Patent-based technological developments and surfactants application of lithium-ion batteries fire-extinguishing agent

While newer,more efficient Lithium-ion batteries(LIBs)and extinguishing agents have been developed to reduce the occurrence of thermal runaway accidents,there is still a scarcity of research focused on the application of surfactants in different LIBs extinguishing agents,particularly in terms of patented technologies.The aim of this review paper is to provide an overview of the technological progress of LIBs and LIBs extinguishing agents in terms of patents in Korea,Japan,Europe,the United States,China,etc.The initial part of this review paper is sort out LIBs technology development in different regions.In addition,to compare LIBs extinguishing agent progress and challenges of liquid,solid,combination of multiple,and microencapsulated.The subsequent section of this review focuses on an in-depth analysis dedicated to the efficiency and challenges faced by the surfactants corresponding design principles of LIBs extinguishing agents,such as nonionic and anionic surfactants.A total of 451,760 LIBs-related patent and 20 LIBs-fire-extinguishing agent-related patent were included in the analyses.The extinguishing effect,cooling performance,and anti-recombustion on different agents have been highlighted.After a comprehensive comparison of these agents,this review suggests that temperature-sensitive hydrogel extinguishing agent is ideal for the effective control of LIBs fire.The progress and challenges of surfactants have been extensively examined,focusing on key factors such as surface activity,thermal stability,foaming properties,environmental friendliness,and electrical conductivity.Moreover,it is crucial to emphasize that the selection of a suitable surfactant must align with the extinguishing strategy of the extinguishing agent for optimal firefighting effectiveness.

Effect of Surfactants on the Thermoelectric Performance of Double-Walled Carbon Nanotubes

Thermoelectrics are a promising solution to the recovery of some of the 60%of the worldwide energy wasted as heat.However,their conversion efficiency is low and the best performing materials are brittle,toxic,and made of expensive ceramics.The challenge in developing better performing materials is in disrupting the electrical vs thermal conductivity correlation,to achieve low thermal conductivity simultaneously with a high electrical conductivity.Carbon nanotubes allow for the decoupling of the electronic density of states from the phonon density of states and this paper shows that flexible,thin films of double-walled carbon nanotube(DWCNT)can form effective n-and p-doped semiconductors that can achieve a combined Seebeck coefficient of 157.6µV K^(−1),the highest reported for a single DWCNT device to date.This is achieved through selected surfactant doping,whose role is correlated with the length of the hydrocarbon chain of the hydrophobic tail group of the surfactant’s molecules.CNTs functionalized with Triton X-405 show the highest output power consisting of a single junction of p-and n-type thermoelectric elements,reaching as high as 67 nW for a 45 K temperature gradient.Thus enabling flexible,cheaper,and more efficient thermoelectric generators through the use of functionalized CNTs.

Enabling an Inorganic-Rich Interface via Cationic Surfactant for High-Performance Lithium Metal Batteries

An anion-rich electric double layer(EDL)region is favorable for fabricating an inorganic-rich solid-electrolyte interphase(SEI)towards stable lithium metal anode in ester electrolyte.Herein,cetyltrimethylammonium bromide(CTAB),a cationic surfactant,is adopted to draw more anions into EDL by ionic interactions that shield the repelling force on anions during lithium plating.In situ electrochemical surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy results combined with molecular dynamics simulations validate the enrichment of NO_(3)^(−)/FSI−anions in the EDL region due to the positively charged CTA^(+).In-depth analysis of SEI structure by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry results confirmed the formation of the inorganic-rich SEI,which helps improve the kinetics of Li^(+)transfer,lower the charge transfer activation energy,and homogenize Li deposition.As a result,the Li||Li symmetric cell in the designed electrolyte displays a prolongated cycling time from 500 to 1300 h compared to that in the blank electrolyte at 0.5 mA cm^(-2) with a capacity of 1 mAh cm^(-2).Moreover,Li||LiFePO_(4) and Li||LiCoO_(2) with a high cathode mass loading of>10 mg cm^(-2) can be stably cycled over 180 cycles.

