Trimethyl Ammonium Bromide Research Articles

Soft-templating synthesis of mesoporous MnSiOx composites as catalytic supports for Pd nanoparticles towards solvent-free oxidation of benzyl alcohol under atmospheric pressure O2

Solvent-free and liquid-phase selective oxidation of aromatic alcohols using O2 as an oxidant is a green strategy for the synthesis of aromatic aldehydes and other carbonyl compounds. Wherein, the design and preparation of heterogeneous catalysts with high activity and selectivity is a hot topic in this process. Herein, a series of manganese oxide-silica (MnSiOx) composites were synthesized using cetyltrimethylammonium bromide as a soft template. During the preparation process, the amounts of tetraethyl orthosilicate and ammonia and the calcination temperature significantly affected the textural properties and Mn cation distributions of MnSiOx. The MnSiOx composites were then employed as catalysts for Pd nanoparticles. In the solvent-free and atmospheric conditions, Pd/MnSiOx materials showed high catalytic conversions of benzyl alcohol (BZA), and the catalytic activity thereof is related to the fractions of Pd0 and Mn3+. As the reaction time and temperature are 4 h and 90 °C, the conversion of BZA (feeding dosage: 4 mL) and the selectivity of benzaldehyde are 64.8 % and 94.9 %, respectively. The catalyst can be reused at least five times without any significant loss of activity. Furthermore, the correlation between physiochemical properties and catalytic activity of Pd/MnSiOx was analyzed.

Cation-Modified Poly(vinyl alcohol) Film to Optimize the Bistability of Transparent Electrophoretic Display Based on Charge Adsorption Behavior in Nonpolar Solvent.

Electrophoretic displays (EPDs) utilize the electrophoretic particles in electronic ink (e-ink) to display different color states with bistability. Bistability of EPDs is achieved by placing colloidal particles in a highly viscous solvent to keep the distribution of colloidal particles stable without sustaining the external field, so it only consumes power when updating the image. The feature of low power consumption makes it suitable for applications such as advertising boards, price tags, etc. Apart from these applications, recent research on lateral-driving EPDs extends its applications to smart windows, privacy control, and so on. However, achieving bistability by simply increasing the viscosity of solvent is inefficient in the case of lateral driving operation. Therefore, it is deserving to have intensive study on the mechanism of bistability from other aspects. Herein, we propose a mechanism to investigate the charge adsorption behavior on the electrode to affect the bistability of particles, which is based on the "Stern layer adsorption/desorption" model. Based on the above mechanism, we further fabricated a hexadecyl trimethylammonium bromide (CTAB)/poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) composite film on the electrode to improve the bistability of lateral-driving EPD by reducing the diffusion current caused by unabsorbed charges. This developed lateral-driving EPD can significantly improve the bistability, which is enhanced from 40 s to 7 min, an increase by a factor of approximately 10. This work gives a way to consider the bistability of colloidal particles in nonpolar solvent.

Effect of Cetyl Trimethyl ammonium bromide (CTAB) amount on the Nanoindentation creep behaviour of Sn-cu-Y2O3 nanocomposite Lead-free solder

Sn-Cu-Y2O3 nanocomposite solder is synthesized from a citrate bath by pulse electrodeposition route. Y2O3 powder is synthesized from a sol-gel assisted combustion route. Different techniques such as SEM, XRD, and TEM are used to characterize Y2O3 powder. The particle size of Y2O3 powder is found to be 27 nm. The effect of adding cetyl trimethyl ammonium bromide (CTAB) on the synthesis of Sn-Cu-Y2O3 nanocomposite lead-free solder is studied. The amount of CTAB is varied for a particular amount of Y2O3 powder. It is carried out to find the exact ratio of CTAB for better dispersion of Y2O3 powder in the electrolytic bath. Because the distribution of reinforcement in the matrix which is associated with the dispersion of Y2O3 powder in the electrolyte is as important as the amount of reinforcement in the solder matrix. For the synthesis of nanocomposite solder, the optimum ratio of CTAB to Y2O3 is found to be 1:1. After the synthesis of nanocomposite solder, the influence of Y2O3 powder on the melting temperature of the solder is also studied. Incorporating Y2O3 has little effect on the melting point of the nanocomposite solder. Nanoindentation creep test results showed that the deposit at 0.2 A/cm2 (monolithic solder) has a lower creep resistance than the nanocomposite solders. Additionally, the creep resistance of the nanocomposite with a CTAB to Y2O3 ratio of 1:1 was higher.

