The ability of surfactants to form micelles and solubilise hydrophobic substances in aqueous environments has been widely exploited in formulation science. In spite of extensive studies over the past few decades by both experimental and theoretical methods, however, it remains difficult to predict key micellar parameters such as their size, shape and nanostructure which is essential for their successful implementation in the solubilisation of active ingredients. This is partly due to the vast number of surfactants commercially available but, in addition, the fragmentation of the field of surfactant science, over recent years, has made it more difficult to identify general trends and properties of surfactant systems. A further challenge is in characterising systems of heavily mixed surfactants since our knowledge on pure surfactant systems may not allow us to predict the behaviour of these systems. The broad aim of this thesis was to contribute to these aspects of surfactant science. The first part of the thesis reports a systematic study of the surfactant structure-micellar structure relationship of pure alkyl ethoxylate (CmEn) surfactants. This was done by independently varying the lengths of the alkyl chain and ethoxylate group and measuring the micellar structural properties. The next part of the thesis reports the effects of solubilisation of two model pesticides, Cyprodinil and Diuron, on the size, shape and internal structure of these surfactant micelles. These pesticides were chosen because they were structurally representative of different features of those widely used in agrochemicals. The final part of the thesis reports the work on binary surfactant mixtures that rationalise the general structural features of mixed micelles and their impact on pesticide solubilisation. Various experimental techniques were used including small angle neutron scattering (SANS), nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), nuclear Overhauser effect spectroscopy (NOESY NMR), dynamic light scattering (DLS) and UV spectroscopy. The key findings of the thesis were that the micellar core volumes could be predicted with reasonable accuracy using the hydrophilic-lipophilic balance (HLB) of the surfactants in pure micelles. NOESY results revealed protrusions of the terminal methylene groups into the ethoxylate shell, thus providing evidence for the theoretically predicted phenomenon referred to as the-shell interface. SANS revealed that solubilisation of both pesticides caused micellar growth, with the long axial lengths of the micelles growing much longer. These structural changes were associated with the dehydration of the ethoxylate shells. Although a partitioning experiment predicted that the pesticides would be solubilised in the hydrated ethoxylate micellar shell, NOESY measurements revealed that the solubilisation occurred predominantly in the micellar cores. The discrepancy was caused by alkyl chain-ethoxylate mixing leading to the formation of dehydrated palisade regions that entrapped the pesticides towards the cores. The results from the binary mixed micelles showed some signs of synergistic behaviour but no enhancement of pesticide solubilisation.

