Surface freezing in binary mixtures of chain molecules. I. Alkane mixtures

Effect of Planar Interfaces on Nucleation in Melting and Crystallization

The effect of planar interfaces on nucleation (namely, on the work of critical cluster formation and their shape) is studied both for crystallization and melting. Advancing an approach formulated about 150 years ago by J. W. Gibbs for liquid phase formation at planar liquid−liquid interfaces, we show that nucleation of liquids in the crystal at crystal−vapor planar interfaces proceeds as a rule with a much higher rate compared to nucleation in the bulk of the crystal. Provided the surface tensions crystal−liquid (σcl), liquid−vapor (σlv), and crystal−vapor (σcv) obey the condition σcv=σcl+σlv, the work of critical cluster formation tends to zero; in the range σcv<σcl+σlv, it is less than one half of the work of critical cluster formation for bulk nucleation. The existence of a liquid−vapor planar interface modifies the work of critical cluster formation in crystal nucleation in liquids to a much less significant degree. The work of critical crystal cluster formation is larger than one half of the bulk value of the work of critical cluster formation, reaching this limit at σcv=σcl+σlv. The shape of the critical clusters can be described in both cases by spherical caps with a radius, R, and a width parameter, h. This parameter, h, is the distance from the cutting plane (coinciding with the crystal−vapor and liquid−vapor planar interface, respectively) to the top of the spherical cap. It varies for nucleation of a liquid in a crystal in the range (h/R)≤1 and for crystal nucleation in a liquid in the range 2≥(h/R)≥1. At σcv=σcl+σlv, the ratio (h/R) of the critical cluster for nucleation in melting tends to zero ((h/R)→0). At the same condition, the critical crystallite has the shape of a sphere located tangentially to the liquid−vapor interface inside the liquid ((h/R)≅2). We present experimental data which confirm the results of the theoretical analysis, and potential further developments of the theoretical approach developed here are anticipated.

Mechanism of surface freezing of alkanes

Using molecular dynamics simulation of octane (C₈) and nonadecane (C₁₉), we probe the mechanism of n-alkane surface freezing, the appearance of a crystalline monolayer above the liquid at a temperature T_sf above the bulk freezing point T_f. Formation of a crystalline monolayer occurs robustly in these systems. When T_f > T_sf, the surface frozen phase is metastable with respect to the solid but persists for long periods for study in simulations. Surface freezing of both C₈ and C₁₉ is driven by significant energy-lowering when alkane chains become ordered along the surface normal, and we elucidate the origins of this phenomenon. The degree of configurational disorder in the surface frozen layer relative to the solid is much larger for C₈ compared to C₁₉. From the Gibbsian viewpoint, we extract the excess energy and entropy of the liquid and surface frozen phases. We also consider the surface frozen layer as an intervening third phase, the viewpoint taken in previous theoretical analyses. Here, we find significantly increased entropy of the surface frozen phase of C₈ associated with configurational disorder, while the energy and entropy of the surface frozen phase of C₁₉ are marginally different from the bulk solid. Finally, by combining our previously determined solid-vapor surface free energies of C₈ and C₁₉ with liquid-vapor surface tensions from this work, we eliminate wetting as a possible mechanism for C₈ surface freezing, but it remains a possibility for C₁₉. We analyze the molecular structure of the liquid, surface frozen, and solid surfaces and discuss its relevance to thermodynamic properties.

Crystallization-Induced Network Formation of Tri- and Monopalmitin at the Middle-Chain Triglyceride Oil/Air Interface

Crystalline glycerides play an important role in the formation of multiphase systems such as emulsions and foams. The stabilization of oil/water interfaces by glyceride crystals has been extensively studied compared to only few studies which have been dedicated to oil/air interfaces. This study investigates the crystallization and network formation of tripalmitin (TP) and monopalmitin (MP) at the middle-chain triglyceride (MCT) oil/air interface. TP crystals were found to crystallize in the bulk before aggregating as large rectangular crystal conglomerates at the MCT oil/air interface. This leads to the slow formation of a plastic deformable, macroscopic crystal layer with high interfacial rheological moduli. MP crystals form directly at the MCT oil/air interface resulting in a comparatively fast formation of an elastic deformable network. Crystals with tentacle-like morphology were found to be responsible for the network elasticity. In this work, we show how interfacial crystallization dynamics and mechanical strength can be linked to the molecular structure and crystallization behavior of glyceride crystals.

