Combustible Microemulsions with Diesel and Diesel Admixed with Rapeseed Oil

Novel results on combustible microemulsions prepared with diesel (D), blends of diesel and rapeseed oil (RSO), and mixtures of eco-friendly amphiphiles are presented. Water solubilization in oil/amphiphile systems was estimated by pseudo-ternary diagrams whereas the phase behavior by Winsor (W) diagrams. The extent of single-phase microemulsion (SPM) area depends on the amphiphile and oil phase composition. The presence of cosurfactant in the anionic-nonionic surfactant mixture increases very much the SPM area, but no effect is observed when half of D is replaced by RSO. In the pseudo-ternary phase diagram, the addition of organic electrolyte decreases the SPM areas. The microemulsions were characterized by the oil/water interfacial tension (gow), and the oil and water solubilization parameters (SPo) and (SPw). The results obtained reveal that the W III microemulsions have minimal goow values, whereas SPo and SPw are maximal. The work connects the phase behavior with the interfacial tension and the solubilization parameters of oil and water and is useful for obtaining and developing optimal microemulsions as alternative fuels.

Hybrid Latex Particles: Preparation with Miniemulsion Polymerization

This research developed a novel poly(trifluoropropylmethylsiloxane) (PTMS)/montmorillonite nanoparticles, for technologic applications. PTMS /MMT nanoparticles were prepared by the miniemulsion polymerization method. Montmorillonite clay was encapsulated within a fluorinated cyclosiloxane (1,3,5-tris(trifluoropropylmethyl)cyclotrisiloxane) to give stable water based nanocomposite latex, using miniemulsion polymerization technique. The resulting composite latex was characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), dynamic light scattering (DLS) and RX diffraction. The particles stability was investigated by sedimentation and surface tension measurements. An efficient cationic/nonionic surfactant mixture was used in order to achieve the best compatibility with the monomer. TEM and RX data revealed the partial embedding of montmorillonite in the spherical polymer based nanoparticles. According to DLS measurements, the encapsulated clay particles conserve their size throughout the polymerization process. The melt processing of poly(trifluoropropylmethylsiloxane) matrix to encapsulate the montmorillonite clay was also carried out for comparison purposes.

Structural Characterisation of ZnO Particles Obtained by the Emulsion Precipitation Method

Zinc oxide was obtained by precipitation in an emulsion system with zinc acetate used as a precursor of ZnO and potassium hydroxide or sodium hydroxide as a precipitating agent. The cyclohexane, as an organic phase, and a nonionic surfactant mixture were also used for preparation of the emulsion. By applying modifications of the ZnO precipitation process, such as changing the precipitating agent, composition of substrates, and the rate of substrate dosing, some interesting structures of ZnO particles were obtained. The morphology of the modified samples was analysed based on SEM (scanning electron microscope) and TEM (transmission electron microscope) images. Moreover the samples were characterised by determination of their dispersive properties using the noninvasive back scattering method (NIBS), adsorption parameters (BET), and crystalline structure (XRD). Thermogravimetric analysis (TG) as well as infrared spectrophotometry (FT-IR) was also applied. For selected samples their electrical properties (dielectric permittivity and electric conductivity) were also measured. The zinc oxide obtained consisted of particles in the shapes of solids, ellipsoids, rods, and flakes, with size ranging from 164 to 2670 nm and showed well-developed surface area with values as high as 20 m2/g.