Orientador: Maria Regina Wolf Maciel / Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Faculdade de Engenharia Química / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-18T13:50:07Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 JaimesFigueroa_JaiverEfren_M.pdf: 4284661 bytes, checksum: 5b7383def90a5143160bc892b406c75c (MD5) Previous issue date: 2011 / Resumo: A produção de etanol a partir da cana de açúcar é uma tecnologia dominada completamente pelo Brasil porém, encontra-se na etapa de intensificação, otimização e inovação. O etanol pode ser produzido como hidratado ou anidro, sendo necessário, para produção deste último, um processo posterior de desidratação. Existem inúmeros processos de desidratação, dentre dos quais a destilação extrativa é um dos mais simples de realizar. A destilação extrativa usa um solvente para modificar o equilíbrio líquido-vapor, permitindo quebrar o azeótropo etanol/água que impede que a desidratação seja feita por destilação convencional. O solvente de extração é de grande importância, dele depende a facilidade com que vai ser feita a separação, a quantidade a ser utilizada e o requerimento energético do processo. Nesse contexto, aparecem os líquidos iônicos, que são apresentados como ótimos solventes potenciais de extração; um líquido iônico (LI) é um sal composto por um cátion orgânico com pelo menos uma carga deslocada e um ânion inorgânico; sua estrutura evita que se forme uma rede cristalina estável, resultando em solventes líquidos altamente iônicos com temperaturas de fusão inferiores a 100 °C e com insignificante pressão de vapor. Os LI são principalmente usados em substituição aos solventes convencionais, podendo ser uma alternativa para diminuir a poluição ambiental, evitando a emissão de componentes orgânicos voláteis ao meio ambiente. Com a justificativa anterior, o objetivo desta dissertação foi analisar e otimizar o processo de obtenção de etanol anidro a partir da mistura etanol + água de composição pré-azeotrópica, empregando líquidos iônicos (LI), visando avaliar seu potencial; os LI estudados foram: 1-butil-3-metilimidazólio cloreto, 1-butil-3-metilimidazólio metilsulfato, 1-butil-3-metilimidazólio acetato, 1-butil-3-metilimidazólio tetrafluoroborato, 1-butil-3-metilimidazólio dicianamida, 1-etil-3-metilimidazólio cloreto, 1-etil-3-metilimidazólio tetrafluoroborato, 1-hexil-3-metilimidazólio cloreto. Neste trabalho foi encontrado o requerimento energético e a quantidade de LI a ser empregado para obter os valores máximos de pureza e porcentagens de recuperação de etanol e água. A influência das condições de operação e desenho utilizadas, tais como fração de etanol na alimentação, relação LI:alimentação, temperatura da alimentação e do LI de reposição, quantidade de estágios, relação molar de refluxo, estágio de alimentação e vazão molar de destilado da coluna de recuperação de etanol e de purificação de LI, foram analisadas empregando o simulador comercial Aspen Plus e, otimizadas empregando a técnica de delineamento de experimentos. Todos os LI estudados apresentaram capacidade de desidratar o etanol, elevando sua concentração de pré até pós-azeotropia, obtendo-se pureza de etanol maiores que 0,995 em massa. Além disso, dependendo do LI utilizado, o processo atinge porcentagens de recuperação de etanol e água, em média, de 98% e 74%, respectivamente. Na definição do modelo para o coeficiente de atividade do equilíbrio ternário líquido vapor da mistura etanol + água + LI foram testados o NRTL e UNIQUAC, chegando-se à conclusão de que o equilíbrio representado pelo modelo de NRTL é o mais adequado / Abstract: The production of ethanol from sugar cane is a technology led and dominated by Brazil. However, it is still in a stage of optimization and innovation. Ethanol can be produced in a hydrated or dehydrated state, but the latter requires an additional process to the conventional distillation. There are numerous dehydration processes that can be implemented, but the extractive distillation is one of the most simple. Extractive distillation uses a solvent that modifies the liquid-vapor equilibrium and eliminates the presence of the ethanol-water azeotrope that prevents the use of conventional distillation for the dehydration process. The solvent for the extraction is of great importance since it dictates the degree of separation and the energy requirements for the process. In this context, ionic liquids are considered since they have been presented as excellent solvents for extraction. An ionic liquid (IL) is a salt formed by an organic cation with at least one delocalized charge, and an inorganic anion. The structure of the ionic liquids prevents the formation of a stable crystalline net, resulting in highly ionic liquid solvents that have melting points below 100 ºC and negligible vapor pressures. With those characteristics, ionic liquids can be a replacement for conventional solvents offering alternatives for the decrease of the environmental impact by preventing the emissions of volatile compounds to the environment. With the previous justification, the objective of this master dissertation was to analyze and optimize the process of obtaining anhydrous ethanol from a mixture ethanol + water with pre-azeotropic composition by using ionic liquids; and also to evaluate their performance in this application to evaluate its potential. Ionic liquids were studied: 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride, 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium methylsulfate, 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium acetate, 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate, 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium dicyanamide, 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride, 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate, 1-hexil-3-methylimidazolium chloride. In this work, the minimum energy requirement and the amount of ionic liquid needed to obtain maximum ethanol purity and maximum recovery of ethanol and water exiting the process were found. The influence of the design and operation conditions used, such as the ethanol composition in the feed, the IL/feed ratio, the temperature of the feed and the IL, the number of plates, the reflux molar ratio and the distilled flux in the columns of purification of ethanol and recovery of ionic liquids were studied using the commercial simulator ASPEN PLUS, and optimized by utilization of the design of experiments (DOE) technique. All the ionic liquids used were able to dehydrate the ethanol, increasing its concentration from pre to post azeotrope, generating ethanol with purity above 0.995 in mass. In addition to that, depending on the ionic liquid used, the process reached average water and ethanol recoveries of 98% and 74% respectively. In the definition of the model for the activity coefficient in the ternary vapor-liquid equilibrium of the ethanol-water-IL mixtures, the models NRTL and UNIQUAC were studied concluding that the NRTL model was the most adequate / Mestrado / Desenvolvimento de Processos Químicos / Mestre em Engenharia Química

