Types Of Cationic Surfactants Research Articles

Boosting catalytic performance of Amberlyst‐15 by modulating surface properties for synthesis of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural from high-concentration fructose

The large-scale production of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF), a “sleeping giant” in sustainable chemistry, is frequently hampered by the severe formation of humins during the acid-catalyzed dehydration of high-concentration fructose. In this work, we demonstrate that the HMF yield could be remarkably enhanced by boosting the catalytic performance of a commercially used Amberlyst-15 solid acid organocatalyst, wherein the formation of humins could be effectively inhibited. We show that the modification of Amberlyst-15 with a typical cationic surfactant (i.e., cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB)) via charge interaction between sulfonic acid groups and quaternary ammonium cations led to an improved surface hydrophobicity and a reduced Brønsted acid density on the modified catalyst, thereby contributing to a complete suppression of HMF rehydration and remarkable suppression of humin formation via paths of both etherification-dehydration-condensation and degradative-condensation of fructose and/or HMF. As a result, the catalytic conversion of fructose over the CTAB-modified Amberlyst-15 catalyst in a low-boiling mixed solvent composed of 1,4-dioxane and H2O at 140 °C within 2 h led to high HMF yields in range of 53.3 ∼ 63.1 mol% in converting high-concentration fructose (10.0 ∼ 50.0 wt%), wherein an average enhancement of 20 mol% in product yield was achieved when compared with that over un-modified Amberlyst-15. Moreover, the adsorption of humins on solid catalyst was significantly reduced due to the enhanced surface hydrophobicity and alleviated formation of humins, which accounted for a stable catalytic performance of the modified Amberlyst-15 catalyst for at least five runs. This work highlights the rational adjustment of the surface wettability of a commercial solid acid catalyst to suppress the undesired humin formation for future HMF biorefinery.

Surfactant Directionally Assembled at the Electrode-Electrolyte Interface for Facilitating Electrocatalytic Aldehyde Hydrogenation.

Electrocatalytic hydrogenation of unsaturated aldehydes to unsaturated alcohols is a promising alternative to conventional thermal processes. Both the catalyst and electrolyte deeply impact the performance. Designing the electrode-electrolyte interface remains challenging due to its compositional and structural complexity. Here, we employ the electrocatalytic hydrogenation of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) as a reaction model. The typical cationic surfactant, cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB), and its analogs are employed as electrolyte additives to tune the interfacial microenvironment, delivering high-efficiency hydrogenation of HMF and inhibition of the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). The surfactants experience a conformational transformation from stochastic distribution to directional assembly under applied potential. This oriented arrangement hampers the transfer of water molecules to the interface and promotes the enrichment of reactants. In addition, near 100 % 2,5-bis(hydroxymethyl)furan (BHMF) selectivity is achieved, and the faradaic efficiency (FE) of the BHMF is improved from 61 % to 74 % at -100 mA cm-2. Notably, the microenvironmental modulation strategy applies to a range of electrocatalytic hydrogenation reactions involving aldehyde substrates. This work paves the way for engineering advanced electrode-electrolyte interfaces and boosting unsaturated alcohol electrosynthesis efficiency.

Solubilization of polycyclic aromatic compounds into supralong-chain surfactants with double quaternary ammonium micelles

The dissolution of poorly water-soluble compounds in micelles via hydrophobic interactions is termed solubilization. The solubilization of polycyclic aromatic compounds, namely, naphthalene, anthracene, and pyrene, was studied using supralong-chain surfactants with two consecutive cationic hydrophilic groups [CnH2n+1N+(CH3)2-(CH2)2-N+(CH3)3 2Br-: Cn-2Am (n = 18, 20, and 22)] and typical cationic surfactants [CnH2n+1N+(CH3)3 Br-: Cn-Am (n = 12, 14, and 16)]. Long alkyl chains in hydrophobic surfactants are advantageous for forming a large micellar core. The maximum quantity of solubilized polycyclic aromatic compounds increased as the alkyl chain length of the surfactant increased. Therefore, the molar solubilization ratio (MSR), which represents the solubilization ability of the surfactant, was maximized when the alkyl chain length was C22-2Am. Similarly, the Gibbs free energy (ΔG0) associated with the solubilization of polycyclic aromatic compounds was also lowest for C22-2Am. Surfactants with long alkyl chains functioned as excellent solubilizers. The solubilization sites of the polycyclic aromatic compounds were determined using two-dimensional NMR and small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) measurements. As the molecular size of the polycyclic aromatic compounds increased, the solubilization positions in the micelles shifted from the palisade layer to the vicinity of the hydrophilic groups. Extension of the alkyl chain length of the surfactant resulted in an increase in the palisade region of the micelles, which was advantageous for solubilization.