Synergistic anionic/zwitterionic mixed surfactant system with high emulsification efficiency for enhanced oil recovery in low permeability reservoirs

Emulsification is one of the important mechanisms of surfactant flooding. To improve oil recovery for low permeability reservoirs, a highly efficient emulsification oil flooding system consisting of anionic surfactant sodium alkyl glucosyl hydroxypropyl sulfonate(APGSHS) and zwitterionic surfactant octadecyl betaine(BS-18) is proposed. The performance of APGSHS/BS-18 mixed surfactant system was evaluated in terms of interfacial tension, emulsification capability, emulsion size and distribution, wettability alteration, temperature-resistance and salt-resistance. The emulsification speed was used to evaluate the emulsification ability of surfactant systems, and the results show that mixed surfactant systems can completely emulsify the crude oil into emulsions droplets even under low energy conditions. Meanwhile,the system exhibits good temperature and salt resistance. Finally, the best oil recovery of 25.45% is achieved for low permeability core by the mixed surfactant system with a total concentration of 0.3 wt%while the molar ratio of APGSHS:BS-18 is 4:6. The current study indicates that the anionic/zwitterionic mixed surfactant system can improve the oil flooding efficiency and is potential candidate for application in low permeability reservoirs.

Simultaneous Morphologies and Luminescence Control of NaYF_(4)∶Yb/Er Nanophosphors by Surfactants for Cancer Cell Imaging

Hydrophilic rare-earth up-conversion nanophosphors(UCNPs)with small sizes and a strong up-conversion luminescence have attracted much interest.Herein the simultaneous control of morphologies and the up-conversion luminescence intensities was reported for NaYF_(4)∶Yb/Er nanophosphors by a facile hydrothermal procedure with different surfactants.With the change of the surfactants from polyvinylpyrrolidone(PVP)to sodium citrate(CIT),edetate disodium(EDTA)or sodium dodecyl benzenesulfonate(SDBS),the morphology of NaYF_(4)∶Yb/Er nanophosphors transformed from nanoparticles with a diameter of about 70.0 nm to hexagonal nanoblocks with a thickness of about 125.0 nm and a length of about 240.0 nm,nanorods with a diameter of about 700.0 nm and a length of about 2.6μm,or nanowires with a diameter of 250.0 nm and a length of about 3.2μm.Simultaneously,their up-conversion luminescence intensity went down gradually under laser irradiation at a wavelength of 980 nm due to the increase of photobleaching.PVP-capped NaYF_(4)∶Yb/Er nanoparticles exhibited the smallest size and the strongest up-conversion luminescence intensity.Biological experiment results revealed that NaYF_(4)∶Yb/Er nanophosphors exhibited a high biocompatibility and could be used as biological labels with a perfect signal-to-noise ratio for cancer cell imaging.

Synthesis of Core-shell ZSM-5@ Ordered Mesoporous Silica by Tetradecylamine Surfactant

A core-shell composite consisting of ZSM-5 zeolite as the core and ordered mesoporous silica as the shell was prepared by a surfactant-controlled sol-gel process and using tetradecylamine(TDA) as the template and Tetraethylorthosilicate(TEOS) as the silica precursor.The pores of the silica shell were found to be ordered and perpendicular to the crystal faces of the zeolite core.The thickness of the shell in the coreshell structured composite can be adjusted in the range of 20-90 nm,while the surface morphology and the pore size distribution were modified by changing the mass ratio of TEOS to zeolite.The composite molecular sieves have higher surface area for capturing molecules than ZSM-5,and with the increase of mesoporous shell layer,the ZSM-5@SiO_(2)-x composites show stronger adsorption capacity of butyraldehyde.However,when the shell thickness exceeds 90 nm,the adsorption capacity of butyraldehyde decreases instead.The composites have a huge potential for environmental applications.