Electrically assisted combustion has been studied in order to control or improve flame characteristics, and emphasizing efficiency and emission regulation. Many phenomenological observations have been reported on the positive impact of electric fields on flame, however there is a lack of detailed physical mechanisms for interpreting these. To clarify the effects of electric fields on flame, I have investigated flame structure, soot formation, and flow field with ionic wind electrical current responses in nonpremixed counterflow flames. The effects of direct current (DC) electric field on flame movement and flow field was also demonstrated in premixed Bunsen flames. When a DC electric field was applied to a lower nozzle, the flames moved toward the cathode side due to Lorentz force action on the positive ions, soot particles simultaneously disappeared completely and laser diagnostics was used to identify the results from the soot particles. To understand the effects of an electric field on flames, flow visualization was performed by Mie scattering to check the ionic wind effect, which is considered to play an important role in electric field assisted combustion. Results showed a bidirectional ionic wind, with a double-stagnant flow configuration, which blew from the flame (ionic source) toward both the cathode and the anode. This implies that the electric field affects strain rate and the axial location of stoichiometry, important factors in maintaining nonpremixed counterflow flames; thus, soot formation of the counterflow flame can also be affected by the electric field. In a test of premixed Bunsen flames having parallel electrodes, flame movement toward the cathode and bidirectional ionic wind were observed. Using PIV measurement it was found that a created radial velocity caused by positive ions (i.e. toward a cathode), was much faster than the velocity toward the anode. Even in a study of alternating current (AC) electric fields, bidirectional ionic wind could be observed, regardless of applied frequencies. Therefore, the effect of ionic wind cannot be considered negligible under both DC and AC electric fields. Detailed explanations for electrical current, flame behavior, and flow characteristics under various conditions are discussed herein.

