Alkylphenol Polyoxyethylene Research Articles

Using aged oil to produce drilling-fluid lubricants

Aged oil is a product of oil and gas treatment and contains components such as oil, water, mud, sand, polymers, and surfactants. Normally, aged oil is mixed back into a crude-oil dehydration and separation treatment system to extract crude oil or treated separately using methods such as electric field dehydration, centrifugal separation, thermochemical dehydration, or biological treatment, amongst others. These methods all require the removal of water, mud, sand, etc. from the aged oil, which can be difficult and costly to treat, making a low-cost treatment method highly desirable. In this study, a resource utilization and treatment method for aged oil was proposed wherein aged oil was used as the base oil to produce lubricants for drilling fluids. This method exploits the emulsifying stability of aged oil and avoids the difficulties of removing mud, sand, and water from it. Through experiments, the components and concentration of the lubricant were optimized, and its performance was evaluated. The emulsifier used for developing lubricants based on aged oil was alkylphenol polyoxyethylene ether (OP-4), the wetting agent was sodium dodecylbenzenesulfonate (ABS), and the stabilizer was sodium carboxymethyl cellulose (Na-CMC). The optimal formula was determined to be 100 mL drilling fluid, 3 mL aged oil, 1.5 g OP-4, 0.15 g of ABS, and 0.015 g Na-CMC. The density, apparent viscosity, and sticking coefficient of the system mud cake satisfied the requirements of enterprise standards after the lubricant was added to the bentonite-based slurry. Consequently, using aged oil as a base oil to develop lubricants for drilling fluids was shown to be a feasible resource-utilization scheme and a viable processing method for achieving value-added aged oil.

Improving the performance of polyacrylate latex binders for water-based inks through the application of reactive emulsifiers and nanosized zinc oxide

The poor redissolution and low ethanol resistance stability of room temperature self-cross-linking polyacrylate latexes (RTSPLs) made from conventional emulsifiers are the main obstacles for their industrial application in water-based inks. To address these issues, in this study, anionic SR-10 (allyloxy polyoxyethylene ammonium sulfate) /nonionic ER-10 (allyloxy fatty alcohol polyoxyethylene ether) dual-reactive composite emulsifier is developed to replace the conventional 2A1 (sodium dodecyl diphenyl ether disulfonate) /TX-30 (alkyl phenol polyoxyethylene ether) non-reactive composite emulsifier for the synthesis of polyacrylate latexes, and a certain mass of nanosized zinc oxide (ZnO) was added into as-prepared latexes as an ionic cross-linking agent to partially replace the cross-linking monomer of diacetone acrylamide (DAAM). Properties of the latexes and the latex films, with emphasis on redissolution, stability against ethanol, and adhesion on biaxially oriented polypropylene (BOPP) and polyethylene (PE) substrates, were evaluated to study the effect of the reactive emulsifiers and the nanosized ZnO. The application of the reactive composite emulsifier eliminates the disadvantages associated with the desorption from the latex particles and migration during film formation of the non-reactive emulsifier, thus improving the ethanol resistance stability of latexes and adhesion of their inks on BOPP substrate. The introduction of a certain amount of nanosized ZnO to replace DAAM in equimass amounts improves the redissolution but reduces the cross-linking density and water resistance of the latex film. Surprisingly, the addition of nanosized ZnO substantially improves the ethanol stability of latexes. When ZnO replaces DAAM, accounting for approximately 1 wt% of the total monomers, not only the prepared latex exhibits excellent alcohol dilution stability, but also the latex film has a relatively high cross-linking density, good redissolution, and good comprehensive properties. These findings provide an effective, yet simple way to balance the redissolution and high cross-linking degree of latex films while ensuring that the latexes have good ethanol resistance stability.

