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Updated: Aug 26, 2026

Advances in Nanoscale Infrared Spectroscopy to Explore Multiphase Polymeric Systems
Published on: June 23, 2023
Characterization of fractionated asphaltenes by UV-vis and NMR self-diffusion spectroscopy
Jenny-Ann Ostlund1, Piyarat Wattana, Magnus Nydén
1Department of Material and Surgace Chemistry, Chalmers University of Technology, 412 96 Göteborg, Sweden. jao@chem.chalmers.se
Abstract:
Asphaltenes have been fractionated by liquid/liquid extraction, yielding four subfractions. The characteristics of fractionated asphaltenes were studied with respect to solubility, aromaticity, heteroatom content, and diffusion behavior. It was observed that asphaltenes from the four subfractions showed variations in their tendency to flocculate and also distinct differences in aromaticity. Furthermore, NMR self-diffusion studies showed that the average diffusion coefficients varied for asphaltenes from the different subfractions. The results suggest a variation in average size and stability between asphaltenes, depending on what subfraction they belong to. The subfraction that consisted of asphaltenes with the largest average size and the highest aromaticity was also found to contain the asphaltenes that had the strongest tendency to flocculate.
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