Study on Bacteriostatic Properties of Piroctone Olamine in Commonly Used Surfactants Systems

Piroctone olamine(OCT) was used as the main bacteriostatic component, the inhibition of OCT in different kinds and mass concentrations of surfactants were studied. Six surfactants commonly used in personal care products, i.e. sodium laureth sulfate(AES), cocamidopropyl betaine(CAB 35), sodium lauroyl sarcosinate(LS-30), sodium lauroyl glutamate(ULS-30S), alkyl glycoside(APG), cocamide methyl MEA(CMMEA),were used. The results showed that the bacteriostatic of OCT decreased with the increase of AES, which was suggested ≤ 5%. OCT has good bacteriostatic performance in the systems of amino acid surfactants and high dosage of amphoteric surfactants, 5% LS 30 and ≥ 10% CAB 35 was recommended. High dosage of nonionic surfactant could interfere the bacteriostatic performance of OCT, the recommended dosage was ≤ 2%.In addition, OCT has good bacteriostatic performance against Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli and Candida albicans when pH was controlled less than 5.5.

Effects of gallium surfactant on AlN thin films by microwave plasma chemical vapor deposition

In this work, AlN films were grown using gallium (Ga) as surfactant on 4° off-axis 4H-SiC substrates via microwave plasma chemical vapor deposition (MPCVD). We have found that AlN growth rate can be greatly improved due to the catalytic effect of trimethyl-gallium (TMGa), but AlN crystal structure and composition are not affected. When the proportion of TMGa in gas phase was low, crystal quality of AlN can be improved and three-dimensional growth mode of AlN was enhanced with the increase of Ga source. When the proportion of TMGa in gas phase was high, two-dimensional growth mode of AlN was presented, with the increase of Ga source results in the deterioration of AlN crystal quality. Finally, employing a two-step growth approach, involving the initial growth of Ga-free AlN nucleation layer followed by Ga-assisted AlN growth, high quality of AlN film with flat surface was obtained and the full width at half maximum (FWHM) values of 415 nm AlN (002) and (102) planes were 465 and 597 arcsec.

Molecular insights into oil detachment from hydrophobic quartz surfaces in clay-hosted nanopores during steam-surfactant co-injection

Thermal recovery techniques for producing oil sands have substantial environmental impacts.Surfactants can efficiently improve thermal bitumen recovery and reduce the required amount of steam.Such a technique requires solid knowledge about the interaction mechanism between surfactants,bitumen,water,and rock at the nanoscale level.In particular,oil sands ores have extremely complex mineralogy as they contain many clay minerals(montmorillonite,illite,kaolinite).In this study,molecular dynamics simulation is carried out to elucidate the unclear mechanisms of clay minerals contributing to the bitumen recovery under a steam-anionic surfactant co-injection process.We found that the clay content significantly influenced an oil detachment process from hydrophobic quartz surfaces.Results reveal that the presence of montmorillonite,illite,and the siloxane surface of kaolinite in nanopores can enhance the oil detachment process from the hydrophobic surfaces because surfactant molecules have a stronger tendency to interact with bitumen and quartz.Conversely,the gibbsite surfaces of kaolinite curb the oil detachment process.Through interaction energy analysis,the siloxane surfaces of kaolinite result in the most straightforward oil detachment process.In addition,we found that the clay type presented in nanopores affected the wettability of the quartz surfaces.The quartz surfaces associated with the gibbsite surfaces of kaolinite show the strongest hydrophilicity.By comparing previous experimental findings with the results of molecular dynamics(MD)simulations,we observed consistent wetting characteristics.This alignment serves to validate the reliability of the simulation outcomes.The outcome of this paper makes up for the lack of knowledge of a surfactant-assisted bitumen recovery process and provides insights for further in-situ bitumen production engineering designs.