In this dissertation, three aspects about surface and interface engineering of conjugated polymers and nanomaterials will be discussed. (i) There is a significant promise for electroactive conjugated polymers (ECPs) in applications of electrochemical devices including energy harvesting, electrochromic displays, etc. Among these, ECPs has also been developed as electroactive materials in electrochemical supercapacitors (ESCs). Compared with metal oxides, ECPs are attractive because they have good intrinsic conductivity, low band-gaps, relatively fast doping-and-undoping process, the ease of synthesis, and tunable electronic and structural properties through structural modifications. Here, Multiple-branch-chain 3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene (EDOT) derivatives was designed as crosslinkers in the co-electropolymerization of EDOT to optimize its morphology and improve the cycling stability of PEDOT in the supercapacitor applications. High-surface-area π-conjugated polymeric networks can be synthesized via the electrochemical copolymerization of the 2D (trivalent) motifs benzo[1,2-b:3,4-b’:5,6-b’’]trithiophene (BTT) and tris-EDOT-benzo[1,2-b:3,4-b’:5,6-b’’]trithiophene (TEBTT) with EDOT. Of all the material systems studied, P(TEBTT/EDOT)-based frameworks achieved the highest areal capacitance with values as high as 443.8 mF cm-2 (at 1 mA cm-2), higher than those achieved by the respective homopolymers (PTEBTT and PEDOT) in the same experimental conditions of electrodeposition (PTEBTT: 271.1 mF cm-2 (at 1 mA cm-2); PEDOT: 12.1 mF cm-2 (at 1 mA cm-2). (ii) In electrochemical process, the suitable choice of appropriate electrolytes to enlarge the safe working potential window with electrolyte stability is well known to improve ECPs’ performance in ESCs applications. Ionic liquids (ILs) are ion-composed salts and usually fluid within a wide temperature range with low melting points. There are many unique characteristics for these intrinsic ion conductors, including high ionic conductivity, wide electrochemical voltage windows in neutral conditions, fast ion mobility in redox reaction process (>10-14 m2 V-1 s-1), low vapor pressure, and environmental stability. These properties qualified ambient-temperature ILs to be applied as supporting medium for various devices and materials processing applications in both industry and academia, overcoming the limitation of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Especially, ILs have been utilized as superior medium to electrodeposit metals, alloys, semiconductors and ECPs in the application of supercapacitors. Electropolymerization of EDOT and its derivative 4,4'-dimethoxy-3,3'-bithiophene (BEDOT) have been studied in three kinds of imidazolium-based ionic liquids and conducting salt in VOCs with different anions both as the growth medium and the supporting electrolyte, to assess the influence of these anions on their morphology and electrochemical activity. It is found these thiophene polymers grown in ILs with higher viscosity and lower diffusion shows much slower growth rate and orderly morphologies than in Tetrabutylammonium hexafluorophosphate (TBAPF6) dissolved in acetonitrile (ACN), and gives better electrochemical performance via cyclic voltammetry (CV) and galvanostatic charge-and-discharge (CD) studies. Polymers displayed multiple redox peaks in several cases, the possible reasons and origins are discussed. The synthesized polymer can be affected greatly by both the ILs with different anion/cation, and its mutal interation with targeted monomer.. As far as known, there is no systematic study on how the anions of ILs and common organic solution could play a role as a medium both for polymerization and post-polymerization electrolyte for PEDOT and its derivatives. This study can be used as an easy reference and provide experimental diagnositc data when selecting ionic liquids to investigate and optimize thiophene-based electrochemical systems, such as batteries and supercapactiors. (iii) Another aspect about interface chemistry of direct functionalization of nanodiamond with maleimide has also been addressed. Functional nanodiamonds are promising candidates for extensive practical applications in surface science, photonics and nanomedicine. Here, a protocol of direct functionalization is described by which maleimide-derivatized substituents can be appended to the outer shell of thermally annealed nanodiamonds through Diels-Alder reaction. This protocol can be carried out in room temperature, ambient atmosphere, without catalyst, and provide functionalized nanodiamonds with good solubility in organic solution. Also, this method can be applied for other maleimide derivatives,e.g.m aleimide-fluorescene, which can be applied in fluorescence labeling, sensing, and drug delivery. A series of techniques, especially Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and Solid State Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (SS-NMR) was conducted for the analysis of surface chemistry and the investigation of the two-point binding strategy in details.

京都大学 / 新制・課程博士 / 博士(理学) / 甲第23020号 / 理博第4697号 / 新制||理||1674(附属図書館) / 京都大学大学院理学研究科化学専攻 / (主査)教授 時任 宣博, 教授 若宮 淳志, 教授 依光 英樹 / 学位規則第4条第1項該当 / Doctor of Science / Kyoto University / DGAM

Membrane processes are considered energy-efficient for water desalination and treatment. However most membranes are based on polymers prepared from fossil petrochemical sources. The development of multilayer membranes for nanofiltration and ultrafiltration, with thin selective layers of naturally available cellulose, has been hampered by the availability of non-aggressive solvents. We propose the manufacture of cellulose membranes based on two approaches: (i) silylation, coating from solutions in tetrahydrofuran, followed by solvent evaporation and cellulose regeneration by acid treatment; (ii) casting from solution in 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolum acetate ([C2mim]OAc), an ionic liquid, followed by phase inversion in water. In the search for less harsh, greener membrane manufacture, the combination of cellulose and ionic liquid is of high interest. Due to the abundance of OH groups and hydrophilicity, cellulose-based membranes have high permeability and low fouling tendency. Membrane fouling is one of the biggest challenges in membrane industry and technology. Accumulation and deposition of foulants onto the surface reduce membrane efficiency and requires harsh chemical cleaning, therefore increasing the cost of maintenance and replacement. In this work the resistance of cellulose 5 membranes towards model organic foulants such as Suwanee River Humic Acid (SRHA) and crude oil have been investigated. Cellulose membrane was tested in this work for oil-water (o/w) separation and exhibited practically 100 % oil rejection with good flux recovery ratio and membrane resistivity. The influence of anionic, cationic and ionic surfactant as well as pH and crude oil concentration on oil separation was investigated, giving a valuable insight in experimental and operational planning.

