An Investigation of Structure Transition in Sodium Dodecyl Trioxyethylene Sulfate/n-Butanol/n-Octane/Water System by Dielectric Relaxation Spectroscopy Method

The phase diagram of the quaternary system of sodium dodecyl trioxyethylene sulfate(SDES)/n-butanol/n-octane/water was obtained at (30.0±0.1) ℃. There exists a clear, isotropic, and low-viscosity L phase, which can be divided into W/O, bi-continuous(B.C.) and O/W microemulsions by conductivity measurement results. Dielectric Relaxation Spectroscopy(DRS) measurements, including permittivity, conductivity, relaxation strength, characteristic relaxation time, dielectric parameters, phase parameters, etc., were applied to investigating the microstructures of the system mentioned above. For the samples with a fixed SDES/n-butanol mass ratio of 4/6 including 20%(mass fraction) of n-octane, DRS indicated a structure transition from a W/O to an O/W via a B.C. microemulsion with the increase of the water content. For the samples with a fixed (SDES/20%n-octane)/H_2O mass ratio of 5/5, DRS presented that there only exists a onefold structure of a W/O microemulsion as the (n-butanol/20%n-octane) content increases. The results obtained from DRS are in good agreement with those from the phase diagram.

Studies on the Phase Properties of Winsor Ⅰ-Ⅲ Type Microemulsions with Dielectric Relaxation Spectroscopy

The dielectric relaxation spectroscopy （DRS） of Winsor I -Ⅲ microemulsions for nonionic surfactant octyl polyglucoside CsG1.46/1-butanol/cyclohexanedwater system was studied. The experiment shows that the permittivity decreases with the increase in the frequency and clear dielectric relaxation phenomena were observed. Permittivity obviously decreases with the change of the microstructure of the microemulsion, W/O, B.C. and O/W can be distinguished by the permittivity.

Changes of the Molecular Mobility of Poly(ε-caprolactone) upon Drawing,Studied by Dielectric Relaxation Spectroscopy

Dielectric relaxation spectroscopy（DRS） of poly（ε-caprolactone） with different draw ratios showed that the mobility of polymer chains in the amorphous part decreases as the draw ratio increases. The activation energy of the α process, which corresponds to the dynamic glass transition, increases upon drawing. The enlarged gap between the activation energies of the α process and the β process results in a change of continuity at the crossover between the high temperature a process and the α and β processes. At low drawing ratios the a process connects with the β process, while at the highest drawing ratio in our measurements, the a process is continuous with the αprocess. This is consistent with X-ray diffraction results that indicate that upon drawing the polymer chains in the amorphous part align and densify upon drawing. As the draw ratio increases, the α relaxation broadens and decreases its intensity, indicating an increasing heterogeneity. We observed slope changes in the α traces, when the temperature decreases below that at which τα≈ 1 s. This may indicate the glass transition from the ‘rubbery＇ state to the non-equilibrium glassy state.

Solvation Effects on the Dielectric Constant of 1 M LiPF6 in Ethylene Carbonate:Ethyl Methyl Carbonate 3:7

We report the dielectric constant of 1 M LiPF_(6)in EC:EMC 3∶7 w/w(ethylene carbonate/ethyl methyl carbonate)in addition to neat EC:EMC 3∶7 w/w.Using three Debye relaxations,the static permittivity value,or dielectric constant,is extrapolated to 18.5,which is compared to 18.7 for the neat solvent mixture.The EC solvent is found to strongly coordinate with the Li^(+)cations of the salt,which results in a loss of dielectric contribution to the electrolyte.However,the small amplitude and large uncertainty in relaxation frequency for EMC cloud definitive identification of the Li^(+)solvation shell.Importantly,the loss of the free EC permittivity contribution due to Li^(+)solvation is almost completely balanced by the positive contribution of the associated LiPF_(6)salt,demonstrating that a significant quantity of dipolar ion pairs exists in 1 M LiPF_(6)in EC:EMC 3∶7.

