2014 We describe a method for the measurement of interfacial tensions in the millidyne/cm range by measuring the diffuse part of the total internally reflected light produced when the interfaces are illuminated close to the critical angle. This method has been used to measure the optimal interfacial tension in toluene-brine microemulsions in simultaneous equilibrium with the oil and aqueous pha...

Self-motion of physical-chemical systems is a promising avenue for studying and developing mechanical functions with inanimate systems. In this paper, we investigate spontaneous motion of collections of solid macroscopic benzoquinone (BQ) disks at the air-water interface without intervention of chemical reactions. The BQ particles slowly dissolve and create heterogeneous interfacial tension fie...

The electrochemical activities of PbO(2) thin-film electrodes were systematically studied with an oxygen-transfer reaction, i.e., the oxidation of thiourea. Five different types of PbO(2) film electrodes were prepared using various methods to investigate the influence of the interfacial oxide layer formed between the Ti substrate and the PbO(2) layer contacting the electrolyte. Among the electr...

Acidic phospholipase A2 (PLA2) from the venom of Chinese cobra (Naja naja atra) has high activity on zwitterionic membranes and contains six aromatic residues, including Tyr-3, Trp-18, Trp-19, Trp-61, Phe-64, and Tyr-110, on its putative interfacial binding surface. To assess the roles of these aromatic residues in the interfacial catalysis of N. n. atra PLA2, we mutated them to Ala and measure...

A principal conclusion drawn from observations of time- and concentration-dependent liquid-vapor (LV) interfacial tension gamma(lv) of a diverse selection of proteins ranging from albumin to ubiquitin spanning nearly three decades in molecular weight (MW) is that concentration scaling substantially alters perception of protein interfacial activity as measured by reduction in gamma(lv). Proteins...

Turbine oil plays an important role in supporting optimal steam turbine performance. Some additives in turbine oil can cause emulsification when the oil is contaminated by water, so demulsibility is a very important property of the steam turbine oil. In order to improve the demulsibility of steam turbine oil, two kinds of polyether-silicone comb copolymers are synthesized and used as steam turb...

Interfacial nanodroplets were grafted to the surfaces of self-sacrificed template particles in a galvanic reaction system to assist the construction of 3D Au porous structures. The interfacial nanodroplets were formed via direct adsorption of surfactant-free emulsions onto the particle surfaces. The interfacial nanodroplets discretely distributed at the template particle surfaces and served as ...

Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) have been studied for three decades, and yet a molecular understanding of their mechanism of action is still lacking. Here we summarize current knowledge for both synthetic vesicle experiments and microbe experiments, with a focus on comparisons between the two. Microbial experiments are done at peptide to lipid ratios that are at least 4 orders of magnitude higher...

A comprehensive model has been developed for calculating the interfacial tension (σ) in liquid−liquid systems with or without electrolyte components. The model consists of an equation for computing the interfacial tension of two-liquidphase nonelectrolyte systems and an expression for the effect of the electrolyte concentration. The dependence of the interfacial tension on the electrolyte conce...

Since the discovery of microemulsions, they have attained increasing significance both in basic research and in industry. Due to their unique properties, namely, ultralow interfacial tension, large interfacial area, thermodynamic stability and the ability to solubilize otherwise immiscible liquids, uses and applications of microemulsions have been numerous. The objective of this review is to pr...