A robust viscoelastic surfactant tolerating 20% HCl up to 150℃ for oil well stimulation

Viscoelastic surfactants(VES)are often used as viscous diverters in acidizing stimulation to prolong the acid consumption time and maximize zonal coverage of the acid for improving well productivity.However,the ceiling temperature of commercial VES cannot exceed 120℃in practical use because of the poor thermal stability and fragile molecular structure,hindering their implementation in hightemperature oil reservoirs,i.e.,≥150℃.Here we synthesized a novel C22-tailed diamine,N-erucaminopropyl-N,N-dimethylamine(EDPA),and examined comparatively its rheological behavior,assemblies morphology and molecular stability in 20 wt%HCl with a commercial VES,erucyl dimethyl amidopropyl betaine(EDAB).The feasibility of EDPA for acidizing stimulation was assessed by acid etching of carbonate rock with its HCl solution at 150℃.Rheological results showed that the 2.5 wt%EDPA—20 wt%HCl solution maintains stable viscosity of 90 m Pa s at 150℃for 60 min,while that of 2.0 wt%EDAB HCl solution is just 1 m Pa s under identical conditions.1H NMR spectra and cryo-TEM observations revealed that the chemical structure and self-assembled architectures of EDPA remained intact in such context,but the EDAB suffered from degradation due to the hydrolysis of the amide group,accounting for the poor heat-resistance and acid-tolerance.The reaction rate of 2.5 wt%EDPA HCl solution with carbonate rock was one order of magnitude lower than that of 20 wt%HCl solution at 150℃,underpinning the potential of EDPA to be used in the high-temperature reservoirs acidizing.This work improved the thermal tolerance of VES in highly concentrated HCl solution,paving a feasible way for the acidization of high-temperature reservoir environments(~150℃).

Effect of carbon material and surfactant on ink property and resulting surface cracks of fuel-cell microporous layers

Ensuring the consistency of electrode structure in proton-exchange-membrane fuel cells is highly desired yet challenging because of wide-existing and unguided cracks in the microporous layer(MPL). The first thing is to evaluate the homogeneity of MPL with cracks quantitatively. This paper proposes the homogeneity index of a full-scale MPL with an area of 50 cm~2, which is yet to be reported in the literature to our knowledge. Besides, the effects of the carbon material and surfactant on the ink and resulting MPL structure have been studied. The ink with a high network development degree produces an MPL with low crack density, but the ink with high PDI produces an MPL with low crack homogeneity. The polarity of the surfactant and the non-polarity of polytetrafluoroethylene(PTFE) are not mutually soluble,resulting in the heterogeneous PTFE distribution. The findings of this study provide guidelines for MPL fabrication.

The Meeting Points a New Way out for Surfactant Industrial Chain

In March 2024,a large batch of people along the surfactant industrial chain attended the“2024 Chinese Surfactant Industrial Meeting”,also the 2024(The 2nd)Chinese International Surfactant Industrial Expo held between March 25 and March 28,so as to explore new possibilities in the industry.This event was hosted by China Research Institute of Daily Chemical Industry and National Engineering Research Center for Surfactant(NERCS)and organized by Productivity Promotion Centre for the Surfactant and Detergent Industry and China Daily chemical Industry Information Center,with the special support by China Quality Mark Certification Group.

Effects of pulmonary surfactant combined with noninvasive positive pressure ventilation in neonates with respiratory distress syndrome

