Mobility Of Aggregates Research Articles

Viscometric studies of heavy oil in the presence of compositions consisting of amphiphilic compounds and organic solvents

The chemical composition of high-viscosity heavy oil has been studied by IR spectroscopy and X-ray fluorescence spectrometry. It is found that characteristic absorption bands are available and characterize aliphatic structures and aromatic cycles, sulfur- and organophosphorus compounds, and the presence of compounds containing heteroatoms P, V, Ca, Pd, Ni, Ru, Mo, Fe, Cu and Zn in its composition is found. The method of rotational viscometry has established the Newtonian nature of the oil flow in the studied range of the velocity up to 300 s–1. At the same time, according to the densitometry results (ρ = 0.954 g/cm3 ), studied heavy oil belongs to the bituminous type characterized by a complex rheological behavior under long- and high-term deformation conditions. In order to regulate the studied oil viscosity properties, composite additives based on amphiphilic reagents of cationic and amphoteric type and organic solvents have been developed, their influence on dynamic and kinematic viscosity has been examined. It has been established that compositions with surfactants simultaneously containing a large amount of amino and phosphate groups dissolved in a non-polar aromatic solvent (toluene) or an organic mixture (catalytic reforming gasoline) have a maximum modifying effect of the colloidal structure of bituminous oil. The interaction of functional groups of amphiphilic reagents with oil heteroatoms leads to the dispersion of resinous-asphaltene substances, a decrease in the structural and mechanical strength of the system, an increase in the molecular mobility of aggregates, which results in improving the investigated oil quality and viscosity characteristics by 7.0 and 12.6 % according to the composition efficiency index.

Electrophoretic mobility of nanoparticle aggregates: Independence from aggregate size

The zeta potential is a widely used parameter to categorize particle-particle interaction and aggregation. This parameter is often determined by the measurement of electrophoretic mobility. For single particles, various approximations allow a direct correlation between the mobility and the zeta potential. However, for aggregates, which are often found in the environment and in industrial applications, such approximations are less utilized. The relation between the size of aggregates and the resulting electrophoretic mobility has not yet been extensively explored and is often not considered. Here, we control the aggregate size additive-free of two fumed silica types with different primary particle diameters for comprehensive electrophoretic and dynamic light scattering measurements. We evaluate the influence of primary particle diameter and aggregate size on electrophoretic mobility. Our results reveal that the primary particle diameter is the defining factor for the electrophoretic mobility of the aggregates. This finding provides new insights into the electrokinetic behavior of aggregates and emphasizes the importance of primary particle properties in predicting colloidal interactions.

Convection Self‐Aggregation in CNRM‐CM6‐1: Equilibrium and Transition Sensitivity to Surface Temperature

AbstractThis study investigates the spontaneous self‐aggregation of convection in non‐rotating Radiative‐Convective Equilibrium (RCE) simulations performed by the CNRM‐CM6‐1 General Circulation Model within the framework of the RCE Model Intercomparison Project (RCEMIP). In this model, the level of convection self‐aggregation at equilibrium, as quantified by metrics based on moisture or moist static energy, strongly increases with sea surface temperature (SST). As it gets warmer, the troposphere gets drier, high cloud cover diminishes in dry regions, the top of high cloud rises and their thickness increases in moist regions, and low‐cloud cover increases. At high SSTs, the large‐scale circulation exhibits a shallow component, stronger than its deep counterpart. The transition toward self‐aggregation has a similar first 20‐day phase for all SSTs within the 295–305 K range. It primarily involves radiative positive feedback processes. Then, for SSTs above approximately 298 K, a new, slower, transition toward higher levels of self‐aggregation occurs. It is concomitant with a shift from a top‐heavy to a more bottom‐heavy large‐scale circulation, a strengthening of the shallow circulation and a reduced mobility of convective aggregates. This second transition is mostly driven by the dry regions, still involves longwave radiative positive feedbacks, but also advective positive feedbacks in the driest regions. It is argued that boundary‐layer radiative cooling difference between moist and dry regions, which is stronger at high SSTs, is instrumental in this second phase of self‐aggregation. The sensitivity of deep convection to environmental dry air also likely acts as a positive feedback on the system.