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.

Experimental and theoretical investigation on the mechanism of cationic surfactants-assisted phosphogypsum crystal transformation

The massive discharge and stockpiling of phosphogypsum became an increasingly severe issue on environment. The transformation of phosphogypsum into fibrous alpha-type hemihydrate gypsum (α-HH) with high L/D(ratio of length-to-diameter) is one of the effective routes to achieve the high-valued utilization. In this work, six types of cationic surfactants, including CTAB, STAC, CHEC, CGG, CPAM and PDDA were selected to investigate their different effects on shape of α-HH crystals through hydrothermal method under the condition of 160 °C(0.6 MPa saturated vapour pressure) for 3 h. The results showed that the introduction of all selected surfactants can increase the length-to-diameter (L/D) ratio of α-HH crystals. As the concentration of surfactants increases, the L/D ratio first increases and then decreases, and the highest L/D ratio of 171.3 was obtained by using CTAB at 0.6 %. The mechanism of regulated growth of α-HH crystals into fibrous structure following c-axis in the presence of six cationic surfactants was also demonstrated. Moreover, the adsorption mechanism of cationic surfactants on the α-HH surface was investigated by molecular dynamics simulation and theoretical analysis. It is found that the order of binding energy (Eb) between the addition and α-HH crystal faces is Eb(11¯0) > Eb(110) > Eb(200) > Eb(002). This work provides insightful guidance from both experimental and theoretical perspectives for controlling the crystal form of α-HH and preparing high-strength gypsum.

Effect of ionic surfactants on the settling behavior of silt

Ionic surfactants are easily adsorbed by silt and clay particles, thus affecting the flocculation characteristics and settling behavior. The settling velocity, typical size, Zeta potential and surface tension of silt flocs were measured in the presence of two different kinds of ionic surfactants. The results indicated that the cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB, a typical cationic surfactant) can dramatically accelerate the settling of slit particles, while the linear alkylbenzene sulfonate (LAS, a typical anionic surfactant) slightly retarded silt sedimentation to some extent. In still water, the representative settling velocity dramatically increased from 0.36 cm s−1 to 0.43 cm s−1 with the increase of CTAB concentration, which increased by more than 20%. Oppositely, the sedimentation rate decreased from 0.36 cm s−1 to 0.33 cm s−1 with the increase of LAS concentration. In flowing water, as the flow rate increased from 0 to 20 cm s−1 and the ionic surfactant concentration increased from 0 to 10 mg L−1, the sedimentation rate decreased to 57% and 89% in the presence of CTAB and LAS respectively, which was due to an enhanced dispersion of silt particles and a breaking of flocs. The SEM image test shows that the floc particle size increased 1.5 times of the primary particle size under the high CTAB concentration. The flocculation induced by ionic surfactants greatly influences the sediment size as well as the law of settling velocity. The intrinsic influence mechanism was also discussed based on the variations of silt particle properties. This systematic study can be used for further development of flocculation models and particle size distribution of fine-grained soil.

Aggregation and thermodynamic study of bovine serum albumin + cationic surfactant mixture in short chain alcoholic media: Effect of composition and temperature

To improve the application of surfactants and polymers, the knowledge of the interaction of surfactant with polymer is essential. Therefore, the interaction of bovine serum albumin (BSA) with a typical cationic surfactant, tetradecyltrimethylammonium bromide (TTAB) was investigated using the conductivity measurement method in aq. alcohols solutions having numerous alcohols concentrations at definite temperature (310.55 K) and the same alcohols concentration at variable temperatures (300.55–323.55 K). The types and extent of interactions between BSA and TTAB have been detected from the variation of critical micelle concentration (CMC) for the studied system. The CMC has been achieved from the plots of conductivity against TTAB concentration. One CMC was achieved for the TTAB + BSA mixture in all aq. alcohols media. The CMC values experience a change with the variation of alcohol contents and temperature of the study medium. The extent of micelle ionization (α), counter ions binding (β), and thermodynamic variables such as free energy (ΔGm0), enthalpy (ΔHm0) and entropy (ΔSm0) of micellization were computed from the standard thermodynamic formulae and demonstrated in detail. The ΔGm0 values were found negative which pointed out the spontaneous attitude of the aggregation process. Here, the intrinsic enthalpy gain (ΔHm0,∗) and the compensation temperature (Tc) were also evaluated and explained. The estimated parameters reveal the presence of interaction among the studied components which is dependent on solvent composition and temperature.

