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The phase behaviour, rheological effects and interfacial properties of binary and ternary liquid mixtures have been studied near critical points. In particular, measurements have been made of the viscosity-at the bulk macroscopic level by capillary viscometry and at the microscopic level by fluorescence depolarisatiorr-and of critical-point wetting and adsorptiorr-at the solid-liquid interface using evanescent-wave-generated fluorescence spectroscopy and at the liquid-vapour interface using specular neutron reflection. The systems investigated have been mostly alkane + perfluoroalkane mixtures or 2-butoxyethanol + H20 or D20 mixtures, although in some cases hexamethyldisiloxane, propanenitrile and perfluorooctyloctane have also been the components of mixtures. The main outcomes of this study are: • Macroscopic viscosity: The divergence to infinity in the shear viscosity of hexane + perfluorohexane at the critical endpoint for approach along the path of constant critical composition both from the single phase and along both limbs of the coexistence curve is described well using the Renormalisation Group Theory critical exponent y = 0.04. The correlation length amplitude obtained by fitting the sheargradient dependence of the viscosity is ~o = (S.S±l.S) A. • Microscopic viscosity: The product of the rotational correlation time and the temperature 'tR"T, often taken as a measure of the microscopic viscosity, exhibits an anomaly as the critical point is approached as a function of temperature. This anomaly mirrors that in the macroscopic viscosity for some fluorescent dye probes, but for others the anomaly is in the opposite sense indicating that other effects such as solvent structure must playa part in the near-critical behaviour of'tR·T. • Critical-point wetting at the solid-liquid interface: The wetting transition temperature has been identified for heptane + perfluorohexane at the quartz-liquid interface from fluorescence lifetime measurements of a probe. The wetting layer is of the same composition as the bulk heptane-rich phase and the transition is tentatively identified as first-order. • Adsorption and wetting at the liquid-vapour interface: The surface structure of several mixtures has been determined by neutron reflection. The results are in general agreement with the expectations of critical-point wetting and adsorption. The surface is complex and in some mixtures an oscillatory scattering length density profile through the interface is required to model the reflectivity data. • Ternary mixtures: The phase behaviour of three mixtures exhibiting tunnel phase behaviour has been studied experimentally and various characteristics of the shape of the twmel identified. A theoretical study on one of the mixtures predicts the drop in temperature for the locus of maximum phase separation temperatures which is observed experimentally.

We use molecular dynamics to simulate the rapid directional solidification of binary alloy solid-liquid interface in the non-equilibrium state. In the pulling fixed velocities, we report the temperature, density, and diffusion coefficient of the interface. In cooling fast, controlling the velocities of solidification for the important parameter of this text¡Ait produces different changes that velocity value will be affected by atom potential energy and system temperature and density¡Athough the system is pulling a fixed velocities, that the speed of every atom of the system is all not constant .The velocity will be changed into the driving force that the solute will be separated and trapped. In the segregation regime, we recover the exponential form of the concentration profile within the liquid phase. Solute trapping is shown to settle in progressively as V is increased or reduction and our results are in good agreement with the theoretical predictions of Aziz.

The adsorbed layer morphology of a series of surfactants under different conditions has been examined primarily using atomic force microscopy (AFM). The morphologies of single and double chained quaternary ammonium surfactants adsorbed to mica have been characterised using AFM at concentrations below the cmc. Mixing these different types of surfactants systematically allowed a detailed examination of the change in adsorbed film curvature from the least curved bilayers through to most curved globules. From this study a novel mesh structure was discovered at curvatures intermediate to bilayers and rods. A mesh was again observed in studies examining the morphology change of adsorbed nonionic surfactant films on silica with variation in temperature. Other surfactant mixtures were also examined including grafting non-adsorbing nonionic surfactants and diblock copolymers into quaternary ammonium surfactant films of different morphologies.

The adsorbed layer morphology of a series of surfactants under different conditions has been examined primarily using atomic force microscopy (AFM). The morphologies of single and double chained quaternary ammonium surfactants adsorbed to mica have been characterised using AFM at concentrations below the cmc. Mixing these different types of surfactants systematically allowed a detailed examination of the change in adsorbed film curvature from the least curved bilayers through to most curved globules. From this study a novel mesh structure was discovered at curvatures intermediate to bilayers and rods. A mesh was again observed in studies examining the morphology change of adsorbed nonionic surfactant films on silica with variation in temperature. Other surfactant mixtures were also examined including grafting non-adsorbing nonionic surfactants and diblock copolymers into quaternary ammonium surfactant films of different morphologies.

This dissertation addresses two topics associated with the assembly of surfactants at the solid-liquid interface for adsorption and materials synthesis. The first is the adsorption of an anionic fluorinated surfactant, tetraethylammonium perfluorooctylsulfonate (TEA-FOS), at the solid/liquid interface. Attenuated total reflection Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy is used to study the adsorption kinetics and average orientation of surfactants at the hydroxylated germanium surface. Atomic force microscopy provides complementary images of the adsorbed layer structure on mica. The adsorption follows unusual three-stage kinetics in which the rate of adsorption starts fast, slows as the surface becomes crowded, and then (surprisingly) accelerates due to nucleation of a heterogeneous multilayer structure. These fast-slow-fast three stage adsorption kinetics are observed for a wide range of concentrations at pH 6, and the rates of the three stages are modulated by pH and salt by tuning electrostatic interactions among surfactants, counterions, and the surface. The results suggest that tetraethylammonium mediates interactions between surfactants and with negatively charged surfaces. The dichroism measurements and AFM are consistent with a mechanism in which TEA-FOS first forms an incomplete layer with chains oriented randomly or somewhat parallel to the surface, followed by formation of flattened multilayer clusters with the chains oriented somewhat normal to the substrate. The second topic is the sol-gel synthesis of mesoporous silica materials using dual surfactant templates. Studies of templating with mixed cetyltrimethylammonium bromide and octyl-beta-D-glucopyranoside surfactants shows that the ternary phase diagram of surfactants in water can be used to predict mesoporous materials structure, and that vapor-phase ammonia treatments can either stabilize the structure or induce swelling by the Maillard reaction. Studies of sol-gel reaction-induced precipitation with demixed hydrocarbon and fluorocarbon cationic surfactant micelles show a wide variety of pore structures. A number of synthesis parameters are adjusted to tune the pore structure, for instance to adjust the size and populations of bimodal mesopores. Selective swelling of the two surfactants by liphophilic and fluorophilic solvents is observed. Finally, proteinaccessible hollow spherical silica particles with mesoporous shells are reported. The methods for engineering mesoporous materials reported here have potential applications in adsorption, controlled drug delivery and for catalysis.