Aggregates of cationic calix[4]arenes in aqueous solution as media for governing protolytic equilibrium, fluorescence, and kinetics

Many water-soluble ionic calixarenes readily form micelle-like aggregates in aqueous solution. Presently, it is firmly proved that such aggregates tend to shift the state of the acid-base equilibrium of indicator dyes just in the same manner as cationic surfactant micelles do. In this paper, we further the corresponding studies and report the peculiarities of several kinds of solvatochromic effects, fluorescence, acid-base equilibrium and kinetic processes in aqueous solutions of four cationic amphiphilic calix[4]arenes bearing hydrophilic choline groups at the upper rim: 5,11,17,23-tetra(N,N-dimethyl-N-hydroxyethylammonium)methylene-25,26,27,28-tetraalkyl-oxycalix[4]arene tetrachlorides. n-Propyl, n-hexyl, n-octyl, and n-dodecyl were used as alkyls, and the calixarenes were designated as of Cn-C4A-Ch, where n = 3, 6, 8, and 12, respectively. The principal colloidal properties, i.e., particle size and electrophoretic mobility of aggregates were characterized via dynamic light scattering. In parallel, the results were compared with those obtained in the presence of micelles of the common cationic surfactant cetyltrimethylammonium bromide and of large-sized aggregates of the calix[6]arene with six methoxy groups at the lower rim. As tools, molecular probes of triphenylmethine and fluorescein series, as well as the solvatochromic Reichardt’s dye were used. The obtained block of data sheds light upon the properties of calixarene aggregates as tools for governing chemical processes.

Kinetic modeling of fractal aggregate mobility

Although the mobility or transport parameters, such as lift drag and pitching moments for regular-shaped particulates, are widely studied, the mobility of irregular fractal-like aggregates generated by the aggregation of monomers is not well understood. These particulates which are ubiquitous in nature, and industries have very different transport mechanisms as compared to their spherical counterpart. A high-fidelity direct simulation Monte Carlo (DSMC) study of two fractal aggregates of different shapes or dimensions is undertaken in the slip and transitional gas regime to understand the underlying mechanism of gas-particle momentum transfer that manifests as the orientation-averaged mobility parameters of the particulates. The study specifically focuses on the viscous contribution of these parameters and develops a non-linear correlation for drag and lift parameters p and q obtained from DSMC by normalizing the axial and lateral forces. The drag parameter p predicted a monotonic increase in fractal particulate drag with respect to a spherical monomer while the lift parameter q shows an initial increasing trend but a decreasing tendency toward the high Mach number or high compressibility regime. The approximate model that captures the compressibility and rarefaction effects of the fractal mobility is used to study the evolution of these particulates in a canonical Rankine vortex to illustrate the wide disparity in the trajectories of the fractal aggregate vs a spherical geometry approximation generally found in the literature.

Relationship Between the Mobility of Aggregates and Fluid Penetration Depth Across a Range of Fractal Dimensions Using Stokesian Dynamics.

The hydrodynamic behavior of fractal aggregates plays an important role in various applications in industry and the environment, and has been a topic of interest over the past several decades. Despite this, crucial aspects such as the relationship of the mobility radius, Rm, with respect to the fractal dimension, df, and the fluid penetration depth, δ, have largely remained unexplored. Herein, we examine these aspects across a wide range of df's through a Stokesian dynamics approach. It takes into account all orders of monomer-monomer interactions to construct the resistance matrix for the entire cluster, which is assumed to be rigid. Statistical fractals created using algorithms such as diffusion limited aggregation (DLA), cluster-cluster aggregation (CCA), tunable Monte Carlo algorithm, and a deterministic Vicsek fractal, with df varying from 1.76 to 3, and the number of monomers ranging from 20 to 10 240 are considered. While confirming the expected asymptotic cluster-size independence of the hydrodynamic ratio, β = Rm/Rg (where Rg is the radius of gyration of the cluster), this study reveals a monotonically increasing trend for β with increasing df. The decay of the fluid velocity within the aggregate is quantified via the concept of penetration depth (δ). Analysis shows that the dimensionless penetration depth (δ* = δ/Rg) approaches asymptotic constancy with respect to cluster size in contrast to a weak dependency of the form δ* ∼ (Rg/a)-(df-1)/2, predicted by the mean-field theory (a being the monomer radius). Furthermore, the penetration depth is found to decrease rapidly, in an exponential manner, with increasing β. This establishes a quantitative relationship between the resistance experienced by the cluster and the degree of penetration of fluid into it. The implications of these results are further discussed.