The “molecule diode” effect caused by adsorbed surfactant layers improves evaporation efficiency in the bubble column evaporator (BCE) for seawater desalination

The bubble column evaporator (BCE) can be used as an improved thermal desalination technology simply based on pumping a heated gas, such as helium, through a porous sinter to produce hot gas bubbles to transfer heat and mass across the water-gas interface. In this paper, a “molecule diode” effect caused by surfactant monolayers has been proposed, because adding surfactants into the column solution produced an improved evaporation efficiency. The mechanism involved appears to be based on enhancing water molecule transport across the bubble surfaces from the column solution via the hydrophilic headgroups, whilst restricting water vapour molecules returning to the solution because of the layer of hydrophobic tails coating the inside bubble surface. In this paper, the enthalpy of vaporization (△Hv) was estimated, and the bubble saturation period and the bubbling and foaming behaviour was observed, to study the performance of surfactants on improving the evaporation efficiency achieved by the BCE process. Myristyltrimethylammonium bromide (MAB), a typical cationic surfactant, combined with the moderately heated helium bubbles generated in the BCE column, performed best by reducing the apparent △Hv value for water by 15 % and increasing the evaporation efficiency by 2.3 times, compared with the value for non-surfactant column solutions pumped with air, which demonstrates the potential for a low cost thermal desalination technology based on this sub-boiling process.

Aqueous-organic phase transfer of nanoparticles: The effects of molecular structures of cationic surfactants

The phase transfer efficiencies of silica and Au nanoparticles (NPs) using four different types of cationic surfactants have been investigated. The pH value has a significant effect on the phase transfer efficiencies of NPs because the amount of surface charge of NPs will increase with the increase of pH values. At the optimal pH value, the phase transfer efficiencies follow the order of: 1–2 type >2–2 type >1–1 type >3–2 type.Meanwhile, the order of the phase transfer efficiencies agrees with the results of the contact angle. According to these results, we define a parameter P, which is the hydrophobicity per unit surface area induced by the adsorption of surfactants. The increase in the P value suggests that more hydrophobicity has been introduced to NPs per unit surface area, thus enhances the phase transfer efficiencies of NPs. Owing to the shorter alkyl chain, DTAB and MQAS12 cannot transfer the silica NPs to the organic phase, while DTAB, BQAS12, and MQAS12 cannot transfer Au NPs to the organic phase. Although other surfactants can transfer NPs successfully to the organic phase, only 1–2 type surfactants can effectively disperse NPs in the organic phase, which is also related to the properties of the organic phase.

Synthesis, Surface and Antimicrobial Activity of New Lactose-Based Surfactants.

This work presents a synthesis method for new surfactants based on lactose. The compounds obtained belong to the homologous series of O-β-D-Galactopyranosyl-(1→4)-N-alkyl-(3-sulfopropyl)-D-glucosamine hydrochloride, containing 12 and 14 carbon atoms in the alkyl chain, and they may serve as an example of cationic surfactants. The newly synthesized compounds exhibit good surface properties, low value of CMC (Critical Micelle Concentration) and good wetting properties. These surfactants’ ability to produce foam is considerably higher than in the commercial surfactants. Moreover, antibacterial and fungistatic activity was carried out by well diffusion assay against the selected bacteria (Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis, Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa), yeasts (Candida albicans) and filamentous fungi (Fusarium graminearum, F. avenaceum, F. oxysporum, F. culmorum, F. equiseti, Alternaria alternata and Botrytis cinerea). It was shown that the resulting quaternary salts significantly inhibit the growth of tested microorganisms. Antibacterial and fungistatic activity of the surfactant compounds varied depending on the species of bacteria or fungi. The results of antimicrobial activity of new lactose derivatives indicate that the compounds exhibit larger or similar antagonistic activity against tested bacteria and fungi than typical cationic surfactant cetylpyridinium chloride.

