Surface Of Solid Substrate Research Articles

Specific surface area and microstructure of the surface of soil solid substrates of different genesis

The sorption characteristics of sand, peat, the arable layer of Moscow urbanozem and a mixture of these substrates were studied in conjunction with the surface topography of their solid phase, studied by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The arable layer has the greatest ability to absorb nitrogen, and the peat substrate showed very low values of the sorbed gas. A different picture of the mutual arrangement of substrate sorption isotherms is observed when water vapour is used as a sorbing gas. Peat is distinguished by high values of sorbed moisture in the entire studied range of relative humidity. This leads to differences in the ranking of substrates by specific surface area in descending order of its values. So, the specific surface area by water sorption in the series: peat / arable layer / mixture / sand was: 420 / 72 / 45 / 4 m2/g, respectively. The given surface was ranked according to nitrogen sorption in a different sequence: 8.31 / 2.41 / 1.45 / 0.55 for the series: arable layer, mixture, peat and sand, respectively. The analysis of microstructural characteristics by the SEM method at various magnifications revealed the most developed, rough surface in the arable layer. It turned out to be geometrically the most diverse, even at magnification of ×20 000. The variety and heterogeneity of the relief of the interface of the phases leads to the appearance of hysteresis of the sorption/desorption curves. Its severity in the range of nitrogen vapor concentration in which hysteresis is detected, and in the maximum width of the hysteresis loop, also turned out to be the most significant in the arable layer. The very low nitrogen specific surface of peat, which is close to a sandy substrate, is associated with the presence of organic films draping and leveling the surface of peat particles, which was revealed by analyzing images obtained by scanning electron microscopy. The sorption of water showed their high hydrophilicity, which led to high values of substrate humidity in the entire studied range of relative humidity.

Fast and Stable Antibacterial Coating of Photosensitive Aggregation-Induced Emission Luminogens for Disinfection on Medical Devices.

Aggregation-induced emission luminogens (AIEgens) are promising photosensitizers that have exhibited excellent antibacterial ability with abundant reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation. TTCPy-PF6 and TTCPy-Br are deposited on the surface of diverse solid substrates through plasma-assistant electrostatic self-assembly. The AIEgens-covered coating can effectively eliminate different pathogenic Gram-positive (G+) bacteria and even their multidrug-resistant (MDR) mutants with negligible side effects such as cytotoxicity, hemolysis, and inflammation. Moreover, the AIEgen-coated surface can maintain high stability for long-time antibacterial usage, which is dependent on the ROS-mediated disruption of the attached bacteria. The AIEgen-based coatings with broad surface applicability have many advantages in high antibacterial ability, great biocompatibility, and low possibility of antibiotic pollution. The robust antibacterial ability and excellent biological safety of the AIEgen-based coatings would be helpful for the disinfection of medical devices.