Switchability and synergistic effect of a CO2-responsive surfactant with co-surfactants at an O/W interface: A molecular insight

CO2-responsive surfactants are a promising technology with potential applications in various fields. Therefore, the design of their formulations must be carefully considered to ensure their effectiveness in each specific application. Herein, we employed molecular dynamics simulations to investigate an oil/water (O/W) interface stabilized by a surfactant mixture containing a CO2-responsive cationic primary surfactant and another co-surfactant. It has been discovered that formulating the CO2-responsive cationic surfactant with a typical anionic surfactant (sodium dodecyl sulfate, SDS) can lead to a distinct CO2-responsive mechanism of the surfactant mixture. To compare, the CO2-responsive mechanism remains unchanged if the CO2-responsive cationic surfactant is formulated with a typical cationic surfactant (dodecyl trimethylammonium bromide, DTAB). A nonionic co-surfactant can enhance the interface activity of the surfactant mixture but the synergistic effect is not strong enough to lead to a different CO2-responsive mechanism. The distinct phase behavior between two surfactant mixtures suggests that the CO2-responsive mechanism is dominated by the type of surfactants formulated with the CO2-switchable surfactant.

The Effect of Surfactant on the Stability of Inorganic Salt Hydrated Phase Change Material Containing Graphene Nanoplatelet: An Experimental Investigation

The use of nano phase change material (PCM) as a heat transfer agent has spread and expanded as its thermal conductivity is higher than the base PCM, so its use has been increased in PVT systems. In this study, inorganic salt hydrated PCM was used as a base material and Graphene nanoplatelet (GNP) as an additive to improve the thermal conductivity of the resulted nano-PCM and its stability was studied using Cetyl Trimethyl Ammonium Bromide (CTAB) surfactants. The main objective of the present study was to investigate the effect of surfactant on the stability of different GNP concentration in CaCl2.6H2O PCM. The nano-PCM has been prepared using two-step method. The stability of nano-PCM depends on the surfactant used to slow the sedimentation of nanoparticles in the base PCM. The sedimentation process significantly reduces the thermal conductivity of nano-PCM and thus reduces heat transfer. The study results indicated that the employment of surfactant significantly affected the stability of nanoparticles added in the base PCM. The stability test ascertained the effectiveness of the surfactant applied in phase change material. With successive addition of surfactant, the stability of GNP in PCM was further enhanced to +49.3 mV of Zeta potential value.

Superior antibacterial performance of surfactant-assisted ZnO nanoflakes produced via Co-precipitation method

Microbiological infections are one of the major problems that modern people encounter. Zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoflakes are excellent antimicrobial agents. The objective of this work was to synthesize ZnO nanoflakes with the assistance of surfactants and investigate the processes behind their antibacterial properties. The experiment involved the synthesis of ZnO using several surfactants, including cetyl trimethyl ammonium bromide (CTAB), polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVP), and polyethylene glycol (PEG), and its analysis using XRD, FT-IR, SEM, EDAX, and BET methods. Both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacterial strains were used in these investigations. ZnO nanoflakes aided by CTAB (R-2) had the most promising action against the tested bacterial strains like Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Bacillus cereus. These ZnO nanoflakes with CTAB assistance consistently had greater inhibitory zones than other samples. The R-2 sample’s enhanced surface area and particle size, which result in improved antibacterial activity. The investigation’s outcomes show that the produced nanoflakes have the potential to be useful in antibacterial and other medicinal applications.

A modified CTAB method for the extraction of high-quality RNA from mono-and dicotyledonous plants rich in secondary metabolites

