Mild-Temperature Supercritical Water Confined in Hydrophobic Metal-Organic Frameworks.

Fluids under extreme confinement show characteristics significantly different from those of their bulk counterpart. This work focuses on water confined within the complex cavities of highly hydrophobic metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) at high pressures. A combination of high-pressure intrusion-extrusion experiments with molecular dynamic simulations and synchrotron data reveals that supercritical transition for MOF-confined water takes place at a much lower temperature than in bulk water, ∼250 K below the reference values. This large shifting of the critical temperature (Tc) is attributed to the very large density of confined water vapor in the peculiar geometry and chemistry of the cavities of Cu2tebpz (tebpz = 3,3',5,5'-tetraethyl-4,4'-bipyrazolate) hydrophobic MOF. This is the first time the shift of Tc is investigated for water confined within highly hydrophobic nanoporous materials, which explains why such a large reduction of the critical temperature was never reported before, neither experimentally nor computationally.

Counterintuitive Trend of Intrusion Pressure with Temperature in the Hydrophobic Cu2(tebpz) MOF.

Liquid porosimetry experiments reveal a peculiar trend of the intrusion pressure of water in hydrophobic Cu2(3,3',5,5'-tetraethyl-4,4'-bipyrazolate) MOF. At lower temperature (T) range, the intrusion pressure (Pi) increases with T. For higher T values, Pi first reaches a maximum and then decreases. This is at odds with the Young-Laplace law, which for systems showing a continuous decrease of contact angle with T predicts a corresponding reduction of the intrusion pressure. Though the Young-Laplace law is not expected to provide quantitative predictions at the subnanoscale of Cu2(tebpz) pores, the physical intuition suggests that to a reduction of their hydrophobicity corresponds a reduction of the Pi. Molecular dynamics simulations and sychrothron experiments allowed to clarify the mechanism of the peculiar trend of Pi with T. At increasing temperatures the vapor density within the MOF' pores grows significantly, bringing the corresponding partial pressure to ≈5 MPa. This pressure, which is consistent with the shift of Pi observed in liquid porosimetry, represents a threshold to be overcame before intrusion takes place. Beyond some value of temperature, the phenomenon of reduction of hydrophobicity (and water surface tension) dominated over the opposite effect of increase of vapor pressure and Pi inverts its trend with T.

Mechanism of Water Intrusion into Flexible ZIF-8: Liquid Is Not Vapor.

Zeolitic Imidazolate Frameworks (ZIF) find application in storage and dissipation of mechanical energy. Their distinctive properties linked to their (sub)nanometer size and hydrophobicity allow for water intrusion only under high hydrostatic pressure. Here we focus on the popular ZIF-8 material investigating the intrusion mechanism in its nanoscale cages, which is the key to its rational exploitation in target applications. In this work, we used a joint experimental/theoretical approach combining in operando synchrotron experiments during high-pressure intrusion experiments, molecular dynamics simulations, and stochastic models to reveal that water intrusion into ZIF-8 occurs by a cascade filling of connected cages rather than a condensation process as previously assumed. The reported results allowed us to establish structure/function relations in this prototypical microporous material, representing an important step to devise design rules to synthesize porous media.

From Biological Source to Energy Harvesting Device: Surface Protective Ionic Liquid Coatings for Electrical Performance Enhancement of Wood-Based Electronics.

This study explores task-specific ionic liquids (TSILs) in smart floor systems, highlighting their strong electrical rectification abilities and previously established wood preservative properties. Two types of TSILs, featuring a "sweet" anion and a terpene-based cation, were used to treat selected wood samples, allowing for a comparison of their physical and electrical performance with untreated and commercially treated counterparts. Drop shape analysis and scanning electron microscopy were employed to evaluate the surface treatment before and after coating. Near-IR was used to confirm the presence of a surface modifier, and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) was utilized to assess the thermal features of the treated samples. The different surface treatments resulted in varied triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) parameters, with the molecular structure and size of the side chains being the key determining factors. The best results were achieved with TSILs, with the instantaneous voltage increasing by approximately five times and the highest voltage reaching 300 V under enhanced loading. This work provides fresh insights into the potential application spectrum of TSILs and opens up new avenues for directly utilizing tested ionic compounds in construction systems.

One Material-Opposite Triboelectrification: Molecular Engineering Regulated Triboelectrification on Silica Surface to Enhance TENG Efficiency.

