Konrad Terpiłowski

Surface free energy of sulfur—Revisited: I. Yellow and orange samples solidified against glass surface

Surface free energy of two different samples of solidified sulfur (yellow and orange) was investigated, using several approaches for its determination. It was found that values determined about two decades ago for surface free energy of sulfur were overestimated. From current studies the apparent value of this energy ranges between 30 and 60 mJ/m(2), depending on the kind and age of the sulfur samples (up to 1 year old) and/or the probe liquid used for the advancing and receding contact angle measurements. The energy has been calculated from van Oss et al.s approach (Lifshitz-van der Walls, electron-donor, and electron-acceptor components), the contact angle hysteresis approach proposed by Chibowski, the equation of Owens and Wendt (dispersion and polar components), and Neumann et al.s equation of state, as well as from equilibrium contact angle using Tadmors procedure. The lowest values of the energy for 3-day- and 3-month-old samples of sulfur were calculated from the equation of state; they were below the range mentioned above.

Effect of solution pH on the stability of mixed silica -alumina suspension in the presence of polyacrylic acid (PAA) with different molecular weights

The influence of solution pH (in the range 3–9) on mixed silica-alumina suspension in the absence and presence of polyacrylic acid (PAA) was studied. The composition of the adsorbent was SiO2 (97%) and Al2O3 (3%). The turbidimetry method was applied to record changes in the stability of the investigated systems as a function of time. It was shown that the suspension without the polymer is less stable at pH 3, whereas at pH 6 and 9, the systems were stable. PAA with molecular weights 100 000 and 240 000 at pH 3 (improvement of system stability conditions) and PAA 2 000 at pH 6 (deterioration of suspension stability) have a great effect on the silica-alumina suspension stability. The stabilization-flocculation properties of polyacrylic acid are a result of a specific conformation of its chains on the solid surface where it depends on the solution pH and the polymer molecular weight.

Surface properties of glass plates activated by air, oxygen, nitrogen and argon plasma

Glass surface properties were investigated after air, nitrogen, oxygen and argon plasmas treatment. The samples were treated by low pressure plasma for 30 s with the gas flow 22 sccm. After modification kinetics of water spreading was measured. Surface topography was determined using optical profilometry, scanning electron microscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. It was found that using all types of gases plasma treatment leads to decrease of the surface roughness. The kinetics of water spreading depends on gases type used for glass plates modification. Analyzing the photoelectron spectra the increase of oxygen amount on the surface was observed. For the increase of wettability and adhesive properties of plasma treated glass, the introduction of new polar functional groups on the surface has greater influence than changing the surface roughness.

New product development: Cellulose/egg white protein blend fibers

The aim of the research was to form mixed cellulose/egg white isolate (EWI) fibers. Cellulose was dissolved in the Schweitzers reagent. The blend fibers were obtained by simultaneous cellulose fiber formation and acid-induced gelation of EWI in 33% sulphuric acid solution. Increased storage modulus was noted for the blend fibers in comparison to the cellulose fibers. EWI alone formed fibers which were composed of microfibers with the average diameter of about 80 nm. Cellulose fibers had a loose microstructure with about 10 μm gaps and rough surface. The addition of EWI caused that the surface of the fiber was even more rough with a tendency to form microfibers, which were not observed for cellulose alone. EWI protein molecules had the tendency to bridge the voids between cellulose microfibers. Protein in the blend fibrils formed more branched aggregates than in the EWI fibrils, which was probably caused by interactions with copper ions. Both in cellulose and cellulose/EWI fibrils, the cellulose crystallized in cellulose II monoclinic system. Reduction in COH groups was noted, which was probably caused by interactions between the cellulose and proteins molecules. EWI/cellulose interactions caused formation of β-sheet type structures.

Studies of the Alumina Suspension Stability in the Presence of Anionic Polymer—Influences of Polymer Molecular Weight, its Concentration and Solution pH

The effect of an anionic polymer—polyacrylic acid (PAA) adsorption on the alumina (Al2O3) suspension stability was studied. The influence of the following parameters was examined: polymer molecular weight, its concentration and solution pH. Two methods were used to monitoring the suspension stability: turbidimetry and spectrophotometry. The conformational changes of macromolecules, both adsorbed and non-adsorbed, determine the stabilization—flocculation properties of the alumina suspension in the presence of the polymer.