Anionic-nonionic and nonionic mixed surfactant systems for oil displacement: Impact of ethoxylate chain lengths on the synergistic effect

Compound surfactant system has been extensively studied in enhanced oil recovery (EOR) as the synergistic effect of mixed surfactants can increase the density of surfactants distributed at the oil/water interface, enhancing the interfacial activity and decreasing the interfacial tension. The system can further increase the capillary number and enhance oil recovery for oil-wet reservoirs. Studying the interactions between surfactant molecules is of great significance to the enhancement of practical application performances. In this study, N, N-dihydroxyethyl alkyl amide (CDEA), and Alkylphenol polyoxyethylene carboxylate (APEC) with different EO numbers were mixed to prepare a binary compound oil displacement system. The influence of the EO number on the synergistic effect of the CDEA/APEC system and the EOR potential was measured by interfacial tension, nanomechanical tests and oil-displacement experiments. The results indicate a synergistic effect between CDEA and APEC due to the formation of hydrogen bonds between the hydroxyl groups of CDEA and the EO chains of APEC. An optimal synergistic effect in the system was obtained when the EO number was four. The CDEA/APEC-4 system exhibited an oil/water interfacial tension decrease to 10−2 mN/m at 75 °C and the oil recovery was 57.14 %, which was increased by 19.2 % compared to primary water flooding. However, a longer EO chain length weakened the interaction forces between CDEA and APEC, which diminished the synergistic effect of the system, leading to an increase of the interfacial tension. Due to the flexibility of the EO chain, the increase in the EO number leads to the bending of APEC molecules. The longer EO chain length weakened the interaction forces between CDEA and APEC, which diminished the synergistic effect of the system, leading to an increase of the interfacial tension. The oil-displacement experiment revealed that the EO chains changed the oil recovery and injection pressure by affecting the interfacial tension of the mixed system. This study has significant implications for the formulation design and optimization of agents for oilfield development.

Preparation and characterization of acrylic resin encapsulated n-dodecanol microcapsule phase change material

Nontoxic, low-cost microcapsule phase change materials (MicroPCMs) were successfully manufactured via suspension polymerization, in which n-dodecanol was employed as the core material and crosslinked polymethyl methacrylate as the wall material. Alkylphenol polyoxyethylene ether (OP-10), polysorbate-20 (Tween-20), sodium salt of styrene-maleic anhydride polymer (SMA), sodium dodecyl sulfonate (SDS), and hexadecyltrimethylammonium chloride (1631) were employed as emulsifiers to investigate the effects of the type and amount of emulsifier on MicroPCMs. In addition, the effects of different types of crosslinking agents on the fabrication of MicroPCMs were investigated. Scanning electron microscopy was used to observe the micro-morphology of MicroPCMs. The chemical structure of the MicroPCMs was detected via Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The thermal properties and thermal stability of the MicroPCMs were analyzed using a differential scanning calorimeter and a thermal gravimetric analyzer, respectively. Particle size distributions of the MicroPCMs were measured using a particle size analyzer. The results demonstrate that MicroPCMs with regular morphology were prepared when the mass ratio of the SMA to the oil phase was 3%, and the latent heat and yield of the MicroPCMs were 80.29 J g−1 and 84%, respectively. Furthermore, the MicroPCMs were successfully synthesized using pentaerythritol triacrylate containing the hydroxyl group as the crosslinking agent with an average particle size of 14.18 μm and excellent thermal stability.

Development of additive-assisted Ag-MACE for multicrystalline black Si solar cells

The uniform distribution of silver nanoparticles on the surfaces of diamond-wire sawn multicrystalline silicon (mc-Si) is critical for the texturing of mc-Si by the Ag metal-assisted chemical etching method (Ag-MACE). In this study, an additive containing alkylphenol polyoxyethylene is developed to improve the Ag-MACE process. It enables an even deposition of the silver nanoparticles over the surface of the silicon wafer, so that the entire wafer surface can be uniformly textured with nanostructures. The experimental results show that the additive improves the appearance and performance of solar cells, including their reflectivity, efficiency, internal quantum efficiency and external quantum efficiency. Mass-produced mc-Si solar cells textured using Ag-MACE with this additive have achieved a maximum efficiency of 19.51%, compared with an efficiency of 19.16% for cells fabricated without the additive.