Platinum Catalysts via Fluidized Bed Atomic Layer Deposition for PEM Fuel Cells

One of the major challenges for viable and durable proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFC) in heavy duty applications is the development of stable and high-performing catalysts. The highest mass activities and stabilities can be achieved with platinum nanoparticles supported on a porous carbon support. However, these systems still suffer from degradation processes during cell operation, such as carbon corrosion and Ostwald ripening. [1] Atomic layer deposition (ALD) is an attractive alternative to the conventional wet chemical deposition of the platinum catalyst onto the carbon, promising to counteract these problems. [2,3]ALD is a surface coating method, which employs self-limiting half-reactions between gaseous precursor molecules and a solid substrate surface. Usually, two half-reactions separated by purging or vacuuming steps represent one ALD cycle. By performing a defined number of cyclic repetitions, thin films or nanoparticles can be grown on the substrate surface with atomic-layer precision. [4]Typically, ALD is used to coat flat surfaces. To achieve homogeneous coatings on powders, so-called fluidized bed ALD reactors fluidize the nanoparticle-powders in a gas flow, which also contains the gaseous precursor materials. This method ensures a high utilization of the precursor molecules while providing a good mixing of the sample. Thin films and nanoparticles can be deposited in a homogeneous manner onto the powder surface and into its pores. [4]Carbon corrosion of PEMFCs can be suppressed by applying conformal ALD coatings onto the support structure. Additionally, a porous overcoating can fixate the nanoparticles against detachment and dissolution while still leaving access to the reactive sites. [5] Applying ALD to deposit fuel cell catalysts with monodisperse and highly dispersed platinum nanoparticles can counteract Ostwald ripening. [2,6]In this study we show platinum particles deposited via ALD, which are highly dispersed and show a monodisperse size distribution. We further show TiO2-overcoatings to protect the carbon.Literature:[1] J. C. Meier, Beilstein J. Nanotechnol., 2014, 5, 55-67. [2] W-J. Lee, Adv. Mater. Interfaces, 2019, 6 1901210. [3] B. J. O’Neill, ACS Catal., 2015, 5, 1804. [4] W. W. McNeary, Appl. Catal. B, 2019, 254, 587-593. [5] Q. Liu, Chem. Soc. Rev., 2022, 51, 188-236. [6] Z. Xu et al., Appl. Catal. B, 2012, 111-112, 264.

Construction of transfer-free regular through-pore polyimide composite microfiltration membranes via amphiphilic dendron-assisted breath-figure method for water treatment

Regular through-pore membranes exhibit extremely high productivity and size-selective capabilities. Previous studies have demonstrated that the use of a polymer alone on a solid substrate surface hinders the formation of regular through-pore membranes. In this study, amphiphilic dendrons were used as surfactants to concentrate the functional groups and strengthen the weak bonding forces between the molecules, which is conducive to the formation of regular through-pores in the membrane. The amphiphilic dendrons were mixed with commercial-grade polyimide (PI) using chloroform as the solvent, and the solution was evenly coated on the surface of the filter paper. Using the breath-figure method, an ultrathin regular through-pore PI layer was formed directly on the surface of the filter paper. The SEM image shows that regular through-pores were formed only on the surface of the substrate. The preparation process used in this study eliminates the need to transfer ultrathin and weak membranes to the substrate surface, which simplifies the membrane-making process. Pure water and yeast solution filtration tests were conducted on the composite membrane prepared with a 5 mg/ml dendron solution. A pure water permeance of 118,826 L m-2h−1 bar−1 (LMH/bar) was obtained, the yeast solution permeance and rejection are 17,410 LMH/bar and 92.85 %, respectively. The yellow, turbid, muddy water was successfully purified to clean water. The original performance of the fouled membrane was restored after only 30 s of water flushing. This study proposes a new approach to fabricate high-efficiency regular through-pore PI composite microfiltration membranes.

Detachment of inclined spheroidal particles from flat substrates

The detachment of fine particles attached to a solid substrate or rock surface significantly affects colloidal transport in porous media. The work is devoted to quantifying the detachment conditions for inclined oblate spheroids subjected to creeping viscous flow. A numerical and a laboratory study were conducted to systematically evaluate the impact of the orientation (pitch) angle towards the hydrodynamic moment, adhesive DLVO force, contact area, and critical detachment velocity. The methodology developed to produce stretched latex polystyrene particles reduces the geometric uncertainty of nonspherical fines. The geometry of the produced oblate spheroids is fully determined by the semi-major and semi-minor axes. For inclined attached particles, an explicit formula has been derived for the detaching velocity, where the detaching drag torque exceeds the attaching adhesion torque. The probabilistic distribution of the model parameters for the detachment velocity of the inclined particles attached to the plane substrate provides upscaling for fines detachment from the particle to porous media scale.