Differential roles for DNAJ isoforms in HTT-polyQ and FUS aggregation modulation revealed by chaperone screens

Protein aggregation is a hallmark of neurodegeneration. Here, we find that Huntington’s disease-related HTT-polyQ aggregation induces a cellular proteotoxic stress response, while ALS-related mutant FUS (mutFUS) aggregation leads to deteriorated proteostasis. Further exploring chaperone function as potential modifiers of pathological aggregation in these contexts, we reveal divergent effects of naturally-occurring chaperone isoforms on different aggregate types. We identify a complex of the full-length (FL) DNAJB14 and DNAJB12, that substantially protects from mutFUS aggregation, in an HSP70-dependent manner. Their naturally-occurring short isoforms, however, do not form a complex, and lose their ability to preclude mutFUS aggregation. In contrast, DNAJB12-short alleviates, while DNAJB12-FL aggravates, HTT-polyQ aggregation. DNAJB14-FL expression increases the mobility of mutFUS aggregates, and restores the deteriorated proteostasis in mutFUS aggregate-containing cells and primary neurons. Our results highlight a maladaptive cellular response to pathological aggregation, and reveal a layer of chaperone network complexity conferred by DNAJ isoforms, in regulation of different aggregate types.

Computing the aerodynamic drag of fractal aggregates in free-molecular and transition regimes

For fine particles moving in the gas different regimes of aerodynamic drag are distinguished depending on their sizes and dust to gas relative velocities. In the Epstein or free-molecular regime, the drag force depends on the projected area or cross-section of the body, and in the Stokes or transition regime, on its linear size. Finding the linear size and the projected area for nonspherical particles is a non-trivial task. To describe the mobility of some type of nonspherical particles - fluffy aggregates, considered as a set of spheres - monomers, the value Df called fractal dimension is often used. For such aggregates with fixed fractal dimension D0, several authors suggested the approximations of the linear size (called Smoluchowski radius Rs) and projected area PA as a function of N - the number of monomers in the aggregate. These authors validated their approximations on experimental data. On the other hand, new direct numerical simulation (DNS) data on mobility of fractal aggregates have been obtained recently. In the paper we constructed new functions PA(Df,N) and Rs(Df, N) interpolating available from the literature approximations of PA(Df = D0,N) and Rs(Df = D0,N) and minimizing the deviation from recent DNS data. These functions are designed for global simulations of protoplanetary discs dynamics and planet formation, but can be used in different applications.

Facilitated transport of nTiO2-kaolin aggregates by bacteria and phosphate in water-saturated quartz sand

The soil major component of clay plays an important role in governing the fate and transport of engineered nanomaterials (e.g., the most commonly used titanium dioxide nanoparticles; nTiO2) in the subsurface environments via forming nTiO2-clay aggregates. This research is designed to unravel the interplay of naturally-occurring bacteria (Escherichia coli) and phosphate on the transport and retention of nTiO2-kaolin aggregates in water-saturated porous media. Our results showed that nTiO2-nTiO2 homoaggregates and nTiO2-kaolin heteroaggregates dominated in the nTiO2-kaolin nanoaggregate suspension. Transport of nTiO2-kaolin aggregates was enhanced with the copresence of E. coli and phosphate, particularly at the low pH of 6.0. This effect is due to the greater adsorption of phosphate and thus the greater enhancement in repulsive interaction energies between aggregates and sand grains at pH 6.0 (vs. pH 9.0). The charged “soft layer” of E. coli cell surfaces changed the aggregation state and the heterogeneous distribution of nTiO2-kaolin aggregates, and subsequently stabilized the nTiO2-nTiO2 homoaggregates and nTiO2-kaolin heteroaggregates via TEM-EDX measurements and promoted the physical segregation between the aggregates (separation distance = 0.486 vs. 0.614 μm without vs. with the presence of E. coli) via 2D/3D AFM identifications, both of which caused greater mobility of nTiO2-kaolin aggregates with the presence of E. coli. Nonetheless, transport of nTiO2-kaolin aggregates was lower with the copresence of E. coli and phosphate vs. the singular presence of phosphate due to the competitive adsorption of less negatively charged E. coli (vs. phosphate) onto the aggregates. Taken altogether, our findings furnish new insights into better understanding the fate, transport, and potential risks of nTiO2 in real environmental settings (soil and sediment aquifer) where clay, bacteria, and phosphate ubiquitously cooccur.

