Molecular dynamics study of the water/n-alkane interface

Molecular dynamics simulations on the interface between liquid water and liquid n-alkane (including octane, nonane, decane, undecane and dodecane) have been performed with the purpose to study the interfacial properties: (Ⅰ) density profile; (Ⅱ) molecular orientation; (Ⅲ) interfacial tension and the temperature effect on the interfacial tension. Simulation results show that at the interface the structures of both water and n-alkane are different from those in the bulk. Water has an orientational preference ...     

Aggregate formation in oil and adsorption at oil/water interface: thermodynamics and its application to the oleyl alcohol system

The thermodynamic equations for examining aggregate formation in an oil phase and adsorption at the oil/water interface of a nonionic solute were derived. The total differentials of chemical potentials of species and the oil/water interfacial tension were expressed as functions of temperature, pressure, and the total concentration of solute in the oil phase after explicit consideration of aggregate formation. The partial derivatives of the chemical potentials and the interfacial tension with respect to the independent variables were found to provide the thermodynamic quantities of aggregate formation and adsorption from oil phase to the interface by introducing the concept of an ideally dilute associated solution. These equations were applied to the cyclohexane solution of oleyl alcohol/water system, and the adsorption and aggregate formation was examined.     

非离子表面活性剂在气液界面的分子动力学模拟

采用分子动力学方法研究了十二烷基醇聚氧乙烯醚系列非离子表面活性剂单分子层在气液界面的微观结构,并通过表面张力的计算考察了表面活性剂分子结构与性能的关系.研究结果表明,随着表面活性剂分子乙氧基基团个数的增加,模拟所得的表面张力的变化趋势与实验一致,所有分子的计算误差在5 mN·m-1以内.同时,随着乙氧基基团数目的增加,...     

Polymer/surfactant interactions at the air/water interface

The development of neutron reflectometry has transformed the study and understanding of polymer/surfactant mixtures at the air/water interface. A critical assessment of the results from this technique is made by comparing them with the information available from other techniques used to investigate adsorption at this interface. In the last few years, detailed information about the structure and composition of adsorbed layers has been obtained for a wide range of polymer/surfactant mixtures, including neutral polymers and synthetic and naturally occurring polyelectrolytes, with single surfactants or mixtures of surfactants. The use of neutron reflectometry together with surface tensiometry, has allowed the surface behaviour of these mixtures to be related directly to the bulk phase behaviour. We review the broad range of systems that have been studied, from neutral polymers with ionic surfactants to oppositely charged polyelectrolyte/ionic surfactant mixtures. A particular emphasis is placed upon the rich pattern of adsorption behaviour that is seen in oppositely charged polyelectrolyte/surfactant mixtures, much of which had not been reported previously. The strong surface interactions resulting from the electrostatic attractions in these systems have a very pronounced effect on both the surface tension behaviour and on adsorbed layers consisting of polymer/surfactant complexes, often giving rise to significant surface ordering.     

Adsorption behavior of phospholipid vesicles at oil/water interfaces

By measuring the change in interfacial tension after adding phospholipid vesicles to an aqueous solution of electrolyte, we studied the adsorption behavior of phospholipid vesicles at oil/water interfaces. The effects of concentration of three kinds of electrolyte (NaCl, MgCl₂, LaCl₃) and of the mixing ratio of two kinds of phospholipids (phosphatidylcholine and phosphatidylserine), on the adsorption behavior at an oil/water interface were examined. The results were interpreted using the DLVO theory.     

Mechanical properties of protein adsorption layers at the air/water and oil/water interface: A comparison in light of the thermodynamical stability of proteins

Over the last decades numerous studies on the interfacial rheological response of protein adsorption layers have been published. The comparison of these studies and the retrieval of a common parameter to compare protein interfacial activity are hampered by the fact that different boundary conditions (e.g. physico-chemical, instrumental, interfacial) were used. In the present work we review previous studies and attempt a unifying approach for the comparison between bulk protein properties and their adsorption films. Among many common food grade proteins we chose bovine serum albumin, β-lactoglobulin and lysozyme for their difference in thermodynamic stability and studied their adsorption at the air/water and limonene/water interface. In order to achieve this we have i) systematically analyzed protein adsorption kinetics in terms of surface pressure rise using a drop profile analysis tensiometer and ii) we addressed the interfacial layer properties under shear stress using an interfacial shear rheometer under the same experimental conditions. We could show that thermodynamically less stable proteins adsorb generally faster and yield films with higher shear rheological properties at air/water interface. The same proteins showed an analog behavior when adsorbing at the limonene/water interface but at slower rates.     