BackgroundHigh-quality RNA extraction from woody plants is difficult because of the presence of polysaccharides and polyphenolics that bind or co-precipitate with the RNA. The CTAB (cetyl trimethylammonium bromide) based method is widely used for the isolation of nucleic acids from polysaccharide-rich plants. Despite the widespread use of the CTAB method, it is necessary to adapt it to particular plant species, tissues and organs. Here we described a simple and generalized method for RNA isolation from mature leaf tissues of several economically important woody (17) and herbaceous plants (2) rich in secondary metabolites. High yields were achieved from small amount (up to 50 mg) of plant material. Two main modifications were applied to the basic protocol: an increase in β-mercaptoethanol concentration (to 10%v/v) and the use of an effective DNase treatment. As opposed to similar studies, we tried to describe a more detailed protocol for isolating RNA, including the exact quantity and concentration of the reagents were used.ResultsOur modified CTAB method is proved to be efficient in extracting the total RNA from a broad range of woody and herbaceous species. The RNA yield was ranged from 2.37 to 91.33 µg/µl. The A260:A280 and A260:A230 absorbance ratios were measured from 1.77 to 2.13 and from 1.81 to 2.22. The RIN value (RNA Integrity Number) of the samples fell between 7.1 and 8.1, which indicated that a small degree of RNA degradation occurred during extraction. The presence of a single peak in the melt curve analyses and low standard errors of the Ct values of replicated measurements indicated the specificity of the primers to bind to the cDNA.ConclusionsOur RNA isolation method, with fine-tuned and detailed instructions, can produce high quality RNA from a small amount of starting plant material that is suitable for use in downstream transcriptional analyses. The use of an increased concentration of the reducing agent β-mercaptoethanol in the extraction buffer, as well as the application of DNaseI-treatment resulted in a method suitable for a wide range of plants without the need of further optimalization, especially in Rhus typhina (Staghorn sumac), for which molecular-genetic studies have not yet been sufficiently explored.

Nano tumbleweed-like tungsten disulfide as a viable surrogate for platinum counter electrodes in dye-sensitized solar cells

Tungsten disulfide (WS2), a notable member of the transition metal dichalcogenides family, has emerged as a promising candidate for energy storage and conversion applications. In this study, WS2 was synthesized via a hydrothermal method using sodium tungstate and thiourea as precursor materials, with hydroxylamine hydrochloride as the reducing agent and cetyl trimethyl ammonium bromide as a surfactant. The primary objective was to develop a cost-effective, easily synthesized, and scalable material capable of replacing platinum (Pt) in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs), where Pt is both prohibitively expensive and scarce. Characterization of the synthesized WS2 was conducted through a range of physical analyses, including SEM, TEM, XRD, EDAX, FTIR, and Raman spectroscopy, which provided compelling evidence for the formation of a unique nano-tumbleweed-like structure of WS2. When used as a counter electrode (CE), the synthesized WS2 exhibited exceptional photocatalytic activity, resulting in a commendable power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 12.06 % when coupled with fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) plates coated with TiO2 as the photoanode, N719 as the dye, and Iˉ/I3ˉ as the liquid electrolyte. Additionally, the fabricated device underwent comprehensive electrical characterization, including cyclic voltammetry (CV), current-voltage (IV) measurements, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), and Tafel analysis, revealing properties similar to those of Pt counter electrodes. Notably, WS2 demonstrated an open-circuit potential of 852 mV and a short-circuit current density of 28 mA/cm2, accompanied by a fill factor of 0.43 and a commendable lifetime of 15.92 ms.

On the mechanism of Ca(OH)2 structure modulation by surfactants: Experimental and calculative studies

Surfactants are widely used for structure modulation of calcium-based materials. However, the modification mechanisms underlying the CaO digestion improved by surfactants for Ca(OH)2 production remain unclear. This study employed experiment methods, Density Functional Theory (DFT), and Molecular Dynamics methods (MD) to reveal the mechanism of surfactant modulation at a molecular level. The adsorption energy of Primary Alcohol Ethoxylate (AEO), Sodium Dodecyl Sulfate (SDS), H2O, and Dodecyl Trimethyl Ammonium Bromide (DTAB) on CaO(001) surface were −52.62, −51.98, –23.79, and 3.96 kcal/mol, respectively. The strong chemisorption of AEO and SDS on the surface of CaO improved its structure stability. AEO and SDS weakened the diffusion of H2O to CaO surface, thus causing the reaction between CaO and H2O to be suppressed. After being modulated by SDS and AEO, better crystallinity of Ca(OH)2 and finer crystalline grains were observed with the formation of developed pore structure. AEO has a longer molecular chain, giving better modification performance. On the contrary, DTAB accelerated the diffusion of H2O to CaO surface, leading to more energy released and causing the fast growth of Ca(OH)2 crystals, as evidenced by the much larger particle size compared to that of AEO and SDS. This process led to the creation of a larger pore structure. Desulfurization was used as a performance indicator to evaluate the surfactants modulation efficacy. The sulfur capacity of Ca(OH)2 regulated by 1 % AEO was 100.05 mg/g, being the highest among the used surfactants. For comparison, the sulfur capacity without additives was 49.64 mg/g. This study shows that nonionic surfactants are an ideal choice for regulating the structure of Ca(OH)2, as they can effectively inhibit crystal growth.

