Dynamic diffusive interfacial transport (D-DIT): A novel quantitative swelling technique for developing binary phase...

Area of Science:

• Physical chemistry
• Materials science
• Chemical engineering

Background:

• Traditional surfactant phase diagram development is slow and doesn't capture dynamic phase changes.
• Understanding dynamic phase behavior is critical for optimizing surfactant formulations and processes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present a novel quantitative swelling technique for studying dynamic surfactant phase behavior.
• To enable high-throughput, in situ analysis of phase evolution and water composition.
• To facilitate the development of non-equilibrium surfactant phase diagrams.

Main Methods:

• A quantitative swelling instrument combining cross-polarized optical and short-wave infrared imaging.
• In situ monitoring of phase identification and water composition.
• Analysis of a binary aqueous non-ionic surfactant solution across the full composition spectrum at two isotherms.

Main Results:

• Demonstrated high-resolution, high-throughput capability for dynamic phase analysis.
• Collected comprehensive data on phase evolution and dynamics for a non-ionic surfactant system.
• Validated the technique's ability to study time-dependent material behaviors.

Conclusions:

• The developed technique offers a pathway to create non-equilibrium phase diagrams for surfactant systems.
• This method is vital for predicting outcomes in formulation and processing.
• The instrument has broad applicability for studying time-dependent material relationships in various processes.