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Structure, Dynamics, and Phase Equilibria of Colloidal Dispersions

A special issue of Materials (ISSN 1996-1944). This special issue belongs to the section "Materials Chemistry".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 August 2021) | Viewed by 7320

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
Department of Agricultural, Environmental and Food Sciences, University of Molise, I-86100 Campobasso, Italy
Interests: physicochemical properties of condensed matter at macro-, micro- and nanometer scale: surfactant systems, equilibrium phase behavior, and non-equilibrium phase transitions; micro- and macroemulsions, self-association in liquid–crystals, molecular diffusion modeling, and scattering techniques; colloidal dispersions in shear flow, rheology of soft materials
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The main topics of this Special Issue cover the structure, dynamics, and phase behaviors of colloidal dispersions, with ample scope for fundamental research and extensive potential for applications. Colloidal dispersions are systems composed of particles characterized by having at least one dimension ranging from 1–10 nm to about 1–10 μm, with a core embedded in an external continuous phase. They are of great relevance in a wide range of chemical technologies, including pharmaceuticals, agrochemicals, and food, personal care, and household products (emulsions, creams), surface coatings, oil and mineral recovery, and processing. In addition to these more traditional fields of research activity, colloidal dispersions underpin many of the emerging nanotechnologies, such as optical sensors, engineered nanoparticles for bio-imaging, nanophotonics, and micro-reactors.

I warmly invite scholars in the research areas of Colloids and Surface Science to contribute original research papers as well as review articles to this Special Issue that will give the readers of Materials an updated and new perspective of these fascinating interdisciplinary fields of Soft Matter Science.

Prof. Dr. Ruggero Angelico
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • Dynamics and microstructure of colloidal dispersions in equilibrium and under shear
  • Applications to environmental technology, food, medicine and pharmaceutics
  • Liquid–crystalline colloids: Equilibria and dynamics
  • Surface forces in colloidal dispersions
  • Wetting and interfacial rheology
  • Surfactants and self-assembly
  • Micro- and macroemulsions
  • Polymers and gels

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

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10 pages, 1763 KiB  
Article
Formulation of Bicelles Based on Lecithin-Nonionic Surfactant Mixtures
by Kenji Aramaki, Keita Adachi, Miho Maeda, Jitendra Mata, Junko Kamimoto-Kuroki, Daisuke Tsukamoto and Yoshikazu Konno
Materials 2020, 13(14), 3066; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma13143066 - 9 Jul 2020
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2734
Abstract
Bicelles have been intensively studied for use as drug delivery carriers and in biological studies, but their preparation with low-cost materials and via a simple process would allow their use for other purposes as well. Herein, bicelles were prepared through a semi-spontaneous method [...] Read more.
Bicelles have been intensively studied for use as drug delivery carriers and in biological studies, but their preparation with low-cost materials and via a simple process would allow their use for other purposes as well. Herein, bicelles were prepared through a semi-spontaneous method using a mixture of hydrogenated soybean lecithin (SL) and a nonionic surfactant, polyoxyethylene cholesteryl ether (ChEO10), and then we investigated the effect of composition and temperature on the structure of bicelles, which is important to design tailored systems. As the fraction of ChEO10 (XC) was increased, a bimodal particle size distribution with a small particle size of several tens of nanometers and a large particle size of several hundred nanometers was obtained, and only small particles were observed when XC ≥ 0.6, suggesting the formation of significant structure transition (liposomes to bicelles). The small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) spectrum for these particles fitted a core-shell bicelle model, providing further evidence of bicelle formation. A transition from a monomodal to a bimodal size distribution occurred as the temperature was increased, with this transition taking place at lower temperatures when higher SL-ChEO10 concentrations were used. SANS showed that this temperature-dependent size change was reversible, suggesting the SL-ChEO10 bicelles were stable against temperature, hence making them suitable for several applications. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Structure, Dynamics, and Phase Equilibria of Colloidal Dispersions)
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Review

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30 pages, 2731 KiB  
Review
The Structure of Bitumen: Conceptual Models and Experimental Evidences
by Michele Porto, Ruggero Angelico, Paolino Caputo, Abraham A. Abe, Bagdat Teltayev and Cesare Oliviero Rossi
Materials 2022, 15(3), 905; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma15030905 - 25 Jan 2022
Cited by 20 | Viewed by 4119
Abstract
Bitumen, one of the by-products of petroleum industry processes, is the most common binder used in road pavements and in the construction industry in general. It is a complex organic mixture of a broad range of hydrocarbons classified into four chemical families, collectively [...] Read more.
Bitumen, one of the by-products of petroleum industry processes, is the most common binder used in road pavements and in the construction industry in general. It is a complex organic mixture of a broad range of hydrocarbons classified into four chemical families, collectively known with the acronym SARA fractions, which include saturates, aromatics, resins and asphaltenes. Since the 1940s, researchers working on bitumen and the science behind its existence, nature and application have investigated the spatial organization and arrangement of several molecular species present in the binder. Therefore, several models have been proposed in the literature, and they are more or less corroborated by experimental studies, although most of them are model-dependent; for example, the structural investigations based on scattering techniques. One of the most popular models that has met with a wide consensus (both experimentally and of the modeling/computational type) is the one aiming at the colloidal description of bitumen’s microstructure. Other types of models have appeared in the literature that propose alternative views to the colloidal scheme, equally valid and capable of providing results that comply with experimental and theoretical evidence. Spurred by the constant advancement of research in the field of bitumen science, this literature review is aimed at providing a thorough, continuous and adept state of knowledge on the modeling efforts herein elaborated, in order to more precisely describe the intricacy of the bituminous microstructure. In this body of work, experimental evidence, along with details of bitumen’s microstructure (depicting the colloidal state of bitumen), is particularly emphasized. We will also try to shed light on the evolution of the experimental and theoretical results that have focused on the aspect of the association and aggregation properties of asphaltenes in various models and real systems. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Structure, Dynamics, and Phase Equilibria of Colloidal Dispersions)
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