Hydrocarbon Segments Research Articles

Anti-Russian sanctions in the domestic oil and gas industry: problems and prospects

The relevance of the topic of the scientific article is determined by a number of circumstances related to the fact that the oil and gas industry is one of the main sectors of the Russian economy, as well as an important component of domestic exports. The sanctions of Western countries on the economy of the Russian Federation have had a noticeable impact on the operating conditions of the industry and the requirements imposed on it by the world and the national economy. The article formulates the challenges facing the industry, which is under sanctions, and shows the possibilities of its development in 2024 and in the future. According to the author, the effectiveness of industry management, improvement of technologies, logistics, as well as the search for non-traditional sales markets are of fundamental importance today. The purpose of the article is to identify the problems of the domestic oil and gas industry that arose in the sanctions conditions, to identify realistic directions for its development. The subject of the study is the hydrocarbon industry of the Russian Federation, the object of the study is changes in the domestic energy sector under the influence of Western sanctions. The article used analytical, comparative, empirical methods and visualization. It is shown that along with the development of traditional energy in the Russian Federation, it is important to pay close attention to the intensification of activities in the field of renewable energy sources. A number of measures have been proposed to reduce the negative impact of sanctions on the hydrocarbon segment of the domestic economy.

Towards Sustainable Energy Development: Integrating Traditional and Renewable Energy in Azerbaijan’s Energy Policy

The article examines the formation of Azerbaijan's energy policy and the multivector development of its fuel and energy complex. In the context of global transformations and changes in energy flow structures, the author emphasizes the balanced development of both hydrocarbon and carbon-free segments of energy. The proposed concept of sustainable energy development envisages the harmonious coexistence of traditional and renewable energy, enhancing Azerbaijan's economic stability and geopolitical influence. The significant role of the oil and gas sector, demonstrated by successful projects and substantial foreign investments, is reinforced by the active development of renewable energy sources. Azerbaijan implements large-scale projects in wind and solar energy, as well as initiatives for the production of «green» hydrogen, which contributes not only to the reduction of emissions but also to the expansion of the country's export potential. The article highlights the importance of balanced FEC development, focusing on emission minimization through the application of carbon capture and utilization (CCUS) technologies, as well as the need for infrastructure modernization to improve energy efficiency. Azerbaijan demonstrates a unique case where traditional and renewable energy do not compete but complement each other, strengthening its positions in international cooperation and within the framework of the Greater Eurasian Partnership.

Thermodynamic study on hydrated bilayers of ether-linked phosphatidylcholines with terminal perfluorobutyl group

Novel terminally perfluorobutyl group-containing ether-linked phosphatidylcholines with different alkyl chain lengths (di-O-F4-Cn-PCs, n = 14,16 and 18) were developed as possible materials for stable liposomes aiming at applications of structural and functional analyses of membrane proteins. Differential scanning calorimetric investigations of the thermotropic transition of hydrated di-O-F4-Cn-PC bilayers demonstrated that the transition temperature of every di-O-F4-Cn-PC decreases by ~20 °C compared to their corresponding non-fluorinated PCs, di-O-Cn-PCs. With the elongation of the hydrophobic chain, on the other hand, the transition enthalpy (ΔH) and entropy (ΔS) increased in a linear manner. Comparison of ΔH and ΔS values against the net hydrocarbon chain length between di-O-F4-Cn-PCs and di-O-Cn-PCs strongly suggests that in the thermotropic transition of the di-O-F4-Cn-PC membrane, the perfluorobutyl segments undergo very limited structural changes; therefore, the hydrocarbon segments are mainly responsible for the phase transition.

Environmentally Friendly, Durably Waterproof, and Highly Breathable Fibrous Fabrics Prepared by One-Step Fluorine-Free Waterborne Coating.

