| 1. |
- Nordin, Matias, 1981, et al.
(författare)
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Estimation of mass thickness response of embedded aggregated silica nanospheres from high angle annular dark-field scanning transmission electron micrographs
- 2014
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Ingår i: Journal of Microscopy. - : Wiley. - 0022-2720 .- 1365-2818. ; 253:2, s. 166-170
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- In this study, we investigate the functional behaviour of the intensity in high-angle annular dark field scanning transmission electron micrograph images. The model material is a silica particle (20 nm) gel at 5 wt%. By assuming that the intensity response is monotonically increasing with increasing mass thickness of silica, an estimate of the functional form is calculated using a maximum likelihood approach. We conclude that a linear functional form of the intensity provides a fair estimate but that a power function is significantly better for estimating the amount of silica in the z-direction. The work adds to the development of quantifying material properties from electron micrographs, especially in the field of tomography methods and three-dimensional quantitative structural characterization from a scanning transmission electron micrograph. It also provides means for direct three-dimensional quantitative structural characterization from a scanning transmission electron micrograph.
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| 2. |
- Hamngren Blomqvist, Charlotte, 1984, et al.
(författare)
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Pore size effects on convective flow and diffusion through nanoporous silica gels
- 2015
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Ingår i: Colloids and Surfaces A: Physicochemical and Engineering Aspects. - : Elsevier BV. - 0927-7757 .- 1873-4359. ; 484, s. 288-296
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Material structure has great impact on mass transport properties, a relationship that needs to be understood on several length scales. Describing and controlling the properties of flow through soft materials are both challenges concerning the industrial use of gel structures. This paper reports on how the porous structure in nanoporous materials affects the water transport through them. We used three different silica gels with large differences in the pore sizes but of equal silica concentration. Particle morphology and gel structure were studied using high-resolution transmission electron microscopy and image analysis to estimate the pore size distribution and intrinsic surface area of each gel. The mass transport was studied using a flow measurement setup and nuclear magnetic resonance diffusometry. The average pore size ranged from approximately 500. nm down to approximately 40. nm. An acknowledged limit for convective flow to occur is in the pore size range between 100 and 200. nm. The results verified the existence of a non-linear relationship between pore size and liquid flow at length scales below 500. nm, experimentally. A factor of 4.3 in flow speed separated the coarser gel from the other two, which presented almost identical flow speed data despite a factor 3 in pore size difference. In the setup, the mass transport in the gel with the largest pores was flow dominated, while the mass transport in the finer gels was diffusion dominated. Besides providing new insights into mass transport as a function of pore sizes, we conclude that three-dimensional analysis of the structures is needed for a comprehensive understanding of the correlation between structure and mass transport properties.
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| 3. |
- Häbel, Henrike, 1987, et al.
(författare)
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From static micrographs to particle aggregation dynamics in three dimensions
- 2016
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Ingår i: Journal of Microscopy. - : Wiley. - 1365-2818 .- 0022-2720. ; 262:1, s. 102-111
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Studies on colloidal aggregation have brought forth theories on stability of colloidal gels and models for aggregation dynamics. Still, a complete link between developed frameworks and obtained laboratory observations has to be found. In this work, aggregates of silica nanoparticles (20 nm) are studied using diffusion limited cluster aggregation (DLCA) and reaction limited cluster aggregation (RLCA) models. These processes are driven by the probability of particles to aggregate upon collision. This probability of aggregation is one in the DLCA and close to zero in the RLCA process. We show how to study the probability of aggregation from static micrographs on the example of a silica nanoparticle gel at 9 wt%. The analysis includes common summary functions from spatial statistics, namely the empty space function and Ripley's K-function, as well as two newly developed summary functions for cluster analysis based on graph theory. One of the new cluster analysis functions is related to the clustering coefficient in communication networks and the other to the size of a cluster. All four topological summary statistics are used to quantitatively compare in plots and in a least-square approach experimental data to cluster aggregation simulations with decreasing probabilities of aggregation. We study scanning transmission electron micrographs and utilize the intensity - mass thickness relation present in such images to create comparable micrographs from three-dimensional simulations. Finally, a characterization of colloidal silica aggregates and simulated structures is obtained, which allows for an evaluation of the cluster aggregation process for different aggregation scenarios. As a result, we find that the RLCA process fits the experimental data better than the DLCA process.
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| 4. |
- MacGregor-Ramiasa, M., et al.
(författare)
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Magnetic alignment of nontronite dispersions
- 2015
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Ingår i: Applied Clay Science. - : Elsevier BV. - 0169-1317. ; 116-117, s. 167-174
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The time dependent alignment of exfoliated nontronite dispersions subjected to moderate magnetic field strengths (B.
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| 5. |
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| 6. |
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| 7. |
- Abrahamsson, Christoffer, 1984, et al.