A novel method for producing bi-component thermo-regulating alginate fiber from phase change material microemulsion

A novel method for fabricating thermo-regulating alginate fiber by wet spinning from phase change material (PCM) microemulsions was proposed and carried out. In order to synthesize the PCM microemulsion successfully, different emulsifiers (alkylphenol polyoxyethylene ether (OP-10), sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) and their mixture) were added into the stock solution system. The solution systems with emulsifiers were observed under optical microscope and evaluated by using a differential scanning calorimeter (DSC); the results showed that only the solution system with the mixture of OP-10 and SDS transformed into PCM microemulsion, corresponding to the success of fiber formation by wet spinning. In addition, the microemulsion had a stable thermal property based on the DSC result, in which the latent heat capacity remained at 97.3% after 100 cycles of heating and cooling. The thermo-regulating alginate fiber was evaluated in terms of morphology, thermogravimetric (TG) analysis and differential scanning calorimetry. The results showed that the fiber had a smooth surface and porous structure in the cross-section, the bimodal TG curve of alginate fiber indicated that the PCM was successfully embedded into fiber and the DSC results demonstrated that the thermo-regulating alginate fiber had a comfortable phase change temperature of 25–35℃, and an acceptable phase change enthalpy of about 20 J/g.

Role of surfactants in accelerating or retarding persulfate decomposition

When surfactants are coupled with persulfate-based ISCO (in situ chemical oxidation) to facilitate the remediation of soil-sorbed hydrophobic organic contaminants or non-aqueous phase liquids, surfactant selection is critical in avoiding excessive nonproductive consumption of persulfate and ensuring proper longevity of persulfate. In this study, the kinetics and mechanisms of the decomposition of persulfate in the presence of simple organic compounds containing primary basic building blocks of nonionic and anionic surfactants were first examined to elucidate the impact of individual building blocks to persulfate decomposition. Further kinetic and mechanistic studies were then carried out in the presence of representative surfactants from the four families of surfactants frequently applied in subsurface remediation. The results indicate that alkyl polyoxyethylene nonionic surfactants significantly accelerated initial persulfate decomposition due to radical-chain processes induced by the oxyethylene functional groups, whereas alkylphenol polyoxyethylene nonionic surfactants retarded initial persulfate decomposition by quenching the radical-chain processes by the aromatic rings. On the other hand, alkyl sulfonate anionic surfactants and alkylbenzene sulfonate surfactants retarded initial persulfate decomposition to some extent; Coulomb repulsion of SO4−/S2O82− and surfactant anion/radical, and entry of surfactant radical anion from the pseudo-aqueous phase into the pseudo-micellar phase may contribute to retarding initial persulfate decomposition. Overall, the results offer insightful structure-based guidance in selecting proper surfactants for surfactant-enhanced persulfate-based ISCO.

Synthesis and Study of 4, 4-12-12 Alkyl Phenol Polyoxyethylene Sulfonate Gemini Surfactant

