Том 79, № 2 (2017)

All-atom molecular dynamics simulation results regarding aqueous sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) solutions have been presented. Both salt-free solutions with different SDS concentrations and those containing calcium chloride additives have been studied. The simulation has shown that surface-active SDS ions form stable premicellar aggregates. The obtained molecular dynamics trajectories have been used to describe both the kinetic and structural properties of solutions containing SDS molecular aggregates and the properties of individual aggregates. Aggregation kinetics has been investigated, and the characteristic sizes of the aggregates have been calculated by different methods. It has been found that the size of a premicellar aggregate with aggregation number n = 16 in a salt-free solution virtually does not depend on surfactant concentration. Radial distribution functions (RDFs) of hydrogen and oxygen atoms of water molecules relative to the center of mass of an aggregate have no local maxima near the aggregate surface; i.e., the surface is incompletely wetted with water. Corresponding RDFs of carbon atoms have one, two or three maxima depending on the surfactant concentration and the serial number of a carbon atom in the hydrocarbon radical of the surface- active ion. The study of the potentials of mean force for the interaction of sodium and calcium ions with an aggregate having aggregation number n = 32 shows that only calcium ions can be strongly bound to such an aggregate.

A procedure has been proposed for the preparation of capsules with shells composed of titanium dioxide nanoparticles and polymers via the formation of Pickering emulsions (colloidosomes) followed by layer-by-layer deposition of polyelectrolytes. The feasibility of stabilizing oil droplets of emulsions by spontaneous adsorption of partly hydrophobized nanoparticles of anatase-form titanium dioxide at the oil/water interface has been studied. Conditions have been determined for the formation of stable colloidosomes and the subsequent layer-by-layer deposition of oppositely charged polyelectrolytes onto their surfaces. It has been shown that hydrophobic dyes may be encapsulated using the procedure developed for the preparation of the capsules. The photocatalytic activity of TiO₂ particles occurring in the shell has been demonstrated by the example of degradation of Nile red which is incorporated in the oil core of a capsule.

The adsorption of trivalent chromium ions from aqueous solutions on the surface of carbon materials, namely, multiwall carbon nanotubes (NTs) and two samples of active carbon, is studied depending on pH and adsorbate concentration in the system. Isotherms of Cr(III) adsorption by the aforementioned materials are obtained. It is shown that chromium ions are predominantly bound by surface carboxyl groups. The adsorption of chromium ions reduces the electrokinetic potential of NTs and, at chromium concentrations C_Cr(III) > 10^–5 M, leads to the reversal of the surface charge. The adsorption value decreases in the series NT > Merck carbon > Norit carbon, in contrast to an increase in the adsorbate affinity to the adsorbent in this series, as determined from the slope of the initial section of the Langmuir isotherms. Small amounts of chromium ions sorbed at low concentrations in solution (C_Cr(III) ≤ 10^–5 M) are comparable with the concentration of hydrogen ions displaced from the surface, thus making it possible to suppose the existence of an ionexchange adsorption mechanism. As the concentration of Cr(III) increases, the equivalent displacement of H⁺ is violated, thereby indicating the development of other adsorption mechanisms (complexation).

The electrokinetic properties and aggregation stability of nanocrystalline cellulose sols in aqueous KCl solutions have been studied at pH 5.2. Cellulose nanoparticles have been prepared via controlled degradation in a mixture of phosphotungstic and acetic acids. At electrolyte concentrations of <0.01 mol/dm³, the system is stable to aggregation. The experimentally determined threshold of fast coagulation is 0.08 mol/dm³. It has been noted that the structural component of disjoining pressure must be taken into account when considering the aggregation stability of nanocrystalline cellulose sols in terms of the DLVO theory. It has been shown that the sizes of water boundary layers decrease with an increase in the KCl concentration. The effect of medium pH on the electrokinetic potentials and sizes of aggregates has been studied.

The influence of thermo- and mechanochemical modification of mineral shungite-III (Karelia, Russia) on its chemical composition and physicochemical properties has been studied. A method has been proposed for the mechanochemical modification of shungite, which yields a finely dispersed sorbent with a specific surface area of 70.6 m²/g, a total pore volume of 0.336 cm³/g, and a carbon concentration of higher than 75%. The comparative analysis of the thermolysis of the mineral and modified shungites in air has revealed a difference between the thermal stabilities of the samples. Almost all of the carbon of modified finely dispersed shungite combusts below 500°C, whereas the decomposition of mineral shungite starts above 600°C and only 60% of carbon combusts at 800°C.

Experimental data have been presented on the influence of silver on the viscosity and thermal conductivity of a dispersion of diamond nanoparticles. A stable dispersion (5 wt %) of detonation nanodiamond particles has been used in the experiments. Silver ions have been introduced electrolytically into the dispersion of diamond nanoparticles. Silver concentration was not higher than 0.05 wt %. It has been shown that the introduction of silver ions significantly affects the thermal conductivity and viscosity of the dispersion.

The effect of sorbent consumption and the kinetics and mechanism of sorption of uranium(VI) compounds on the surface of FIBAN A-6 fibrous anion exchanger from aqueous uranyl acetate solutions have been studied in the presence of sulfuric acid or sodium hydrocarbonate. The degree of sorption of uranium(VI) compounds by FIBAN A-6 anion exchanger has been found to be as high 97.0–99.5% at an interfacial contact time of 3–7 min and a sorbent consumption of 2–5 g/dm³. Diffusion and chemical kinetics models have been employed to show that the sorption kinetics of uranyl sulfate and carbonate complexes corresponds to the mixed diffusion mechanism and is described by a pseudo-second-order equation. The sorption isotherms of uranium(VI) compounds have the pattern of L-type isotherms according to the Giles classification and are satisfactorily described by the Langmuir, Freundlich, and Dubinin–Radushkevich equations. It has been found that, within 40 min, the sorbent may be regenerated by 65–82% with a 1 M NaHCO₃ solution.

We study the adsorption of anionic surfactant, sodium dodecyl diphenyloxide disulfonate (SDDD) on three types of polyethylene terephthalate substrates from aqueous solutions of SDDD of different concentrations. Neutral electrolyte (KCl) was added to the solutions to vary the ionic strength. The three types of substrates were: (1) original polymer film, (2) etched non-porous film, which was obtained from pristine film by chemical etching and bears negative charge on the surface, (3) etched porous membranes, which were fabricated from pristine film by ion irradiation and subsequent chemical etching. The membranes have negative charge on the flat surface and on the inner pore walls. The comparison of original and etched nonporous films shows that the negative charge on the flat surface has weak effect on adsorption of the anionic surfactant. The comparison of etched non-porous and porous films shows that the SDDD adsorption on the inner walls of pores is much weaker than on flat surface—even in case the pore radius is significantly larger than the Debye length. This “exclusion” effect strongly depends on ionic strength of solution. For the porous films, the effect of the pore size and shape on the anionic surfactant adsorption is presented and discussed.