(författare)
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Magnetic orientation of nontronite clay in aqueous dispersions and its effect on water diffusion
- 2015
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Ingår i: Journal of Colloid and Interface Science. - : Elsevier BV. - 0021-9797 .- 1095-7103. ; 437, s. 205-210
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The diffusion rate of water in dilute clay dispersions depends on particle concentration, size, shape, aggregation and water-particle interactions. As nontronite clay particles magnetically align parallel to the magnetic field, directional self-diffusion anisotropy can be created within such dispersion. Here we study water diffusion in exfoliated nontronite clay dispersions by diffusion NMR and time-dependant 1H-NMR-imaging profiles. The dispersion clay concentration was varied between 0.3 and 0.7 vol%. After magnetic alignment of the clay particles in these dispersions a maximum difference of 20% was measured between the parallel and perpendicular self-diffusion coefficients in the dispersion with 0.7 vol% clay. A method was developed to measure water diffusion within the dispersion in the absence of a magnetic field (random clay orientation) as this is not possible with standard diffusion NMR. However, no significant difference in self-diffusion coefficient between random and aligned dispersions could be observed.
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| 8. |
- Abrahamsson, Christoffer, 1984, et al.
(författare)
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Magnetically induced structural anisotropy in binary colloidal gels and its effect on diffusion and pressure driven permeability
- 2014
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Ingår i: Soft Matter. - 1744-683X .- 1744-6848. ; 10:24, s. 4403-4412
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We report on the synthesis, microstructure and mass transport properties of a colloidal hydrogel selfassembled from a mixture of colloidal silica and nontronite clay plates at different particle concentrations. The gel-structure had uniaxial long-range anisotropy caused by alignment of the clay particles in a strong external magnetic field. After gelation the colloidal silica covered the clay particle network, fixing the orientation of the clay plates. Comparing gels with a clay concentration between 0 and 0.7 vol%, the magnetically oriented gels had a maximum water permeability and self-diffusion coefficient at 0.3 and 0.7 vol% clay, respectively. Hence the specific clay concentration resulting in the highest liquid flux was pressure dependent. This study gives new insight into the effect of anisotropy, particle concentration and bound water on mass transport properties in nano/microporous materials. Such findings merit consideration when designing porous composite materials for use in for example fuel cell, chromatography and membrane technology.
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| 9. |
- Abrahamsson, Christoffer, 1984
(författare)
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Microstructure and liquid mass transport control in nanocomposite materials
- 2015
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Some of the biggest problems currently facing the world are closely tied to unsolved technological challenges in the material sciences. Many materials have a porous microstructure that controls their overall properties. In the case of porous materials their properties often relate to how liquids and dissolved substances move (liquid mass transport) through the pores of the material and how these substances interact with the pore walls. Challenges related to such processes can be found in applications related to energy storage, oil well engineering, food, chromatography, and drug release. It is not a trivial matter to design a material synthesis method that reproducibly produces a robust material with the correct pore-structure and surface properties and in the end, the intended function. An added difficulty is that the material should maintain its function over the intended usage period. These generic difficulties summarizes why some technological problems related to porous materials still remains unsolved. The research community is therefore trying to acquire a better understanding of the mechanisms that governs how the synthesis process affects the microstructure and the resultant liquid mass transport properties.The focus of this work has been to investigate the nanoparticle organization in dispersions and in aggregated microporous materials, and how this organization affects the liquid diffusion and permeability through the material. To study these processes several model material synthesis methods, characterization techniques, and theoretical models were developed. Specifically the work investigated how the particle concentration, shape and aggregation conditions affected the formed microstructure. The role of microstructure anisotropy was investigated by aligning plate-shaped particles in magnetic fields during the material synthesis. In addition, the effect of several different additives on the magnetic alignment process was explored. Furthermore, a responsive nanocomposite material was synthesized in which temperature could be used to reversibly adjust the pore size of the material. The findings showed that particle concentration, aggregation conditions, magnetic fields and temperature responsive microgels can be used to control the liquid mass transport through colloidal dispersions and gels. In some cases the experimental results together with simulations were used to derive microstructure and mass transport correlations for different particle aggregation conditions. These correlations are of general application when predicting the pore size and liquid mass transport in aggregated nanoparticle materials.
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| 10. |
- Andersson Trojer, Markus, 1981, et al.
(författare)
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Charged microcapsules for controlled release of hydrophobic actives. Part 1: encapsulation methodology and interfacial properties
- 2013
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Ingår i: Soft Matter. - : Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC). - 1744-6848 .- 1744-683X. ; 9:5, s. 1468-1477
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Highly charged microcapsules have been prepared using the internal phase separation technique. The charges are introduced by using ionic dispersants, which have been characterized with respect to surface activity with a quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation monitoring and with optical tensiometry. The long-term stability of the microcapsule suspension without excess dispersant, as well as the stability at high ionic strength, have been investigated. Three types of ionic dispersants have been evaluated: a weak polyacid (poly(methacrylic acid)), a small set of ionic amphiphilic block copolymers of poly(methyl methacrylate)-block-poly(sodium (meth) acrylate) type and an oil-soluble anionic surfactant, sodium 1,5-dioxo-1,5-bis(3,5,5-trimethylhexyloxy)-3-((3,5,5-trimethylhexyloxy)carbonyl)pentane-2-sulfonate, in combination with a water-soluble polycation, poly(diallyldimethylammonium chloride). The block copolymer based microcapsule suspension is characterized by a long-term stability, even at high ionic strength, provided by electrostatic and steric stabilization. The weak polyacid based microcapsule suspension is stable for a few weeks, after which aggregation starts due to desorption of the dispersant. The surfactant-polycation based microcapsules appear to have a multicore morphology in contrast to the weak polyacid or block copolymer based microcapsules, which are core-shell particles.
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