Article
Chemistry, Physical
Julius Tetteh, Shixun Bai, Jan Kubelka, Mohammad Piri
Summary: The low oil recovery in carbonate reservoirs is primarily attributed to the oil-wet state of the rocks. The use of cationic surfactants can reverse the carbonate wettability to a more water-wet state, thereby enhancing oil recovery. This study investigated the wettability reversal efficiency of quaternary ammonium cationic surfactants with varying hydrophobic chain length through molecular dynamics simulations and experimental contact angle measurements. The findings revealed that longer surfactants consistently rendered calcite surfaces more water-wet, indicating a strong correlation between surfactant length and wettability reversal.
JOURNAL OF COLLOID AND INTERFACE SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Sebastian Stock, Franziska Jakob, Susanne Roehl, Kevin Graeff, Matthias Kuehnhammer, Nicole Hondow, Stuart Micklethwaite, Matthias Kraume, Regine von Klitzing
Summary: The simultaneous stabilization of water droplets in a highly non-polar oil phase using temperature responsive, soft and hydrophilic PNIPAM microgel particles and solid and hydrophobic silica nanospheres allows for the formation of stable water-in-oil emulsions with a larger internal interface. This synergistic effect enables the particles to protect the droplets from coalescence and accelerate the emulsions sedimentation speed, while still maintaining the ability to redisperse the droplets by gentle shaking. The study provides a model to explain the phenomena observed in terms of droplet size measurements and cryo-SEM studies.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Qin Jiang, Miao Liu, Luo-Peng Xu, Zi-Ling Lu, Lei Zhang, Lu Zhang
Summary: The effect of molecular size of alkanes and cavity size of cyclodextrins (CDs) on the formation of interfacial host-guest inclusion complexes was investigated. It was found that the space compatibility between CDs and oil molecules is crucial for the formation of these complexes. The formation of interfacial inclusion complexes lead to lower interfacial tension, higher interfacial dilational modulus, non-linear interfacial tension responses, and skin-like films at the oil-water interface.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Minghui Yang, Yuting Gao, Jiaxin Zhang, Feng Zhou
Summary: Oil pollution has had a severe impact on the ecological balance. This study focuses on developing a low-cost and efficient sorbent material for treating oil pollution. By modifying natural sepiolite with four different fatty acids, a novel hydrophobic sorbent material was obtained, which showed excellent performance in removing oil from water. The study also investigated the surface characteristics of the modified sorbent and found that the functional groups of the modifier were successfully grafted onto the sepiolite surface, resulting in improved oil removal efficiency. This research provides a simple and feasible method for producing hydrophobic-based sorbents with good performance for oil spill cleanup.
APPLIED CLAY SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Yingxue Li, Jingjie Zhou, Yong Zhang, Huibin Liang, Jinyuan Sun, Yuqi Liu, Gerardino D'Errico, Yongqiang Sun, Martino Di Serio
Summary: Various catalysts were used to catalyze the ethoxylation reaction of C12-14 primary alcohols with ethylene oxide, resulting in the synthesis of alcohol ethoxylates with a ratio of ethylene oxide/substrate near 3. The products obtained using the catalysts MCT-09 and NAE-03 had a narrower oligomer distribution and excellent wetting properties compared with those obtained using conventional ethoxylation catalysts.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Zilu Li, Zehuan Li, Yuxia Gao, Chenhui Zhang, Kefei Zhao, Yongfei Guo, Zhenping Bao, Tianyue Wu, Xiangdong Li, Fengpei Du
Summary: This study investigated the impact and wetting dynamics of droplets on hydrophobic surfaces by using cationic surfactants with different double-chain lengths. It was found that the ability to restrain retraction and promote wetting initially increased and then decreased as the surfactant chains extended. This work provides insights into the mechanism of droplet impact and wetting dynamics and highlights the potential application of surfactants in pesticide spraying.
JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR LIQUIDS
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Zhenping Bao, Aijun Zeng, Tong Gao, Yuxia Gao, Qianyi He, Yaoyuan Huang, Jingyu Chou, Lu Yu, Chenhui Zhang, Fengpei Du
Summary: Modifying the molecular structure is an effective strategy to regulate the impact behavior of surfactants on superhydrophobic surfaces.
JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR LIQUIDS
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Yaxun Fan, Yilin Wang
Summary: Deposition and spread of aqueous droplets on hydrophobic/superhydrophobic surfaces, which are important in practical applications such as spraying, coating, and printing, have been achieved by surfactants. However, the effects on superhydrophobic substrates have rarely been explored. This study gives an overview of the influence factors on the deposition and spreading performance and emphasizes the effects of fast surfactant aggregation.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Dan-Hong Li, Sam Wilson, Giulia Mastroianni, Alexander V. Ruban
Summary: The major light-harvesting antenna complex (LHCII) in plants plays vital roles in both light harvesting and photoprotection in photosystem II. The thylakoid membrane itself can switch LHCII into the photoprotective state, qE, through a process called hydrophobic mismatch. The acyl chain length (ACL) of lipids regulates the chlorophyll fluorescence lifetime of LHCII, and a decrease in ACL results in quenched conformations of LHCII.
JOURNAL OF PHOTOCHEMISTRY AND PHOTOBIOLOGY B-BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Hirad S. Salehi, Alper T. Celebi, Thijs J. H. Vlugt, Othonas A. Moultos
Summary: This study employed Molecular Dynamics simulations to investigate the properties of hydrophobic deep eutectic solvents (DESs) at different temperatures, finding that the density and transport properties of DESs are significantly influenced by the length of the cationic chain. However, this length did not have a significant impact on radial distribution functions (RDFs) and hydrogen bonds. Strong hydrogen bonds were observed between the hydroxyl and carbonyl groups of decanoic acid, as well as between the hydroxyl group of decanoic acid and chloride, dominating the intermolecular interactions.
JOURNAL OF CHEMICAL PHYSICS
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Shuai Zhang, Kuanjun Fang, Xiuming Liu, Xiran Qiao, Jinkun Wang
Summary: This study reports a simple method to prepare hydrophobic and UV-resistant multifunctional colored cotton fabrics by using the self-curing technique of cationic polyethyleneimine dye polymer (CPNP(R218)) nanospheres. The CPNP(R218) nanospheres were synthesized and formulated into polymer membranes on the surface of cotton during the dyeing process. The dyed cotton fabric showed good color properties and hydrophobicity, with a static water contact angle (WCA) of 138.4 degrees. The UV protection factor (UPF) value of the dyed cotton was significantly higher than that of the original cotton fabric, indicating the potential of this self-curing film formation method for the construction of multifunctional colored cotton fabrics.
SURFACES AND INTERFACES
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Applied
Di An, Qingqing Li, Enpeng Li, Mohammed Obadi, Cheng Li, Haiteng Li, Jiyao Zhang, Jin Du, Xiaoling Zhou, Na Li, Bin Xu
Summary: The adhesiveness of noodles is primarily determined by the chain-length distributions of amylopectin, with a positive correlation with the amount of short amylopectin chains and a negative correlation with the amount of long chains.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Dongyin Ren, Zhixin Shang, Mei Zhang, Shengming Xu, Zhenghe Xu
Summary: This study investigates the impact of molecular weight on the CO2-triggered switching characteristics of responsive emulsions, showing that higher molecular weight chitosan leads to a more stable emulsion before CO2 bubbling but incomplete demulsification after CO2 bubbling compared to lower molecular weight chitosan. Experimental evidence supports the proposed mechanism, providing insights for selecting desirable CO2-switchable polymers for switchable emulsions.