Waterproof and breathable membranes (WBMs) have drawn broad attention due to their widespread applications in various scientific and industry fields. However, creating WBMs with environment-friendliness and high performance is still a critical and challenging task. Herein, an environmentally friendly fluorine-free WBM with high performance was prepared through electrospinning and one-step dip-coating technology. The fluorine-free waterborne hydroxyl acrylic resin (HAR) emulsion containing long hydrocarbon chains endowed the electrospun polyacrylonitrile/blocked isocyanate prepolymer (PAN/BIP) fibrous membranes with superior hydrophobicity; meanwhile, crosslinking agent BIP ensured strong chemical binding between hydrocarbon segments and fiber substrate. The as-prepared PAN/BIP@HAR fibrous membranes achieve ideal properties with waterproofness of 112.5 kPa and moisture permeability of 12.7 kg m-2 d-1, which are comparable to the existing high-performance fluorinated WBMs. Besides, the PAN/BIP@HAR membranes also display impressive tensile strength and durability. Significantly, the proposed technology was also applicable to other hydrophilic fiber substrates, such as cellulose acetate and polyamide 6. The successful synthesis of environmentally friendly, durably waterproof, and highly breathable PAN/BIP@HAR membranes not only opens a new avenue to materials design, but also provides promising candidates with tremendous potential in various areas.

Oil and gas complex of Russia:fiscal instruments and taxation system

The largest shares of the formation of the country's budget are tax revenues from the oil and gas complex of the national economy, obviously the huge impact of this complex of management on the "health" of the economy as a whole. The creation of an optimal tax system that ensures stable forecasting of oil and gas revenues, rational control and constant replenishment of the budget in the face of the most complex global economic shocks, the volatility of world markets, and a raging pandemic is becoming a priority task of the Government of the Russian Federation. The development of deposits, the parallel decline in hydrocarbon production and the decline in the production of subsequent products require a detailed analysis of the current state of taxation in the hydrocarbon segment of the economy of the Russian Federation. Perhaps closer attention to the problems of taxation of such an important complex as the oil and gas complex for the Russian economy will help solve the problems not only of the functioning of the complex, but also of the economy of the state as a whole. The oil and gas complex, being a powerful source of benefits, could become a necessary basis for the formation of an economy that does not focus on the banal sale of the extracted raw product. Tax reforms of the subjects of the oil and gas complex could become an example for further reforms needed in our time in all sectors (complexes, segments, industries) of the national economy.

СОЦИАЛЬНО-ЭКОНОМИЧЕСКОЕ РАЗВИТИЕ СТРАН ПЕРСИДСКОГО ЗАЛИВА И РОЛЬ ДИВЕРСИФИКАЦИИ

He article presents an analysis of the socio-economic development of the GCC in 2000-2019 as the basis for the formation of a high-tech segment in the regional economy. The authors substantiate the necessity and possibility of high-tech development of the countries of the region and the remaining problems. The authors found that there are tangible achievements in the Persian Gulf countries, such as the emergence of high — and medium-tech industries. Their active development provides the GCC countries with relative stability in the economy and social sphere. The authors of this article note that the hydrocarbon segment still plays an important role in the implementation of the tasks of socio-economic development of the Persian Gulf countries, which, in the context of population growth, including the share of young people, requires new approaches to the formation of the economic structure from the countries of the region.

Fluorine-Free Waterborne Coating for Environmentally Friendly, Robustly Water-Resistant, and Highly Breathable Fibrous Textiles.

Waterproof and breathable membranes (WBMs) with simultaneous environmental friendliness and high performance are highly desirable in a broad range of applications; however, creating such materials still remains a tough challenge. Herein, we present a facile and scalable strategy to fabricate fluorine-free, efficient, and biodegradable WBMs via step-by-step dip-coating and heat curing technology. The hyperbranched polymer (ECO) coating containing long hydrocarbon chains provided an electrospun cellulose acetate (CA) fibrous matrix with high hydrophobicity; meanwhile, the blocked isocyanate cross-linker (BIC) coating ensured the strong attachment of hydrocarbon segments on CA surfaces. The resulting membranes (TCA) exhibited integrated properties with waterproofness of 102.9 kPa, breathability of 12.3 kg m-2 d-1, and tensile strength of 16.0 MPa, which are much superior to that of previously reported fluorine-free fibrous materials. Furthermore, TCA membranes can sustain hydrophobicity after exposure to various harsh environments. More importantly, the present strategy proved to be universally applicable and effective to several other hydrophilic fibrous substrates. This work not only highlights the material design and preparation but also provides environmentally friendly and high-performance WBMs with great potential application prospects for a variety of fields.