Background: Gemini surfactants have good prospect of application development in various fields for their superior performance in foaming, wettability, and emulsification with lower critical micelle concentration (CMC) than conventional mono-surfactants. Objective: The purpose of this study was to synthesize an ionic sulfonate Gemini surfactant, which is mainly used as an oil flooding agent, to improve oil recovery and reduce oil production cost. Methods: With 4-dodecyl phenol, diethylene glycol and triethylene glycol as the raw materials to synthesize two sulfonate Gemini surfactants. The single factor experiment combined with Box-Behnken center composite experimental design, the optimum reaction conditions were determined. The optimal reaction condition of sulfonation was determined by orthogonal test. The product structure was characterized by nuclear magnetic resonance and infrared. Results: The mass fraction of sodium hydroxide ω(NaOH), temperature and the quality ratio of hexadecyl trimethyl ammonium bromide to dodecyl phenol were 18%, 93.5°C and 14.2%, respectively. Under the condition of ice bath, the molar ratio of chlorosulfonic acid to 4, 4- 12-12 alkyl phenol polyoxyethylene ether was 2.02:1 and reaction for 5h. The critical micelle concentration was determined to be 2×10-4, 1.05×10-4, respectively. Conclusion: Two sulfonate Gemini surfactants, namely 5, 5-dilauryl alkyl-2,2'-(diethylene glycol oxygen base) sodium diphenyl sulfonate and 5,5-dilauryl alkyl-2,2'-(triethylene glycol oxygen base) sodium diphenyl sulfonate (recorded as III and IV, respectively) were synthesized. The synthesized surfactants have excellent emulsification ability.

Drying Time of Systemic and Protectant Fungicides on Coffee Leaves Exposed to Artificial Rain for the Control of Leaf Rust

The drying time of pesticides on the leaves and the resistance of the deposits to rain removal are essential for success in controlling plant diseases. Because the fungicide application is performed during the rainy season, it is crucial to study the resistance of chemical deposits on the leaf surface for the control of the coffee leaf rust caused by Hemileia vastatrix. Thus, the present work analyzed the effect of an simulated rain (30 min), after several drying time of the deposits, on the removal of (i) copper oxychloride alone and associated to mineral and the adjuvant polyoxyethylene alkylphenol ether and also (ii) before several drying time, on the removal of the epoxiconazol + pyraclostrobin formulation mixed with copper hydroxide and micronutrients applied on coffee leaves, for the control of leaf rust. Around 85% and 45% of the treatments had copper retention > 30% after 120 min and 480 min, respectively, of drying time before the rain. At 480 min, retention of copper oxychloride + 0.75% mineral oil was > 30%, whereas copper oxychloride + adjuvant polyoxyethylene alkylphenol ether at 0.05% and 0.1%, respectively was 40% or higher. When copper oxychloride was added to 0.5% mineral oil at 0.05% to 0.20% of adjuvant polyoxyethylene alkylphenol ether at 480 min of drying time, copper retention was > 30%. When copper oxychloride was added to 0.75% mineral oil, copper retention was > 30% at 0.05% and 0.10 % of adjuvant polyoxyethylene alkylphenol ether. Five of the treatments with copper retention > 50% with 120 min of drying time were reduced to only two (copper oxychloride + 0.75% mineral oil; copper oxychloride + (1.0% mineral oil + 0.1% adjuvant polyoxyethylene alkylphenol ether) with copper retention > 30%, at the drying time of 480 min. All the treatments differed from the control but did not differ between each other for the coffee leaf rust control. The percentage of control ranged from 94.6% to 100% and from 71.3% to 99.5% at 180 min and 480 min of drying time, respectively. Copper retention varied from 32.2% to 55.2% and from 23.7% to 51.5%, at 180 min and 480 min of drying time, respectively, for the best treatments. The treatment with the highest copper retention was copper oxychloride + 0.75% mineral oil, both at 180 min and 480 min of drying time. The best treatments for leaf rust control were not always those with the highest copper retention by the leaves. The highest copper retention by the leaf surface was achieved with copper oxychloride mixed with 0.75% mineral oil; this treatment resulted in > 97% of coffee leaf rust control. Adding adjuvant polyoxyethylene alkylphenol ether to the mixture does not necessarily favor the tenacity and efficiency of the copper oxychloride for the coffee leaf rust control. We concluded that the copper oxychloride acts differently for the coffee leaf rust control, depending on the concentration of added mineral oil and adjuvant polyoxyethylene alkylphenol ether time zero. Pyraclostrobin + epoxiconazol alone or mixed with copper hidroxide controlled 100% of the disease after 30 min, 120 min and 480 min of spraying, but when micronutrients was added to pyraclostrobin + epoxiconazol and copper hidroxide control of coffee leaf rust reached 100% at drying time of 120 and 480 min.

