Surface modification of poly(dimethylsiloxane) microchips using a double-chained cationic surfactant for efficiently resolving fluorescent dye adsorption

This paper described a double-chained cationic surfactant, didodecyldimethylammonium bromide (DDAB). for dynamic surface modification of poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) microchips to reduce the fluorescent dyes adsorption onto the microchannel. When DDAB with a high concentration was present as the dynamic modification reagent in the running and sample buffer, it not only reversed the direction of electroosmotic flow, but also efficiently suppressed fluorescent dyes pyronine Y (PY) or rhodamine 8 (RB) adsorption onto the chip surface. In addition, vesicles formed by DDAB in the buffer with higher surface charge density and electrophoretic mobility could provide wider migration window and potential for the separation of compounds with similar hydrophobicity. Factors affecting modification, such as pH and concentrations of the buffer, DDAB concentration in the buffer were investigated. Compared with commonly used single-chained cetyltrimethylammonium bromide, DDAB provided a better modification performance.

Chemical effects of cationic surfactant and anionic surfactant used in organically modified montmorillonites on degradation and fire retardancy of polyamide 12 nanocomposites

Three kinds of organically modified Na+-montmorillonites (OMMTs), including two kinds of octadecylammonium modified montmorillonite with different contents of octadecylammonium and a kind of sodium dodecylsulfonate (SDSo) modified montmorillonite, were used to prepare polyamide 12 (PA12)/OMMT nanocomposites. Effects of the modifiers on degradation and fire retardancy of PA12/OMMT nanocomposites were investigated. Acid sites formed in cationic surfactant modified MMT via Hoffman decomposition could accelerate degradation of PA12 at high temperature. However, catalytic effect of the acid sites on carbonization of the degradation products promoted char barrier formation, which reduced heat release rate (HRR). Higher content of cationic surfactant in OMMT is beneficial to fire retardancy of PA12 nanocomposites and the dispersion states of OMMT have assistant effects. In contrast, Na+-montmorillonite (Na-MMT) and anionic surfactant modified MMT (a-MMT) could not form acid sites on the MMT layers; in this case, fire retardancy of PA12/Na-MMT appears to have no improvement and PA12/a-MMT appears to have limited improvement.

Capillary electrochromatography using a strong cation-exchange column with a dynamically modified cationic surfactant

A novel mode of capillary electrochromatography (CEC), called dynamically modified strong cation-exchange CEC (DMSCX-CEC), is described in this paper. A column packed with a strong cation-exchange (SCX) packing material was dynamically modified with a long-chain quaternary ammonium salt, cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB), which was added to the mobile phase. CTAB ions were adsorbed onto the surface of the SCX packing material, and the resulting hydrophobic layer on this packing was used as the stationary phase. Using the dynamically modified SCX column, neutral solutes were separated with the CEC mode. The highest number of theoretical plates obtained was about 190 000/m, and the relative standard deviations (RSD's) for migration times and capacity factors of alkylbenzenes were less than 1.0% and 2.0% for five consecutive runs, respectively. The effects of CTAB and methanol concentrations and the pH value of the mobile phase on the electroosmotic flow and the separation mechanism were investigated. Excellent simultaneous separation of the basic and neutral solutes in DMSCX-CEC with a high-pH mobile phase was obtained, A mixture containing the acidic, basic, and neutral compounds was well separated in this mode with a low-pH mobile phase; however, peak tailing for basic compounds was observed in this mobile phase.

Capillary electrochromatography with a silica column with a dynamically modified cationic surfactant

A novel mode of capillary electrochromatography (CEC), called dynamically modified silica-capillary electrochromatography, is described in this paper. The column packed with bare silica was dynamically modified with long chain quaternary ammonium salt, cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB), which was added into the mobile phase. CTAB ions were adsorbed onto the surface of bare silica, and the resulted hydrophobic layer on the silica gel was used as the stationary phase; Using the dynamically modified silica column, neutral solutes were separated by CEC. The highest number of theoretical plates obtained was about 71 500/m and the relative standard deviations for t(0) and capacity factor of toluene were 4.7% and 4.9% for 20 consecutive runs, respectively. The separation mechanism of neutral solutes and the influence of mobile phase composition on the separation was investigated. The separation of nitrogen-containing solutes was carried out with this mode and the peak tailing of basic solute was effectively eliminated because the adsorption of basic solute on silica was blocked by the preferred adsorption of CTAB. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.