Molecular engineering is a unique methodology to take advantage of the electrochemical characteristics of materials that are used in energy-harvesting devices. Particularly in triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) studies, molecular grafting on dielectric metal oxide surfaces can be regarded as a feasible way to alter the surface charge density that directly affects the charge potential of triboelectric layers. Herein, we develop a feasible methodology to synthesize organic-inorganic hybrid structures with tunable triboelectric features. Different types of self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) with electron-donating and withdrawing groups have been used to modify metal oxide (MO) surfaces and to modify their charge density on the surface. All the synthetic routes for hybrid material production have been clearly shown and the formation of covalent bonds on the MO's surface has been confirmed by XPS. The obtained hybrid structures were applied as dopants to distinct polymer matrices with various ratios and fiberization processes were carried out to the prepare opposite triboelectric layers. The formation of the fibers was analyzed by SEM, while their surface morphology and physicochemical features have been measured by AFM and a drop shape analyzer. The triboelectric charge potential of each layer after doping and their contribution to the TENG device's parameters have been investigated. For each triboelectric layer, the best-performing tribopositive and tribonegative material combination was separately determined and then these opposite layers were used to fabricate TENG with the highest efficiency. A comparison of the device parameters with the reference indicated that the best tribopositive material gave rise to a 40% increase in the output voltage and produced 231 V, whereas the best tribonegative one led to a 33.3% rise in voltage and generated 220 V. In addition, the best device collected ~83% more charge than the reference device and came up with 250 V that corresponds to 51.5% performance enhancement. This approach paved the way by addressing the issue of how molecular engineering can be used to manipulate the triboelectric features of the same materials.

Giant Negative Compressibility by Liquid Intrusion into Superhydrophobic Flexible Nanoporous Frameworks.

Materials or systems demonstrating negative linear compressibility (NLC), whose size increases (decreases) in at least one of their dimensions upon compression (decompression) are very rare. Materials demonstrating this effect in all their dimensions, negative volumetric compressibility (NVC), are exceptional. Here, by liquid porosimetry and in situ neutron diffraction, we show that one can achieve exceptional NLC and NVC values by nonwetting liquid intrusion in flexible porous media, namely in the ZIF-8 metal-organic framework (MOF). Atomistic simulations show that the volumetric expansion is due to the presence of liquid in the windows connecting the cavities of ZIF-8. This discovery paves the way for designing novel materials with exceptional NLC and NVC at reasonable pressures suitable for a wide range of applications.

Combination of Machine Learning and Analytical Correlations for Establishing Quantitative Compliance between the Trolox Equivalent Antioxidant Capacity Values Obtained via Electron Paramagnetic Resonance and Ultraviolet-Visible Spectroscopies.

Recent interest in the antioxidant capacity of foods and beverages is based on the established medical knowledge that antioxidants play an essential role in counteracting the damaging effects of free radicals, preventing human neurodegenerative diseases, cardiovascular disorders, and even cancer. At the same time, there is no "the method" that uniquely defines the antioxidant capacity of substances; moreover, the question of interrelation between results obtained by different experimental techniques is still open. In this work, we consider the trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity (TEAC) values obtained by electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy and ultraviolet-visible (UV-vis) spectroscopy using the classic objects for such studies as an example: red, rosé, and white wine samples. Based on entirely different physical principles, these two methods give values that are not so simply interrelated; this creates a demand for machine learning as a suitable tool for revealing quantitative correspondence between them. The consideration consists of an approximate correlation-based analytical model for the key argument (i.e., TEACEPR) with subsequent adjustment by machine learning-based processing utilizing the CatBoost algorithm with the usage of auxiliary chemical data, such as the total phenolic content and color index, which cannot be accurately described by analytical expressions.

The Effect of Surface Entropy on the Heat of Non-Wetting Liquid Intrusion into Nanopores.

On-demand access to renewable and environmentally friendly energy sources is critical to address current and future energy needs. To achieve this, the development of new mechanisms of efficient thermal energy storage (TES) is important to improve the overall energy storage capacity. Demonstrated here is the ideal concept that the thermal effect of developing a solid-liquid interface between a non-wetting liquid and hydrophobic nanoporous material can store heat to supplement current TES technologies. The fundamental macroscopic property of a liquid's surface entropy and its relationship to its solid surface are one of the keys to predict the magnitude of the thermal effect by the development of the liquid-solid interface in a nanoscale environment-driven through applied pressure. Demonstrated here is this correlation of these properties with the direct measurement of the thermal effect of non-wetting liquids intruding into hydrophobic nanoporous materials. It is shown that the model can resonably predict the heat of intrusion into rigid mesoporous silica and some microporous zeolite when the temperature dependence of the contact angle is applied. Conversely, intrusion into flexible microporous metal-organic frameworks requires further improvement. The reported results with further development have the potential to lead to the development of a new supplementary method and mechanim for TES.