BACKGROUND Neonatal respiratory distress syndrome(NRDS)is one of the most common diseases in neonatal intensive care units,with an incidence rate of about 7%among infants.Additionally,it is a leading cause of neonatal death in hospitals in China.The main mechanism of the disease is hypoxemia and hypercapnia caused by lack of surfactant AIM To explore the effect of pulmonary surfactant(PS)combined with noninvasive positive pressure ventilation on keratin-14(KRT-14)and endothelin-1(ET-1)levels in peripheral blood and the effectiveness in treating NRDS.METHODS Altogether 137 neonates with respiratory distress syndrome treated in our hospital from April 2019 to July 2021 were included.Of these,64 control cases were treated with noninvasive positive pressure ventilation and 73 observation cases were treated with PS combined with noninvasive positive pressure ventilation.The expression of KRT-14 and ET-1 in the two groups was compared.The deaths,complications,and PaO_(2),PaCO_(2),and PaO_(2)/FiO_(2)blood gas indexes in the two groups were compared.Receiver operating characteristic curve(ROC)analysis was used to determine the diagnostic value of KRT-14 and ET-1 in the treatment of NRDS.RESULTS The observation group had a significantly higher effectiveness rate than the control group.There was no significant difference between the two groups in terms of neonatal mortality and adverse reactions,such as bronchial dysplasia,cyanosis,and shortness of breath.After treatment,the levels of PaO_(2)and PaO_(2)/FiO_(2)in both groups were significantly higher than before treatment,while the level of PaCO_(2)was significantly lower.After treatment,the observation group had significantly higher levels of PaO_(2)and PaO_(2)/FiO_(2)than the control group,while PaCO_(2)was notably lower in the observation group.After treatment,the KRT-14 and ET-1 levels in both groups were significantly decreased compared with the pre-treatment levels.The observation group had a reduction of KRT-14 and ET-1 levels than the control group.ROC curve analysis showed that the area under the curve(AUC)of KRT-14 was 0.791,and the AUC of ET-1 was 0.816.CONCLUSION Combining PS with noninvasive positive pressure ventilation significantly improved the effectiveness of NRDS therapy.KRT-14 and ET-1 levels may have potential as therapeutic and diagnostic indicators.

Simultaneous Adsorption of Aqueous Pb2+, Cu2+, Zn2+, and Cd2+ Using Surfactant-Modified and Unmodified Activated Carbon in a Fixed Bed Column

The goal of this work is to improve the simultaneous removal of Pb2+, Cu2+, Zn2+, and Cd2+ ions from synthetic wastewater in a fixed bed column by incorporating sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) onto the surface of activated carbon made from coconut shells. The activated carbons were characterized using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and scanning electron microscopy-energy dispersive x-ray (SEM-EDX). The adsorption column dynamics were studied by varying the flow rates (5, 10 and 15 mL/min), bed heights (10, 15 and 20 cm), and initial concentrations (50, 150, and 250 mg/L). The activated carbon has a pore volume of 0.715 cm3/g and a BET-specific surface area of 1410 m2/g. Sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) surfactant incorporation onto the surface of the activated carbon enhances its capacity for simultaneous adsorption of Pb2+, Cu2+, Zn2+, and Cd2+ from the aqueous medium. The affinity of the heavy metals to both unmodified (AC) and modified (AC-SDS) activated carbons followed the order of Pb2+ > Cu2+ > Zn2+ > Cd2+. The dynamic adsorption of the column depends on the flow rate, bed height, initial metal concentration, and SDS surface modification. With a 5 mL/min flow rate, a 20 cm bed height, and a 50 mg/L initial metal concentration, a maximum break-through time of 150 minutes for the unmodified activated carbon (AC) and 180 minutes for the SDS-modified activated carbon (AC-SDS) was reached.

Comparative studies on flotation of aluminosilicate minerals with Gemini cationic surfactants BDDA and EDDA

Gemini quaternary ammonium salt surfactants, butane-a, co-bis（dimethyl dodeculammonium bromide） （BDDA） ethane-a, fl-bis（dimethyl dodeculammonium bromide） （EDDA） were adopted to comparatively study the flotation behaviors of kaolinite, pyrophyllite and illite. It was found that three silicate minerals all exhibited good floatability with Gemini cationic surfactants as collectors over a wide pH range, while BDDA showed a stronger collecting power than EDDA. FTIR spectra and zeta potential analysis indicated that the mechanism of adsorption of Gemini collector molecules on three silicate minerals surfaces was almost identical for the electronic attraction and hydrogen bonds effect. The theoretically obtained results of density functional theory （DFT） at B3LYP/6-31G （d） level demonstrated the stronger collecting power of BDDA presented in the floatation test and zeta potential measurement.

