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Rational design of monolayers for improved water evaporation mitigation

journal contribution
posted on 2012-12-05, 00:00 authored by Emma PrimeEmma Prime, D N H Tran, M Plazzer, D Sunartio, A H M Leung, G Yiapanis, S Baoukina, I Yarovsky, G G Qiao, D H Solomon
Seven chemically designed monolayer compounds were synthesized and investigated with comparison to the properties and water evaporation suppression ability of 1-hexadecanol and 1-octadecanol. Increasing the molecular weight and polarity of the compound headgroup drastically altered the characteristics and performance of the monolayer at the air/water interface. Contrary to the common expectation the monolayer's lifetime on the water surface decreased with increasing number of ethylene oxy moieties, thus optimal performance for water evaporation suppression was achieved when only one ethylene oxy moiety was used. Replacing the hydroxyl headgroup with a methyl group and with multiple ethylene oxy moieties resulted in a loss of suppression capability, while an additional hydroxyl group provided a molecule with limited performance against water evaporation. Theoretical molecular simulation demonstrated that for exceptional performance, a candidate needs to possess a high equilibrium spreading pressure, the ability to sustain a highly ordered monolayer with a stable isotherm curve, and low tilt angle over the full studied range of surface pressures by simultaneously maintaining H-bonding to the water surface and between the monolayer chains.

History

Journal

Colloids and surfaces A: physicochemical and engineering aspects

Volume

415

Pagination

47 - 58

Publisher

Elsevier

Location

Amsterdam, The Netherlands

ISSN

0927-7757

eISSN

1873-4359

Language

eng

Publication classification

C Journal article; C1.1 Refereed article in a scholarly journal

Copyright notice

2012, Elsevier