Synthesis and characterization of bio-based polyesters from 2,5-thiophenedicarboxylic acid

Six kinds of 2,5-thiophenedicarboxylic acid-based polyesters were synthesized using a two-step melt polycondensation method from 2,5-thiophenedicarboxylic acid (TFDCA) and aliphatic diols. For all polyesters synthesized, weight-average molecular weight was higher than 1.8 × 104 g mol−1. For poly(hexylene 2,5-thiophenedicarboxylate) (PHTF), poly(octylene 2,5-thiophenedicarboxylate) (POTF), and poly(decylene 2,5-thiophenedicarboxylate) (PDTF), they were crystalline polymers due to long crystallizable polyethylene-like hydrocarbon segments in the backbone. However, for poly(2-methyl-1,3-trimethylene 2,5-thiophenedicarboxylate) (PMTF), poly(neopentyl glycol 2,5-thiophenedicarboxylate) (PNTF), and poly(pentylene 2,5-thiophenedicarboxylate) (PPeTF), the melting temperature was not observed. PMTF was a brittle material (elongation at break∼2%). However, other TFDCA-based polyesters were ductile materials (elongation at break>110%). For PNTF, the highest tensile strength (∼63 MPa) and moderate elongation at break (113%) were observed, which were comparable with that of polyethylene terephthalate (PET). The polyesters prepared could be very significant for the development of bio-based polyesters.

Micellisation of the binary mixture of surfactants Triton X100 and Brij S10 in a water solution at T = (278.15–318.15) K: The excess Gibbs energy of the binary mixed micelles formation and its interpretation by the first order and the second order Margules function

Micellisation of the binary mixture of non-ionic surfactants Triton X100 and Brij S10 is examined. Both surfactants have polyoxyethylene chains of the same length, and differ in the conformational flexibility of the hydrocarbon segment. Triton X100 is the common surfactant in the biochemical laboratories, especially suitable for biological systems since it does not induce protein denaturation, while Brij surfactants show positive effects on the bioavailability of some drugs. According to the regular solution theory (RST), formed binary mixed micelles in each mole fraction of the binary mixture of Brij S10 – Triton X100 are richer in a hydrophobic component (Brij S10), while if the content of the binary mixed micelle is determined using the Rodenas function (the model independent method), then mixed micelles exist that are rich in Brij S10 and mixed micelles rich in Triton X100. According to the experimental values, RST hypothese that the excess entropy is zero cannot be accepted. Also, the dependence of the molar excess Gibbs energy is not a symmetric function. The RST interaction parameter as well as the model independent Gibbs energy show synergistic interactions between Brij S10 and Triton X100. In the infinitely diluted micellar pseudo-phases at T = (283.15–308.15) K the thermodynamic stabilization of Brij S10 and Triton X100 has the entropic origin.

Conductivity and Activation Energy in Polymers Synthesized by Plasmas of Thiophene

The electric conductivity, activation energy and morphology of polythiophene synthesized by radiofrequency resistive plasmas are studied in this work. The continuous collisions of particles in the plasma induce the polymerization of thiophene but also break some of the monomer molecules producing complex polymers with thiophene rings and aliphatic hydrocarbon segments. These multidirectional chemical reactions are more marked at longer reaction times in which the morphology of the polymers evolved from smooth surfaces, at low exposure time, to spherical particles with diameter in the 300-1000 nm interval. Between both morphologies, some bubbles are formed on the surface. The intrinsic conductivity of plasma polymers of thiophene synthesized in this way varied in the range of 10-10 to 10-8 S/m; however, the conductivity resulted very sensitive to the water content in the polymers, which produced variations of up to 5 magnitude orders. The activation energy of the intrinsic conductivity was between 0.56 and 1.41 eV, increasing with the reaction time.
 