Hydration mediated interfacial transitions on mixed hydrophobic/hydrophilic nanodroplet interfaces

Interfacial phase transitions are of fundamental importance for climate, industry, and biological processes. In this work, we observe a hydration mediated surface transition in supercooled oil nanodroplets in aqueous solutions using second harmonic and sum frequency scattering techniques. Hexadecane nanodroplets dispersed in water freeze at a temperature of ∼15 °C below the melting point of the bulk alkane liquid. Addition of a trimethylammonium bromide (C_XTA⁺) type surfactant with chain length equal to or longer than that of the alkane causes the bulk oil droplet freezing transition to be preceded by a structural interfacial transition that involves water, oil, and the surfactant. Upon cooling, the water loses some of its orientational order with respect to the surface normal, presumably by reorienting more parallel to the oil interface. This is followed by the surface oil and surfactant alkyl chains losing some of their flexibility, and this chain stretching induces alkyl chain ordering in the bulk of the alkane phase, which is then followed by the bulk transition occurring at a 3 °C lower temperature. This behavior is reminiscent of surface freezing observed in planar tertiary alkane/surfactant/water systems but differs distinctively in that it appears to be induced by the interfacial water and requires only a very small amount of surfactant.

Surfactant-induced phases in water-supported alkane monolayers: I. Thermodynamics

Alkanes longer than n = 6 carbons do not spread on the water surface, but condense in a macroscopic lens. However, adding trimethylammonium-based surfactants, C(m)TAB, in submillimolar concentrations causes the alkanes to spread and form a single Langmuir-Gibbs (LG) monolayer of mixed alkanes and surfactant tails, which coexists with the alkane lenses. Upon cooling, this LG film surface-freezes at a temperature T(s) above the bulk freezing temperature T(b). The thermodynamics of surface freezing (SF) of these LG films is studied by surface tension measurements for a range of alkanes (n = 12-21) and surfactant alkyl lengths (m = 14, 16, 18), at several concentrations c. The surface freezing range T(s)-T(b) observed is up to 25 °C, an order of magnitude larger than the temperature range of SF monolayers on the surface of pure alkane melts. The measured (n,T) surface phase diagram is accounted for well by a model based on mixtures' theory, which includes an interchange energy term ω. ω is found to be negative, implying attraction between unlike species, rather than the repulsion found for SF of binary alkane mixtures. Thus, the surfactant/alkane mixing is a necessary condition for the occurrence of SF in these LG films. The X-ray derived structure of the films is presented in an accompanying paper.

Crystallization features of normal alkanes in confined geometry

How polymers crystallize can greatly affect their thermal and mechanical properties, which influence the practical applications of these materials. Polymeric materials, such as block copolymers, graft polymers, and polymer blends, have complex molecular structures. Due to the multiple hierarchical structures and different size domains in polymer systems, confined hard environments for polymer crystallization exist widely in these materials. The confined geometry is closely related to both the phase metastability and lifetime of polymer. This affects the phase miscibility, microphase separation, and crystallization behaviors and determines both the performance of polymer materials and how easily these materials can be processed. Furthermore, the size effect of metastable states needs to be clarified in polymers. However, scientists find it difficult to propose a quantitative formula to describe the transition dynamics of metastable states in these complex systems. Normal alkanes [CnH2n+2, n-alkanes], especially linear saturated hydrocarbons, can provide a well-defined model system for studying the complex crystallization behaviors of polymer materials, surfactants, and lipids. Therefore, a deeper investigation of normal alkane phase behavior in confinement will help scientists to understand the crystalline phase transition and ultimate properties of many polymeric materials, especially polyolefins. In this Account, we provide an in-depth look at the research concerning the confined crystallization behavior of n-alkanes and binary mixtures in microcapsules by our laboratory and others. Since 2006, our group has developed a technique for synthesizing nearly monodispersed n-alkane containing microcapsules with controllable size and surface porous morphology. We applied an in situ polymerization method, using melamine-formaldehyde resin as shell material and nonionic surfactants as emulsifiers. The solid shell of microcapsules can provide a stable three-dimensional (3-D) confining environment. We have studied multiple parameters of these microencapsulated n-alkanes, including surface freezing, metastability of the rotator phase, and the phase separation behaviors of n-alkane mixtures using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), temperature-dependent X-ray diffraction (XRD), and variable-temperature solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). Our investigations revealed new direct evidence for the existence of surface freezing in microencapsulated n-alkanes. By examining the differences among chain packing and nucleation kinetics between bulk alkane solid solutions and their microencapsulated counterparts, we also discovered a mechanism responsible for the formation of a new metastable bulk phase. In addition, we found that confinement suppresses lamellar ordering and longitudinal diffusion, which play an important role in stabilizing the binary n-alkane solid solution in microcapsules. Our work also provided new insights into the phase separation of other mixed system, such as waxes, lipids, and polymer blends in confined geometry. These works provide a profound understanding of the relationship between molecular structure and material properties in the context of crystallization and therefore advance our ability to improve applications incorporating polymeric and molecular materials.

