Characterization of Open-Cell Sponges via Magnetic Resonance and X-ray Tomography

The applications of polymeric sponges are varied, ranging from cleaning and filtration to medical applications. The specific properties of polymeric foams, such as pore size and connectivity, are dependent on their constituent materials and production methods. Nuclear magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and X-ray micro-computed tomography (mu CT) offer complementary information about the structure and properties of porous media. In this study, we employed MRI, in combination with mu CT, to characterize the structure of polymeric open-cell foam, and to determine how it changes upon compression, mu CT was used to identify the morphology of the pores within sponge plugs, extracted from polyurethane open-cell sponges. MRI T-2 relaxation maps and bulk T-2 relaxation times measurements were performed for 7 degrees dH water contained within the same polyurethane foams used for mu CT. Magnetic resonance and mu CT measurements were conducted on both uncompressed and 60% compressed sponge plugs. Compression was achieved using a graduated sample holder with plunger. A relationship between the average T-2 relaxation time and maximum opening was observed, where smaller maximum openings were found to have a shorter T-2 relaxation times. It was also found that upon compression, the average maximum opening of pores decreased. Average pore size ranges of 375-632 +/- 1 mu m, for uncompressed plugs, and 301-473 +/- 1 mu m, for compressed plugs, were observed. By determining maximum opening values and T-2 relaxation times, it was observed that the pore structure varies between sponges within the same production batch, as well as even with a single sponge

Accelerated spreading of inviscid droplets prompted by the yielding of strongly elastic interfacial films

The complexity associated with droplets spreading on surfaces has attracted significant interest for several decades. Sustained activity results from the many natural and manufactured systems that are reliant on droplet-substrate interactions and spreading. Interfacial shear rheology and its influence on the dynamics of droplet spreading has to date received little attention. In the current study, saponin β-aescin was used as an interfacial shear rheology modifier, partitioning at the air-water interface to form a strongly elastic interface (G’/G” ∼ 6) within 1 min aging. The droplet spreading dynamics of Newtonian (water, 5 wt% ethanol, 0.0015 wt% N-dodecyl β-D-glucopyranoside) and non-Newtonian (xanthan gum) fluids were shown to proceed with a time-dependent power-law dependence of ∼0.50 and ∼0.10 (Tanner’s law) in the inertial and viscous regimes of spreading, respectively. However, water droplets stabilized by saponin β-aescin were shown to accelerate droplet spreading in the inertial regime with a depreciating time-dependent power-law of 1.05 and 0.61, eventually exhibiting a power-law dependence of ∼ 0.10 in the viscous regime of spreading. The accelerated rate of spreading is attributed to the potential energy as the interfacial film yields as well as relaxation of the crumpled interfacial film during spreading. Even though the strongly elastic film ruptures to promote droplet spreading, interfacial elasticity is retained enhancing the dampening of droplet oscillations following detachment from the dispensing capillary

Adsorption kinetics of laponite and ludox silica nanoparticles onto a deposited Poly(diallyldimethylammonium chloride) layer measured by a quartz crystal microbalance and optical reflectometry

A quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation (QCM-D) and an optical reflectometer (OR) have been used to investigate the adsorption behavior of Laponite and Ludox silica nanoparticles at the solid-liquid interface. The adsorption of both Laponite and Ludox silica onto poly(diallyldimethylammonium chloride) (PDADMAC)-coated surfaces over the first few seconds were studied by OR. Both types of nanoparticles adsorbed rapidly and obtained a stable adsorbed amount after only a few minutes. The rate of adsorption for both nanoparticle types was concentration dependent. The maximum adsorption rate of Ludox nanoparticles was found to be approximately five times faster than that for Laponite nanoparticles. The QCM data for the Laponite remained stable after the initial adsorption period at each concentration tested. The observed plateau values for the frequency shifts increased with increasing Laponite particle concentration. The QCM data for the Ludox nanoparticles had a more complex long-time behavior. In particular, the dissipation data at 3 ppm and 10 ppm Ludox increased slowly with time, never obtaining a stable value within the duration of the experiment. We postulate here that this is caused by slow structural rearrangements of the particles and the PDADMAC within the surface adsorbed layer. Furthermore, the QCM dissipation values were significantly smaller for Laponite when compared with those for Ludox for all nanoparticle concentrations, suggesting that the Laponite adsorbed layer is more compact and more rigidly bound than the Ludox adsorbed layer