 Plasma, Polymerization, Polythiophene, Conductivity, Activation Energy

Growth of a Surface-Tethered, All-Carbon Backboned Fluoropolymer by Photoactivated Molecular Layer Deposition.

The synthesis of an all-carbon backboned fluoropolymer using photoactivated molecular layer deposition (pMLD) is developed. pMLD is a vapor-phase, layer-by-layer, organic thin film synthesis method utilizing UV light, allowing for the creation of materials previously unavailable via thermal MLD. The carbon backbone is achieved by reacting an iodine-containing fluorocarbon monomer (1,4-diiodooctafluorobutane) and a diene monomer (1,5-hexadiene) under UV irradiation in a step-growth polymerization sequence. The polymerization occurs with a growth rate of 1.3 Å/cycle, forming a copolymer containing hydrocarbon and fluorocarbon segments. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) was used to confirm the formation of new carbon-carbon bonds and quantify the final film composition. In situ XPS thermal annealing experiments confirm the film stability up to 400 °C. The ability to pattern the fluoropolymer on a surface is demonstrated using a photomask, suggesting that these films could be incorporated into photolithographic processes. Together, these results demonstrate that pMLD can be used to synthesize carbon backboned films with photopatterning ability, expanding the available chemistries and potential applications of MLD polymers.

Solvent accessibility in interdigitated and micellar phases formed by DPPC/Lyso-PPC mixtures: D2O-ESEEM of chain labeled lipids.

Electron spin echo envelope modulation (ESEEM) spectroscopy was used to investigate binary mixtures of single-chain micelle-forming lipids and diacyl bilayer-forming lipids dispersed in D2O at 77 K. Mixtures of dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (DPPC) and lyso-palmitoylphosphatidylcholine (Lyso-PPC) over the entire composition range (0-100 mol%) and phosphatidylcholine spin-labeled at selected carbon atom position along the sn-2 chain (n-PCSL) were considered. On increasing the content of the lysolipids incorporated in DPPC, the lipid bilayers are first transformed in interdigitated lamellae and then converted in micelles of Lyso-PPC. In the interdigitated phase, the profile of translamellae water accessibility is rather uniform as all the hydrocarbon segments are equally exposed to the solvent. In Lyso-PPC micelle, water penetrates at any depth of the hydrocarbon region with a tendency to increase toward the chain termini. The extent of water penetration is higher in the interdigitated DPPC/Lyso-PPC dispersions than in Lyso-PPC micelles. The profiles of water permeation revealed directly by D2O-ESEEM are also confirmed by more indirect evaluation of the polarity profiles based on the 14N-hyperfine splitting in the conventional electron paramagnetic resonance spectra of n-PCSL in frozen DPPC/Lyso-PPC mixtures at 77 K. The ESEEM data reveal that H-bonding formation between the -NO group of the spin-label and the D2O molecules is favored in the intergitated phase with respect to the micellar phase and, in any lipid dispersion, the fraction of nitroxides that are singly H-bonded to deuterons is higher than the fraction that are doubly H-bonded. The overall results highlight the differences in the accessibility and properties of the solvent in the hydrocarbon region of lipid bilayers, interdigitated bilayers and micelles.

Evaluation of Synthesized Catalytic Complex Structure-Forming Ability during Paraffin Base Tar Upgrade