Modification of deeply buried hydrophobic interfaces by ionic surfactants

Hydrophobicity, the spontaneous segregation of oil and water, can be modified by surfactants. The way this modification occurs is studied at the oil-water interface for a range of alkanes and two ionic surfactants. A liquid interfacial monolayer, consisting of a mixture of alkane molecules and surfactant tails, is found. Upon cooling, it freezes at T(s), well above the alkane's bulk freezing temperature, T(b). The monolayer's phase diagram, derived by surface tensiometry, is accounted for by a mixtures-based theory. The monolayer's structure is measured by high-energy X-ray reflectivity above and below T(s). A solid-solid transition in the frozen monolayer, occurring approximately 3 °C below T(s), is discovered and tentatively suggested to be a rotator-to-crystal transition.

Wetting, mixing, and phase transitions in Langmuir-Gibbs films

Millimolar bulk concentrations of the surfactant cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) induce spreading of alkanes, H(CH(2))(n)H (denoted C(n)) 12< or =n< or =21, on the water surface, which is not otherwise wet by these alkanes. The novel Langmuir-Gibbs film (LGF) formed is a liquidlike monolayer comprising both alkanes and CTAB tails. Upon cooling, an ordering transition occurs, yielding a hexagonally packed, quasi-2D crystal. For 11< or =n< or =17 this surface-frozen LGF is a crystalline monolayer. For 18< or =n< or =21 the LGF is a bilayer with a crystalline, pure-alkane, upper monolayer, and a liquidlike lower monolayer. The phase diagram and film structure were determined by x-ray, ellipsometry, and surface tension measurements. A thermodynamic theory accounts quantitatively for the observations.

The uptake of O3 by myristic acid-oleic acid mixed particles: evidence for solid surface layers

The oleic acid ozonolysis in mixed oleic and myristic acid particles was studied in a flow tube reactor using single particle mass spectrometry. The change in reactivity was investigated as a function of the myristic acid concentration in these 2 micron particles. For pure oleic acid aerosol, the reactive ozone uptake coefficient, gamma, was found to be 3.4 (+/-0.3) x 10(-4) after taking secondary reactions into account. At the myristic acid crystallization point, where only 2.5% of the particle is in the solid phase, the uptake coefficient was reduced to 9.7 (+/-1.0) x 10(-5). This dramatic drop in the uptake coefficient is explained by the presence of a crystalline monolayer of myristic acid, through which ozone diffusion is reduced by several orders of magnitude, relative to liquid oleic acid. Scanning electron microscope images of the mixed particles confirm that the particle surface is crystalline when the myristic acid mole fraction exceeds 0.125. The findings of these experiments illustrate that particle morphology is important to understanding the reactivity of species in a mixed particle. The decay of myristic acid during the course of ozonolysis is explained in terms of a reaction with stabilized Criegee intermediates, which attack the acidic groups of the oleic and myristic acids with equal rate constants.

Surface freezing in binary alkane-alcohol mixtures

Surface freezing was detected and studied in mixtures of alcohol and alkane molecules, using surface tensiometry and surface-specific x-ray scattering methods. Considering that surface freezing in pure alkanes forms an ordered monolayer and in alcohols it forms an ordered bilayer, the length mismatch repulsion was minimized by varying the carbon number of the alkane component around 2n, where n is the carbon number of the alcohol molecule. A solutionlike behavior was found for all mixtures, where the ideal liquid mixture phase-separates upon freezing both in the bulk and the surface. The solid exhibits a herringbone crystalline phase below an alkane mole fraction phi(t) approximately 0.8 and a rotator phase above it. The surface frozen film below phi(t) is an alkane monolayer exhibiting a next-nearest neighbor molecular tilt of a composition-dependent magnitude. Above phi(t), no diffraction peaks were observed. This could be explained by the intrinsically shorter-range order of the rotator phase and a possible proliferation of defects.