Silver nanostar films for surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) of the pesticide imidacloprid

Strategies for synthetic control of anisotropic metal nanostructures have grown in recent years in part due to their great potential for application as surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) sensing substrates. It has been shown that SERS using silver substrates is a powerful tool for identification and qualification of trace chemical analysis on the basis of their unique molecular vibrations. In this work, we synthesized star-shaped silver nanostructures and fabricated SERS substrates to use the SERS enhancement of the Raman signal to detect neonicotinoid pesticides. These silver nanostar substrates were prepared by assembling the nanostar particles on a glass substrate surface using a self-assembly technique with various layers of silver nanostars film. The silver nanostar distribution on the solid substrate surface was found to have good reproducibility, reusability and were a stable SERS substrate giving SERS enhancements for pesticide detection at concentrations as low as 10−6 mg/ml. The distribution of these silver nanostars on the surface allowed excellent reproducibility of the detection with a low relative standard derivation (RSD) of SERS intensity of 8%. This work potentially builds a platform for an ultrasensitive detector where samples can be probed with little to no pre-processing and a range of pollutants can be detected at very low levels.

Variability in Nutrient Use by Orchid Mycorrhizal Fungi in Two Medium Types.

Orchid mycorrhizal fungi (OMF) from the rhizoctonia aggregate are generally considered to be soil saprotrophs, but their ability to utilize various nutrient sources has been studied in a limited number of isolates cultivated predominantly in liquid media, although rhizoctonia typically grow on the surface of solid substrates. Nine isolates representing the key OMF families (Ceratobasidiaceae, Tulasnellaceae and Serendipitaceae), sampled in Southern France and the Czech Republic, were tested for their ability to utilize carbon (C), nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) sources in vitro in both liquid and solid media. The isolates showed significant inter- and intra-familiar variability in nutrient utilization, most notably in N sources. Isolates produced generally larger amounts of dry biomass on solid medium than in liquid one, but some isolates showed no or limited biomass production on solid medium with particular nutrient sources. The largest amount of biomass was produced by isolates from the family Ceratobasidiaceae on most sources in both medium types. The biomass production of Tulasnellaceae isolates was affected by their phylogenetic relatedness on all sources and medium types. The ability of isolates to utilize particular nutrients in a liquid medium but not a solid one should be considered when optimizing solid media for symbiotic orchid seed germination and in understanding of OMF functional traits under in situ conditions.

The Effect of a Topcoat with Amorphous Polymer Layers on the Mesogen Orientation and Photoalignment Behavior of Side Chain Liquid Crystalline Polymer Films

The mesogen orientations of liquid crystals are sensitive to the nature of the contacting surface. For side chain liquid crystalline polymer (SCLCP) films, most investigations have been conducted for thin films formed on a solid substrate surface such as glass, quartz and metal oxides, and little knowledge has been accumulated for SCLCP films whose top surface is covered by amorphous polymers. This work presents the effect of a topcoat with amorphous polymers placed on SCLCP films on the mesogen orientation and photoalignment behavior. When an SCLCP film that adopts a homeotropic mesogen orientation is covered with a glass plate or polymer layer, the mesogens turns to a random planar orientation. This planar orientation is favorable for efficient in-plane photoalignment by irradiation with linear polarized light. An in-plane order parameter exceeding 0.5 is readily obtained. Unexpectedly, a significant stabilization of the liquid crystal phase by over 10 °C is observed above the isotropization temperature of the SCLCP. These fundamental sets of knowledge should be significant in the fabrication of various polymer LC devices.

Lens Evaporation on Immiscible Liquid Surface with an Interfacial Cooling Effect.

A theoretical heat and mass transfer model of volatile liquid lens evaporation on the surface of an immiscible liquid substrate is established in toroidal coordinates. According to the coupled boundary conditions of heat and mass transfer at the lens surface as well as the interfacial cooling effect, the analytical solutions of the temperature field inside the lens and the vapor concentration field around the lens are derived for the first time. Compared with the isothermal model, the change of contact radius calculated by the present model agrees well with the experimental data, especially when the liquid substrate reaches a relatively high temperature. It also reveals that the temperature distribution inside the lens is not uniform, which is similar to the sessile droplet evaporation on a solid substrate surface. In addition, the excess temperature, heat flux, and evaporation flux of the lens–air interface increase monotonically from the lens center to the contact line. Finally, the influences of density ratio and evaporative cooling number E0 on lens mass evaporation rate are analyzed, which shows that the lens mass evaporation rate decreases with increasing density ratio and evaporative cooling number.