The combination of the synthesized multicomponent bifunctional catalytic complex (MBC) components with heavy oil residues (HOR) of the paraffin-naphthenic (P-N) base leads to the chemical structuring of the hydrocarbon (HC) segments of the raw material molecules, and the specifics of HOR physicochemical structure, which will be the criteria for the selection of modifiers with a certain chemical nature [1,2,3,4]. It has been established that the introduction of catalytic activators in the tar composition promotes both the intensification of the oxidation process and the production of bituminous insulating material (BIM) with high physicomechanical properties [1,2,4].Raw materials for the production of special bituminous materials must be highly resinous with a P-HC content of up to 3% by weight. Based on the works by A.S. Kolbanovskaya [6], this is explained by the fact that the dispersed structure of bitumen is significantly dependent on the content of P-HC, since the dispersed phase in the oils is formed by naphthenic (N-) and PN-A-HC at certain temperatures with the side chains of the paraffinic P-HC series. If their content is more than 3% by weight the crystallization skeleton of P-HC is developed, which provides stiffness and reduces the plasticity interval for the system. Together with this, it is known that in the process of HOR oxidation the amount of low-molecular-weight oil A-HC decreases continuously, and the relative amount of PN-HC increases. Due to this, the affinity of the dispersion medium (DM) decreases to asphaltenes [7,8,9], which, moreover, becomes larger, which leads to THE deterioration of the cohesion and adhesion-strength properties of BIM.

Structural diversity of metallacycle intermediates for ethylene dimerization on heterogeneous NiMCM-41 catalyst: a quantum chemical perspective

Nanocluster models were investigated to explore the diversity of metallacycle intermediates for ethylene dimerization over NiMCM-41 at B3LYP/6-311+G* and M06/Def2-TZVP. The thermodynamic favorability of the formation of matallacycle with respect to the ring size of silica varied in the sequence of 6T < 3T < 2T < 5T < 4T in terms of Gibbs free energy (ranging from − 10.01 to 16.66 kcal/mol at B3LYP/6-311+G*). The reaction cycle faced lower barriers on 3T and 2T clusters, however. The formation of the intermediate and π complexation of 1-butene led to positive total charges on the hydrocarbon segment of the complex, being maximized on four-membered sites and minimized on two-membered ones. Further insights are also provided with QTAIM, frontier orbital, and FTIR analyses.

Comparative Variable Temperature Studies of Polyamide II with a Benchtop Fourier Transform and a Miniature Handheld Near-Infrared Spectrometer Using 2D-COS and PCMW-2D Analysis.

The main objective of this communication is to compare the performance of a miniaturized handheld near-infrared (NIR) spectrometer with a benchtop Fourier transform near-infrared (FT-NIR) spectrometer. Generally, NIR spectroscopy is an extremely powerful analytical tool to study hydrogen-bonding changes of amide functionalities in solid and liquid materials and therefore variable temperature NIR measurements of polyamide II (PAII) have been selected as a case study. The information content of the measurement data has been further enhanced by exploiting the potential of two-dimensional correlation spectroscopy (2D-COS) and the perturbation correlation moving window two-dimensional (PCMW2D) evaluation technique. The data provide valuable insights not only into the changes of the hydrogen-bonding structure and the recrystallization of the hydrocarbon segments of the investigated PAII but also in their sequential order. Furthermore, it has been demonstrated that the 2D-COS and PCMW2D results derived from the spectra measured with the miniaturized NIR instrument are equivalent to the information extracted from the data obtained with the high-performance FT-NIR instrument.

Periodically Grafted Amphiphilic Copolymers: Effects of Steric Crowding and Reversal of Amphiphilicity.

Two series of periodically clickable polyesters were prepared; one of them carries alkylene segments along its backbone, whereas the other carries poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) segments. These polyesters were clicked with either MPEG-350 azide or docosyl (C22) azide to yield periodically grafted amphiphilic copolymers (PGACs) carrying either flexible hydrophilic or crystallizable hydrophobic backbone segments. The immiscibility between hydrocarbon and PEG segments causes both of these systems to fold in either a zigzag or hairpin-like conformation; the hairpin-like conformation appears to be preferred when flexible PEG segments are present in the backbone. The folded chains further reorganize in the solid state to develop a lamellar morphology that permits the collocation of the PEG and hydrocarbon (HC) segments within alternate domains; evidence for the self-segregation was gained from DSC, SAXS, and AFM studies. SAXS studies revealed the formation of an extended lamellar structure, whereas AFM images showed uniform layered morphology with layer heights that matched reasonably well with the interlamellar spacing obtained from the SAXS study. Labeling one representative PGAC, carrying crystallizable long alkylene segments in the backbone and pendant PEG-350 side chains, with a small mole fraction of pyrene fluorophore permitted the examination of the conformational transition that occurs upon going from a good to a poor solvent; this single-chain folded conformation, we postulate, is the intermediate that organizes into the lamellar morphology.