Liquid dibromomethane under pressure: a computational study.

Molecular dynamics simulations have been performed on liquid dibromomethane at thermodynamic states corresponding to temperature in the range 268-328 K and pressure varying from 1 bar to 3000 bar. The interaction model is a simple effective two-body pair potential with atom-atom Coulomb and Lennard-Jones interactions and molecules are rigid. Thermodynamic properties have been studied, including the isobaric thermal expansion coefficient, the isothermal compressibility, the heat capacities and the speed of sound. The simulation results exhibit a crossing of the isotherms of the isobaric thermal expansion coefficient at about 800 bar in very good agreement with the prediction of an isothermal fluctuation equation of state predicting such a crossing in the pressure range 650-900 bar, though experimental results up to 1000 bar do not find any crossing.

Antioxidant Properties of Various Alcoholic Beverages: Application of a Semiempirical Equation.

Presented here is a comprehensive study on the antioxidant properties of various alcoholic beverages: beers, wines, tinctures, and strong spirits, including whisky, brandy, cognac, vodkas, and liquors. The Trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity (TEAC) of each of these various alcoholic beverages is determined using an electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) method, which is based on a semiempirical correlation. Moreover, the EC50 parameter was determined on the basis of the dependences of the TEAC values obtained by this mathematical equation. Moreover, the total phenolic content (TP) and color index, which have a direct influence on the antioxidant properties of the alcoholic beverages, were identified. The results showed that all the investigated alcoholic beverages (ABs), with the exception for vodkas, exhibit antioxidant properties. By performing a statistical analysis, it was found that the TEAC value significantly depends on the TP, production method, and raw material from which the alcohol was made. However, it is assumed that the TEAC value of alcoholic beverages is independent of the alcohol content.

Speed of Sound and Ultrasound Absorption in Ionic Liquids.

A complete review of the literature data on the speed of sound and ultrasound absorption in pure ionic liquids (ILs) is presented. Apart of the analysis of data published to date, the significance of the speed of sound in ILs is regarded. An analysis of experimental methods described in the literature to determine the speed of sound in ILs as a function of temperature and pressure is reported, and the relevance of ultrasound absorption in acoustic investigations is discussed. Careful attention was paid to highlight possible artifacts, and side phenomena related to the absorption and relaxation present in such measurements. Then, an overview of existing data is depicted to describe the temperature and pressure dependences on the speed of sound in ILs, as well as the impact of impurities in ILs on this property. A relation between ions structure and speeds of sound is presented by highlighting existing correlation and evaluative methods described in the literature. Importantly, a critical analysis of speeds of sound in ILs vs those in classical molecular solvents is presented to compare these two classes of compounds. The last part presents the importance of acoustic investigations for chemical engineering design and possible industrial applications of ILs.

The prediction of high-pressure volumetric properties of compressed liquids using the two states model.

In this work, we argue that the volumetric properties of liquids cannot be reproduced by a single isothermal equation of state derived by the compressibility route for the whole pressure region extended up to a GPa pressure but require the consideration of two states associated with qualitatively different molecular packing properties. This is confirmed by examples of polar and non-polar substances within the range of temperatures from 203.15 K to 491.48 K and pressures up to 1200 MPa. The proposed two states model is truly predictive for the high-pressure density and isothermal compressibility using several easily measurable physico-chemical quantities: the density, the isobaric heat capacity, and the speed of sound at atmospheric pressure only. The experimental data on the density for 15 different compressed liquids, given in the literature as a function of temperature and very high-pressures, were used for the comparison and its analysis. The relative absolute average deviation for 2138 experimental data points by a two states model is close to 0.17%.

Isolation of hydrocarbon-degrading and biosurfactant-producing bacteria and assessment their plant growth-promoting traits.