Synthesis of Carbonaceous Hydrophobic Layers through a Flame Deposition Process

In this study we report the effect of fuel type (biodiesel vs. methane), flame structure and flame height (inner-cone vs. outer-cone), and the percent of oxygen content in the oxidizer stream for the formation of hydrophobic carbon layers using co-flow diffusion flames. It was found that a flame formed using a gaseous fuel (methane) over a vaporized liquid fuel, Canola Methyl Ester (CME), has significant structural differences that enable vastly different deposition behavior of soot layers on the surface of solid substrates. Due to its larger pyrolysis zone (taller inner-cone), the CH4/air flame has a smaller region that supports uniform soot deposition of hydrophobic carbon layers (C-layers) compared to the CME/air flame. When a solid substrate is placed within the pyrolysis zone (inner-cone) of a flame the resulting layer is non-uniform, hydrophilic, and consists of undeveloped soot. However, when outside the pyrolysis zone, the deposited soot tends to be uniform and mature, ultimately creating a hydrophobic C-layer consisting of the typical microscale interconnected weblike structures formed of spherical soot nanoparticles. The effect of oxygen content (35% and 50% O2) in the oxidizer stream for the formation of hydrophobic C-layers was also studied in this work. It was found that oxygen enrichment within the CME flame alters the structure of the flame, hence affecting the morphology of the formed C-layer. Under oxygen enrichment the central region of the deposited C-layer is composed of a weblike structure similar to those seen in the air flames; however, this central region is bordered by a region of densely compacted soot that shows signs of significant thermal stress. At 35% O2 the thermal stress is expressed as multiple microscale cracks while at 50% O2 this border region shows much larger cracks and macroscale layer peeling. The formed C-layers under the different flame conditions were tested for hydrophobicity by measuring the contact angle of a water droplet. The morphology of the C-layers was analyzed using scanning electron microscopy.

Substrate-induced electrostatic potential varies composition of supported lipid bilayer containing anionic lipid

Supported lipid bilayers (SLBs) are artificial lipid bilayers at solid–liquid interfaces applied as cell membrane model systems. An advantage of the artificial system is that the lipid composition can be controlled arbitrarily. On the other hand, the SLB formation process and its efficiency are affected by the properties of the solid substrate surface. In this study, we investigated the effect of the electrostatic interaction between the negatively charged SiO2/Si substrate surface and the lipid bilayer membrane on the composition of binary SLBs comprising anionic and neutral lipids. The phase transition temperature and the area fraction of lipid domains of SLB were evaluated by fluorescence microscopy and the fluorescence recovery after photobleaching. The neutral lipid was preferably included in SLB, but the anionic lipid ratio increased with Ca2+ concentration during the SLB formation. The lipid composition in SLB can be controlled by modulating the substrate-induced electrostatic potential.

Theoretical design and experimental study of the interlayer of Al/Mg bimetallic composite plate by solid-liquid cast rolling

In this study, to enhance the bonding strength of a solid-liquid cast rolled 6061 Al/AZ31B Mg bimetallic composite plate, an arc-sprayed Zn composite intermediate layer was deposited on the surface of an AZ31B magnesium alloy solid substrate. Through phase diagram analysis and first-principles calculation, it was observed that the introduction of a Zn interlayer changed the bonding-interface phase composition of the Al/Mg bimetallic composite plate, which positively improved the mechanical properties of the previously unaltered plate. Subsequently, the impact of Zn interlayer on interfacial microstructure, phase composition, and mechanical properties of Al/Mg bimetallic composite plates were experimentally studied. The results showed that Zn was gradually alloyed into the bonding layer of the composite plate with increasing covering plate temperature. Further, a few new phases, such as MgZn, MgZn2, and AlMg4Zn11, having strong deformation resistance and better toughness, were formed at the Al/Mg bonding interface, which decreased the content of brittle phases such as Al3Mg2 and Al12Mg17. In addition, it was also found that the mechanical properties improved with the increase in covering plate temperature. At a covering plate temperature of 680 °C, the tensile strength and shear strength reached their peak values of 136 MPa and 74 MPa, respectively. Specifically, the tensile and shear strengths of the Al–Mg bonding layer with Zn interlayer increased by about 25% compared with the composite Al–Mg bonding layer without the interlayer. Contrastingly, at the covering plate temperature of 700 °C, while the diffusion of elements and thickness of the binding layer increased, the tensile and shear strengths decreased to 109 MPa and 54 MPa, respectively.