Environmental DNA storage and extraction method affects detectability for multiple aquatic invasive species

AbstractEnvironmental DNA (eDNA) refers to genetic material released by organisms into their surrounding environment. Collecting and identifying eDNA has gained popularity for monitoring and surveillance of aquatic invasive species. Invasive species management is most successful when an invasion is identified early while population size is likely to be low, highlighting the importance of eDNA detection sensitivity. Various factors influence DNA yield recovered from environmental samples. Environmental DNA storage and extraction methods, for example, can be adjusted to maximize DNA yield, thereby improving detectability. In this study, we compared the performance of two eDNA storage and extraction methods in detecting three common aquatic invasive species (Bythotrephes longimanus, Dreissena polymorpha, and Faxonius rusticus) across five natural ecosystems of Minnesota, United States. One method involved storing filters in 95% ethanol (EtOH) and extracting DNA using a DNeasy PowerSoil Pro Kit (Qiagen, Hilden, Germany), whereas the other method used cetyl trimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) for storage and a phenol–chloroform–isoamyl (PCI) procedure for DNA extraction. We also investigated the effect of DNA extract volume (1 μL relative to 3 μL) in qPCR reactions on eDNA detections for the commercial kit method. The CTAB‐PCI method yielded significantly more positive detections, across all three species, compared to the EtOH‐Qiagen method. Moreover, we found that using 1 μL of DNA extract in qPCR reactions was equally effective as using 3 μL. To improve detections of aquatic invasive species, we recommend that researchers store eDNA sample filters in CTAB or a similar lysis buffer such as Longmire's solution and extract with PCI when feasible, but note that lower extract volumes might be used without negative effect when either increasing technical replicates or repurposing samples for the detection of multiple species.

Effect of surfactants (cetyl trimethyl ammonium-bromide, ethyl di-tetra amine and polyacrylamide) on the synthesis of zinc oxide for photocatalytic application

In this work, we report the effect of cetyl trimethyl ammonium bromide (CTAB), ethyl di-tetra amine (EDTA) and polyacrylamide as surfactants on synthesis of zinc oxide for photocatalytic application. The ZnO nanoparticles were synthesized with and without the surfactants and characterized using powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD), and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). In addition to this, the morphology of zinc oxide prepared in the absence and presence of these surfactants investigated through scanning electron microscopy (SEM). As confirmed from XRD and FTIR characterization results, the use of different surfactants did not affect the composition of ZnO nanomaterials. The photocatalytic activities were investigated by the degradation of methylene blue (MB) dye under sunlight irradiation. To optimize the effects of operational parameters, the study was carried out as a function of dye concentration, catalyst dose, and pH on the degradation efficiency of the photocatalysts. The optimum values of catalyst dose, dye concentration and pH of solution were found to be 0.09 g, 5 mg/L and 10, respectively. The ZnO nanomaterials prepared with CTAB surfactant showed highest degradation efficiency of 98% indicating potential application for practical decontamination of wastewater from toxic organic pollutants. KEY WORDS: Surfactants, Zinc oxide nanoparticles, Photocatalysis, Methylene blue Bull. Chem. Soc. Ethiop. 2024, 38(4), 923-935. DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.4314/bcse.v38i4.9

Rapid construction of nickel phyllosilicate with ultrathin layers and high performance for CO2 methanation