Forty-two hydrocarbon-degrading bacterial strains were isolated from the soil heavily contaminated with petroleum hydrocarbons. Forty-one strains were identified based on their whole-cell fatty acid profiles using the MIDI-MIS method. Thirty-three of them belong to species Rhodococcus erythropolis, while the others to the genera Rahnella (4), Serratia (3) and Proteus (1). Isolates were screened for their ability to produce biosurfactants/bioemulsifiers. For all of them the activity of several mechanisms characteristic for plant growth-promoting bacteria was also determined. In order to investigate surface active and emulsifying abilities of isolates following methods: oil-spreading, blood agar, methylene blue agar and determination of emulsification index, were used. Among studied bacteria 12 strains (CD 112, CD 126, CD 131, CD 132, CD 135, CD 147, CD 154, CD 155, CD 158, CD 161, CD 166 and CD 167) have been chosen as promising candidates for the production of biosurfactants and/or bioemulsifiers. Among them 2 strains (R. erythropolis CD 126 and Rahnella aquatilis CD 132) had the highest potential to be used in the bioaugmentation of PH-contaminated soil. Moreover, 15 of tested strains (CD 105, CD 106, CD 108, CD 111, CD 116, CD 120, CD 124, CD 125, CD 130, CD 132, CD 134, CD 154, CD 156, CD 161 and CD 170) showed the activity of four mechanisms (ACC deaminase activity, IAA and siderophore production, phosphate solubilization) considered to be characteristic for plant growth-promoting bacteria. Two of them (R. erythropolis CD 106 and R. erythropolis CD 111) showed the highest activity of above-mentioned mechanisms and thus are considered as promising agents in microbe assisted phytoremediation.

Structure and thermal properties of salicylate-based-protic ionic liquids as new heat storage media. COSMO-RS structure characterization and modeling of heat capacities.

During this research, we present a study on the thermal properties, such as the melting, cold crystallization, and glass transition temperatures as well as heat capacities from 293.15 K to 323.15 K of nine in-house synthesized protic ionic liquids based on the 3-(alkoxymethyl)-1H-imidazol-3-ium salicylate ([H-Im-C1OC(n)][Sal]) with n = 3-11. The 3D structures, surface charge distributions and COSMO volumes of all investigated ions are obtained by combining DFT calculations and the COSMO-RS methodology. The heat capacity data sets as a function of temperature of the 3-(alkoxymethyl)-1H-imidazol-3-ium salicylate are then predicted using the methodology originally proposed in the case of ionic liquids by Ge et al. 3-(Alkoxymethyl)-1H-imidazol-3-ium salicylate based ionic liquids present specific heat capacities higher in many cases than other ionic liquids that make them suitable as heat storage media and in heat transfer processes. It was found experimentally that the heat capacity increases linearly with increasing alkyl chain length of the alkoxymethyl group of 3-(alkoxymethyl)-1H-imidazol-3-ium salicylate as was expected and predicted using the Ge et al. method with an overall relative absolute deviation close to 3.2% for temperatures up to 323.15 K.

Spontaneous Dipole Reorientation in Confined Water and Its Effect on Wetting/Dewetting of Hydrophobic Nanopores.

The properties of nanoconfined fluids are important for a broad range of natural and engineering systems. In particular, wetting/dewetting of hydrophobic nanoporous materials is crucial due to their broad applicability for molecular separation and liquid purification; energy storage, conversion, recuperation, and dissipation; for catalysis, chromatography, and so on. In this work, a rapid, orchestrated, and spontaneous dipole reorientation was observed in hydrophobic nanotubes of various pore sizes d (7.9-16.5 Å) via simulations. This phenomenon leads to the fragmentation of water clusters in the narrow nanopores (d = 7.9, 10 Å) and strongly affects dewetting through cluster repulsion. The cavitation in these pores has an electrostatic origin. The dependence of hydrogen-bonded network properties on the tube aperture is obtained and is used to explain wetting (intrusion)-dewetting (extrusion) hysteresis. Computer simulations and experimental data demonstrate that d equals ca. 12.5 Å is a threshold between a nonhysteretic (spring) behavior, where intrusion-extrusion is reversible, and a hysteretic one (shock absorber), where hysteresis is prominent. This work suggests that water clustering and the electrostatic nature of cavitation are important factors that can be effectively exploited for controlling the wetting/dewetting of nanoporous materials.

Exploring the Heat of Water Intrusion into a Metal-Organic Framework by Experiment and Simulation.

Wetting of a solid by a liquid is relevant for a broad range of natural and technological processes. This process is complex and involves the generation of heat, which is still poorly understood especially in nanoconfined systems. In this article, scanning transitiometry was used to measure and evaluate the pressure-driven heat of intrusion of water into solid ZIF-8 powder within the temperature range of 278.15-343.15 K. The conditions examined included the presence and absence of atmospheric gases, basic pH conditions, solid sample origins, and temperature. Simultaneously with these experiments, molecular dynamics simulations were conducted to elucidate the changing behavior of water as it enters into ZIF-8. The results are rationalized within a temperature-dependent thermodynamic cycle. This cycle describes the temperature-dependent process of ZIF-8 filling, heating, emptying, and cooling with respect to the change of internal energy of the cycle from the calculated change in the specific heat capacity of the system. At 298 K the experimental heat of intrusion per gram of ZIF-8 was found to be -10.8 ± 0.8 J·g-1. It increased by 19.2 J·g-1 with rising temperature to 343 K which is in a reasonable match with molecular dynamic simulations that predicted 16.1 J·g-1 rise. From these combined experiments, the role of confined water in heat of intrusion of ZIF-8 is further clarified.

