Corrosion inhibitor distribution on abrasive-blasted steels.

HYPOTHESIS: Abrasive-blasted steel surfaces exhibit a complex, multi-substrate environment. Adsorption to contaminant substrates can reduce the amount of available corrosion inhibitor and decrease its efficiency. Knowledge of where inhibitors preferentially adsorb is required. EXPERIMENTS: The quantitative extent and strength of adsorption of the representative corrosion inhibitor benzotriazole (BTAH) from toluene to particular substrates is given, including corrections for solution self-association, and complemented by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), sum-frequency generation spectroscopy (SFG), and quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) measurements. FINDINGS: All substrates show adsorbed BTAH layers. Based on the adsorption strength, preferential adsorption is found to be in the order steel > iron oxide > calcium carbonate and garnet > silica - this is relevant when there is limited BTAH. However, with ample BTAH, the amounts adsorbed in the plateau regions of the isotherm are more relevant and the order is calcium carbonate and silica > iron oxide > garnet > steel. Although the contaminant substrates deplete the BTAH concentration, the steel should still have a complete monolayer of BTAH inhibitor. This work is part of a larger initiative developing novel methods of corrosion inhibitor delivery via the blasting process, to prevent corrosion between blasting and repainting.

Auto-stratification in drying colloidal dispersions: a diffusive model.

The mechanism by which the particles in a drying film come into close packing during solvent evaporation has an important role to play in the final film morphology. During drying the particles can develop non-uniform concentrations across the vertical height of the film, depending on their diffusion rate. By applying the principles of classical diffusion mechanics to a hard sphere system, a theory for this novel method of stratification during drying of a two component film has been derived. The model is dependent on the particle Peclet numbers and when one is above unity and the other below, maximum stratification is observed.

Autostratification in drying colloidal dispersions: experimental investigations.

In films cast from a colloidal dispersion comprising two particle sizes, we experimentally examine the distribution of particles normal to the substrate. The particle concentrations at various positions in the film are determined through atomic force microscopy and NMR profiling. The results are compared to a previously derived diffusional model. Evidence for diffusional driven stratification is found, but the importance of other flows is also highlighted. The conditions that enhance particle stratification are found to be a colloidally stable dispersion, low initial volume fractions, a low concentration of the stratifying particle, and for the Peclet numbers of the two components to straddle unity.

Shear rheology of molten crumb chocolate.

The shear rheology of fresh molten chocolate produced from crumb was studied over 5 decades of shear rate using controlled stress devices. The Carreau model was found to be a more accurate description than the traditional Casson model, especially at shear rates between 0.1 and 1 s(-1). At shear rates around 0.1 s(-1) (shear stress approximately 7 Pa) the material exhibited a transition to a solid regime, similar to the behavior reported by Coussot (2005) for other granular suspensions. The nature of the suspension was explored by investigating the effect of solids concentration (0.20 < phi < 0.75) and the nature of the particles. The rheology of the chocolate was then compared with the rheology of (1) a synthetic chocolate, which contained sunflower oil in place of cocoa butter, and (2) a suspension of sugar of a similar size distribution (volume mean 15 mum) in cocoa butter and emulsifier. The chocolate and synthetic chocolate showed very similar rheological profiles under both steady shear and oscillatory shear. The chocolate and the sugar suspension showed similar Krieger-Dougherty dependency on volume fraction, and a noticeable transition to a stiff state at solids volume fractions above approximately 0.5. Similar behavior has been reported by Citerne and others (2001) for a smooth peanut butter, which had a similar particle size distribution and solids loading to chocolate. The results indicate that the melt rheology of the chocolate is dominated by hydrodynamic interactions, although at high solids volume fractions the emulsifier may contribute to the departure of the apparent viscosity from the predicted trend.

Effect of water on overbased sulfonate engine oil additives.

The presence and effect of water on calcium carbonate nanoparticles used in engine additives, stabilized with a sulfonate surfactant, is investigated using small-angle neutron scattering, dynamic light scattering, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and rheometry. These techniques provide complementary data that suggests the formation of a layer of water around the core of the particles ensuring continued colloidal stability yet increasing the dispersion viscosity. Through the use of small-angle neutron scattering, the dimensions of this layer have been quantified to effectively one or two water molecules in thickness. The lack of a significant electrostatic repulsion is evidence that the water layer is insufficient to cause major dissociation of surface ions.

Bacterial quorum sensing and cell surface electrokinetic properties.

The hypothesis tested in this paper is that quorum sensing influences the microbial surface electrokinetic properties. Escherichia coli MG1655 and MG1655 LuxS- mutant (lacking quorum-sensing gene for Autoinducer synthase AI-2) were used for this study. AI-2 production (or lack of) in both strains was analyzed using the Vibrio harveyi bioassay. The levels of extracellular AI-2 with and without glucose in the growth medium were consistent with previously published work. The surface electrokinetic properties were determined for each strain of E. coli MG1655 by measuring the electrophoretic mobility using a phase amplitude light-scattering (PALS) Zeta potential analyser. The findings show that the surface charge of the cells is dependent upon the stage in the growth phase as well as the ability to participate in quorum sensing. In addition, significant differences in the electrophoretic mobility were observed between both strains of E. coli. These findings suggest that quorum sensing plays a significant role in the surface chemistry of bacteria during their growth.

Role of nonadsorbing polymers in bacterial aggregation.

Bacteria exhibit properties similar to those of nonbiological colloids and can display pairwise attractions when in close proximity. This interaction is governed by the surface chemistry of the cells. We seek to understand bacterial aggregation at the cellular level using Escherichia coli (E. coli) AB1157. Aggregation studies were carried out using 0.5 to 2.5 wt% E. coli AB1157 harvested in different growth phases with varying concentrations of a nonadsorbing polymer, sodium polystyrene sulfonate (SPS). The electrophoretic mobility of E. coli AB1157 in different growth phases was determined using phase-amplitude light scattering. E. coli AB1157 was found to be negatively charged, and the cell surface properties changed in different growth phases. The electrokinetic results correlated well with the different concentrations of nonadsorbing polymer needed to induce depletion aggregation. This shows that a difference in aggregation properties is due to changes in the bacteria electrokinetic properties during their growth.