Surface Properties of Aerated Ion-induced Whey Protein Gels

Aerated whey protein gels were formed using calcium chloride, magnesium chloride or iron (II) chloride induced gelation of pre-denatured protein dispersions. The structure of the obtained gel surface depends on the type and concentration of added salt. Higher cation concentration produced gels a with higher quadratic mean of the surface roughness and maximum roughness height. Aerated gels of optimal properties for retaining air bubbles were characterized by similar surface roughness. The surface topography is mainly responsible for changes in the wettability. The contact angle of the probe liquid sample depends on the liquid surface tension components. An approach based on the contact angle hysteresis (CAH) is suitable for determining the total value of the apparent surface free energy of such materials. An approach based on the components of apparent surface free energy (LWAB) only allows the calculation of the dispersion component and electron donor parameter of energy in the case of added magnesium and iron salt. Wettability, depending on the nature of the surface, can be described for the hydrophilic surface by the Wenzel model, and for the hydrophobic surface by the Cassie – Baxter model.

Influence of Volume Drop on Surface Free Energy of Glass

Abstract The aim of the research was to determine how the drop size affects the contact angle values and determine its optimal size for further contact angle measurements and comparison of the contact angle values measured for three probe liquids (water, formamide, diiodomethane) on the glass surface using the: sessile drop and tilting plate methods. Next, using the measured contact angles, the total surface free energy and its components were determined from the van Oss et al. (Lifshitz-van der Waals acid- base component, LWAB), Owens-Wendt, Neumann and contact angle hysteresis (CAH) approaches. The studies showed, that drop size is very important for contact angle measurements and consequently, for surface free energy estimation.

Modified silicas with different structure of grafted methylphenylsiloxane layer

The method of a chemical assembly of the surface polymeric layer with high contents of the modifying agent was developed. Powders of nanodispersed silica with chemisorbed polymethylphenylsiloxane (PMPS) were synthesized by solvent-free chemical assembly technique with a dimethyl carbonate (DMC) as scission agent. Samples were characterized using FTIR spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), and elemental analysis (CHN analysis). Coating microstructure, morphology, and hydrophilic-hydrophobic properties of nanoparticles were estimated. The results indicate a significant effect of the PMPS/DMC ratio at each modification stage on hydrophobic properties of modified silicas. Modification with a similar composition of the PMPS/DMC mixture, even with different polymer amount at each stage, provides the worst hydrophobicity. Results suggest that the highest hydrophobicity (contact angle θ = 135°–140°) is achieved in the case when silica modified with the PMPS/DMC mixture using multistage approach that providing a formation of the monomolecular layer of polysiloxane at the first modification step. The characteristics of surface structure were interpreted in terms of density of polymer-silica bonds at the interfaces that, usually, are reduced for modified surfaces, in a coupling with conformation model that accented the shape of chains (arch- and console-like) adsorbed on solid surfaces.

Effect of polyols on the DMPC lipid monolayers and bilayers

In this study, the effect of polyols, erythritol, xylitol, mannitol, on a model membrane systems composed of DMPC was investigated using differential scanning calorimetry and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Generally, it is considered that polyols possess strong hydrophilic properties, and either does not interact with the hydrophobic environment at all, or these interactions are very weak. To better understand the mutual interactions between polyols and the lipid system, the Langmuir technique was used to examine the molecular organization of monolayers and to calculate their thickness in the presence of polyols at the subphase. The detailed description of the interactions between polyols and DMPC molecules was complemented by the analysis of the morphology of monolayers with the application of Brewster angle microscopy. From ATR FTIR, the significant spectral shift is observed only for the PO2- stretching band, which correlates strongly with the polyol chain-length. The longer the polyol chain, the weaker the observed interactions with lipid molecules. The most important findings, obtained from thickness measurements, reveal that short-chain polyols may prevent the formation of bilayers by the DMPC molecules under high surface pressure. The changes in the organization of DMPC monolayers on the surface, as visualized by Brewster angle microscopy, showed that the domains observed for phospholipid film spread on pure water differ substantially from those containing polyols in the subphase.

Effect of Ethonium Adsorption on Structure Formation in Nanosilica Dispersions

Adsorption of ethonium on silica surface strongly affects the particle size distribution, stability and rheological properties of aqueous dispersions of fumed silica. The Sshape of isotherm of ethonium adsorption on nanosilica suggests the multilayer adsorption. The adsorption of ethonium leads to changes in the shape of the pHdependence of the zeta-potential and a significant increase in the particle sizes in the aqueous dispersions of silica. A marked increase in the colloidal stability is observed for the dispersions at silica concentration of 5 wt.%, while for 1 wt.% dispersions the ethonium presence almost does not affect the stability. The rheological properties of the dispersions depend on the ethonium concentration, and the maximum values of the viscosity and rheopectic behavior are observed at ethonium concentration of 0.1-0.3 wt.%