The traditional techniques for the synthesis of nickel phyllosilicates usually time-consuming and energy-intensive, which often lead to the formation of layers with excessive thickness due to uncontrolled crystal growth. In order to overcome these challenges, this work introduces a microwave-assisted synthesis strategy to facilitate the synthesis of Ni-phyllosilicate-based catalysts within an exceptionally short duration of only five minutes, attaining a peak temperature of merely 102 °C. To enhance the specific surface area and to increase the exposure of active sites, an investigation was conducted involving three surfactants. The employment of hexadecyl trimethyl ammonium bromide (CTAB) has yielded remarkable results, with an ultrahigh specific surface area reaching 535 m2 g−1 and an ultrathin lamellar thickness of 1.43 nm. The catalyst exhibited an impressive CO2 conversion of 81.7 % at 400 °C, 60 L g−1 h−1, 0.1 MPa. It also demonstrated a substantial turnover frequency for CO2 (TOFCO2) of 5.4 ± 0.1 × 10−2 s−1, alongside a relatively low activation energy (Ea) of 80.74 kJ·mol−1. Moreover, the catalyst maintained its high stability over a period of 100 h and displayed high resistance to sintering. To further elucidate growth temperature gradient of the catalyst and concentration gradient of the materials involved, COMSOL Multiphysics (COMSOL) simulations were effectively utilized. In conclusion, this work breaks the limitation associated with traditional, laborious synthesis methods for Ni-phyllosilicates, which can produce materials with high surface area and thin-layer characteristics.

Hollow fiber gas-diffusion electrodes with tailored crystal facets for tuning syngas production in electrochemical CO2 reduction

Electrochemical reduction of CO2 (CO2RR) in aqueous electrolytes not only relies on advanced gas diffusion electrodes (GDEs) to improve CO2 mass transportation but also efficient electrocatalysts to produce specific products. Herein, to produce syngas (CO and H2 mixture), a facet-orientated zinc nanosheet catalyst was electrodeposited on the Cu hollow fiber GDE via a controllable facile surfactant-assisted method. The introduction of cationic surfactant cetyl trimethyl ammonium bromide (CTAB) could manipulate the nucleation and crystal growth of zinc ions around the GDE during the electrodeposition process, leading to controlled changes in the surface free energy and tuned zinc crystal growth orientation. Consequently, the ZncNS-HF with the largest ratio of Zn (101)/Zn (002), resulted in a high current density of 73.3 mA/cm2 and a high syngas production rate of 1328.6 µmol/h∙cm2 at applied potential −1.3 V (vs. RHE). This comes from the hierarchical structure of HFGDE, which provides sufficient CO2 reaching the catalyst/electrolyte interface, and the well-connected zinc nanosheets contribute to a significant number of active sites for CO2RR. This is the first time to configure flow-through or gas-penetrated HFGDEs with zinc crystal facets controlled nanosheet catalysts for syngas production. This research demonstrates the high potential of nanoengineering catalysts for HFGDEs to achieve high production rates of syngas.

Enhancing the shale inhibition performance of low-melting mixture solvents utilizing DTAB in water-based drilling fluids

Wellbore instability issue is a common occurrence in the development of clean energy sources such as shale gas. Low-melting mixture solvents (LoMMSs), as a novel and environmentally friendly liquids material, are anticipated to be utilized to address this issue. In this work, a novel shale inhibitor (LoMMSs-2) was formulated through introducing a cationic surfactant with a long hydrophobic chain, dodecyl trimethyl ammonium bromide (DTAB), into a commonly used choline chloride/glycerol LoMMSs. Inhibition assessment results indicated that the swelling height of bentonite in LoMMSs-2 solutions decreased by 53.46 %, and shale recovery rate reached as high as 89.51 %, demonstrating superior hydration inhibition compared to commercial inhibitors. The mechanism for inhibiting hydration in LoMMSs-2 was explored through tests involving zeta potential, particle size, interlayer spacing, shale wettability, and surface tension, etc. The findings revealed that choline cations and quaternary ammonium cations in LoMMSs-2 could tightly adsorb to the clay surface. The exposed long alkyl chains made the rock more hydrophobic, increasing the water contact angle from 22.49° to 65.26°. Subsequently, more interlayers water in the clay was expelled, leading to a significant reduction in adsorbed water. Additionally, the lower surface tension and stronger hydrophobicity corresponded to a smaller capillary force, further minimizing water infiltration into shale. Therefore, introducing hydrophobic groups into LoMMSs was a promising approach for developing efficient shale inhibitors to address wellbore instability issue in shale gas drilling.