Mobility of aggregates of promising missile systems based on road trains with an active trailed link

The aggregates of advanced missile systems (AAMS) include autonomous launchers of a mobile ground missile complex, transport-and-installation, refueling, maintenance and auxiliary technical means of technological equipment, which must have operational, tactical and strategic mobility. Operationaland tactical mobility is understood as the ability of the AAMS to move from one point to another in a certain time. Strategic mobility is characterized by the adaptability of the AAMS to its loading and transporting by other types of transport, including rail, air, water. The average speed of movement is taken as a measure of mobility, which should be developed by AAMS in order to ensure the timeliness, efficiency and safety of performing the assigned tasks, as well as the possibility of getting out of the influence of the damaging factors of a nuclear explosion, primarily from excess pressure in the front of the shock blast wave. It is possible to increase the mobility of the AAMS by locating it on the basis of road trains, however, the existing designs of aggregates of road trains have disadvantages that reduce the flotation and, as a result, the average speed of movement, these include low support and geometric flotation. The geometric flotation is influenced by design factors. For example, an increase in overall width is typical for a road train, as the trailing link under the influence of lateral reactions of the supporting surface relative to the tractor track is shifted towards the instantaneous turning center. This displacement causes an increase in resistance to movement on deformable soils, and, consequently, a deterioration in flotation and a decrease in a number of other operational properties of the road train. It is possible to increase the mobility of the AAMS by placing them on the basis of a road train with an active trailed link, controlling the distribution of power flows supplied to the wheels of an all-wheel drive road train depending on the possibility of realizing free traction by each wheel, changing the position of the road train center of inflexions depending on the steering wheel angle and maneuver.

Role of lysophospholipids on the interfacial and liquid film properties of enzymatically modified egg yolk solutions

This study aims to clarify and explain the similarities and differences in the behavior of adsorption layers of native egg yolk (EY) and enzymatically modified egg yolk (MEY) at a soybean oil-water interface. For this purpose, the interfacial tension and the surface dilatational modulus of EY and MEY solutions are measured and compared. The interactions between two adsorption layers, formed from these solutions on an oil-water or air-water interface, are also studied by optical observations of thin foam and emulsion films, formed in a capillary cell. The chemical composition, the electrophoretic mobility of the molecular aggregates, and the rheological properties of the egg yolk solutions are also characterized. Adsorption layers formed from MEY solutions display a faster rate of adsorption, lower dilatational surface moduli and higher equilibrium surface tension. The enzymatic modification of egg yolk also leads to formation of much thinner foam and emulsion films and to faster film thinning. The observed differences between EY and MEY are explained by assuming that the interfacial properties of MEY are governed mostly by the lysophospholipids and oleic acid, which appear as reaction products of the enzymatic modification of EY. The latter assumption is unambiguously proven by chemical analysis of the MEY solutions and by deliberate addition of lysophospholipids and oleic acid to the non-modified EY solutions. Even at relatively low concentrations, the lysophospholipids and oleic acid change the interfacial and film properties of the EY solutions, making them very similar to those of the enzymatically modified egg yolk.

The effect of electric-field-induced alignment on the electrical mobility of fractal aggregates

We study the effects of electric field strength on the mobility of soot-like fractal aggregates (fractal dimension of 1.78). The probability distribution for the particle orientation is governed by...