Corrosion inhibition efficiency of triethanolammonium dodecylbenzene sulfonate on Q235 carbon steel in simulated concrete pore solution

The performance of triethanolammonium dodecylbenzene sulfonate (TDS), a type of cationic surfactant, against corrosion of Q235 carbon steel in an alkaline medium simulating concrete pore solution was studied by different electrochemical test methods. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) results revealed an increase in the charge transfer resistance of specimens in the presence of TDS, compared with the blank system. Both donor and acceptor density with the increase in TDS concentration, evident in the Mott-Schottky plots. Furthermore, observations using an optical microscope and the analysis of X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy measurements corroborated that the pitting corrosion of the metallic surface was significantly hindered with the addition of TDS into the simulated concrete pore solution.

Micelle-Mediated Chemiluminescence as an Indicator for Micellar Transitions.

The structural phase of micelles plays an important role in controlling the micellar performance. Despite the great developments of some advanced characterization techniques, it remains challenging to achieve fast and sensitive determination of micellar transitions in solution. Herein, a novel indicator system for micellar transitions was developed based on the micelle-mediated peroxyoxalate chemiluminescence that showed a sensitive response toward the changes of micellar morphologies. A peroxyoxalate derivative and a fluorophore were first coassembled into the hydrophobic cavities of micelles of the typical cationic surfactant cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB). A strong and rapidly falling chemiluminescence response was exhibited in spherical micelles as a result of the loose arrangement of CTAB molecules. By contrast, rodlike or wormlike micelles transformed from spherical micelles could induce a compact arrangement of CTAB molecules, leading to a weak chemiluminescence emission with a slow decay rate. The practicability and universality of the chemiluminescent indicator were demonstrated by determining the micellar transitions in a variety of surfactant solutions (ionic, nonionic, and polymeric). These findings open attractive perspectives for the practice of chemiluminescence technique in micelle characterization.

Cationic surfactants as antifungal agents.

Fungi-in being responsible for causing diseases in animals and humans as well as environmental contaminations in health and storage facilities-represent a serious concern to health security. Surfactants are a group of chemical compounds used in a broad spectrum of applications. The recently considered potential employment of cationic surfactants as antifungal or fungistatic agents has become a prominent issue in the development of antifungal strategies, especially if such surface-active agents can be synthesized in an eco-friendly manner. In this review, we describe the antifungal effect and the reported mechanisms of action of several types of cationic surfactants and also include a discussion of the contribution of these surfactants to the inhibition of yeast-based-biofilm formation. Furthermore, the putative mechanism of arginine-based tensioactive compounds as antifungal agents and their applications are also analyzed.

Experimental and Atomic Modeling of the Adsorption of Acid Azo Dye 57 to Sepiolite

AbstractSepiolite is a hydrated magnesium silicate with a microporous and mesoporous structure. The fibrous morphology and the alternating blocks and tunnels along the fiber direction of sepiolite make it an ideal material to sequester a variety of organic and inorganic contaminants. The adsorption of various surfactants by organo sepiolites have been experimentally investigated. How this hydrophobic material adsorbs dye molecules at the atomic level, however, is a great mystery. For this reason, the present study focused on the adsorption of acid azo 57 dye molecules to modified sepiolite. For this purpose, the amenability of sepiolite to remove the anionic textile dye (acid azo red dye 57) was first studied in detail. Additionally, a typical cationic surfactant, hexadecyltrimethylammonium Br (HTAB), was used to modify sepiolite to increase the adsorption capacity. Zeta potential measurements on the sepiolite and the HTAB modified sepiolite were also carried out. Moreover, Density Functional Theory (DFT) studies were performed to understand the mechanism of the adsorption of dye molecules to natural and modified sepiolite surfaces. On the basis of the experimental studies, three general systems were theoretically examined: (i) HTAB molecules on sepiolite basal surfaces to represent four Si tetrahedra, (ii) neutral or charged acid azo red dye 57 molecules on sepiolite basal surfaces to represent four Si tetrahedra, and (iii) HTAB on the surface of neutral or charged acid azo red dye 57 molecules as a substrate. The results clearly indicated good agreement between the experimental studies and the theoretical computational DFT studies. For example, the double layer structure found in experimental studies was also demonstrated in DFT studies and confirmed increased adsorption in the presence of acid azo dye 57.