Adsorption at the air/water interface in dodecylammonium chloride/sodium dodecyl sulfate mixtures

The composition and properties of the adsorption films of dodecylammonium chloride/sodium dodecyl sulfate at the air/water interface depend on interactions between the film molecules and equilibria in the bulk phase (monomer-micelle and/or monomerprecipitate equilibria).The negative value of surface molecular interaction parameter ^mon calculated using the regular solution theory indicates strong attractive interactions between adsorbed molecules. Electrostatic interactions between oppositely charged ionic head groups enhance the adsorption of surfactants and decrease the minimum molar area of surfactant molecules at the air/water interface. The addition of an oppositely charged surfactant enhances packing at the air/water interface and transition from a liquid expanded to a liquid condensed state. Surface potential measurements reveal positive values for the mixtures investigated, implying the cationic surfactant ions are closer to the surface than the anionic ones.     

Interfacial tension of alkylglucosides in different APG/oil/water systems

The interfacial performance of pure alkylglucosides (C₈G₁, C₁₀G₁ and C₁₂G₁) and of technical grade alkylpolyglucoside (APG) surfactants was investigated in three different water/oil systems (decane, isopropylmyristate and 2-octyldodecanol). From the dependence of the interfacial tension on the surfactant concentration below the CMC the cross-sectional area of the molecules at the decane/water interface was estimated. The plateau values of the interfacial tension at the CMC _c are independent of temperature and almost independent of added electrolyte in the decane/water system. The ability of the surfactants to lower the oil/water interfacial tension is most pronounced for the nonpolar oil. The partition coefficient of the surfactant between oil and water phase (k _c) was estimated from the CMC and the observed break point of the interfacial tension after equilibration of the two phases. In decane/water,k _c is nearly zero for all surfactants studied. For the polar oils,k _c increases with the chain length of the surfactant up tok _c10 for C₁₂G₁ in octyldodecanol/water. The values of _c in the different oil/water systems appear to be correlated withk _c and exhibit a minimum neark _c=1.     

Polyelectrolyte/surfactant mixtures in the bulk and at water/oil interfaces

Stabilization of emulsions by mixed polyelectrolyte/surfactant systems is a prominent example for the application in modern technologies. The formation of complexes between the polymers and the surfactants depends on the type of surfactant (ionic, non-ionic) and the mixing ratio. The surface activity (hydrophilic–lipophilic balance) of the resulting complexes is an important quantity for its efficiency in stabilizing emulsions. The interfacial adsorption properties observed at liquid/oil interfaces are more or less equivalent to those observed at the aqueous solution/air interface, however, the corresponding interfacial dilational and shear rheology parameters differ quite significantly. The interfacial properties are directly linked to bulk properties, which support the picture for the complex formation of polyelectrolyte/surfactant mixtures, which is the result of electrostatic and hydrophobic interactions. For long alkyl chain surfactants the interfacial behavior is strongly influenced by hydrophobic interactions while the complex formation with short chain surfactants is mainly governed by electrostatic interactions.     

Effects of additional salts on the interfacial tension of crude oil/zwitterionic gemini surfactant solutions

Zwitterionic gemini surfactants, which have the advantages of both zwitterionic and gemini surfactants, have been widely used in various disciplines. Sulfobetaine-type zwitterionic gemini surfactants consisting of 1,2-bis[N-methyl-N-(3-sulfopropyl)-alkylammonium]ethane (2C_nSb with 6, 8 and 10 carbon atoms) were evaluated for their interfacial activities at the water/crude oil interface. The 2C₁₀Sb molecules showed a remarkable ability to decrease the interface tension (IFT) of water/crude oil, and the degree of decrease was much greater than those in either zwitterionic or gemini surfactant systems by at least two orders of magnitude. Furthermore, the effects of salts (NaCl, CaCl₂, and MgCl₂) on the IFT of the 2C₁₀Sb system were thoroughly investigated. Interestingly, the delicate balance between the effects of additional cations and the intramolecular interactions of 2C₁₀Sb molecules played crucial roles in the interfacial arrangements of 2C₁₀Sb molecules, which were mainly dependent on the bonding abilities of the cations. Moreover, a zwitterionic surfactant and a cationic gemini surfactant were employed in control experiments to verify the proposed mechanisms.     