Selective separation of beta-lactoglobulin from sweet whey using CGAs generated from the cationic surfactant CTAB

The selective separation of whey proteins was studied using colloidal gas aphrons generated from the cationic surfactant cetyl trimethyl ammonium bromide (CTAB). From the titration curves obtained by zeta potential measurements of individual whey proteins, it was expected to selectively adsorb the major whey proteins, i.e., bovine serum albumin, alpha-lactalbumin, and beta-lactoglobulin to the aphrons and elute the remaining proteins (lactoferrin and lactoperoxidase) in the liquid phase. A number of process parameters including pH, ionic strength, and mass ratio of surfactant to protein (M-CTAB/M-TP) were varied in order to evaluate their effect on protein separation. Under optimum conditions (2 mmol/l CTAB, M-CTAB/M-TP = 0.26-0.35, pH 8, and ionic strength = 0.018 mol/l), 80-90% beta-lactoglobulin was removed from the liquid phase as a precipitate, while about 75% lactoferrin and lactoperoxidase, 80% bovine serum albumin, 95% immunoglobulin, and 65% alpha-lactalbumin were recovered in the liquid fraction. Mechanistic studies using zeta potential measurements and fluorescence spectroscopy proved that electrostatic interactions modulate only partially the selectivity of protein separation, as proteins with similar surface charges do not separate to the same extent between the two phases. The selectivity of recovery of beta-lactoglobulin probably occurs in two steps: the first being the selective interaction of the protein with opposite-charged surfactant molecules by means of electrostatic interactions, which leads to denaturation of the protein and subsequent formation and precipitation of the CTAB-beta-lactoglobulin complex. This is followed by the separation of CTAB-beta-lactoglobulin aggregates from the bulk liquid by flotation in the aphron phase. In this way, CGAs act as carriers which facilitate the removal of protein precipitate. (c) 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Recovery of gallic acid with colloidal gas aphrons generated from a cationic surfactant

In a previous study we have demonstrated that gallic acid (GA) in its anionic form can be recovered from aqueous solutions using colloidal gas aphrons (CGA) generated from the cationic surfactant cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB). The aim of the present work is to get a better understanding of the separation mechanism in order to determine the optimum operating conditions to maximise the recovery of GA while preserving its antioxidant properties. Zeta potential measurements were carried out to characterise the surface charge of GA, CTAB and their mixtures at three different pH conditions (both in buffers and in aqueous solutions). GA interacted strongly with CTAB at pH higher than its pKa 3.14 where it is ionised and negatively charged. However, at pH higher than 7 GA becomes oxidised and loses its antioxidant power. GA recovery was mainly affected by pH, ionic strength, surfactant/GA molar ratio, mixing conditions and contact time. Scale-up of the separation using a flotation column resulted in both higher recovery and reproducibility. Preliminary experiments with grape marc extracts confirmed the potential application of this separation for the recovery of polyphenols from complex feedstocks

Interaction between a cationic surfactant-like peptide and lipid vesicles and its relationship to antimicrobial activity

We investigate the properties of an antimicrobial surfactant-like peptide (Ala)6(Arg), A6R, containing a cationic headgroup. The interaction of this peptide with zwitterionic (DPPC) lipid vesicles is investigated using a range of microscopic, X-ray scattering, spectroscopic, and calorimetric methods. The β-sheet structure adopted by A6R is disrupted in the presence of DPPC. A strong effect on the small-angle X-ray scattering profile is observed: the Bragg peaks from the DPPC bilayers in the vesicle walls are eliminated in the presence of A6R and only bilayer form factor peaks are observed. All of these observations point to the interaction of A6R with DPPC bilayers. These studies provide insight into interactions between a model cationic peptide and vesicles, relevant to understanding the action of antimicrobial peptides on lipid membranes. Notably, peptide A6R exhibits antimicrobial activity without membrane lysis.

Effects of polymer concentration and cationic surfactant on the morphology of electrospun polyacrylonitrile nanofibres

PAN nanofibres were prepared via an electrospinning process. The effect of polymer concentration on the fibre morphology was studied. At a very dilute solution, no fibres were obtained in the electrospinning process. As the concentration increased, the fibre morphology evolved from a beads-on-string structure to a uniform fibre structure with increasing fibre diameters. However, when the same electrospinning process was conducted with the addition of a cationic surfactant, the formation of disconnected beads was prevented, and the number of beads-on-string structures reduced significantly. In addition, the presence of cationic surfactant reduced the average diameter of the electrospun PAN nanofibres.

Use of cationic surfactant-xylenol orange indicator in metals complexometry by back-titration with EDTA.

The interaction of the xilenol orange and commercial disinfectant containing itself cationic-surfactant allowed the use indicator up to pH 11 by back-titration with EDTA, and the determination of total or partial concentration of metallic ions samples using the same indicator at the highest pH range.