Preparation and characterization of the n-HA/PVA/CS porous composite hydrogel

Abstract In this paper, a new method combines chemical/physical crosslinking, and emulsification-foaming porogenic was adopted to prepare n-hydroxyapatite (n-HA)/polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)/chitosan (CS) porous composite hydrogel using artificial cornea scaffold materials. The fabricate conditions, including the type and amount of emulsification-foaming porogen, mixing time and speed etc. were researched. The results showed the optimal condition that the alkylphenol polyoxyethylene ether (OP) acted as emulsification-foaming porogen, with the ratio of WPVA/WOP as 3.75, and mixing 15 min with a stirring speed of 800 r·min−1. Additionally, the fabricated composite hydrogel scaffold materials possessed interconnected internal holes, a moisture content of above 65%, and tensile strength of above 6 MPa. In vitro cytotoxicity and acute systemic toxicity assay confirmed that the scaffolds did not show any cytotoxicity. The as-prepared hydrogel could be a promising candidate for artificial cornea scaffold material.

Mechanism of viscosity reduction in viscous crude oil with polyoxyethylene surfactant compound system

Surfactant can be used to form stable oil-in-water emulsion and reduce the viscosity of viscous crude oil. The mechanism of viscosity reduction was studied for nonionic surfactant alkylphenol polyoxyethylene (9) ether (APE-9) compound systems. The results showed that the viscosity reduction of viscous crude oil by water-insoluble alkylphenol polyoxyethylene (4) ether (APE-4) was higher than sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS, anionic surfactant) and dodecyl dimethyl betaine (BS-12, amphoteric surfactant) in the binary compound system. The viscosity further decreased by ethanolamine. The interfacial tension (IFT) study showed that when the reduction in IFT was the highest, the viscosity reduction was the highest.

Aggregation prevention: reduction of graphene oxide in mixed medium of alkylphenol polyoxyethylene (7) ether and 2-methoxyethanol.

Graphene has attracted great interest due to its extensive applications in optoelectronic and electronic circuits and devices. However, reduction of graphene oxide (GO) to graphene is a process in which hydrophilic GO converts to hydrophobic graphene. Very little is known about the aggregation of graphene and the cause of performance degradation by general chemical reduction methods as the single reaction medium presents difficulty in satisfying the good dispersion of hydrophilic GO and hydrophobic graphene simultaneously. In this paper, we report a mixed medium of alkylphenol polyoxyethylene (7) ether (OP-7) and 2-methoxyethanol (EGM) for the preparation of graphene. The strong polar nature of EGM provides a good dispersion environment for GO, while the π–π interaction between the π-electrons in nonionic surfactant OP-7 aromatic ring structure and the π-electrons in graphene make the hydrophobic graphene well dispersed and prevent aggregation. Moreover, the reduction temperature is not high and the reduction time is short. The electrical conductivity of graphene without high-temperature treatment reached 14 000 S m−1. We have found the potential reduction mechanism of graphene and fundamentally solved the problem of aggregation. Our findings make it possible to process graphene materials using low-cost mixed medium processing techniques, providing a valuable reference for the large-scale preparation of graphene.

Effects of Various Surfactants on the Dispersion of MWCNTs-OH in Aqueous Solution.

Dispersion of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) is a challenge for their application in the resulting matrixes. The present study conducted a comparison investigation of the effect of four surfactants: Alkylphenol polyoxyethylene ether (APEO), Silane modified polycarboxylate (Silane-PCE), I-Cationic polycarboxylate (I-C-PCE), and II-Cationic polycarboxylate (II-C-PCE) on the dispersion of hydroxyl functionalized multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs–OH). Among the four surfactants, APEO and II-C-PCE provide the best and the worst dispersion effect of CNTs in water, respectively. Dispersion effect of MWCNTs–OH has been characterized by optical microscope (OM), field emission-scanning electron microscope (FE-SEM), and Ultraviolet–visible spectroscopy (UV–Vis).The OM images are well consistent with the UV–Vis results. Based on the chemical molecular structures of the four surfactants, the mechanism of MWCNTs–OH dispersion in water was investigated. For each kind of surfactant, an optimum surfactant/MWCNTs–OH ratio has been determined. This ratio showed a significant influence on the dispersion of MWCNTs–OH. Surfactant concentration higher or lower than this value can weaken the dispersion quality of MWCNTs–OH.