Study on Enhancement of PCBs Desorption in Soil by Surfactants

[Objective]The aim of this paper was to provide theoretical basis for study on enhancement of surfactants to desorption of PCBs from soil. [Method]The desorption effects of surfactants SDBs,Tween 80,HTAB on PCBs were studied as well as their distribution in water and soil. Effects of rationing on desorption of PCBs were also analyzed. [Result]The potential of single surfactant to enhance the desorption of PCBs from soil in order was Tween 80 SDBS HTAB. Three surfactants were largely adsorbed on soil and the sorption followed HTABTween 80SDBS. The desorption of PCBs increased significantly and linearly with the increase of aqueous micelle concentration of surfactants. [Conclusion]Enhancing effect of three surfactants on PCBs desorption were obtained,which will provide theoretical basis for further analyzing.

Effect of surfactants on dispersion property and morphology of nano-sized nickel powders

Fine face-centered cubic (FCC) nickel powders were synthesized by liquid phase reduction with different surfactants. The products were investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), laser particle size analyzer and X-ray powder diffraction (XRD). The results indicate that the type, dosage and relative molecular mass of surfactants significantly impact the purity, dispersion property, particle size, size distribution and morphology of the products. The nonionic surfactants poly ethylene glycol (PEG) and polyethylene glycol sorbitan monostearate (Tween) showed better dispersing ability in the reaction system than the others. The optimal mass ratios of surfactant to Ni are 100 mg/g and 150 mg/g for PEG-600 and Tween-40, respectively. The products obtained in the optimal conditions have ideal morphology and narrow size distribution. Moreover, study on the relative molecular mass effect revealed that with the increase of the relative molecular mass of Tween, the morphology of nickel powders changed from sphere to spiny ball.

The Influence of Surfactants on Chlorophyll Binding Status and Excitation Energy Transfer in Photosystem Ⅰ of Wheat

Surfactants are widely used in the purification and research of structure and function of the protein complexes in photosynthetic membrane. To elucidate the mechanism of interaction between surfactants and photosystem Ⅰ (PSⅠ), effects of two typical surfactants, Triton X_100 and sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) on PSⅠ, were studied at different concentrations. The results were: SDS led to the reduction of apparent absorption intensity and blue shift of absorption peaks; while Triton X_100 led to the decrease of apparent absorption intensity in red region and blue shift of the peak, but to the increase of apparent absorption intensity in blue region. The fourth derivative spectra show that the longwavelength (669 nm and 683 nm) absorbing chlorophyll a was affected greatly and their relative changes of absorbance were axially symmetrical. The presence of surfactant could make the long wavelength fluorescence emission decrease greatly and a new fluorescence peak appeared around 680 nm, it was obvious that the surfactant interceded the transfer of excitation energy from antenna pigments to reaction center. The surfactants might affect the microenvironment of proteins, even the structure of PSⅠ protein subunits and hence changed the binding status of pigments with protein subunits, or the pigments might be released from the subunits. All of these might affect the absorption and the transfer of excitation energy.

Explanatory System of Support Vector Regression and Its Application in QSPR of Surfactants

In order to solve the problem of poor interpretability of support vector re- gression （SVR） applied in quantitative structure-property relationship （QSPR）, a com- plete set of explanatory system for SVR was established based on F-test, The nov- el explanatory system includes significance tests of model and single-descriptor im- portance, single-descriptor effect and sensitivity analysis, and significance tests of interaction between two descriptors, etc. The results of example indicated that the explanatory results of the new system were consistent well with those of stepwise linear regression model and quadratic polynomial stepwise regression model. The explanatory SVR model will play an important role in regression analysis such as QSPR.

Synthesis and Surface Activity of Heterogemini Imidazolium Surfactants

A series of heterogemini imidazolium surfactants with two-methylene spacer groups （[Cm- 2-Cnim]Br2, m, n=8, 10, 12, 14, 16; m≠n） have been synthesized and characterized by 1H NMR and ESI-MS spectroscopy. The effects of various reaction parameters, including stoichiometry, reaction temperature and time, were investigated. In addition, the surface activity study about heterogemini imidazolium surfactants was carried out and the influences of dissymmetric degree on the surface properties were also discussed.