Dielectric Spectra of Aerosol OT/Water Systems at Different Concentrations and Temperatures

The dielectric spectra of aerosol OT[AOT, sodium(bis-2-ethylhexyl)sulfosuccinate]/water systems at different concentrations and temperatures were investigated by the dielectric relaxation spectroscopy(DRS). Through the dielectric spectra of different concentrations, two dielectric relaxations were observed over a frequency range from 40 Hz to 110 MHz and the mechanisms of the relaxations were also interpreted based on the Grosse’s model. The low-frequency relaxation(around 105 Hz) was attributed to the radial diffusion of counterions along the long-half axis of the rod-like micelle, and the high-frequency relaxation(around 106 Hz) was ascribed to the radial diffusion of counterions along the short-half axis. Furthermore, specific emphasis was placed on studying the effects of temperature on system’s conductivity. It was observed that the low-frequency limit of conductivity(κl) decreased and then increased with the increment of temperature under the measured concentration. On the other hand, the conductivity(κm and κh) in meso- and high-frequency ranges always increased as temperature increased. Both the tendencies of alteration which mentioned above should be related to the phase transition of AOT/water system.     

Thermal decomposition of maltitol spreads

The purpose of this study is to research the thermal properties of spreads with maltitol. Thermal characteristics of spreads depend on process parameters (temperature, mixer speed rotation). Spreads are produced at different temperatures (30, 35, and 40 °C) and mixer speed rotation (1, 1.33, and 1.67 Hz). The thermogravimetric method shows the peak position and determinate the spread composition. The temperature decomposition of sucrose and maltitol is two stages (two peaks), and palm fat has a single stage decomposition (one peak). Maltitol peak is dominant for spreads containing 100 and 70 % maltitol as a sweetener. This peak is sharper than sucrose peak and the inflection point is more expressed. Shape and the position of these peaks in spreads are modified. Peaks of maltitol, palm fat, and sucrose in spreads are lower and wider because of the grinding process and the interaction between spread ingredients. Increasing the process parameters (temperature, mixer speed rotation), temperatures of these peaks are higher (closer to temperature peak of pure ingredients). The dominant parameter is mixer speed rotation. The most thermally stable spreads with any amount of maltitol are produced at a temperature of 40 °C and high mixer speed rotation (1.33 and 1.67 Hz), while the least stable maltitol spreads are produced at minimum process parameters (30 °C, 1 Hz).     

Electro-optic characteristics of aqueous beta-FeOOH particles

This paper presents a detailed analysis of the electro-optic behavior of suspensions of noninteracting monodisperse beta-FeOOH particles. The electro-optic parameters are determined for aqueous suspensions of the oxide particles and the influences of surface charge and Debye layer thickness are verified. Since the conventional method of frequency analysis is inconsistent in the low-frequency range, new electro-optic parameters are introduced to define the frequency variation of the effects. Electric polarizability is determined with precision to a constant, and its relative variations are followed. As reported for other oxides, electric polarizability correlates with charge variations in the diffuse part of the particle surface electric layer, and its relaxation frequency increases with surface charge density, indicating a Maxwell-Wagner type of surface polarization. The alternating component of the responses yields particle relaxation frequency and the phase shift of the responses at this frequency. For all studied samples the phase shift at particle relaxation frequency is 45 degrees. The relative changes in the steady component of the responses in the low-frequency range are followed by field intensity curves at characteristic frequencies of the samples. Electrophoretic rotation is the process consistent with our data for the low-frequency effect. The results show that it is enhanced by the combined actions of low or slowly relaxing polarizability and significant electrophoretic mobility.     

Hydrodynamic flows in electrowetting

Hydrodynamic flows are generated inside a droplet in electrowetting when an ac voltage is applied. To discover the characteristics and origin of the flows, we investigated the flow pattern for a sessile droplet for various needle-electrode positions, electrolyte concentrations, and applied electrical frequencies. Two distinct types of flows were observed under current experimental conditions. In the typical experimental condition, a quite fast flow appears in the low-frequency range of about 10 Hz to 15 kHz. A different type of flow is observed in the high-frequency range of about 35 to 256 kHz, but this frequency range depends significantly on the electrolyte concentration. Most typically, the flow directions are different for the two flows. A shape oscillation of a droplet was observed in the low-frequency range by a high-speed camera. The flow in the low-frequency range is insensitive to the conductivity of the solution and may be caused by the interfacial oscillation of the droplet. The flow at high frequency is very sensitive to the conductivity of the solution and electrode position, so the high-frequency flow is believed to be caused by some electrohydrodynamic effect.     