Effect of the Topology on Wetting and Drying of Hydrophobic Porous Materials.

Establishing molecular mechanisms of wetting and drying of hydrophobic porous materials is a general problem for science and technology within the subcategories of the theory of liquids, chromatography, nanofluidics, energy storage, recuperation, and dissipation. In this article, we demonstrate a new way to tackle this problem by exploring the effect of the topology of pure silica nanoparticles, nanotubes, and zeolites. Using molecular dynamics simulations, we show how secondary porosity promotes the intrusion of water into micropores and affects the hydrophobicity of materials. It is demonstrated herein that for nano-objects, the hydrophobicity can be controlled by changing the ratio of open to closed nanometer-sized lateral pores. This effect can be exploited to produce new materials for practical applications when the hydrophobicity needs to be regulated without significantly changing the chemistry or structure of the materials. Based on these simulations and theoretical considerations, for pure silica zeolites, we examined and then classified the experimental database of intrusion pressures, thus leading to the prediction of any zeolite's intrusion pressure. We show a correlation between the intrusion pressure and the ratio of the accessible pore surface area to total pore volume. The correlation is valid for some zeolites and mesoporous materials. It can facilitate choosing prospective candidates for further investigation and possible exploitation, especially for energy storage, recuperation, and dissipation.

Turning Molecular Springs into Nano-Shock Absorbers: The Effect of Macroscopic Morphology and Crystal Size on the Dynamic Hysteresis of Water Intrusion-Extrusion into-from Hydrophobic Nanopores.

Controlling the pressure at which liquids intrude (wet) and extrude (dry) a nanopore is of paramount importance for a broad range of applications, such as energy conversion, catalysis, chromatography, separation, ionic channels, and many more. To tune these characteristics, one typically acts on the chemical nature of the system or pore size. In this work, we propose an alternative route for controlling both intrusion and extrusion pressures via proper arrangement of the grains of the nanoporous material. To prove the concept, dynamic intrusion-extrusion cycles for powdered and monolithic ZIF-8 metal-organic framework were conducted by means of water porosimetry and in operando neutron scattering. We report a drastic increase in intrusion-extrusion dynamic hysteresis when going from a fine powder to a dense monolith configuration, transforming an intermediate performance of the ZIF-8 + water system (poor molecular spring) into a desirable shock-absorber with more than 1 order of magnitude enhancement of dissipated energy per cycle. The obtained results are supported by MD simulations and pave the way for an alternative methodology of tuning intrusion-extrusion pressure using a macroscopic arrangement of nanoporous material.

Inflation Negative Compressibility during Intrusion-Extrusion of a Non-Wetting Liquid into a Flexible Nanoporous Framework.

Negative compressibility (NC) is a phenomenon when an object expands/shrinks in at least one of its dimensions upon compression/decompression. NC is very rare and is of great interest for a number of applications. In this work a gigantic (more than one order of magnitude higher compared to the reported values) NC effect was recorded during intrusion-extrusion of a non-wetting liquid into a flexible porous structure. For this purpose, in situ high-pressure neutron scattering, intrusion-extrusion experiments, and DFT calculations were applied to a system consisting of water and a highly hydrophobic Cu2(tebpz) metal-organic framework (MOF), which upon water penetration expands in a and c directions to demonstrate NC coefficients more than order of magnitude higher compared to the highest values ever reported. The proposed approach is not limited to the materials used in this work and can be applied to achieve coefficients of negative linear compressibility of more than 103 TPa-1.

Compact Thermal Actuation by Water and Flexible Hydrophobic Nanopore.

Efficient and compact energy conversion is at the heart of the sustainable development of humanity. In this work it is demonstrated that hydrophobic flexible nanoporous materials can be used for thermal-to-mechanical energy conversion when coupled with water. In particular, a reversible nonhysteretic wetting-drying (contraction-expansion) cycle provoked by periodic temperature fluctuations was realized for water and a superhydrophobic nanoporous Cu2(tebpz) MOF (tebpz = 3,3',5,5'-tetraethyl-4,4'-bipyrazolate). A thermal-to-mechanical conversion efficiency of ∼30% was directly recorded by high-precision PVT-calorimetry, while the operational cycle was confirmed by in operando neutron scattering. The obtained results provide an alternative approach for compact energy conversion exploiting solid-liquid interfacial energy in nanoscopic flexible heterogeneous systems.