Dielectric Spectra of Aerosol OT/Water Systems at Different Concentrations and Temperatures

The dielectric spectra of aerosol OT[AOT, sodium（bis-2-ethylhexyl）sulfosuccinate]/water systems at different concentrations and temperatures were investigated by the dielectric relaxation spectroscopy（DRS）. Through the dielectric spectra of different concentrations, two dielectric relaxations were observed over a frequency range from 40 Hz to 110 MHz and the mechanisms of the relaxations were also interpreted based on the Grosse’s model. The low-frequency relaxation（around 105 Hz） was attributed to the radial diffusion of counterions along the long-half axis of the rod-like micelle, and the high-frequency relaxation（around 106 Hz） was ascribed to the radial diffusion of counterions along the short-half axis. Furthermore, specific emphasis was placed on studying the effects of temperature on system’s conductivity. It was observed that the low-frequency limit of conductivity（κl） decreased and then increased with the increment of temperature under the measured concentration. On the other hand, the conductivity（κm and κh） in meso- and high-frequency ranges always increased as temperature increased. Both the tendencies of alteration which mentioned above should be related to the phase transition of AOT/water system.

Conformation and Counterion Distribution of Polyelectrolyte in Solution as Viewed from Dielectric Approach

Polyelectrolyte solutions are more variable than uncharged macromolecule due to electrical interaction between charged molecules and surrounding counterions.Therefore,the subject of polyelectrolyte solutions has attracted a wide range of interests in both basic and applied research,and has also been extensively explored.However,the understanding of the molecular dynamics and conformation of polyelectrolytes in solution remains to be deepened,and universal consensus on some key issues have not been reached.Many methods have contributed to solving the above problems in different ways,including dielectric relaxation spectroscopy(DRS).In this perspective,we briefly reviewed the history of dielectric spectroscopic research on polyelectrolyte solution,with emphasis on summarizing our efforts.In particular,we expound the characteristics of DRS and its ability to obtain the internal information of the system of interest.Finally,we evaluate the advantages and limitations of the dielectric method and discussed future prospects of this field.

Dielectric spectroscopy and structural characterization of nano-filler-loaded epoxy resin

This work outlines the characterization of epoxy resin[Bisphenol A-(epichlorhydrin):epoxy]and hardener[N(3-dimethylaminopropyl)-1,3-propylenediamine]with various inorganic nano-fillers.Dielectric characterizations of epoxy,hardener,neat epoxy(epoxy+hardener)and nano-epoxy(nano-filler+neat epoxy)composites loaded with 1 wt.%of inorganic nano-fillers(SiO_(2),Al_(2)O_(3),TiO_(2)and ZnO)were carried out using precision LCR meter,over the frequency range of 1 kHz-2 MHz at a constant temperature of 300.15 K.The structural information of nano-fillers,neat epoxy and nano-epoxy composites was understood by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and by XRD.Moreover,hardness and shear strength(shear punch)were also determined in order to gain additional information about the mechanical properties of epoxy composite.Influence of inorganic nano-fillers on the dielectric properties,structural chemistry and mechanical properties of neat epoxy composite is discussed thoroughly in this study.

Phase Behavior and Dielectric Spectroscopy of the Sodium Dodecyl Trioxyethylene Sulfate/n-Butanol/Water System

The phase diagram of the ternary system of sodium dodecyl trioxyethylene sulfate (SDES)/ n butanol/water is obtained at (30 0±0 1) ℃. There exists a clear, isotropic, and low viscosity L phase, which could be divided into W/O micelle, bi continuous (B.C.) phase and O/W micelle by conductivity measurements. Dielectric Relaxation Spectroscopy (DRS) measurements are applied to investigate microstructure changes of this system. For samples with a fixed weight ratio, SDES/ n butanol=3/7, DRS indicates a structure transition from W/O to O/W micelles via B.C. phase with the increase of water content. For the samples with a fixed weight ratio, SDES/H 2O=4/6, DRS can presents that there exist changes of onefold structure size of W/O micelles as n butanol content increases. The results obtained from DRS and their analyses are in good agreement with those from phase diagram and conductivity measurements.