Surfactant Coated Silica Nanoparticles as Smart Scavengers for Adsorptive Removal of Naphthalene

This manuscript represents the synthesis of silica nanoparticles modified with four different types of cationic surfactants. The surfactant capped nanoparticles have better control over the size of silica nanoparticles. The as formed as model nanomaterials were used for the removal of naphthalene, a simple white crystalline polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) from aqueous media. The obtained materials were characterized by various microscopic and spectroscopic techniques. The average particle size of nanoparticles was approximately between 50 and 75 nm. The removal kinetic and adsorption studies were also conducted on silica nanoparticles with different contact time, initial concentrations of silica and naphthalene to achieve the optimum adsorption conditions. CPB functionalized nanoparticles have displayed higher removal efficiency of more than 85% as compared to 75 to 80% in case of CTAB, CTAC and CPC functionalized silica nanoparticles. The effects of various parameters like pH, adsorbent doses, naphthalene concentration and addition of salt have also been investigated for better understanding of the removal efficacy of prepared nanoparticles.

Solubilization ability of N,N-dimethyl-N-alkyladamantylammonium bromide

Adamantane is difficult to dissolve in water owing to its bulky steric hydrocarbon structure. We designed a novel amphiphilic molecule by introducing an alkyl chain and a cation group into an adamantyl group. N,N-dimethyl-N-alkyladamantylammonium bromide (CnAdAB; n is the alkyl chain length, where n=10, 12, and 14) dissolves easily in water by forming micelles above the critical micelle concentration. Aggregates of this surfactant series form small nonspherical micelles several nanometers in size with relative small aggregation number; 53 (n=10), 59 (n=12), and 63 (n=14) at the typical concentration. Small-angle X-ray scattering measurement showed that the micellar structure of C12AdAB was changed slightly by solubilization of naphthalene and stearic acid. Moreover, the solubilization ability of the aggregates was studied using naphthalene and long-alkyl-chain fatty acids (myristic, palmitic, and stearic acids). The same solubilization experiments were performed using typical cationic surfactants (dodecyltrimethylammonium bromide and a gemini surfactant) for comparison. The molar solubilization ratios indicate that the CnAdAB series can solubilize the aromatic compound naphthalene as well as the other surfactants, whereas they can barely solubilize the long-alkyl-chain fatty acids. The solubilization stability can be analyzed by estimating the Gibbs free energy change (ΔG0) for the transfer of solubilizate molecules to the aggregate phase. The gemini surfactant system showed the largest negative value of ΔG0 for both naphthalene and the fatty acids. On the other hand, solubilization of fatty acids into CnAdAB micelles was not advantageous energetically. These results indicate that the solubilization ability of CnAdAB surfactants is not generally suitable for solubilization of long-alkyl-chain fatty acids owing to the smallness of the micelles.

UV/chlorine as an advanced oxidation process for the degradation of benzalkonium chloride: Synergistic effect, transformation products and toxicity evaluation

Benzalkonium chlorides (BACs), as typical cationic surfactants and biocides widely applied in household and industrial products, have been frequently detected as micropollutants in many aquatic environments. In this study, the combination of UV irradiation and chlorine (UV/chlorine), a newly interested advanced oxidation process, was used to degrade dodecylbenzyldimethylammonium chloride (DDBAC). UV/chlorine showed synergistic effects on DDBAC degradation comparing to UV irradiation or chlorination alone. Radical quenching experiments indicated that degradation of DDBAC by UV/chlorine involved both UV photolysis and radical species oxidation, which accounted for 48.4% and 51.6%, respectively. Chlorine dosage and pH are essential parameters affecting the treatment efficiency of UV/chlorine. The pseudo first order rate constant (kobs, DDBAC) increased from 0.046 min−1 to 0.123 min−1 in response to chlorine dosage at 0–150 mg/L, and the degradation percentage of DDBAC within 12 min decreased from 81.4% to 56.6% at pH 3.6–9.5. Five main intermediates were identified and semi-quantified using HPLC-MS/MS and a possible degradation pathway was proposed. The degradation mechanisms of DDBAC by UV/chlorine included cleavage of the benzyl-nitrogen bond and hydrogen abstraction of the alkyl chain. Trichloromethane (TCM), chloral hydrate (CH), trichloropropanone (TCP), dichloropropanone (DCP) and dichloroacetonitrile (DCAN) were detected using GC-ECD. The formation of chlorinated products increased rapidly initially, then decreased (TCM, TCP, DCP and DCAN) or remained stable (CH) with extended treatment. The actual formation of TCM peaked at 30 min (50.3 μg/L), while other chlorinated products did not exceed 10 μg/L throughout the process. Based on the luminescent bacterial assay, DDBAC solution underwent almost complete detoxification subjected to UV/chlorine treatment for 120 min, which is more effective than UV irradiation or chlorination alone.