Adsorption kinetics of some carotenoids at the oil/water interface

The kinetic analysis of the adsorption of two carotenoids (i.e., ethyl ester of β-apo-8′-carotenoic acid and β-carotene, all trans-isomers) from n-hexane solutions at the oil/water interface is presented for several carotenoid concentrations in the oil phase. A new kinetic approach is developed and it addresses the diffusion adsorption associated with a reversible interfacial reaction, which describes the reorientation of surfactant molecules between two conformations. This approach leads to a general analytical expression that contains four physical parameters and describes with high accuracy the experimental dynamic interfacial tensions for the two carotenoids, which independently adsorb from n-hexane phase to the n-hexane/water interface. The calculations give the characteristic times for the carotenoid adsorption at the oil/water interface in terms of diffusion relaxation and kinetic relaxation times. The results explain the long time effects on the adsorption of these carotenoids at the oil/water interface. The data are in substantial agreement with the molecular structure of these carotenoids and with the earlier data recorded for cholesterol adsorption at the n-heptane/water interface. Based on these findings, we propose a molecular mechanism for the interfacial transformation of carotenoid molecules at a hydrophobic/hydrophilic interface.     

多元体系油水界面上常见表面活性剂行为的分子动力学模拟

采用分子动力学模拟研究了以十二烷基苯磺酸钠(SDBS)为代表的阴离子型表面活性剂,以十二烷基三甲基溴化铵(DTAB)为代表的阳离子型表面活性剂,以壬基酚聚氧乙烯醚(NPE)为代表的非离子型表面活性剂,以十二烷基二甲基甜菜碱(Betaine)为代表的两性表面活性剂及空白实验.模拟了表面活性剂在油水界面上的行为,考察了表面活性剂分子与石油分子之间的径向分布函数(RDF)、石油分子在竖直方向的均方位移(MSD)、油水界面张力(IFT)、石油层与岩石层之间的相互作用能、石油层的相对浓度在竖直方向的分布及石油分子质心位置随模拟时间的变化关系等,讨论了不同表面活性剂的洗油性能.结果表明:(1)SDBS,NPE和Betaine分子初始状态下呈近似的规律排列,非极性端部分插入油相中,极性端延伸进入水相中;随后表面活性剂的极性端表现出聚集趋势,逐渐形成一个外部亲油内部亲水的一个胶束状粒子,粒子随模拟的进行逐渐融入到油层当中;DTAB从开始的近似规则排列逐渐变为无规排列,但是始终保持亲油端插入到油相中,亲水端位于油水界面上.(2)表面活性剂分子与石油分子之间的相互作用强弱顺序为Betaine≈DTABSDBSNPE.(3)由质心高度和动力过程中的图像截图分析,表面活性剂洗油效果的顺序为BetaineSDBSNPEDTABNone.模拟结果与实际的驱油结果一致,从分子层面上解释了不同表面活性剂洗油的规律.     

The interactions of saturated fatty acids at the dodecane/water interface and their sodium salts at the air/water interface

The interfacial tension of lauric, myristic and palmitic acids at the dodecane/water interface and of their sodium salts at the air/water interface were measured using the Du Noüy (ring) method. On the basis of these results the standard free energies of adsorption (ΔG⁰_ad) and of micellization (ΔG⁰_mic) of the above mentioned systems were calculated. According to deviations of the Langmuir isotherm, the corresponding interactions were discussed from the dependence of the standard free energy of adsorption on the interface coverage (Θ).     

Molecular dynamics simulation of a water/metal interface

First results of a molecular dynamics study of a water/metal interface, lasting 3.3 ps at an average temperature of 294 K, are reported. The basic periodic box contains 216 water molecules and a crystal slab of 550 platinum atoms with (100) surface planes. A combination of a Lennard-Jones potential between centers of mass and a Coulomb potential arising from dielectric interactions of the water charge distribution with the metal is employed for the water-wall interaction, the ST2 model for the water-water, and a nearest-neighbour harmonic potential for the platinum-platinum interactions. Considerable adsorption at the interface together with a drastic change of the water structure is observed.     

