Influence of drop size and superimposed mass transfer on coalescence in liquid/liquid dispersions - Test cell design for single drop investigations

The detailed understanding of droplet coalescence is important for the accurate description of liquid/liquid dispersions. A test cell is designed which enables serial examinations of the random coalescence process with high repetition rate, good observability and accuracy of experimental parameters. Within this rectangular test cell a rising droplet collides with a pendant one, while recorded by a high speed camera. The gained experimental data allows a validation and further development of appropriate models. The investigated parameters in this work are the drop size and the superimposed mass transfer influencing the coalescence probability. These examinations were carried out in the EFCE standard test system toluene/acetone/water. The effect of varying the drop size seems to be interfered by the different rising velocities due to buoyancy. Introducing a transferring component has a significant impact on the coalescence process. A transfer direction from disperse to continuous phase results in a coalescence probability of almost 100%, whereas the reverse mass transfer direction induces a repulsion of nearly all droplets. (C) 2013 The Institution of Chemical Engineers. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved

From single drop coalescence to droplet swarms - Scale-up considering the influence of collision velocity and drop size on coalescence probability

Coalescence modelling in liquid/liquid dispersions is a challenging task and field of investigations up to now, which becomes apparent when comparing the various existent models with their different and partly even contradictive implementation of influencing factors. In this work, systematic investigations of single drop coalescence were used to compare and validate different coalescence efficiency models regarding the important influencing parameters relative collision velocity and drop size. The impact of these parameters could be analysed independently from each other for the first time and used to identify the best modelling approach. Moreover, the numerical parameter of the coalescence efficiency model could be obtained based on single drop experiments. Using this determined parameter the simulation of drop size distributions within a lab scale stirred vessel was possible. The presented method offers the possibility of independent parameter estimation for population balance equation simulations based on single drop experiments. The application of this systematic approach allows the separate validation of submodels and reliable parameter determination by small scale investigations. On this basis a sound scale-up is possible using population balance equation simulations. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

Coalescence efficiency model including electrostatic interactions in liquid/liquid dispersions

The drop size distribution is an essential process variable in liquid/liquid systems and relevant in many technical applications. It can be described by population balance equations. A coalescence efficiency model was developed to be able to describe the well-known coalescence inhibition due to changing pH value or salt concentration. The model includes the attractive van der Waals and repulsive electrostatic force according to the DLVO theory into the population balance equation framework. This DLVO model can extend existing simulations in a straightforward manner due to a conceptual implementation. Moreover, zeta potential measurements were performed and the model was applied to simulate experiments in a stirred Lank. Hence, the drop size distribution could be predicted well with changing pH value. The results are discussed in comparison to simulations with existing models in literature. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

Single-channel electrophysiology reveals a distinct and uniform pore complex formed by α-synuclein oligomers in lipid membranes.

Synucleinopathies such as Parkinson's disease, multiple system atrophy and dementia with Lewy bodies are characterized by deposition of aggregated α-synuclein. Recent findings indicate that pathological oligomers rather than fibrillar aggregates may represent the main toxic protein species. It has been shown that α-synuclein oligomers can increase the conductance of lipid bilayers and, in cell-culture, lead to calcium dyshomeostasis and cell death. In this study, employing a setup for single-channel electrophysiology, we found that addition of iron-induced α-synuclein oligomers resulted in quantized and stepwise increases in bilayer conductance indicating insertion of distinct transmembrane pores. These pores switched between open and closed states depending on clamped voltage revealing a single-pore conductance comparable to that of bacterial porins. Pore conductance was dependent on transmembrane potential and the available cation. The pores stably inserted into the bilayer and could not be removed by buffer exchange. Pore formation could be inhibited by co-incubation with the aggregation inhibitor baicalein. Our findings indicate that iron-induced α-synuclein oligomers can form a uniform and distinct pore species with characteristic electrophysiological properties. Pore formation could be a critical event in the pathogenesis of synucleinopathies and provide a novel structural target for disease-modifying therapy

Drop coalescence in technical liquid/liquid applications : a review on experimental techniques and modeling approaches