Study of structural and particularly dynamical properties of the interface of water with graphite and rutile surfaces points towards anomalous behavior of water molecules close to solid matter. Evaluation of statistical properties like translational and rotational diffusivity, residence times and autocorrelation functions of orientation vectors indicates that the translation and rotation of water molecules can be not only hindered, but also facilitated, according to the particular local density, interactions and and geometrical structure of the surface. The newly developed methods for the measurement of statistical rotational properties near to liquid-solid boundary overcomes the difficulties that are closely related to the measurement of dynamical properties in strongly inhomogeneous environment in a way, that can be applied to other model systems of this type.

Molecular Dynamics (MD) simulations of nano-scale flows typically utilize fixed lattice crystal interactions between the fluid and stationary wall molecules. This approach cannot properly model thermal interactions at the wall-fluid interface. In order to properly simulate the flow and heat transfer in nano-scale channels, an interactive thermal wall model is developed. Using this model, the Fourier’s law of heat conduction is verified in a 3.24 nm height channel, where linear temperature profiles with constant thermal conductivity is obtained. The thermal conductivity is verified using the predictions of Green-Kubo theory. MD simulations at different wall wettability ( εωf /ε ) and crystal bonding stiffness values (K) have shown temperature jumps at the liquid/solid interface, corresponding to the well known Kapitza resistance. Using systematic studies, the thermal resistance length at the interface is characterized as a function of the surface wettability, thermal oscillation frequency, wall temperature and thermal gradient. An empirical model for the thermal resistance length, which could be used as the jump-coefficient of a Navier boundary condition, is developed. Temperature distributions in the nano-channels are predicted using analytical solution of the continuum heat conduction equation subjected to the new temperature jump condition, and validated using the MD results. Momentum and heat transfer in shear driven nanochannel flows are also investigated. Work done by the viscous stresses heats the fluid, which is dissipated through the channel walls, maintained at isothermal conditions. Spatial variations in the fluid density, kinematic viscosity, shear- and energy dissipation rates are presented. The energy dissipation rate is almost a constant for εωf /ε < 0.6, which results in parabolic temperature profiles in the domain with temperature jumps due to the Kapitza resistance at the liquid/solid interfaces. Using the energy dissipation rates predicted by MD simulations and the continuum energy equation subjected to the temperature jump boundary conditions developed in this study, the analytical solutions are obtained for the temperature profiles, which agree well with the MD results.

A novel strategy to investigate interfaces relevant to chromatographic separations is presented. The strategy in this dissertation relies on three key ideas: 1) design and fabrication of appropriate model of chromatographic interface, 2) use of forced dewetting to separate interfacial constituent of mobile phase from its bulk component yet preserves the interface, and 3) use of IR spectroscopy and ellipsometry to investigate the structure and thickness of isolated interface.Stratified structures of ultrathin (< 10 nm thick) silica films on gold using gold oxide as adhesive layer and wetting control agent are used as model solid phase. Such design provides chemical environment of bulk silica surface, does not introduce significant spectral background, is suitable for reflection-based spectroscopies, and allow for easy modification to mimic wide range of silica - solvent interfaces. Bare silica-water models capillary electrophoresis interfaces; water-methanol mixture at octadecylsilane-modified silica represents reversed phase liquid chromatography interfaces.Forced dewetting is used to decouple interfacial constituent of mobile phase from its bulk component; yet, the integrity of interface is preserved. This approach, combined with the use of IR spectroscopy and ellipsometry, allowed for ambient atmosphere characterization of these interfacial layers in terms of their structure, composition, and thickness for water at bare silica. Hydrogen bonding was probed in case of complex water-methanol binary mixture at octadecylsilane-modified silica surface.The analysis of residual water layers formed by forced dewetting at bare silica as a function of bulk solution pH shows that the structure of the interfacial layer is highly ordered compared to bulk, and is also pH dependent. Further, thicknesses of interfacial layers were found to be pH dependent and vary from ~6 (pH 1) to ~9 nm (pH 9). Gouy-Chapman-Stern double layer was found to be inadequate to satisfactorily describe observed trends. In addition, surface enhanced infrared absorbance phenomenon was also observed that aided increased quality of resulting IR spectra.The analysis of residual water-methanol layers formed by forced dewetting at octadecylsilane-modified silica surface as a function of gas phase atmosphere shows that the structure of the interfacial layer is highly dependent on the composition of gas phase. The observed changes indicate that condensation of methanol from gas phase into residual layer and/or evaporation of water from residual layer into gas phase may occur in used experimental setup used in this dissertation. For that reason, more precise quantification of relative amounts of water and methanol in residual layers was precluded. Yet, regardless of investigational conditions, two different hydrogen bonding environments for methanol were distinctively observed.