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Structure-Property Relations in Aqueous Foam and Their Control on a Molecular Level

Descrizione del progetto

Sondare le relazioni multiscala struttura-proprietà delle interfacce liquido-gas delle schiume

Le schiume, dispersioni di bolle di gas in un liquido, possono essere impiegate in numerose applicazioni, tra cui l’isolamento, l’imballaggio e l’imbottitura. Il miglioramento del controllo della struttura molecolare e delle proprietà della schiuma si basa su una conoscenza approfondita dei fenomeni all’interfaccia liquido-gas, tra cui le interazioni elettrostatiche che possono essere modificate aggiungendo diverse miscele di molecole tensioattive, come proteine, tensioattivi e polielettroliti, e regolando le proprietà degli elettroliti. Il progetto SUPERFOAM, finanziato dal Consiglio europeo della ricerca, caratterizzerà le strutture molecolari e la dinamica delle interfacce acquose nelle schiume utilizzando la spettroscopia ottica non lineare e altre sonde sensibili alla superficie. Le conoscenze acquisite saranno utilizzate per prevedere le relazioni struttura-proprietà su scale di lunghezza maggiori, migliorando la progettazione su misura per funzionalità.

Obiettivo

Foams are of enormous importance as we find them in many technological relevant applications and food products. Foams as hierarchical materials are dominated by the arrangement and distri-bution of gas bubbles on a macroscopic scale, as well as by thickness and composition of lamella on a mesoscopic scale. Liquid-gas interfaces are, however, the building block of foam with over-whelming importance as their molecular properties easily dominate hierarchical elements on larger length scales. In order to formulate foam with specific properties, its structure must be controlled at the molecular level of a liquid-gas interface. Here, the molecular composition, molecular order and interactions such as electrostatics dominate, and thus must be addressed with molecular level probes that can provide access to both interfacial solvent and solute molecules. Specifically, mo-lecular structures of aqueous interfaces can be modified by adding different mixtures of surface active molecules such as proteins, surfactants and polyelectrolytes, and by adjusting electrolyte properties. This is achieved by varying pH, introducing ions at different ionic strengths as well as by changing viscosities. Such model systems will be characterized with nonlinear optical spectroscopy amongst other surface sensitive probes. The gained information will be used to deduce properties of structures on larger length scales such as lamella, bubbles in a bulk liquid - as a precursor of foam - and finally macroscopic foam. For each length scale, experiments will be performed to gain access to molecular buildings blocks at liquid-gas interfaces and their effects on other hierarchical elements. These experiments thus provide essential information on foam stability and bubble coalescence, they can be used to verify structure-property relationships and to advance our understanding of foam on a molecular basis.

Meccanismo di finanziamento

ERC-STG - Starting Grant

Istituzione ospitante

UNIVERSITAET MUENSTER
Contribution nette de l'UE
€ 1 147 569,96
Indirizzo
SCHLOSSPLATZ 2
48149 MUENSTER
Germania

Mostra sulla mappa

Regione
Nordrhein-Westfalen Münster Münster, Kreisfreie Stadt
Tipo di attività
Higher or Secondary Education Establishments
Collegamenti
Costo totale
€ 1 147 569,96

Beneficiari (2)