Spreading of oil from protein stabilised emulsions at air/water interfaces

Spreading of a drop of an emulsion made with milk proteins on air/water interfaces was studied. From an unheated emulsion, all oil molecules could spread onto the air/water interface, indicating that the protein layers around the oil globules in the emulsion droplet were not coherent enough to withstand the forces involved in spreading. Heat treatment (90 °C) of emulsions made with whey protein concentrate (WPC) or skim milk powder reduced the spreadability, probably because polymerisation of whey protein at the oil/water interface increased the coherence of the protein layer. Heat treatment of emulsions made with WPC and monoglycerides did not reduce spreadability, presumably because the presence of the monoglycerides at the oil/water interface prevented a substantial increase of coherence of the protein layer. Heat treatment of caseinate-stabilised emulsions had no effect on the spreadability. If proteins were already present at the air/water interface, oil did not spread if the surface tension (γ) was <60 mN/m. We introduced a new method to measure the rate at which oil molecules spread from the oil globules in the emulsion droplet by monitoring changes in γ at various positions in a ‘trough’. The spreading rates observed for the various systems agree very well with the values predicted by the theory. Spreading from oil globules in a drop of emulsion was faster than spreading from a single oil drop, possibly due to the greater surface tension gradient between the oil globule and the air/water interface or to the increased oil surface area. Heat treatment of an emulsion made with WPC did not affect the spreading rate. The method was not suitable for measuring the spreading rate at interfaces where surface active material is already present, because changes in γ then were caused by compression of the interfacial layer rather than by the spreading oil.     

阴离子表面活性剂在水/正烷烃界面的分子动力学模拟(英文)

利用分子动力学模拟方法研究了阴离子表面活性剂在水/正烷烃(壬烷,癸烷和十一碳烷)界面的结构和动力学特点.十六烷基苯磺酸钠作为研究对象,其中苯磺酸基团在十六碳烷的第4号碳原子上,记作4-C16.分析了不同油相和特定盐度条件下正烷烃-表面活性剂-水体系的界面特点(如密度剖面图、界面张力和径向分布函数).模拟结果表明平衡模型体系展现了一个很好的水/正烷烃界面.当加氯化钠到水溶液中,正烷烃-表面活性剂-水体系的界面张力有微小的变化,有趣的是表面活性剂二面角的反式结构分数的变化联系着界面张力的微小变化.可见,表面活性剂在界面处的结构对降低界面张力起到重要的作用.此外,还发现表面活性剂的极性头与钠离子和水分子存在较强的相互作用.     

阴离子表面活性剂在油水界面聚集的分子动力学模拟

用分子动力学方法模拟了油、水和阴离子表面活性剂组成的混合溶液从初始“均相”到“油水两相”分离的动力学过程, 研究了十二烷基苯磺酸钠(SDBS)在界面分离过程中的作用. 模拟发现, 油水两相能够在短时间内分离达到平衡, 形成一个明显的油水界面; 在SDBS存在情况下, 油水界面的分离时间随着SDBS浓度的增加逐渐增加, 达到平衡时SDBS会在界面处形成一个明显的界面膜, 并对油水界面处的水分子有限制作用. 模拟表明, 分子动力学方法可以作为实验的一种补充, 为实验提供必要的微观分子结构信息.     

Study of the dynamic interfacial tension at the oil/water interface

A review is given on three recently developed methods to measure the dynamic interfacial tension at the oil/water interface. These are respectively the dynamic drop volume method, the dynamic capillary method, and the (reversed) funnel method. For each method presented the basic principles are described and a few experimental results are given.Paper presented at the 7th International Conference on Surface Active Substances (Bad-Stuer, DDR, 25–30. April 1988).     

Evaluation of adsorption of nonionic surfactants blend at water/oil interfaces

The inherent biocompatibility of Span and Tween surfactants makes them an important class of nonionic emulsifiers that are employed extensively in emulsion and foam stabilization. The adsorption of Span-Tween blend at water/oil surface of emulsion has been investigated using a population balance model for the first time. Destability of emulsion was modeled by considering sedimentation, coalescence and interfacial coalescence terms in population balance equation (PBE). The terms of coalescence efficiency and interfacial coalescence time were considered as a function of surface coverage of droplets by surfactant molecules. The surface coverage at different surfactant concentrations was determined by minimization of difference between the model predictions and experimental average droplet sizes. After optimization, the surface coverage outputs were fitted with different adsorption isotherms to evaluate the adsorption behavior of Span-Tween surfactants blend at water/oil surface. The results show that Freundlich isotherm can predict the adsorption behavior of closer to the experimental observation. Moreover, fitted parameters imply the favorable adsorption of Span-Tween blend at water/oil interface.