Pilot electrochemical prevention of reclaimed water irrigation clogging: Function interactions and microbial metabolism

Clogging is a critical issue for unconventional water irrigation. Here, we report an in situ pilot electrochemical device to efficient prevent and control clogging induced from a reclaimed water drip irrigation system. The low-voltage electrochemical up-flow reactor (905 L) was connected with a drip irrigation performance test platform setting up light and heavy clogging degrees for the continuous operation over 624 h. The fluctuation of water quality indicators (pH, alkalinity, hardness, Cl−) displayed positive treatment effect on chemical clogging, and the sterilization rate was as high as 98.42%. Treated water circulated the whole system that maintained a discharge ratio variation (Dra) of 84.7%, and Christiansen uniformity coefficient (CU) of 95.4% in light clogging meanwhile recovered 32.5% and 14.9% in heavy clogging, respectively. Canonical Correspondence Analysis (CCA) revealed interactions between water quality indices and microorganisms in reclaimed water. Especially, Cl− was closely related to microorganisms at the initial stage (<336 h) while pH and alkalinity occupied an obvious effect at the 672 h. In addition, Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) database systematically reflected the metabolic shift of planktonic cells under electrochemical treatment, further revealing antimicrobial and antifouling mechanisms of bio-clogging. Downregulation of biosynthesis of oxidative phosphorylation, ABC transporters and ribosomes indicated the gradually reduced cytoactive of microorganisms. The dramatic downregulation of cell motility evidenced the weakened ability of cells to translocate onto a solid substrate surface.

Loading CuFe2O4 onto ceramic fabric for photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue under visible light irradiation

Recycling of photocatalyst in wastewater treatment is a big challenge. Fixation of photocatalyst on a flexible surface of solid substrates is a promising solution. In this work, copper ferrite (CuFe 2 O 4 ) particles were loaded onto polydopamine (pDA) pretreated ceramic/polyester fabrics (CPF) via coprecipitation. The CPF not only acts as loading material for CuFe 2 O 4 particles, but also makes this photocatalyst convenient to recycle. The morphology, elemental composition and structure of the as-fabricated CPF/CuFe 2 O 4 were characterized by scanning electron microscope (SEM), Fourier transform Infrared (FT-IR) spectrometer, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and X-ray diffractometer (XRD). The degradation rate of methylene blue (MB) by the CPF/CuFe 2 O 4 photocatalyst reached to 98.2% under visible light irradiation for 80 min, reflecting the excellent photocatalytic activity of the composites. The CPF/CuFe 2 O 4 demonstrated good photostability and recoverability, indicating its great potential in wastewater treatment. Moreover, the degradation mechanism and possible degradation pathway of MB by CPF/CuFe 2 O 4 photocatalyst were investigated.

Morphology Evolution of a Volatile Liquid Lens on Another Immiscible Liquid Surface Induced by Evaporation.