One of the more attractive attributes of calixarenes is their wide variety of possible conformations and hence cavity shapes. However, the flexibility that allows this long-range benefit gives rise to major synthetic challenges when working with the larger members of the family. O-alkylations have proven to be the most widely employed synthetic routes to "functionalization" of the calixarenes, and these have shown a dependence upon both solvent and the metal ions present. Surprisingly, there have been no structural data presented concerning the complexes between the simple unsubstituted calix[6]arenes and the metal ions of groups 1 and 2. The structures of four complexes, containing cesium, rubidium, and calcium are reported as determined by X-ray crystallography. The solution behavior of the complexes for both representative groups is also discussed, in particular with regard to conformational stabilization of the calix[6]arenes and the role of solvent upon this stabilization. These complexes are also investigated as starting materials for the selective functionalization of the calix[6]arenes.

The complexation properties of the two isomers of the cyclic polyether dicyclohexyl-18-crown-6 are examined in aqueous solution for a series of metal ions at various reaction temperatures. The results are discussed in terms of size relationships and salvation characteristics of both polyether and metal ions. ΔCp° values are determined from the temperature dependence of the ΔH° values. A discussion of the errors involved in the determination of ΔH° from the temperature dependence of log K values is also included. Comparisons are made between the results of this study and those of a similar study by H. K. Frensdorff, E. I. duPont de Nemours and Co., Wilmington, Delaware, in press. The complexation reactions of dicyclohexyl- and dibenzo-18-crown-6 and benzo-15-crown-5 with Na^+ and K^+ ions are reported in non-aqueous solvents and methanol-water mixtures. The results are discussed with reference to their application in model systems of ion transport. In general the stabilities of the polyether-cation complexes were found to increase with decreasing dielectric constant of the solvent medium. In the methanol-water mixtures large compensating ΔH° and ΔS° changes were observed above 70 weight percent methanol, while the log K values showed a nearly linear increase with increasing methanol concentration. Salvation of the polyethers and metal ions and complexation of ion pairs in non-aqueous solvents are discussed.

Polymeric membranes typically possess a broad pore-size distribution that leads to much lower selectivity in molecular and ionic separation when compared to membranes made of crystalline porous materials; however, they are highly desirable because of their easy processability and low cost. Recently, a novel type of conjugated microporous polymers (CMPs) has shown uniform pore size and high porosity. However, their brittleness nature has prevented them from preparing robust membranes and using in pressure-driven membrane processes. In this dissertation, we demonstrate the fabrication of robust polycarbazole-type conjugated microporous polymer membranes using an easy to scale-up electropolymerization strategy. The mechanical properties of the CMP membranes were greatly enhanced based on membrane structure optimization and molecular design. The prepared membranes exhibited high uniform sub-nanometer pores and a precisely tunable membrane thickness and properties, yielding high molecular/ionic sieving performance. In addition, using the co-electropolymerization method, the CMP membranes achieve dual softness and functionalization adjustments. The membrane structure comprises rigid monomers to inherit the structural uniformity and flexible and charged monomers to enhance mechanical flexibility and improve ion selectivity by combining the precise size sieving and the Donnan effect. The dual-adjustments result in the further enhancement of the CMP membranes in ionic sieving performance. Inspired by light-gated ion channels in living cells, we further develop a smart artificial light-gated ion channel membrane. The prepared CMP membranes, based on a conjugated microporous polymer (CMP) functionalized with azobenzene and precisely designed on the molecular level, show uniform pore channels and highly sensitive light-switchable response. The photoisomerization results in reversible geometric changes in pore channel size, leading to “on-off-on” light-control over the channels, which results in light-gated ion transport across the smart membrane. The softness adjustment, functionalization adjustment to CMP membranes, and the design of smart CMP membranes provide potential applications for this important category of polymer materials in the membrane field.

京都大学 / 0048 / 新制・課程博士 / 博士(エネルギー科学) / 甲第19090号 / エネ博第314号 / 新制||エネ||64(附属図書館) / 32041 / 京都大学大学院エネルギー科学研究科エネルギー基礎科学専攻 / (主査)教授 萩原 理加, 教授 佐川 尚, 教授 野平 俊之 / 学位規則第4条第1項該当 / Doctor of Energy Science / Kyoto University / DFAM