A neutral and coordination regeneration method of Ca-poisoned V2O5-WO3/TiO2 SCR catalyst

Polyether surfactant was employed for the regeneration of a poisoned by calcium V2O5-WO3/TiO2 catalyst. The OP-10 (alkylphenol polyoxyethylene (10) ether) surfactant exhibited better CaO removal performance than EL-60 (cremophor EL 60) and AEO9 (polyethyleneglycol (9) mono-dodecyl ether). The Ca2+-aromatic interactions developed in OP-10 increased the solubility of CaO in water and Ca2+ could be removed by washing. The high Ca2+ removal rate by OP-10 surfactant led to the reversible improvement of surface acid sites and active oxygen species. Compared with the traditional method of dilute sulfuric acid solution, the OP-10 presented higher Ca2+ removal rate with lower V2O5 loss, which is expected to be a facile and environmental benign method for the regeneration of Ca2+-poisoned NH3-SCR industrial catalysts.

Study on Tribological Properties of Antimony Nanoparticles as Liquid Paraffin Additive

Antimony nanoparticles, whose surfaces were modified by alkyl phenol polyoxyethylene ether (OP-10), were used as one of the types of lubricating additives in liquid paraffin (LP). The tribological properties of antimony nanoparticles as lubricating additives were evaluated and compared with those of pure LP on a four-ball test machine. The morphology and chemical composition of the worn surface were investigated and analyzed by using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS). The results show that the additives can obviously improve the anti-wear and friction reducing properties of LP, which are better under high friction load. The double-layer crystal structure of antimony can be separated and glided along the cleavage plane by a friction-shear force and a normal load, respectively. The separating and gliding of antimony can form a physical adsorption film, which can separate the friction surface to avoid direct contact of the friction surface and play an important role in improving the anti-wear and friction reducing properties.

Self-assembly Synthesis and Properties of Microencapsulated n-Tetradecane Phase Change Materials with a Calcium Carbonate Shell for Cold Energy Storage

Sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) and alkylphenol polyoxyethylene ether (OP-10) mixed templates, microencapsulated phase change materials (MEPCMs) with an n-tetradecane core, and calcium carbonate (CaCO3) shell were prepared by a self-assembly method. The effects of the core/shell mass ratio and the SDS/OP-10 mass ratio on the morphology and the phase change enthalpy of the synthesized MEPCMs were investigated by polarized optical microscope (POM) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), respectively. The structure and the thermal performance of the MEPCMs were systematically characterized by the method of Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), an X-ray diffractometer (XRD), a scanning electron microscope and energy dispersive spectrometer (SEM-EDS), thermogravimetric analysis (TG), and a thermal constants analyzer. The results demonstrated that the self-assembly technique with SDS/OP-10 mixed templates could be successfully applied for the synthesis of n-tetradecane@CaCO3 MEPCMs with an encapsul...