Consumer goods product comprising carboxylated lignin oligomer

wherein: lignin backbone' is the lignin structural backbone; and L is a linker comprising an —OH moiety; (c) has a hydroxyl content of at least 3 mmol/g; and (d) has a functionalisation content of from 0.2 mmol/g to 2.3 mmol/g. lignin_backbone-O—L—COOH The present invention relates to a consumer goods product comprising a consumer goods product ingredient and a non-cross linked functionalised lignin oligomer, wherein the lignin oligomer: (a) has a number average molecular weight (Mn) in the range of from 800 Da to 1,800 Da; (b) comprises the functional group: ..

A QCM study on the adsorption of colloidal laponite at the solid/liquid interface

The adsorption of colloidal laponite at the solid/liquid interface on various substrates and over a range of laponite concentrations (10-1000 ppm) has been investigated. Although a wide range of surfaces were studied, only on a positively charged poly(diallyldimethylammonium chloride) (PDADMAC) surface was any adsorption of the laponite observed. This shows that when fully wetted, laponite adsorption depends primarily on the surface charge rather than, the degree of hydrophobicity of the surface. The adsorption of spherical Ludox silica nanoparticles on PDADMAC surfaces was also examined for comparison with the disklike laponite. The QCM data for both laponite and Ludox show strong adsorption on PDADMAC surfaces; however, larger frequency shifts were seen for Ludox than laponite at all concentrations tested, Within the concentration range examined in this work, the dissipation data from the QCM suggested a simple monolayer formation for Ludox but a monolayer to multilayer transition for laponite as the concentration increases

Consumer goods product comprising functionalised lignin oligomer

The present invention relates to a consumer goods product comprising a consumer goods product ingredient and a functionalised lignin oligomer, wherein the functionalised lignin oligomer: (a) has an average number of lignin monomers of from 3 to 8; (b) comprises a siloxane functional group; (c) comprises a functionalisation content between 85 and 0.5% lignin (m/m). .

Consumer goods product comprising functionalised lignin oligomer

The present invention relates to a consumer goods product comprising a consumer goods product ingredient and a non-crosslinked functionalised lignin oligomer, wherein the functionalised lignin oligomer: (a) has an average number of lignin monomers of from 3 to 8; (b) comprises a polyethylene glycol functional group; (c) comprises a functionalisatio

Consumer goods product comprising functionalised lignin oligomer

The present invention relates to a consumer goods product comprising a consumer goods product ingredient and a functionalised lignin oligomer, wherein the functionalised lignin oligomer: (a) comprises less than 1 wt % sulphur content; (b) has a number average molecular weight (Mn) of from 800 Da to 1,800 Da; and (c) comprises at least one functional group selected from carboxyl, ketone, aldehyde, amino and quaternary ammonium, wherein only one type of functional group selected from the group consisting of list is present at a level of at least 0.8 mmol/g, and wherein if any other functional group selected from the group consisting of list is present, it is present at a level of below 0.8 mmol/g, wherein the lignin oligomer is derived from corn, sugar cane, wheat and any combination thereof, and wherein the consumer goods product is selected from an oral care composition, an antiseptic cream, or a detergent composition. ..

Consumer goods product comprising functionalised lignin oligomer

The present invention relates to a consumer goods product comprising a consumer goods product ingredient and a functionalised lignin oligomer, wherein the functionalised lignin oligomer: (a) comprises less than 1 wt % sulphur content; (b) has a number average molecular weight (Mn) of from 800 Da to 1,800 Da; and (c) comprises at least one functional group selected from carboxyl, ketone, aldehyde, amino and quaternary ammonium, wherein only one type of functional group selected from the group consisting of list is present at a level of at least 0.8 mmol/g, and wherein if any other functional group selected from the group consisting of list is present, it is present at a level of below 0.8 mmol/g, wherein the lignin oligomer is derived from corn, sugar cane, wheat and any combination thereof, and wherein the consumer goods product is selected from an oral care composition, an antiseptic cream, or a detergent composition. ..