A theoretical model was established to predict the morphology evolution of a volatile liquid lens evaporation on another immiscible liquid substrate surface. The theoretical model considered the dynamic process of contact line motion. On the basis of the boundary conditions established at the contact line, the morphology change of the liquid lens was calculated by numerically solving the Young-Laplace differential equations for the three interfaces. The mass evaporation rate was calculated by the diffusion-controlled evaporation model. Then, an experimental system was established to record the process of a hexane lens evaporation on the surface of an ionic liquid with a depth of 4 mm. The calculated hexane lens radius variation matches well with the experimental measurements, which shows the rationality of the present model. The calculated results show that the evaporation pattern of the liquid lens follows the constant contact-angle evaporation mode for ∼70% of the lifetime. During the later stage of evaporation, the contact angle decreases, accompanied by contraction of the contact line, which is similar to the mixed evaporation mode in the later stage of sessile droplet evaporation on a solid substrate surface. Furthermore, the influences of the initial hexane lens volume and the ionic liquid temperature on the dynamic contact angle were theoretically summarized. This study helps to provide in-depth insights into regulating the lens evaporation process on another immiscible liquid substrate surface to control the particle deposition mode.

Technical note: Adsorption and desorption equilibria from statistical thermodynamics and rates from transition state theory

Abstract. Adsorption and desorption represent the initial processes of the interaction of gas species with the condensed phase. They have important implications for evaluating heterogeneous (gas-to-solid) and multiphase chemical kinetics involved in catalysis; environmental interfaces; and, in particular, aerosol particles. When describing gas uptake, gas-to-particle partitioning, and the chemical transformation of aerosol particles, parameters describing adsorption and desorption rates are crucial to assessing the underlying chemical kinetics such as surface reaction and surface-to-bulk transfer. For instance, the desorption lifetime, in turn, depends on the desorption free energy which is affected by the chosen adsorbate model. To assess the impact of those conditions on desorption energy and, thus, desorption lifetime, we provide a complete classical and statistical thermodynamic treatment of the adsorption and desorption process considering transition state theory for two typically applied adsorbate models, the 2D ideal gas and the 2D ideal lattice gas, the latter being equivalent to Langmuir adsorption. Both models apply to solid and liquid substrate surfaces. We derive the thermodynamic and microscopic relationships for adsorption and desorption equilibrium constants, adsorption and desorption rates, first-order adsorption and desorption rate coefficients, and the corresponding pre-exponential factors. Although some of these derivations can be found in the literature, this study aims to bring all derivations into one place to facilitate the interpretation and analysis of the variables driving adsorption and desorption for their application in multiphase chemical kinetics. This exercise allows for a microscopic interpretation of the underlying processes including the surface accommodation coefficient and highlights the importance of the choice of adsorbate model and standard states when analyzing and interpreting adsorption and desorption processes. We demonstrate how the choice of adsorbate model affects equilibrium surface concentrations and coverages, desorption rates, and decay of the adsorbate species with time. In addition, we show how those results differ when applying a concentration- or activity-based description. Our treatment demonstrates that the pre-exponential factor can differ by orders of magnitude depending on the choice of adsorbate model with similar effects on the desorption lifetime, yielding significant uncertainties in the desorption energy derived from experimentally derived desorption rates. Furthermore, uncertainties in surface coverage and assumptions about standard surface coverage can lead to significant changes in desorption energies derived from measured desorption rates. Providing a comprehensive thermodynamic and microscopic representation aims to guide theoretical and experimental assessments of desorption energies and estimate potential uncertainties in applied desorption energies and corresponding desorption lifetimes important for improving our understanding of multiphase chemical kinetics.

Modeling of Wetting Transition of Liquid Metals on Organic Liquid Surfaces

Wettability of liquid metal gallium is of vital significance in the field of modern industries, such as direct writing printing and microfluidics. A liquid interface is a recently developed and promising approach to regulate wettability but has not been well applied in liquid metals yet. This study focuses on the wetting performance of gallium droplets on organic liquid films. The results show that the organic liquid film could change the wetting state of the gallium droplet. Based on the solid substrate roughness and surface tension of the organic liquid, we could estimate whether the gallium droplet is in a slippery Wenzel or a Cassie state. Subsequently, we apply the thermodynamic stable model on different organic liquid films by spreading parameters to predict a priori whether an arbitrary combination of solid roughness and organic liquid is suitable for designing lubricant-infused surfaces (LIS) used in gallium droplets. More interestingly, we found that the cloaking could delay surface oxide formation, which will benefit the manipulation of liquid metal droplets. This paper would provide a better understanding of wettability of liquid metal on an organic liquid surface.

