Search results for "Surface Tension"
showing 10 items of 150 documents
Polymeric matrix hydrophobicity governs saponin packing-density on nanoparticle surface and the subsequent biological interactions.
2020
Abstract This study investigated the loading behavior of Quillaja saponin as a model surface-active cargo on (NP) nanoparticles prepared with various hydrophobic polymers and using different organic solvents through emulsification/solvent evaporation, and the impact of NP surface hydrophobicity upon the cytotoxic and hemolytic properties of the loaded entity. A superficial monolayered arrangement of saponins on NP was established (R2 > 0.9) for all NP, as the saponin loading values complied with the Langmuir adsorption isotherm over the entire concentration range. Next, based on the measurement of interfacial tension between formulation phases, and the subsequent use of Gibb’s adsorption is…
Reduction of the interfacial tension between ‘immiscible’ polymers: to which phase one should add a compatibilizer
2001
Abstract The reduction of interfacial tension σ between polyethylene oxide (PEO) and polypropylene oxide (PPO) by either a triblock copolymer EO–PO–EO or a diblock copolymer styrene–EO was studied by means of the pendant drop method from 70 to 120°C. Time independent data correspond to stationary states and do not represent equilibrium information. The addition of the compatibilizer to the PPO phase is approximately twice as efficient as the addition to the PEO phase for both block copolymers. Knowing the concentration dependence of σ for one of the coexisting phases it is possible to forecast the effects resulting from the addition of the other phase by means of model considerations based …
A lipocentric view of peptide-induced pores
2010
Although lipid membranes serve as effective sealing barriers for the passage of most polar solutes, nonmediated leakage is not completely improbable. A high activation energy normally keeps unassisted bilayer permeation at a very low frequency, but lipids are able to self-organize as pores even in peptide-free and protein-free membranes. The probability of leakage phenomena increases under conditions such as phase coexistence, external stress or perturbation associated to binding of nonlipidic molecules. Here, we argue that pore formation can be viewed as an intrinsic property of lipid bilayers, with strong similarities in the structure and mechanism between pores formed with participation …
Outcomes of a Teaching Learning Sequence on Modelling Surface Phenomena in Liquids
2023
In this paper we discuss the effects of modelling and computer simulation activities in promoting student use of lines of reasoning useful to explain proposed or observed situations. The activities are part of a structured Teaching/Learning Sequence on surface phenomena in liquids. We outline a model of liquid based on a mesoscopic approach, examples of computer simulations students can use during the activities, and we describe the Teaching/Learning Sequence. During the pedagogical activities, students can simulate the liquid behaviour by controlling many simulation parameters, such as the interaction intensity among liquid and solid particles. The results of the analysis of student answer…
Stability of thin polymer films: influence of solvents.
2004
The interface and surface properties and the wetting behavior of polymer-solvent mixtures are investigated using Monte Carlo simulations and self-consistent field calculations. We carry out Monte Carlo simulations in the framework of a coarse-grained bead-spring model using short chains (oligomers) of N(P)=5 beads and a monomeric solvent, N(S)=1. The self-consistent field calculations are based on a simple phenomenological equation of state for compressible binary mixtures and we employ Gaussian chain model. The bulk behavior of the polymer-solvent mixture belongs to type III in the classification of van Konynenburg and Scott [Phil. Trans. R. Soc. London, Ser. A 298, 495 (1980)]. It is char…
Evidence for the Existence of an Effective Interfacial Tension between Miscible Fluids: Isobutyric Acid-Water and 1-Butanol-Water in a Spinning-Drop …
2006
We report definitive evidence for an effective interfacial tension between two types of miscible fluids using spinning-drop tensiometry (SDT). Isobutyric acid (IBA) and water have an upper critical solution temperature (UCST) of 26.3 degrees C. We created a drop of the IBA-rich phase in the water-rich phase below the UCST and then increased the temperature above it. Long after the fluids have reached thermal equilibrium, the drop persists. By plotting the inverse of the drop radius cubed (r(-)(3)) vs the rotation rate squared (omega(2)), we confirmed that an interfacial tension exists and estimated its value. The transition between the miscible fluids remained sharp instead of becoming more…
Microstructural modifications resulting from the dehydration of gypsum
2001
Various faces of dehydrated gypsum-cleaved blocks and single crystals have been investigated using optical microscopy, SEM, and TEM. The orientation of the cracks with respect to the initial gypsum structure and the Miller indices of all possible crack planes have been determined. These crack planes have been found to be few and to correspond to planes of high atomic density in the initial and final structures, therefore characterised by a low surface tension. These observations allow us to propose cracking criteria based on general concepts of crystal growth. The cracks' dimensions measured on different faces of the pseudomorph are distributed over several orders of magnitude and seems to …
Negative Interfacial Tension in Phase-Separated Active Brownian Particles.
2015
We study numerically a model for active suspensions of self-propelled repulsive particles, for which a stable phase separation into a dilute and a dense phase is observed. We exploit the fact that for nonsquare boxes a stable "slab" configuration is reached, in which interfaces align with the shorter box edge. Evaluating a recent proposal for an intensive active swimming pressure, we demonstrate that the excess stress within the interface separating both phases is negative. The occurrence of a negative tension together with stable phase separation is a genuine nonequilibrium effect that is rationalized in terms of a positive stiffness, the estimate of which agrees excellently with the numer…
Charge-Induced Deformation of the 4He Solid-Superfluid Interface
1984
The interface between solid and superfluid 4He has revealed unusual dynamic properties. Characteristic of this quantum system are the very high thermal conductivity of the superfluid phase, and an extremely small heat of fusion below temperatures of about 1 K. As a result, equilibrium at the solid-superfluid 4He interface is established quite rapidly, which gives rise, e.g., to melting — crystallization waves [1,2] — similar in appearance to surface waves on a free liquid surface — and to anomalous transmission of sound [3].
Toward a density functional description of liquid pH2.
2010
A finite-temperature density functional approach to describe the properties of parahydrogen in the liquid-vapor coexistence region is presented. The first proposed functional is zero-range, where the density-gradient term is adjusted so as to reproduce the surface tension of the liquid-vapor interface at low temperature. The second functional is finite-range and, while it is fitted to reproduce bulk pH2 properties only, it is shown to yield surface properties in good agreement with experiments. These functionals are used to study the surface thickness of the liquid-vapor interface, the wetting transition of parahydrogen on a planar Rb model surface, and homogeneous cavitation in bulk liquid…