解－流涎法，湿相转换法和干湿相转换法制轩了负载型ＴｉＯ２－聚酰亚胺亲水复合膜，采用扫描电镜，红外光谱，压汞和透气性实验等手段对该膜的孔径分布，表面结构及扩散性能进行了表征，并讨论了制备亲水对膜孔结构的影响，实验结果表明，三种膜均具有很好的亲水性能，而干湿相转换膜具有良好的孔径分布和分离性能。     

Diffusive flux of nanoparticles through chemically modified alumina membranes

Surface chemistry plays an important role in determining flux through porous media such as in the environment. In this paper diffusive flux of nanoparticles through alkylsilane modified porous alumina is measured as a model for understanding transport in porous media of differing surface chemistries. Experiments are performed as a function of particle size, pore diameter, attached hydrocarbon chain length and chain terminus, and solvent. Particle fluxes are monitored by the change in absorbance of the solution in the receiving side of a diffusion cell. In general, flux increases when the membranes are modified with alkylsilanes compared to untreated membranes, which is attributed to the hydrophobic nature of the porous membranes and differences in wettability. We find that flux decreases, in both hexane and aqueous solutions, when the hydrocarbon chain lining the interior pore wall increases in length. The rate and selectivity of transport across these membranes is related to the partition coefficient (K(p)) and the diffusion coefficient (D) of the permeating species. By conducting experiments as a function of initial particle concentration, we find that K(p)D increases with increasing particle size, is greater in alkylsilane-modified pores, and larger in hexane solution than water. The impact of the alkylsilane terminus (-CH(3), -Br, -NH(2), -COOH) on permeation in water is also examined. In water, the highest K(p)D is observed when the membranes are modified with carboxylic acid terminated silanes and lowest with amine terminated silanes as a result of electrostatic effects during translocation.     

Maghemite nanocrystal impregnation by hydrophobic surface modification of mesoporous silica

Here, we report the design of a hybrid inorganic/organic mesoporous material through simultaneous pore engineering and hydrophobic surface modification of the intramesochannels to improve the uptake of superparamagnetic maghemite nanocrystals via impregnation techniques. The mesoporous material of the SBA-15 type was functionalized in situ with thiol organo-siloxane groups. Restricting the addition of the thiol organo-siloxane to 2 mol % yielded an inorganic/organic hybrid material characterized by large pores and a well-ordered hexagonal p6mm mesophase. The hydrophobic surface modification promoted the incorporation of 7.5 nm maghemite (gamma-Fe2O3) nanocrystals, prepared through temperature-controlled decomposition of iron pentacarbonyl in organic solvents. The hydrophobic, oleic acid capped superparamagnetic maghemite nanocrystals were incorporated into the porous network via wet impregnation from organic suspensions. Combining diffraction, microscopy, and adsorption data confirmed the uptake of the nanocrystals within the intramesochannels of the silica host. Magnetization dependencies on magnetic field at different temperatures show a constriction in the loop around the origin, which indicates immobilization of maghemite nanocrystals inside the thiol-functionalized silica host.     

疏水/亲水性聚二乙烯基苯/聚丙烯酸大孔互穿聚合物网络树脂对苯胺的吸附性能

采用分步悬浮聚合法制备了聚二乙烯基苯/聚丙烯酸甲酯（PDVB/PMA）大孔互穿聚合物网络,将其中的聚丙烯酸甲酯转化为聚丙烯酸,得到具有疏水/亲水性能的聚二乙烯基苯/聚丙烯酸（PDVB/PAA）大孔互穿聚合物网络（IPN）,研究了这类疏水/亲水大孔PDVB/PAA IPN对苯胺的吸附热力学和吸附动力学,测定了该树脂的孔结构、含水量、弱酸交换量和溶胀性能;测定了该树脂对苯胺在不同温度下的吸附等温线,利用热力学函数关系计算了吸附焓、自由能和熵。 红外光谱显示,成功合成了疏水/亲水PDVB/PAA IPN,与PDVB、PDVB/PMA IPN树脂相比,其BET表面积以及孔容均减小,含水量为62.73％,弱酸交换量为1.91 mmol/g;对苯胺的吸附为放热、自发的过程;溶胀实验、静态解吸实验表明,PDVB/PAA IPN树脂中疏水性的PDVB网具有疏水作用吸附能力,亲水性的PAA网具有氢键作用吸附能力。 对苯胺的吸附在90 min时即可达到吸附平衡,树脂吸附苯胺符合一级速率方程,吸附速率主要受颗粒内扩散的控制,同时还受液膜扩散的影响,吸附动力学可采用HSDM模型描述。     

Effects of geometrical characteristics of surface roughness on droplet wetting

Surface roughness is known to alter the wettability on a solid substrate. In general, either Wenzel or Cassie-Baxter theory is adopted to describe the apparent contact angle. Following the minimum free energy pathway associated with the imbibition process, we have derived a generalized expression for the apparent contact angle on a textured surface and the liquid-gas contact area within the groove that plays a key role. Depending on the geometrical characteristics of the grooves, the surface wetting falls into three regimes: (i) single stable state which is either Wenzel (completely wetted roughness) or Cassie-Baxter (completely nonwetted roughness) state, (ii) two stable states (Wenzel and Cassie-Baxter) separated by an energy barrier, and (iii) single stable state with partially wetted roughness. The sufficient condition for each regime is derived and several groove geometries are given to show the free energy path. Alteration in the geometric parameters may lead to the wetting crossover. We also show that the Cassie-Baxter can occur at a hydrophilic surface for particular pore shapes.     

Amphiphilic 4-helix bundles designed for biomolecular materials applications

Artificial peptides previously designed to possess alpha-helical bundle motifs have been either hydrophilic (i.e., soluble in polar media) or lipophilic (i.e., soluble in nonpolar media) in overall character. Realizations of these bioinspired bundles have succeeded in reproducing a variety of biomimetic functionality within the appropriate media. However, to translate their functionality into any biomolecular device applications at the macroscopic level, the bundles must be oriented in an ensemble, for example, at an interface. This goal has been realized in a new family of alpha-helical bundle peptides which are amphiphilic; namely, they assemble into 4-helix bundles with well-defined hydrophilic and hydrophobic domains. These peptides are capable of binding metalloporphyrin prosthetic groups at selected locations within these domains. We describe here the realization of one of the first members of this family, AP0, successfully designed for vectorial incorporation into soft interfaces between polar and nonpolar media.