Superfast electrophoresis of electron-type conducting particles

The features of concentration polarization caused by electric current through a unipolar conductive particle are considered. The peculiarities of the formation of an induced space charge near a particle with electron-type conductivity are analysed. It has been shown that the theoretical values of electrophoretic velocity for these particles are essentially smaller than those calculated for particles with ion-type conductivity.A new method to observe the superfast electrophoresis is developed. The electrophoretic velocity of graphite and activated carbon particles of different size (diameter, 200–500 μm) displaced in distilled water and electrolyte solutions in strong electric fields (100–500 V cm⁻¹) was measured. It is shown that, in contrast to classical electrophoresis, the electrophoretic mobility of such particles increases with the particle size and the external field strength. The experimental and theoretical results are compared. The discrepancy between theory and experiment is analysed.     

Experimental study of a dynamic filtration system with overlapping ceramic membranes and non-permeating disks rotating at independent speeds

In a previous paper [Ding et al., J. Membr. Sci. 276 (2006) 232], we have investigated the performance in microfiltration of mineral suspensions of a novel filtration pilot consisting in overlapping ceramic membranes disks rotating at same speed on two parallel shafts. In this paper, we investigate a modification of this concept in which the ceramic disks of one shaft were replaced by non-permeating metal disks of same size rotating at a speed different from that of membranes. We also operated the pilot without disks on the 2nd shaft in order to eliminate membrane overlapping. When using metal disks with radial vanes, permeate fluxes were found to be 50–60% higher than those obtained in the same conditions with the previous design using only ceramic disks. By comparing permeate fluxes in different configurations, membranes on both shafts, membranes on the 1st shaft with and without metal disks on the 2nd shaft, we showed that, at a feed concentration of 200 g L⁻¹, the effect on permeate flux J, of shear rate increment due to membrane overlapping, could be completely offset by the high concentration increase between two adjacent and overlapping membranes. Raising the ceramic disks rotation speed N_c had a larger effect on J than increasing the metal disks speed N_m. For N_c = 32.16 Hz (1930 rpm) and N_m = 2.4 Hz (144 rpm), J reached 1790 L h⁻¹ m⁻² at 310 kPa, versus 1100 L h⁻¹ m⁻² for N_c = 12.3 Hz (738 rpm) and N_m = 22.26 Hz (1336 rpm) (for the same total sum N_c + N_m). Measurements of electrical power consumed by friction on rotating disks showed that the energy spent per m³ of permeate was lowest when using metal disk with vanes rotating at low speed and ceramic disks rotating at high speed.     

Impedance spectroscopy of water solutions: the role of ions at the liquid-electrode interface

We discuss the influence of the ions dissolved in a liquid on the impedance spectroscopy of a cell. Our analysis is performed in the small-voltage regime, where the actual bulk density of ions is only slightly perturbed by the external electric field. In this framework, we show that the presence of the ions can be taken into account by a surface density of charge. The agreement between the theoretical prediction, on the basis of the assumption that the ionic mobility is frequency independent, and the experimental data for the real and imaginary parts of the impedance is fairly good for frequencies larger than 100 Hz. In the low-frequency range, the agreement of the theory with the experiment is rather poor. In this region, the experimental data can be successfully fitted by introducing the impedance of the metal-electrolyte interface, which is accurately represented by Zi = w(i omega)(-nu), where w and nu are two constants, with 0 < nu < 1. From the analysis of the experimental data, we determine w and nu. The theoretical predictions of our model are in good agreement with the experimental data in the investigated frequency range.     

Predicting interactive behavior of cytokines and their receptors by dielectric thermal analysis and thermogravimetry

Cytokines and soluble cytokine receptors serve as important protein biomarkers for chronic and infectious disease diagnosis. The development of biosensors capable of detecting cytokines or their soluble receptors in patient bodily fluids is a growing area of research. In an ongoing series of studies to understand the thermal analytical behavior of cytokines and their soluble receptors, dielectric thermal analysis (DETA) and thermogravimetry (TG) were used in investigations to determine if differentiations based on dielectric properties (e.g., conductivity) of the proteins could be identified. Permittivity (ε′) and dielectric loss factor (ε″) measurements were performed over a frequency range of 0.1–300,000 Hz. Up to 20 min, water associated with the samples was conductive, interacting with the proteins and affecting the temperature-dependent relaxation spectra of proteins. A trend analysis revealed differences between surface charge at 0.1 Hz and bulk charge at 300,000 Hz. In addition, the greatest change detected among proteins was due to the conductivity (dielectric loss factor). Beyond a 20 min drying time, the observed conductivity was due to intrinsic properties of the proteins with limited dependence on frequency. A 100% water loss was obtained for samples within 20–30 min by TG. Sample drying by TG could serve as a preparatory step in drying protein samples for further DETA and DSC analysis.     