Surface Layering in Ionic Liquids: An X-ray Reflectivity Study

The surface structure and thermodynamics of two ionic liquids, based on the 1-alkyl-3-methylimidazolium cations, were studied by X-ray reflectivity and surface tensiometry. A molecular layer of a density approximately 18% higher than that of the bulk is found to form at the free surface of these liquids. In common with surface layering in liquid metals and surface freezing in melts of organic chain molecules, this effect is induced by the lower dimensionality of the surface. The concentrations of the oppositely charged ions within the surface layer are determined by chemical substitution of the anion. The temperature-dependent surface tension measurements reveal a normal, negative-slope temperature dependence. The different possible molecular arrangements within the enhanced-density surface layer are discussed.

Surface freezing of chain molecules at the liquid–liquid and liquid–air interfaces

Surface freezing (SF) is the formation of a crystalline monolayer at the free surface of a melt at a temperature Ts, a few degrees above the bulk freezing temperature, Tb. This effect, i.e. Ts > Tb, common to many chain molecules, is in a marked contrast with the surface melting effect, i.e. Ts < or = Tb, shown by almost all other materials. Depending on chain length, n, the SF layer shows a variety of phases, in some cases tuneable by bulk additives. The SF behaviour of binary mixtures of different-length alkanes and alcohols is governed by the relative chain length mismatch, /delta n/n/2, yielding a quasi-"universal" behaviour for the freezing of both bulk and surface. While SF at the liquid air interface was studied rather extensively, Lei and Bain (Phys. Rev. Lett., 2004, 94, 176103) have shown only very recently that interfacial freezing (IF) can be induced also at the water: tetradecane interface by adding the ionic surfactant CTAB to the water phase. We present measurements of the interfacial tension of the water: hexadecane interface, as a function of temperature and the ionic surfactant STAB, revealing IF at a STAB-concentration-dependent temperature Ti > Tb. The measurements indicate that a single frozen monolayer is formed, with a temperature-existence range of up to 10 degrees C, much larger than the 1.2 degrees C found for SF at the free surface of the melt. We also find a new effect, where the IF allows tuning of the interfacial tension between the two bulk phases to zero for a range of temperatures, deltaT = Tmix - Tb < or = Ti - Tb by cooling the system below Ti. We discuss qualitatively the factors stabilizing the frozen layer and their variation from the liquid-air to the liquid-liquid interfaces. The surfactant concentration dependence of Ti is also discussed and a tentative theoretical explanation is suggested.

Surface and bulk interchange energy in binary mixtures of chain molecules

The interchange (interaction) parameter, controlling the phase behaviour of a binary mixture, is determined for the bulk and the surface of binary mixtures of different types of chain molecules, using surface tensiometry and a mean-field theory. For all mixtures and concentrations studied an identical behaviour is observed at the surface, depending only on the square of the reduced chain length mismatch delta n/n, where delta n and dealta n are the difference in and average of the number of carbons of the two components.

Surface freezing in binary mixtures of chain molecules. II. Dry and hydrated alcohol mixtures

Surface freezing is studied in dry and hydrated alcohol mixtures by surface x-ray scattering and surface tension measurements. A crystalline bilayer is formed at the surface a few degrees above the bulk freezing temperature. The packing is hexagonal, with molecules aligned along the surface normal in all cases. The in-plane lattice constant reveals a qualitatively different behavior with composition for hydrated and dry mixtures. The simple theoretical approach used successfully for alkane and deuterated alkane mixtures accounts well also for the alcohol mixtures. The repulsive length-mismatch term opposing the mixing entropy term in the free energy of the mixtures is shown to have a universal behavior for all mixtures studied: protonated alkanes, deuterated alkanes, and dry and wet alcohols. This universality is somewhat counterintuitive in view of the different interactions (e.g., hydrogen bonding in alcohols) in the different mixtures.