Inkjet printing of small molecules, biologics, and nanoparticles

During the last decades, inkjet printing has emerged as a novel technology and attracted the attention of the pharmaceutical industry, as a potential method for manufacturing personalized and customizable dosage forms to deliver drugs. Commonly, the desired drug is dissolved or dispersed within the ink and then dispensed in various dosage forms. Using this approach, several studies have been conducted to load hydrophilic or poorly water-soluble small molecules onto the surface of different solid substrates, including films, tablets, microneedles, and smart data-enriched edible pharmaceuticals, using two-dimensional and three-dimensional inkjet printing methods, with high dose accuracy and reproducibility. Furthermore, biological drugs, such as peptides, proteins, growth factors, and plasmids, have also been evaluated with positive results, eliciting the expected biological response; nonetheless, minor changes in the structure of these compounds with significant impaired activity cannot be dismissed. Another strategy using inkjet printing is to disperse drug-loaded nanoscale particles in the ink liquid, such as nanosuspension, nanocomplexes, or nanoparticles, which have been explored with promising results. Although these favorable outcomes, the proper selection of ink constituents and the inkjet printer, the correlation of printing cycles and effectively printed doses, the stability studies of drugs within the ink and the optimal analysis of samples before and after the printing process are the main challenges for inkjet printing, and therefore, this review analyzes these aspects to assess the body of current literature and help to guide future investigations on this field.

Таксономічна структура прибережного угруповання обростання, що формується чорноморською мiдiєю Mytilus galloprovincialis

Peculiarities of the taxonomic structure of the coastal fouling community formed by the bivalve mollusk Mytilus galloprovincialis Lamarck, 1819 on the underwater surface of solid substrates located in the Odessa Bay of the Black Sea have been revealed. The qualitative composition, degree of occurrence, size characteristics and features of quantitative development of invertebrates of this community were determined. As part of the fouling community, 65 species of invertebrates belonging to 61 genera, 47 families, 22 orders, 10 classes and 6 types were identified. It was found that among the large taxa of the community Cnidaria, Annelida, Bryozoa, Arthropoda, Mollusca, Chordata, the most numerous species was the Arthropod type. Annelida and Mollusca accounted for one-fifth and one-fourth of all species. The other three types of invertebrates were represented by one or two species. A characteristic feature of the taxonomic structure of the community was that in most cases, each identified genus was represented by only one species, which in specific conditions was the most environmentally plastic representative of it. It is shown that the species structure of the fouling community was characterized by evident dominance of its edificator M. galloprovincialis. The maximum abundance of this species in the community was 11960 sp.·m-2, and biomass – 10328,6 g·m-2. In addition, 12 other invertebrates with 100 % occurrence were key-species of the community. These species, together with those with occurrence of more than 75 %, belonged to the characteristic species of the community. A total of 22 such species were identified. Among other invertebrates, 5 species (P = 50–75 %) were permanent, 8 species (P = 25–50 %) were rare, and 30 species (P &lt;25 %) were random. The most of the organisms in the coastal fouling community of the Odessa Bay are eurybiont species was established. The presence in the fouling community invasive species of bivalve mollusks Arcuatula senhousia (Benson, 1842), which is systematically very close to the Black Sea mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis, was revealed. Due to its opportunistic properties, this mollusk poses a certain threat to the existence of settlements of aboriginal species of bivalve mollusks. The coastal fouling community formed by the Black Sea mussel has a certain degree of stability, as the same species of invertebrates remain characteristic of its taxonomic structure for 40 years.

Decomposition of methane hydrate on a solid substrate (glass) and water surface

Studies on the decomposition of gas hydrate on a solid base (glass) and water surface were carried out at the Kutateladze Institute of Thermophysics. The purpose of these studies was to determine the rate of dissociation of gas hydrate. The data obtained can help with the introduction of gas hydrate as boiler fuel.