Tetraoctylammonium cation forms a room-temperature molten salt (RTMS) with 2,4,6-trinitrophenolate anion. The RTMS is immiscible with water (W) and forms a stable RTMS/W interface. It has been shown that the RTMS/W interface can be electrochemically polarized. A well-defined voltammetric wave due to the transfer of thiocyanate ion across the RTMS/W interface was observed within the potential wi...

We report an optical and atomic force microscopic (AFM) study of interactions between weakly charged silica spheres at a water-air interface. Attractive interactions are observed at intermediate interparticle distances and the amplitude of the attraction increases with the amount of salt (NaCl) added into the water phase. AFM images obtained in the salty water show the formation of patchy charg...

The interface-selective second harmonic generation (SHG) nonlinear optical spectroscopy and the surface tension method have been used to measure the effect of electrolyte on the adsorption isotherm of 4-hydroxyacetophenone (4-HA) at the air-solution interface. It was observed that high NaCl concentration favors adsorption of organic molecules to the air-solution interface. Measurements of the p...

It is well understood that the adsorption of solutes at the interface between a bulk liquid crystal phase and an aqueous phase can lead to orientational or anchoring transitions. A different principle is introduced here, whereby a transient reorientation of a thermotropic liquid crystal is triggered by a spontaneous flux of water across the interface. A critical water flux can be generated by t...

The present study demonstrates a methodology for optimization of environmental data acquisition. Based on the premise that the worth of data increases in proportion to its ability to reduce the uncertainty of key model predictions, the methodology can be used to compare the worth of different data types, gathered at different locations within study areas of arbitrary complexity. The method is a...