Effect of Silane Coupling Agent on Physical Properties of Polypropylene Membrane Reinforced by Native Superfine down Powder

In order to improve the compatibility between native superfine down powder (NSDP) and polypropylene (PP), NSPD was surface-modified by grafting with a silane coupling agent. After modification of NSDP, Fourier-Transform infrared spectrometry was used to investigate the chemical reaction between NSDP and silane coupling agent, and the spectroscopy indicated that silane coupling agent was successfully grafted onto the particle surface. Modified and unmodified NSDP was used to reinforce PP membrane by hot-press method, and the morphology, thermal properties, melt mass-flow rate and mechanical properties of PP/NSDP hybrid membrane was investigated. The melt mass-flow rate, tensile stress, and break elongation of the hybrid membranes initially increased and then decreased with the increase of silane coupling agent concentration, which significantly correlated with the silane coupling agent amount that adhered on the particle surface. Up to 3% silane coupling agent concentration was sufficient to cover the NSDP surface and improve the compatibility between PP and NSDP. With continuously increasing of silane coupling agent concentration, the melt mass-flow rate and mechanical properties decreased, which ascribed to the decreasing bonding strength of entanglement network between long-chain hydrocarbon segments on NSDP surface and PP matrix. PP/NSDP hybrid membrane with excellent thermal and mechanical properties can be obtained by controlling the silane coupling agent concentration.

M‐Metallaphenol: Synthesis and Reactivity Studies

AbstractInvited for the cover of this issue is the group of Haiping Xia at the University of Xiamen. The image depicts their recent work on the chemistry of transition‐metal‐containing metallaaromatics, organometallic compounds derived from formal replacement of a (hydro)carbon segment in an organic aromatic ring by an isolobal transition‐metal fragment. Read the full text of the article at 10.1002/chem.201304957.

Long-chain aliphatic polyesters from plant oils for injection molding, film extrusion and electrospinning

The polycondensation of long-chain α,ω-diesters with long-chain α,ω-diols, prepared by means of catalytic conversion of plant oils, affords linear aliphatic polyesters. They contain both long crystallizable polyethylene-like hydrocarbon segments and ester moieties in the backbone. In a convenient catalytic one-step process a high-purity polycondensation grade dimethyl-1,19-nonadecanedioate monomer is obtained directly from the technical grade methyl ester of high oleic sunflower oil. Likewise, dimethyl-1,23-tricosanedioate is derived from methyl erucate. The successful scale-up renders both intermediates available on a 100 g scale. Injection molded parts of polyester-19.19 and -23.23 with a number average molecular mass of Mn = 3 × 104 g mol−1 possess an elongation at break of >600% and a Young's modulus of 400 MPa. Electrospinning produces non-woven meshes. The polyesters prepared even enable film extrusion and represent new blend components for a variety of thermoplastics including polyethylene.

Lipid Bilayer Structure and Dynamics Studied with Molecular Dynamics Simulations and NMR Measurements

We apply novel NMR experiments and molecular dynamics simulations to extract information about dynamics and structure of phosphatidylcholine lipid bilayers. We have developed a method to quantitatively measure rotational dynamics of hydrocarbon groups by using NMR relaxation measurements. The results from this method can be used to directly compare dynamics between simulations and experiments, which has not been possible previously. We apply this technique to phosphatidylcholine bilayers with and without cholesterol. In addition, we have measured order parameters for all hydrocarbon segments in phosphatidylcholine bilayer with and without cholesterol, and compared those to the simulation results [1]. The results reveal how cholesterol affects the molecular structure and dynamics of phosphatidylcholine glycerol and headgroup regions. The quality of simulation models will be critically discussed emphasizing the headgroup and glycerol regions. [1] Ferreira et al. PCCP 15, 1976 (2013)