Article
Engineering, Chemical
Zhen Wen, Peiwen Xiao, Pingmei Wang, Xue Han, Jule Ma, Shuangliang Zhao
Summary: This study systematically explores the influence of alkylbenzene sulfonate Gemini surfactants on the interfacial properties of dodecane/water systems using a dissipative particle dynamics simulation. It is found that increasing the hydrophobic chain length and spacer length can decrease the critical micelle concentration, induce nano-mixing phenomenon, and transform the system from a lamellar interface state to a micelle state.
CHEMICAL ENGINEERING SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Saizhen Jin, Qing Shi, Leming Ou
Summary: This study investigated the hydrophobic flocculation of cassiterite using four alkyl hydroxamic acids with varying carbon chain lengths. Microflotation tests were conducted to analyze the flotation behavior, while FBRM and PVM were employed to monitor the evolution of particle size distribution and floc images during flocculation. The calculated interaction energies indicated that longer carbon chain hydroxamic acids facilitated the formation of larger cassiterite flocs at lower concentrations. The findings suggest that the hydrophobic aggregation of cassiterite can be controlled by adjusting the carbon chain length of the alkyl hydroxamic acid collectors.
Correction
Polymer Science
Zhitian Liu, Di Zeng, Chengjun Gu, Jing Wen, Xianbao Duan, Qi Zhang, Jie Min, Xiang Gao
Article
Polymer Science
Cheng Wang, Siqi Huo, Shi Liu, Qi Zhang, Zhitian Liu
Summary: Exfoliated and functionalized boron nitride nanosheets were prepared and used in intumescent fire retardant coatings to provide passive fire protection to steel. The optimized coating formula showed excellent fire resistance during testing, forming a char layer to suppress heat transfer and protect the steel. This IFR coating demonstrated great water tolerance, thermal stability, and promising future applications in steel structure fire safety.
JOURNAL OF APPLIED POLYMER SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Zihao Xia, Jinsheng Zhang, Xiang Gao, Wei Song, Jinfeng Ge, Lin Xie, Xiaoli Zhang, Zhitian Liu, Ziyi Ge
Summary: The study focuses on the design and synthesis of two novel SMAs, PTIC-4Cl and PT2IC-4Cl, by expanding the conjugation length. Compared to PT2IC-4Cl, PTIC-4Cl exhibits a larger dipole moment and enhanced intermolecular packing, leading to the highest power conversion efficiencies.
ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Xiang Gao, Kuibao Yu, Yanjiao Zhao, Tao Zhang, Jing Wen, Zifeng Liu, Zhihao Liu, Guofeng Ye, Jianhong Gao, Ziyi Ge, Zhitian Liu
Summary: The rational design and synthesis of well-matched donor and acceptor materials are crucial for achieving high-performance small-molecule organic solar cells (SMOSCs). In this study, the photovoltaic performance of SMOSCs was significantly improved by subtle structural modification of the donor materials.
CHINESE CHEMICAL LETTERS
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Organic
Linhua Zhang, Zihao Xia, Jing Wen, Jianhong Gao, Xiang Gao, Zhitian Liu
Summary: The study demonstrates that fluorination of PDIs can improve the performance of organic solar cells and enhance the power conversion efficiency. Fluorination results in downshifted energy levels and greatly blue shifted absorption spectrum. The fluorinated PDI dimer di-PDI-2F shows better performance when paired with a medium band-gap donor PM6.
ASIAN JOURNAL OF ORGANIC CHEMISTRY
(2021)
Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Xiang Gao, Xiaoling Ma, Zifeng Liu, Jiaxin Gao, Qingchun Qi, Yue Yu, Yang Gao, Zaifei Ma, Long Ye, Jie Min, Jing Wen, Jianhong Gao, Fujun Zhang, Zhitian Liu
Summary: In this study, two novel third components, MAZ-1 and MAZ-2, were designed and synthesized, and their application in binary organic solar cells improved the photovoltaic performance. Optimal phase separation, suppression of recombination, and reduction of energy loss were achieved, resulting in enhanced efficiency of TOSCs.
ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES
(2022)
Review
Engineering, Electrical & Electronic
Linhua Zhang, Zhili Chen, Fengbo Sun, Yinuo Wang, Hanyi Bao, Xiang Gao, Zhitian Liu
Summary: This study categorizes and introduces the various molecular design strategies of monomeric PDI acceptors since 2016, providing perspectives on molecular design guidelines. The insight, limitations, and further development of monomeric PDI acceptors are discussed to overcome the obstacles of current density and fill factor values.
JOURNAL OF ELECTRONIC MATERIALS
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Jianhong Gao, Xiaodong Zhu, Hanyi Bao, Jibao Feng, Xiang Gao, Zhitian Liu, Ziyi Ge
Summary: Remarkable advances have been made in organic solar cells with the power conversion efficiency (PCE) exceeding 19% using non-fullerene acceptors (NFAs). However, the major achievement comes from fused ring electron acceptors (FREAs) with complex structures, leading to high cost. Therefore, designing fully non-fused ring electron acceptors (NFREAs) with only single-aromatic ring in the electron-donating core can achieve a fine balance between efficiency and cost, accelerating the commercial application of organic solar cells.
CHINESE CHEMICAL LETTERS
(2023)
Article
Electrochemistry
Xiang Gao, Zhihao Liu, Xiaoqin Tuo, Shuyu Chen, Si Cai, Min Yan, Qi Zhang, Zhitian Liu
Summary: This study investigates the storage and capacity fading mechanism of a poly (perylene diimides) named OAP and its monomer, 3,4,9,10-perylene-tetracarboxylicacid-dianhydride (PTCDA), in aqueous zinc ion batteries (AZIBs). The results show that OAP has larger capacity, better cycling stability, and rate performance due to reduced solubility, rougher surface, and better tolerance to volume expansion. The study also reveals two storage ways in OAP-based AZIBs: the redox reaction of carbonyl groups and reversible intercalation of zinc ion/proton between perylene structures.
ELECTROCHIMICA ACTA
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Xiang Gao, Xinzhu Tong, Meichen Xu, Linhua Zhang, Yinuo Wang, Zhihao Liu, Lvpeng Yang, Jianhong Gao, Ming Shao, Zhitian Liu
Summary: This study reports that blending a narrow bandgap donor polymer PDX, a chlorinated derivative of PTB7-Th, with a PDI-based NFA can improve the PCE value of OSCs beyond 10%. The PDX-based OSCs exhibit significantly higher electroluminescent quantum efficiency and lower nonradiative energy loss compared to PTB7-Th-based OSCs. Furthermore, the PDX-based devices show enhanced phase separation, charge mobilities, exciton dissociation probability, charge transfer state, and decreased energetic disorder, leading to improved short circuit current density, open circuit voltage, and fill factor. These results highlight the importance of fine-modifying or developing novel narrow bandgap polymers to further elevate the PCE value of PDI-based OSCs.
Article
Chemistry, Applied
Cheng Wang, Siqi Huo, Shi Liu, Qinghua Hu, Qi Zhang, Zhitian Liu
Summary: This study presents a method of using magnesium alloy scrap as a synergist to recycle waste and provide practical intumescent fire-retardant coatings for structural steel. The experimental results show that the coatings with added scrap exhibit significantly improved fire resistance, thermal stability, and water resistance.
JOURNAL OF COATINGS TECHNOLOGY AND RESEARCH
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Xiang Gao, Mei-Chen Xu, Di Zeng, Jun Dong, Yi-Ming Zhang, Jing Wen, Chunlai Wang, Zhitian Liu, Ming Shao
JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY C
(2020)
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
Yun Shao, Liusheng Chen, Qi Liao, Heng Jiang, Zhitian Liu, Xigao Jin, Limin Gao
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Xiang Gao, Yuan Chen, Chengjun Gu, Jing Wen, Xiang Peng, Jiacheng Liu, Zhanhui Zhang, Qi Zhang, Zhitian Liu, Chengliang Wang
JOURNAL OF MATERIALS CHEMISTRY A
(2020)