Effects of high pressure and temperature on micelle formation of sodium deoxycholate and sodium dodecylsulfate

Morphological investigations on the growth of defect-rich Bi2Te3 nanorods and their thermoelectric properties

Bi₂Te₃ nanorods (NRs) have been successfully synthesized at different reaction temperatures via a surfactant-assisted hydrothermal method.

Solubilization of 1-hexanol in aqueous solutions of sodium dodecyl sulfate at pressures up to 140 MPa: partial molar volumes, compressibilities, and partition coefficients

Partial molar volumes and partial molar compressibilities of aqueous solutions of sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) and 1-hexanol at pressure up to 140 MPa have been determined. For aqueous SDS solutions the partial molar compressibility increases with pressure below the cmc and decreases with pressure above the cmc. The partial molar compressibility of aqueous 1-hexanol increases with pressure. The increased partial molar compressibility reflects that the structure of water is gradually broken down by increased pressure. Thus, the negative effect of electrostriction around the charged parts of SDS decreases as do the effects of hydrophobic hydration around the CH2 groups. In the micellar state the compressibility of the aggregate is the main factor, becoming less compressible as pressure increases. The cmc of SDS, as determined by speed of sound measurements, increases with pressure and goes through a shallow maximum at about 110 MPa. When 1-hexanol is added to SDS solutions, it will be partitioned between the aqueous and micellar (pseudo) phases. The partition coefficient has been determined from partial molar compressibilites, and it appears to decrease with pressure, reach a minimum around 80 MPa, and then increase, though the change with pressure is small.

Effect of pressure on the solubilization of a fluorescent merocyanine dye by a nonionic surfactant

The target dye, which is a derivative of Merocyanine 540 bearing a naphthoxazole headgroup, persists as a monomer in ethanol solution but dimerizes in water under ambient conditions. Analysis of the absorption spectrum indicates that the dimer has an oblique geometry with the two molecules being held at an angle of ca. 55°. Applying high pressure to the system forces the two molecules into closer contact, resulting in a decreased partial molar volume of 3.1 cm(3). One molecule of the monomeric dye enters a neutral micelle formed from Triton X-100, where it is highly fluorescent and free of exciton coupling. The result of applied pressure on these latter systems depends on the concentration of surfactant. Above the critical micelle concentration (CMC), applied pressure has little effect other than to increase the viscosity inside the micelle. At very low surfactant concentration, applied pressure forces monomeric dye into the dimeric form, as observed in the absence of Triton X-100. It is notable, however, that the pressure effect on the dimerization constant is exaggerated in the presence of surfactant. At intermediate surfactant concentrations, applied pressure leads to a marked change in the CMC. In particular, applied pressure reduces the partial molar volume of the micelle by ca. 7.9 cm(3) and induces micelle formation at relatively low concentration of surfactant. For example, the CMC falls from ca. 250 μM at atmospheric pressure to only 50 μM at 460 MPa.

Laboratory and pilot scale soil washing of PAH and arsenic from a wood preservation site: changes in concentration and toxicity

Soil washing of a soil with a mixture of both polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) and As was evaluated in laboratory and pilot scale, utilizing both single and mixtures of different additives. The highest level of decontamination was achieved with a combination of 0.213 M of the chelating agent MGDA and 3.2 x CMC* of a non-ionic, alkyl glucoside surfactant at pH 12 (Ca(OH)(2)). This combination managed to reach Swedish threshold values within 1 0 min of treatment when performed at elevated temperature (50 degrees C), with initial contaminant concentrations of As=105+/-4 mg/kg and US-EPA PAH(16)=46.0+/-2.3mg/kg. The main mechanisms behind the removal were the pH effect for As and a combination of SOM ionization as a result of high pH and micellar solubilization for PAHs. Implementation of the laboratory results utilizing a pilot scale equipment did not improve the performance, which may be due to the shorter contact time between the washing solution and the particles, or changes in physical characteristics of the leaching solution due to the elevated pressure utilized. The ecotoxicological evaluation, Microtox, demonstrated that all soil washing treatments increased the toxicity of soil leachates, possibly due to increased availability of contaminants and toxicity of soil washing solutions to the test organism.