Rheology and Microfluidic flows of a cationic surfactant and hydrotropic salt mixture

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Washington, 2016-08

Dialkylaminopyridine catalysed esterolysis of p-nitrophenyl alkanoates in different cationic microemulsions

The reactions of p-nitrophenyl alkanoate esters with dialkylaminopyridine (DAAP) and its related mono- and di-anionic water-soluble derivatives have been studied separately in three different microemulsion (ME) media. These were (a) oil-in-water ME (O/W), (b) water-in-oil ME (W/O) and (c) a bicontinuous ME, where oil and water are in nearly comparable amounts. All the ME systems were stabilized by cationic surfactant, cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTABr) and butanol as a cosurfactant. The second-order rate constants (k(2)) in the microemulsion media were also determined : over a phase volume (phi) of approximately 0.13-0.46. In order to explain the contribution of effective concentration of the nucleophiles in the aqueous pseudophase, corrected rate constants k(2 phi) = k(2)(1 - phi) were obtained, The rate constants of the corresponding hydrolytic reactions were also examined in CTABr micelles. While the DAAP catalysts were partitioned between the micellar and aqueous pseudophases in ME, the hydrophobic substrates were found to be mainly confined to oil-rich phases, Present results indicate that the main effect of ME media on the hydrolysis reaction is due,to both electrostatic reasons and substrate partitioning.

Surfactant lipids containing aromatic units produce vesicular membranes with high thermal stability

Six new vesicle-forming, cationic surfactant lipids are synthesized. Four of them contain 'flat' aromatic units at different locations of hydrophobic segments. In order to estimate the influence of aromatic units in the lipid monomer two other surfactant lipids of related structure with n-butyloxy units in the places of aromatic groups were also prepared. Transmission electron microscopy confirmed the vesicular membrane formation from these newly synthesized lipids. DSC or temperature-dependent keto-enol tautomerism of benzoylacetanilide-doped vesicles reveal a remarkable increase in the thermal stability of the membranes formed from aromatic surfactant lipids in contradistinction to their counterparts that contain n-butyloxy units. The enhanced thermal stability originates presumably as a consequence of inter-monomer stacking.

Role of hydrophobic effect and surface charge in surfactant-DNA association

Ethidium bromide is one of the best known DNA intercalator. Upon intercalation inside DNA, the fluorescence due to ethidium bromide gets enhanced by many orders of magnitude. In this paper, we employed ethidium bromide as a probe for studying surfactant-DNA complexation using fluorescence spectroscopy and agarose gel electrophoresis. Surfactants of different charge types and chain lengths were used and the results were compared with that of the related small organic cations or salts under comparable conditions. The cationic surfactants induced destabilization of the ethidium bromide-DNA complex at concentrations in orders of magnitude lower than that of the small organic cations or salts. In contrast however, the anionic surfactants failed to promote any such destabilization of probe-DNA complex. DNA loses its ethidium bromide stainability in the presence of high concentration of cationic surfactant aggregates as revealed from agarose gel electrophoresis experiments. Inclusion of surfactants and other additives into the DNA generally enhanced the DNA double-strand to single strand transition melting temperatures by a few degrees, in a concentration-dependent manner and at high surfactant concentration melting profiles got broadened.

Tuning the structure of surfactant complexes with DNA and other polyelectrolytes

We have carried out small-angle X-ray diffraction studies on complexes formed by the anionic polyelectrolytes, namely, sodium salts of double and single stranded (ds and ss) DNA, poly( glutamic acid) ( PGA), poly( acrylic acid) (PAA), and poly( styrene sulfonate) (PSS) with a cationic surfactant system consisting of cetyltrimethylammonium bromide ( CTAB) and sodium 3-hydroxy-2-naphthoate (SHN). All complexes have a two-dimensional (2D) hexagonal structure at low SHN concentrations. DNA-CTAB-SHN complexes exhibit a hexagonal to lamellar transition near the SHN concentration at which CTAB-SHN micelles show a cylinder to bilayer transformation. On the other hand, PGA and PAA complexes form a 2D centered rectangular phase at higher SHN concentrations, and PSS complexes show a primitive rectangular structure. These results provide a striking example of polyion specificity in polyelectrolytesurfactant interactions.

Uptake of permanganate from aqueous environment by surfactant modified montmorillonite batch and fixed bed studies

Organo-clay was prepared by incorporating different amounts (in terms of CEC, ranging from 134-840 mg of quaternary ammonium cation (QACs) such as hexadecytrimethylammonium bromide (C19H42N]Br) into the montmorillonite clay. Prepared organo-clays are characterized by CHN analyser and XRD to measure the amount of elemental content and interlayer spacing of surfactant modified clay. The batch experiments of sorption of permanganate from aqueous media by organo-clays was studied at different acidic strengths (pH 1-7). The experimental results show that the rate and amount of adsorption of permanganate was higher at lower pH compared to raw montmorillonite. Laboratory fixed bed experiments were conducted to evaluate the breakthrough time and nature of breakthrough curves. The shape of the breakthrough curves shows that the initial cationic surfactant loadings at 1.0 CEC of the clay is enough to enter the permanganate ions in to the interlamellar region of the surfactant modified smectile clays. These fixed bed studies were also applied to quantify the effect of bed-depth and breakthrough time during the uptake of permanganate. Calculation of thermodynamic parameters shows that the sorption of permanganate is spontaneous and follows the first order kinetics.