Flexible and stretchable polyurethane/waterglass grouting material

Flexibility and stretchability are of ever increasing importance in constructing high-performance grouting materials. Herein, a facile, effective and cost-efficient strategy to make organic-inorganic hybrid chemical grouting material in a “flexible and stretchable” way was based on polymerization of carbon double bond and excellent synergistic interactions among N-Methylol acrylamide, butenediol, waterglass and prepolymer. Upon the optimal percentages of waterglass (44%), N-Methylol acrylamide (3.5%), butenediol (1.5%), Alkylphenol polyoxyethylene (OP-9, 0.5%), 2,2′-azobis[2-(2-imidazolin-2-yl)propane] (0.35%), 2,2-dimorpholinodiethylether (DMDEE, 0.15%) and prepolymer (50%), the obtained polyurethane/waterglass grouting material with three-dimensional interpenetrating network structure displayed an excellent flexibility, satisfactory compressive strength of 13.4MPa at 50% compression state, and relatively large elongation of up to 60% with a stable stretching for 200times. The grouting material was mainly composed of amorphous polyurethane and crystalline polysilicic acid/NaHCO3/Na2CO3 composite, and its probable formation mechanism was proposed. Additionally, the grouting material possessed favorable thermal stability and repairment performance for roadway cracks. This work may open a simple and convenient avenue for the preparation of organic-inorganic hybrid chemical grouting material with flexibility and stretchability.

Tribological characteristic and mechanism analysis of borate ester as a lubricant additive in different base oils

A kind of N-containing borate ester (DEBE) with a double five-member-ring structure as a lubricant additive was synthesized by using boric acid, diethanolamine and alkylphenol polyoxyethylene ether as the starting materials.

Synthesis of a Series of Anionic Surfactants Derived from NP and their Properties as Emulsifiers for Reducing Viscosity of Highly Viscous Oil via Formation of O/W Emulsions

AbstractA series of alkyl phenol polyoxyethylene glycidyl ether (NP‐n‐O) and alkyl phenol polyoxyethylene ether hydroxypropyl sulfonate (NP‐n‐S) surfactants was synthesized to explore emulsification viscosity reduction. The optimum sulfonation conditions were obtained through orthogonal experiments, the ratio of alkyl phenol polyoxyethylene glycidyl ether and sodium bisulfite 1:1.5, 100 °C, and 6 h. The effects of concentrations of the synthesized surfactants, pH values, emulsifying temperature (40 and 60 °C) and water content on emulsification viscosity reduction and the stability of the emulsion to Venezuela’s Orinoco heavy oil were investigated. The water diversion ratio of emulsion at the reservoir temperature (55 °C) in 30 days was taken as an index, the results show that under the conditions of a temperature of 40 °C, an oil/water ratio of 7:3 and a surfactant NP‐4‐S concentration of 0.5 %, emulsions can be formed with a viscosity reduction rate reaching up to 99.69 % and with a water diversion ratio in 30 days reaching 9.38 %; while at 60 °C and an oil/water ratio of 7:3, at an NP‐4‐S concentration of 1 %, the viscosity reduction rate can reach 99.55 % and water diversion ratio is merely 4.23 % in 30 days. The mixture of NP‐n‐S, xanthan gum and cocamidopropyl dimethylamine oxide (CAO‐30) at suitable concentration can greatly improve the emulsification viscosity reduction and emulsion stability, which gives an emulsion viscosity rate of over 98 %. Moreover, the emulsion can be stable for at least 30 days without water emerging.

The effect of surface dispersants on electrodeposited antimony nanoparticles

Stable antimony nanoparticles with various particle morphologies and particle sizes were fabricated by electrodeposition method with different surface dispersants. The particle phase, morphology and size of resulting antimony particles were analysed. The results show that the surface dispersant has a remarkable effect on particle size, morphology and aggregation of the antimony particles. The coating surface formed from a mixture of Tween-80 and alkyl phenol polyoxyethylene ether can lead to particles aggregation; another kind of coating surface formed from a mixture of sodium dodecyl sulfate and alkyl phenol polyoxyethylene ether cannot prevent particles agglomeration; and such agglomeration occurred when mesitylene was used as surface dispersant. When used independently, alkyl phenol polyoxyethylene ether effectively adsorbed to the surface of antimony particles. The good densification and large space steric effect of this organic coating resulted played an important role in obtaining the well dispersed antimony nanoparticles with an average particle size of 12 nm.