Anomalous low-frequency electro-optic behavior of ferric oxide particles in the presence of poly(ethylene oxide)

Electro-optic techniques were used to investigate the influence of poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) on the surface electric state of positively charged oxide particles. The variations in particle electrophoretic mobility of beta-FeOOH particles in the presence of PEO indicate significant changes in the surface electric state of the particles in the concentration interval of PEO 10(-2)-10(-1) g dm(-3). The electro-optic results for the same conditions were unexpected: no significant difference is observed in the value and the relaxation frequency of particle electric polarizability in the frequency domain of the alpha-relaxation (detected in the kilohertz range); particle rotational relaxation time also remains unchanged; considerable changes are detected only in the relaxation interval of particle rotation (detected in the hertz range). The obtained results reject the possibility of the formation on the particle surface of a thick polymer layer. A thin adsorption layer cannot explain the significant decrease in particle electrophoretic mobility. The variations in electrophoretic mobility are well correlated with the effects in the domain of particle rotation. A possible explanation of the observed effects is proposed, based on our previous investigations of the effects in the low-frequency domain. The presented results demonstrate that the important information on the electrokinetic charge distribution is not found in the domain of the alpha-dispersion, but in the domain of particle rotation.     

Apparent molar volume, isentropic compressibility and conductivity of di-sodium hydrogen phosphate in water and in aqueous solutions of 1-propanol

Precise measurements on the density and sound velocity of solutions of di-sodium hydrogen phosphate in 1-propanol + water mixed-solvent media with alcohol mass fractions of 0.00, 0.05, 0.10 and 0.15 are reported in the 283.15–303.15 K temperature range at 5 K intervals. Electrical conductivity and refractive index of the solutions are studied at 298.15 K. From the experimental density and sound velocity data, the apparent molar volume and isentropic compressibility values of di-sodium hydrogen phosphate have been evaluated. The results show a positive transfer volume of di-sodium hydrogen phosphate from an aqueous 1-propanol solution to a more concentrated 1-propanol solution. The apparent molar isentropic compression of di-sodium hydrogen phosphate in aqueous 1-propanol solutions is negative and it increases with increasing the concentration of 1-propanol and temperature. The negative values of apparent molar isentropic compression imply that the water molecules around the di-sodium hydrogen phosphate are less compressible than the water molecules in the bulk solutions. The effects of the electrolyte concentration and relative permittivity of the medium on the molar conductivity were also investigated.     

Dependence of the broad frequency dielectric spectra of colloidal polystyrene particle suspensions on the difference between the counterion and co-ion diffusion coefficients

Dielectric properties of four suspensions of spherical polystyrene particles were measured at 25 degrees C over a broad frequency range extending from 100 Hz to 10 MHz, using a HP 4192 A Impedance Analyzer. The instrument was coupled to a cell with parallel platinum black electrodes and variable spacing, and the quadrupole calibration method was used. The aqueous electrolyte solutions were prepared using equal concentrations of NaCl, KCl, NaAc, or KAc, so that the calculated Debye screening length and Zeta potential remained constant, while the conductivity changed. The polystyrene particles used (Interfacial Dynamics Corp., surfactant-free white sulfate latex) have a diameter of 1 micron and a surface charge density that is independent of the pH. The dielectric spectra were described using the Nettelblad-Niklasson expression combined with a Debye type high-frequency term and analyzed using the Shilov-Dukhin theory and numerical results. The theoretical prediction that the low-frequency dispersion parameters are determined by the co-ion diffusion coefficient was experimentally confirmed. This also allowed to justify an alternative definition of the characteristic time of the low-frequency dispersion. On the contrary, the prediction that the high-frequency dispersion parameters are determined by the diffusion coefficient of counterions could not be confirmed, possibly due to experimental problems. However, the zeta-potential values deduced from high-frequency data were compatible with values deduced from electrophoretic mobility measurements.     