Locomotion and Transformation of Underwater Micrometer-Sized Molecular Aggregates under Chemical Stimuli

In this review paper, we introduce the mobility and transformation of micrometer-sized molecular aggregates (i.e., oil droplets, liquid crystalline droplets and tubes, and giant vesicles) in water under chemical stimuli. These molecular aggregates comprising lipophilic and/or amphiphilic molecules have drawn much attention as plausible prebiotic cellular structures and dynamic microreactors related to the origins of life. Here, we highlight recent advances and issues concerning the construction of such systems and discuss the implications of these findings to our understanding of protocellular systems.

Application of pressure in capillary zone electrophoresis to study the aggregation of chitosan 2-hydroxybutoxypropylcarbamate

It is demonstrated that the use of pressure extends the possibilities of capillary zone electrophoresis in studying aggregative states of substances, ensuring the detection of the presence of several types of aggregates with different electrophoretic mobilities. The electropherograms of chitosan 2-hydroxybutoxypropylcarbamate (CHBPC) in citrate solutions with pH 3.1, 4.5, and 5.8 indicate the dependence of aggregation on pH. A comparison of the data for CHBPC obtained by capillary zone electrophoresis, static light scattering, and scanning electron microscopy revealed a relationship between the electrophoretic mobility and sizes of aggregates, varying from 140 nm to several micrometers. The size of aggregates can be estimated by hydrodynamic contribution to their mobility. The effectiveness of the use of CHBPC for the dynamic modification of capillaries is shown.

Validation of tracking performance of cell–bubble aggregation versus variation of acoustic field

We are now developing an in vivo cell delivery system, which is realized by producing aggregates in which bubbles attach onto the surface of cells with acoustic radiation force. We confirmed the controllability of the aggregation of cells with bubbles compared with those without bubbles. However, because of the destruction of bubbles under continuous ultrasound exposure, there is a compatibility problem between controllability and duration of aggregation. Therefore, we introduced the use of a standing wave of an acoustic field to trap the aggregates in the nodes, in which the aggregates are not directly exposed to a high-pressure sound, and manupilation by varying the acoustic field. We prepared the travelling and oscillation motions of the ultrasound standing wave and investigated the mobility of aggregates that were trapped in the nodes of the standing wave to be translated two-dimensionally. Regarding travelling motion, we found that the node velocities of 10 and 20 µm/s showed better performance than that of 40 µm/s. Regarding oscillation motion, we succeeded in the continuous oscillation of aggregates for 36 s. Also, we found the problem of immobile cells, which was considered to be due to the destruction of bubbles.

Unexpected Electrophoretic Behavior of Complexes between Rod-like Virions and Bivalent Antibodies.

Here we report on the unexpected electrophoretic behavior of complexes between rod-like virus particles (virions) and bivalent antibodies. The multiple complexes formed by the virions and antibodies migrated with electrophoretic mobilities of much greater absolute values than those of the unbound virions or antibodies while typically complexes have mobilities intermediate to those of their components. We hypothesized that the mobilities of unusually high absolute values are caused by the cross-linking of virions by bivalent antibodies into aggregates with prominent side-to-side binding. Theoretically, the mobility of such aggregates should be proportional to the square root of the number of cross-linked virions. The formation of virion aggregates with prominent side-to-side binding was confirmed by atomic force microscopy. The dependence of the aggregate mobility on the number of cross-linked virions can be used to estimate this number.