The coalescence phenomenon of drops in liquid/liquid systems is reviewed with particular focus on its technical relevance and application. Due to the complexity of coalescence, a comprehensive survey of the coalescence process and the numerous influencing factors is given. Subsequently, available experimental techniques with different levels of detail are summarized and compared. These techniques can be divided in simple settling tests for qualitative coalescence behavior investigations and gravity settler design, single-drop coalescence studies at flat interfaces as well as between droplets, and detailed film drainage analysis. To model the coalescence rate in liquid/liquid systems on a technical scale, the generic population balance framework is introduced. Additionally, different coalescence modeling approaches are reviewed with ascending level of detail from empirical correlations to comprehensive film drainage models and detailed computational fluid and particle dynamics

Nonlinear spectroscopy of exciton-polaritons in a GaAs-based microcavity

We present a systematic investigation of two-photon excitation processes in a GaAs-based microcavity in the strong-coupling regime. We observe second harmonic generation resonant to the upper and lower polariton level, which exhibits a strong dependence on the photonic fraction of the corresponding polariton. In addition we have performed two-photon excitation spectroscopy to identify $2p$ exciton states which are crucial for the operation as a terahertz lasing device, which was suggested recently [A. V. Kavokin et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. \textbf{108}, 197401 (2012)]. However, no distinct signatures of a $2p$ exciton state could be identified, which indicates a low two-photon pumping efficiency

Modelling of coalescence in turbulent liquid/liquid dispersions considering droplet charge

Drop size distributions in liquid/liquid systems within a turbulent flow, being an integral part of many technical applications, can be simulated solving population balance equations. Experimental investigations in stirred toluene/water systems at constant ionic strength of 0.1 mol/L showed that with pH values higher than 11, coalescence is hindered considerably due to electrostatic effects. Within this work, two designated models are used to simulate the transient drop size distributions in a stirred tank, showing that the influence of droplet charge due to a change in pH value or ion concentration cannot be predicted satisfactorily by existing models. This finding motivates a new modelling approach implementing the DLVO theory into the population balance framework

Influence of interactions with non-condensed particles on the coherence of a 1D polariton condensate

One-dimensional polariton condensates (PoCos) in a photonic wire are generated through non-resonant laser excitation, by which also a reservoir of background carriers is created. Interaction with this reservoir may affect the coherence of the PoCo, which is studied here by injecting a condensate locally and monitoring the coherence along the wire. While the incoherent reservoir is mostly present within the excitation laser spot, the condensate can propagate ballistically through the wire. Photon correlation measurements show that far from the laser spot the second order correlation function approaches unity value, as expected for the coherent condensed state. When approaching the spot, however, the correlation function increases up to values of 1.2 showing the addition of noise to the emission due to interaction with the reservoir. This finding is substantiated by measuring the first order coherence by a double slit experiment, which shows a reduced visibility of interference at the excitation laser spot.Comment: 8 pages, 8 figure

Automated image analysis for trajectory determination of single drop collisions

The fundamental analysis of drop coalescence probability in liquid/liquid systems is necessary to reliably predict drop size distributions in technical applications. For this crucial investigation two colliding oil drops in continuous water phase were recorded with different high speed camera set-ups under varying conditions. In order to analyze the huge amount of recorded image sequences with varying resolutions and qualities, a robust automated image analysis was developed. This analysis is able to determine the trajectories of two colliding drops as well as the important events of drop detachment from cannulas and their collision. With this information the drop velocity in each sequence is calculated and mean values of multiple drop collisions are determined for serial examinations of single drop collisions. Using the developed automated image analysis for drop trajectory and velocity calculation, approximately 1-2 recorded high speed image sequences can be evaluated per minute. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

Wetting-Induced Polyelectrolyte Pore Bridging

Active layers of ion separation membranes often consist of charged layers that retain ions based on electrostatic repulsion. Conventional fabrication of these layers, such as polyelectrolyte deposition, can in some cases lead to excess coating to prevent defects in the active layer. This excess deposition increases the overall membrane transport resistance. The study at hand presents a manufacturing procedure for controlled polyelectrolyte complexation in and on porous supports by support wetting control. Pre-wetting of the microfiltration membrane support, or even supports with larger pore sizes, leads to ternary phase boundaries of the support, the coating solution, and the pre-wetting agent. At these phase boundaries, polyelectrolytes can be complexated to form partially freestanding selective structures bridging the pores. This polyelectrolyte complex formation control allows the production of membranes with evenly distributed polyelectrolyte layers, providing (1) fewer coating steps needed for defect-free active layers, (2) larger support diameters that can be bridged, and (3) a precise position control of the formed polyelectrolyte multilayers. We further analyze the formed structures regarding their position, composition, and diffusion dialysis performance