Surface states and resonances in field emission from low-index facets of clean tungsten

The energies, widths, and shapes of features observed in the total energy distributions in field emission from W(1 0 0) and W(1 1 1) are compared with the results of a full-potential LAPW calculation of the surface density of states based on a supercell model of the crystal structure at the metal–vacuum interface. The Swanson hump on W(1 0 0) is attributed to two bands of surface states and surface resonances of d_z² symmetry that are highly localised at , and a second peak observed at lower energy is attributed to a band of surface resonances, also of d_z² symmetry, centred at from along . The energy scale of the calculated total energy distribution is compressed by about 20% relative to the experimental data. The present calculation yields strong evidence that the broad asymmetric peak observed on W(1 1 1) is due to emission from a band of surface resonances. Further calculations for W(1 1 1) are proposed both to test the accuracy of the band model and to take into account the velocity factor that enters in a calculation of the emission current.     

Viscometric and volumetric behaviour of binary mixtures of sulfolane and N-methylpyrrolidone with monoethanolamine and diethanolamine in the range 303–373 K

Capillary viscometry was used to determine the kinematic viscosity of the binary systems composed of N-methylpyrrolidone + monoethanolamine and N-methylpyrrolidone + diethanolamine throughout the concentration range, at eight different temperatures in the range 303.15–373.15 K. Pure component values of viscosity were also determined in the temperature range 303.15–423.15 K. Using a rolling ball viscometer the absolute viscosity was obtained for the binary systems composed of tetramethylene sulfone (sulfolane) + monoethanolamine and tetramethylene sulfone + diethanolamine, throughout the concentration range, at three different temperatures in the range 303.15–373.15 K. Density results were obtained using a vibrating-tube densimeter for the four pure components and the four binary systems studied, in the same temperature range and the whole concentration range for the binary systems as the viscosity measurements.

The experimental viscosity results for the four pure solvents cover a broader temperature range than previously reported by other workers. The experimental results of viscosity for both pure and binary systems show a decrease with increasing temperature as expected. In the case of the binary systems the change of viscosity with concentration for the two sets of mixtures with N-methylpyrrolidone is very large in the range of 303.15–353.15 K, whereas it is small in the range 363.15–373.15 K. The observed behaviour of the change of viscosity with concentration for sulfolane with monoethanolamine is different from that shown by sulfolane with diethanolamine, at 303.15 and 323.15 K; the first system shows a minimum viscosity point in the sulfolane-rich region whereas at 373.15 K it shows values of viscosity greater than that of the pure components in the whole range of concentration; and the second system shows large variations of viscosity at low sulfolane concentration, at 303.15 and 323.15 K; whereas at 373.15 K the viscosity values change smoothly between those for the two pure components.

From the density results, molar excess volumes were derived, which were correlated using the Redlich–Kister equation; the final expression includes the functionality with both concentration and temperature.     

Investigation of relaxations in polystyrene–polyoxyethylene copolymer by thermally stimulated current

The diblock copolymer containing 43.5 wt.% of polystyrene (PS) (M_w=15 000) and polyoxyethylene (POE) (M_w=19 500) was investigated by integral and by partial thermally stimulated depolarization current (TSDC) measurements in the temperature range of 173–293 K. The first peak P₁, widely distributed from 183 to 213 K, was a dipolar peak attributed to the initial stage of glass transition in POE. The second peak P₂, with a maximum at 273 K, was due to glass transition. The third peak P₃, with a maximum at about 263 K, was caused by the space charge relaxation localized at the interfaces between the ordered and nonordered phases in POE, Maxwell–Wagner relaxation, representing a precursor in melting of POE crystals. The results were supported by determination of activation energy E_a of the partial peaks, which covered the whole range of investigation, and by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) measurements. The E_a(T) distribution showed a maximum in entropy change at 219±4 K. Some runs with samples containing different amounts of the PS component were considered. All the relaxations were coming from the POE block. The current due to PS slightly overlapped the total spectra without interaction. The influence of the repeated runs was observed and discussed.     

Thermal decomposition of praseodymium acetate as a precursor of praseodymium oxide catalyst

Thermal events encountered throughout the heat treatment of praseodymium acetate, Pr(CH₃COO)₃·H₂O, were studied in nitrogen and air atmospheres. The samples calcined at the 300–700 °C temperature range were characterized using XRD, IR and N₂ adsorption. Moreover, in situ electrical conductivity was employed to follow up the formation of the different decomposition intermediates. The results indicated that the anhydrous salt decomposes to the final product, PrO_1.833, through the formation of the following intermediates: Pr(OH)(CH₃COO)₂, PrO(CH₃COO) and Pr₂O₂(CO₃). PrO_1.833 formed at 500, 600, and 700 °C possesses a surface area of 17, 16 and 10 m²/g and crystallites size of 14, 17 and 30 nm, respectively.     