Influence of titanium dioxide nanotubes with alkyl ammonium alkyl bromide on the physicochemical properties and adhesion of experimental adhesive resins to dentin

ObjectiveThis study evaluated the effect of the incorporation of titanium dioxide nanotubes with alkyl trimethyl ammonium bromide (ntTiO2/ATAB) into experimental adhesive resins on their physicochemical properties and adhesion to dentin. Materials & methodsThe experimental adhesive resins were formulated with 66.66 wt% Bis-GMA and 33.33 wt% HEMA, photoinitiator with addition of ntTiO2/ATAB (1:1) in different concentrations: G1%, G2.5%, and G5%. One groups with no ntTiO2/ATAB addition was used as control (G0%). An optical tensiometer was used to analyze the contact angle (COA) by the sessile drop method (distilled water and α-bromonaphthalene) (n = 5), while the surface free energy (SFE) was calculated using Owens-Wendt-Rabel-Kaelble method. Flexural strength (FS) test (three-point bending) of polymerized adhesive samples was performed according to ISO 4049:2019 (n = 10) after 24 h or one year of water storage at 37 °C, as well as for the microtensile bond strength (μTBS) test, in which a commercial adhesive (GSBMP) was also used as control (n = 10). The adhesive-dentin interfaces were evaluated by scanning electron microscopy and X-ray spectrometry (n = 5). Data were analyzed by one-way (COA and SFE), two-way (FLE and μTBS) ANOVA and Tukey's test (α = 0.05). ResultsG5% showed the highest COA with nonpolar liquid and higher SFE than G0%. The G5% showed decreased FS compared to G0%. The μTBS of both controls (G0% and GSBMP) decreased after one year. TiO2/ATAB-containing adhesives to dentin showed no significant decrease after one year. All adhesives formed hybrid layer and the resin tags inside the dentinal tubules. ConclusionsThe incorporation of 1 and 2.5% of ntTiO2/ATAB into experimental adhesive resins did not impar the SFE. After one year, any concentration of ntTiO2/ATAB reduced the FS compared with control, but did not impair the μTBS.

Novel high temperature proton exchange membranes based on functionalized poly(arylene dimethylamino benzene) polymers

The electrolyte membrane is a critical component in high temperature proton exchange membrane fuel cells (HT-PEMFCs). We have developed a new triarylmethane-backboned polymer, poly(p-triphenyl dimethylamino benzene) (PTDB), by using p-triphenyl and 4-(dimethylamino)benzaldehyde as monomers through a one-step straightforward Friedel-Crafts reaction. The presence of tertiary amine groups in PTDB enables strong interaction with phosphoric acid (PA) molecules. To improve PA doping content and proton conductivity, both copolymers containing biphenyl repeat unite and side-chain quaternized polymers are synthesized. Results show that the 3-bromopropyl trimethylammonium bromide grafted membrane (PTDB-QA) outperforms the poly(triphenyl-biphenyl-dimethylamino benzaldehyde) (P(Tx%-By%-DB)) copolymer membranes. After being doped in an 85 wt% PA solution at 80 °C, the PTDB-QA membrane exhibits a PA uptake of 160%, resulting in an anhydrous proton conductivity of 0.054 S cm−1 at 180 °C and mechanical strength of 10.1 MPa at room temperature. Under the H2-air condition without any back pressure, the peak power density of a single cell based on PTDB-QA/160%PA reaches 230 mW cm−2 at 160 °C. This work presents a promising new membrane for HT-PEMFC applications.

Harvesting optimization and Omega-3 recovery improvement from Schizochytrium DT3 using surfactant-aided dispersed air flotation: Response surface methodology

Microalgae's potential to produce high value bioactives is contingent on the cost-effective harvesting of algal biomass. The use of CTAB (cetyl trimethylammonium bromide) assisted dispersed air flotation as a harvesting technique for Schizochytrium biomass, was optimized as a cost-effective means for recovery (R) and concentration factor (CF) using Response Surface Methodology. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to employ surfactant assisted dispersed air flotation (SDAF) in the recovery of a heterotrophic thraustochytrid strain. A Box-Behnken design of experiment investigating the operating parameters of CTAB amount, air flow rate and volume on Schizochytrium was employed. Initially, both responses were analyzed individually and then used to simultaneously maximize both variables. The optimized conditions of CTAB (500 mg/L), air flow of 2 L/min and volume of 600 mL resulted in a R of 91 % and CF of 19 times. Although a secondary step is necessary for further concentration, this technique utilizes 70 times less energy as compared to conventional centrifugation techniques which are used to recover Schizochytrium sp. This is significant as this technique can be easily adapted to existing bioreactors, as they are already equipped with gas spargers. In addition, the presence of surfactant carried through demonstrated an improvement in the recovery of long chain poly unsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) by 6 %, particularly in DHA and DPA which was not observed in washed biomass.