Aggregation behavior and reversibility of sulfonated phenol formaldehyde resin

ABSTRACTAggregation behavior of sulfonated phenol formaldehyde (SPF) resin in the presence of different valence salts and solution pH values was studied by measuring the change of dispersion turbidity with time. Electrophoretic mobility and hydrodynamic diameter of SPF resin aggregates were also measured under different salt conditions. Disaggregation behavior of SPF resin aggregates was characterized by manually shaking or ultrasound treatment. The result shows that that the size of SPF molecule aggregates and turbidity of the SPF resin dispersion were increased with the increase of Na+ and Mg2+ concentrations, and accordingly, the dispersion stability of SPF resin was decreased. The effect of Mg2+ on SPF resin molecule aggregation was more sensitive than that of Na+ as Mg2+ has a stronger charge screening effect on the repulsive forces between SPF resin molecules. H+ protonates –O− and – groups on SPF resin molecules, leading to a decrease of surface charge on the molecule; therefore the molecule aggregation was promoted and SPF resin dispersion stability was decreased. The reversibility of SPF resin aggregates was observed. The SPF resin aggregates could be disaggregated under ultrasound treatment. In addition, the disaggregated aggregates could recover to their original size at quiescent conditions.

EPR Spin Probe Study of Molecular Mobility and Structure of Aqueous Solutions and Gels of Polydiphenylenesulfophthalide

The sizes and local mobility of nano-sized aggregates formed in aqueous solutions of polydiphenylenesulfophthalide before and after its treatment with alkali metal hydroxides were determined by the method of electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy and the method of dynamic light scattering. Nano-aggregates possess a dense hydrophobic core whose local mobility is commensurable with the local mobility of solid polystyrene. The solubility of these aggregates is explained by the presence of hydrophilic groups (lyophilizing corona) in their outer layer. The hydrophobic core of nano-aggregates is not uniform; it contains a significant amount of less ordered (“defect”) regions. This is confirmed by the superposition of EPR spectra of spin probes. Dense non-uniform structures of aggregates are formed in diluted solutions and maintain their integrity during gel formation as the concentration of solution increases.

Organelle-Based Aggregation and Retention of Damaged Proteins in Asymmetrically Dividing Cells

Aggregation of damaged or misfolded proteins is a protective mechanism against proteotoxic stress, abnormalities of which underlie many aging-related diseases. Here, we show that in asymmetrically dividing yeast cells, aggregation of cytosolic misfolded proteins does not occur spontaneously but requires new polypeptide synthesis and is restricted to the surface of ER, which harbors the majority of active translation sites. Protein aggregates formed on ER are frequently also associated with or are later captured by mitochondria, greatly constraining aggregate mobility. During mitosis, aggregates are tethered to well-anchored maternal mitochondria, whereas mitochondria acquired by the bud are largely free of aggregates. Disruption of aggregate-mitochondria association resulted in increased mobility and leakage of mother-accumulated aggregates into the bud. Cells with advanced replicative age exhibit gradual decline of aggregates-mitochondria association, likely contributing to their diminished ability to rejuvenate through asymmetric cell division.

ULTRA SMALL-ANGLE X-RAY SCATTERING STUDY OF FLOCCULATION IN SILICA-FILLED RUBBER

ABSTRACT The flocculation of silica during vulcanization is monitored using the ultra small-angle X-ray scattering technique for two different types of silica: a highly dispersible silica (HD) and a conventional silica (CV), mixed into a blend of S-SBR and BR rubbers. The cutoff length of the silica aggregate Rss and the mass fractal dimension Dm, which indicate the degree of flocculation of aggregates, are estimated according to the modified unified equation. The aggregate radius Ra is estimated to be related to the lower cutoff length Rss, indicating the radius of gyration of the mass-fractal structure. For both silicas, Ra increases during vulcanization. For the CV silica, an increase of Dm is observed, whereas no significant increase of Dm can be seen for the HD silica. The Ra of CV is relatively high compared with that of HD. On the other hand, the CV silica shows a relatively lower Dm compared with that of HD. These results indicate that CV has a larger size of aggregates and lower degree of agglomeration of its aggregates. The presence of di(tri-ethoxy-silyl-propyl)tetrasulfide (TESPT) as coupling agent between the silica and rubber decreases the aggregate radius of silica. However, in the absence of TESPT, a low mass-fractal dimension, which means a low degree of agglomeration of aggregates, is observed. This results from a lower mobility of silica aggregates, depending on the size of the aggregates. The silica loading also has an influence on the flocculation process. The aggregate radius increases as the silica loading is increased. At the same time, a higher mass-fractal dimension, and therefore also a higher degree of agglomeration, can be seen at higher silica loading.