Adsorption of bovine serum albumin at solid/aqueous interfaces

Adsorption of soluble serum proteins on hydrophilic and hydrophobic solid surfaces is important for biomaterials and chromatographic separations of proteins. The adsorption of bovine serum albumin (BSA) from aqueous solutions was studied with in situ ATR-IR spectroscopy, and with ex situ ATR-IR, ellipsometry, and water wettablity measurements. The results were used to quantitatively determine the adsorbed film thickness and surface density of BSA on hydrophilic silicon oxide/silicon surfaces, and on these surfaces covered with a hydrophobic lipid monolayer of dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (DPPC). The water contact angles were 5° for silicon oxide, 47° ± 1° for the DDPC monolayer, and 53° ± 1° for the BSA monolayers. At 25 °C, and with 0.01–1 wt% BSA in water, the surface densities range from Γ = 2.6–5.0 mg/m², and the film thicknesses range from d = 2.0–3.8 nm, on the assumption that the film is as dense as bulk protein. These results, and certain changes in the IR amide I and II bands of the protein, indicate that the protein adsorbs as a side-on monolayer, with some flattening due to unfolding or denaturation. The estimated -helical content for protein in buffer solutions is 15% higher than for solutions in water. The adsorption density reaches a steady-state value within 10 min for the lowest concentration, but does not appear to reach a steady-state value after 3 h f‘or the higher concentrations. Adsorption of BSA on a silicon oxide surface covered with a monolayer of DPPC leads to an adsorbed protein film of about half the thickness and surface density than on silicon oxide, but the same contact angle, indicating more protein unfolding on the hydrophobic than on the hydrophilic surface.     

Thermal analyses of mono- and divalent montmorillonite cationic derivatives

DTA and TG analyses were carried out for mono- and divalent cationic derivatives of Jelsovy-Potok montmorillonite. A certain relation between the charge density and the highest dehydration DTA peak was established for both series, since the two variables are a function of the magnitude of binding the hydrated water molecules. According to the charge density levels the cationic derivatives can be classified into three categories: (i) the single peak group falls in the range of charge density lower than 1 C m^?2; (ii) the double peak group falls between 1 and about 2 C m^?2; and (iii) for the higher charge densities three peaks are observed. The Ba derivative presents the only exception in this series. As the charge density increases, not only the number of dehydration peaks increases, but also the isolation between them becomes better, i.e., the overlapping of these peaks decreases in the order Ca > Li > Mg.The slopes of the TG curves in the temperature range 200–500°C increase with increase in charge density on the cationic derivative. This indicates that the rate of dehydration differs by changing the exchangeable cation of the surface, whereas the rate of dehydroxylation for all derivatives is the same since they all have the same origin.     

Dielectric relaxation in a water-oil-triton X-100 microemulsion near phase inversion

A mixture of water (10 mM KCl), toluene and Triton X-100 (40:40:20 wt %) shows temperature-dependent phase inversion. The phase inversion has been studied by dielectric spectroscopy over a frequency range of 10 Hz to 1 GHz. At temperatures above about 37 degrees C, dielectric relaxation appeared around 10 MHz, which was due to interfacial polarization in a water-in-oil type emulsion. The dielectric relaxation drastically changed between 30 and 25 degrees C. With decreasing temperature, the intensity of dielectric relaxation increased steeply below 30 degrees C to attain a peak at 27 degrees C, where that change was associated with an increase in low-frequency conductivity by about three orders between 30 and 26 degrees C. The dielectric behavior has been interpreted in terms of interfacial polarization with a percolation model in which spherical water droplets, arranged in array in a continuous oil phase, are randomly connected with their nearest neighbors using water bonds.     

Determination of chlorite in drinking water by on-line coupling of capillary isotachophoresis and capillary zone electrophoresis

An isotachophoresis (ITP)–capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE) combination was used for the determination of chlorite in drinking waters. No sample preparation is needed and no interfering by other anions in tap water was observed. The reached limits of detection with conductivity detector were 0.012–0.017 mg l⁻¹. By four-fold sample loading with a 30 μl valve, 0.005 mg l⁻¹ of chlorite was determined with R.S.D.=3.3%. The concentrations of 0.05 and 0.20 mg l⁻¹ were measured with R.S.D. of 2.2 and 2.7%, respectively. The recoveries of chlorite from drinking water were 96–106% in the range of 0.02–0.20 mg l⁻¹. The R.S.D. values of migration times (inter-day) were up to 1.3%. The time for analysis is about 15 min.