Micellization Behavior of Long-Chain Substituted Alkylguanidinium Surfactants.

Surface activity and micelle formation of alkylguanidinium chlorides containing 10, 12, 14 and 16 carbon atoms in the hydrophobic tail were studied by combining conductivity and surface tension measurements with isothermal titration calorimetry. The purity of the resulting surfactants, their temperatures of Cr→LC and LC→I transitions, as well as their propensity of forming birefringent phases, were assessed based on the results of 1H and 13C NMR, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and polarizing microscopy studies. Whenever possible, the resulting values of Krafft temperature (TK), critical micelle concentration (CMC), minimum surface tension above the CMC, chloride counter-ion binding to the micelle, and the standard enthalpy of micelle formation per mole of surfactant (ΔmicH°) were compared to those characterizing alkyltrimethylammonium chlorides or bromides with the same tail lengths. The value of TK ranged between 292 and 314 K and increased strongly with the increase in the chain length of the hydrophobic tail. Micellization was described as both entropy and enthalpy-driven. Based on the direct calorimetry measurements, the general trends in the CMC with the temperature, hydrophobic tail length, and NaCl addition were found to be similar to those of other types of cationic surfactants. The particularly exothermic character of micellization was ascribed to the hydrogen-binding capacity of the guanidinium head-group.

Adsorption of dimeric surfactants in lamellar silicates

The adsorption of different types of cationic surfactants in lamellar silicates changes their surface character from hydrophilic to hydrophobic. This study was undertaken to obtain lamellar silicates modified by a series of novel dimeric (gemini) surfactants of different length alkyl chains and to characterise these organophilised materials. Synthetic sodium montmorillonite SOMASIF® ME 100 (M) and enriched bentonite of natural origin (Nanoclay – hydrophilic bentonite®) were organophilised with dimeric (gemini) surfactants (1,1′-(1,4-butanediyl)bis(alkoxymethyl)imidazolium dichlorides). As a result of surfactant molecule adsorption in interlamellar space, the d-spacing (d001) increased from 0.97nm (for the anhydrous structure) to 2.04nm. A Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) analysis of the modified systems reveals bands assigned to the stretching vibrations of the CH2 and CH3 groups and the scissoring vibrations of the NH group from the structure of the dimeric surfactants. Thermogravimetric (TG) and derivative thermogravimetric (DTG) studies imply a four-stage process of surfactant decomposition. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images provide information on the influence of dimeric surfactant intercalation into the silicate structures. Particles of the modified systems show a tendency toward the formation of irregularly shaped agglomerates.

Corrosion protection of coatings doped with inhibitor-loaded nanocapsules

Purpose– The purpose of this paper was to study the corrosion resistance of AA2024 alloy using surfactant-modified halloysite nanocapsules capable of holding benzotriazole (BTA) as the corrosion inhibitor and discharging it into the solution.Design/methodology/approach– The effect of surfactant shells was studied by surfactant-modified halloysite nanotubes fabricated through assembly of two types of cationic surfactants. The zeta potential and size distribution measurements were performed using a Zetasizer Nano. The concentration of BTA during release into the solution was detected by using a UV–vis spectrophotometer. The anti-corrosion activity of nanocapsules as free agents with respect to the AA2024 alloy was investigated using the potentiodynamic scan (PDS) method. An epoxy resin doped with nanocapsules was used as an anti-corrosion coating deposited on the AA2024 alloy. The corrosion protection performance of coatings was studied by using the electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) method.Findings– The results indicate that the release of the inhibitor from nanocapsules depends on the surfactant shell components. The PDS results confirmed the feasibility of developing “smart” corrosion protection by inhibitor-loaded nanocapsules. The results of EIS measurements showed that the coating with the nanocapsules exhibited enhanced corrosion protection in comparison with the undoped coating.Originality/value– The findings of this paper indicate that surfactant-modified halloysite nanocapsules can be added to epoxy resin coatings to improve their corrosion protective properties for the AA2024 alloy.