Steering Selectivity in Electrocatalytic Furfural Reduction via Electrode-Electrolyte Interface Modification.

Electrocatalytic reduction of biomass-derived furfural (FF) represents a sustainable route to produce furfuryl alcohol (FA) and 2-methylfuran (MF) as a value-added chemical and a biofuel, respectively. However, achieving high selectivity for MF as well as tuning the selectivity between FA and MF within one reaction system remain challenging. Herein, we have reported an electrode-electrolyte interface modification strategy, enabling FA and MF selectivity steering under the same reaction conditions. Specifically, by modifying copper (Cu) electrocatalysts with butyl trimethylammonium bromide (BTAB), we achieved a dramatic shift in selectivity from producing FA (selectivity: 83.8%; Faradaic efficiency, FE: 68.9%) to MF (selectivity: 80.1%; FE: 74.8%). We demonstrated that BTAB adsorption over Cu modulates the electrical double layer (EDL) structure, which repels interfacial water and weakens the hydrogen-bond (H-bond) network for proton transfer, thus impeding FF-to-FA conversion by suppression of the hydrogen atom transfer (HAT) process. On the contrary, FF-to-MF conversion was less affected. This work shows the potential of engineering of the electrode-electrolyte interface for selectivity control in electrocatalysis.

Insights into the Ligand Effect in β-CD@Fe3O4 Composites to Activate Peroxymonosulfate for Efficient Degradation of Pharmaceutical Contaminants: A Study Employing Density Functional Theory

This study presents a detailed investigation into the use of β-cyclodextrin (β-CD) encapsulated iron oxide nanoparticle (β-CD@Fe3O4) composites, modified with different ligands, to activate peroxymonosulfate (PMS) for the degradation of pharmaceutical contaminants, namely, diclofenac, carbamazepine, and erythromycin. The focus is on understanding the ligand effect, particularly using citric acid (CIT), polyethyleneimine (PEI), and cetyl trimethyl ammonium bromide (CTAB), on the degradation performance of these composites. Employing density functional theory (DFT) calculations, this work examines the electronic structure and charge distributions of β-CD@Fe3O4 composites, providing insights into their interaction with various pollutants. The study reveals that the β-CD@PEI@Fe3O4 composite demonstrates superior degradation efficiency due to optimal electrostatic interactions, regardless of the pollutant’s hydrophobicity. On the other hand, β-CD@CIT@Fe3O4 shows moderate efficiency, and β-CD@CTAB@Fe3O4 exhibits selective efficiency, particularly for hydrophobic compounds. These findings underscore the significant role of surface chemistry in modulating the activation of PMS and the degradation of contaminants, opening avenues for designing tailored β-CD composites for environmental remediation.

Comparison of dodecyl trimethyl ammonium bromide (DTAB) and cetylpyridinium chloride (CPC) as corrosion inhibitors for mild steel in sulphuric acid solution

Two essential cationic surfactants, dodecyl trimethyl ammonium bromide (DTAB) and cetyl pyridinium chloride (CPC) with differences in the alkyl chain, were investigated as corrosion inhibitors on mild steel (MS) in 0.5 M H2SO4 with weight loss (WL) and the potentiodynamic polarization (PDP) method. Three different temperatures were used to maintain the reported sample solutions (298.15, 308.15, and 318.15 K) for concentrations ranging below, above, and at the optimum critical micelle concentration (CMC) of the cationic surfactants. Results show that 0.5 M DTAB having ammonium group gave higher inhibition efficiency than 0.5 M CPC having pyridinium group by PDP method. The inhibition efficiencies were determined as 98.6% for 0.5 M DTAB and 89.38% for 0.5 M CPC after 24 h immersion at 298.15 K. The extreme inhibition efficiency depends on the chain length and decreases with an increase in temperature as well as increases with the addition of concentration of cationic surfactants. Around CMC, both surfactants CPC and DTAB showed the highest inhibition efficiency which follows the isotherm of Langmuir adsorption and illustrates a mixed type of corrosion inhibitors with the predominance of cathodic reactions. Additionally, the proposed mechanisms of inhibitors showing both physical and chemical adsorption confirmed by the free energy of adsorption (-ΔGads0) for DTAB were >28–34.5 kJ/mol and for CPC were >31.07–42.91 kJ/mol.