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Previously, surfactant-assisted exfoliated graphene oxide (sEGO) formed with the triple-chain surfactant TC14 (sodium 1,4-bis(neopentyloxy)-3-(neopentylcarbonyl)-1,4-dioxobutane-2-sulfonate) was applied in wastewater treatment. The extent of dye-removal and the adsorption capacity of the sEGO formed with this triple-chain surfactant outperformed those of two other systems, namely, the di-chain version of TC14 (AOT14; sodium 1,2-bis-(2,2-dimethyl-propoxycarbonyl)-ethanesulfonate) and the single-chain surfactant sodiumn-dodecylsulfate. In the present study, to further optimise the surfactant chemical structure, the sodium ion of TC14 was substituted with 1-butyl-3-methyl-imidazolium (BMIM) generating surfactant ionic liquids (SAILs; 1-butyl-3-imidazolium 1,4-bis(neopentyloxy)-3-(neopentyloxycarbonyl)-1,4-dioxobutane-2-sulfonate), hereafter denoted as BMIM-TC14. This SAIL, together with nanofibrillated kenaf cellulose (NFC), was used to electrochemically exfoliate graphite, yielding BMIM-.....

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A facile electrochemical exfoliation method was established to efficiently prepare conductive paper containing reduced graphene oxide (RGO) with the help of dodecyl anionic and cationic surfactant. For the first time the combination of ionic surfactants and cellulose was used to directly exfoliate graphite. A thorough investigation using electron microscopy and Raman spectroscopy highlights the presence of uniform graphene incorporated inside the matrix. Studies into aqueous aggregation behavior between graphene and cellulose and is responsible for the enhanced exfoliation level and stabilization of the resulting dispersion. Interestingly, the cationic surfactant DTAB proved to be more efficient for stabilization of RGO in nanofibrillated kenaf cellulose than the anionic SDS. The simple and feasible process for producing conductive paper here is attractive for the possibility of scaling-up this technique for mass production of conductive composite containing graphene or other.....

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In this work, electrochemically exfoliated graphene oxide-based photocatalyst was synthesised with the help of single- (sodium dodecyl sulphate; SDS) and triple-chain (sodium 1,4-bis(neopentyloxy)-3-(neopentylcarbonyl)-1,4-dioxobutane-2-sulfonate; TC14) anionic surfactants. The hybrid photocatalyst is a system consisting of surfactant-assisted electrochemically exfoliated graphene oxide (sEGO) and zinc oxide (ZnO). The system was prepared by exfoliating graphite in the presence of surfactant and ZnO, and it was used for the removal of methylene blue (MB) dye. Of these different surfactants, the triple-chain TC14 exhibited 98.53% MB removal, which was significantly higher than the system with SDS surfactant (50.94%) or ZnO alone (42.33%). Observations through field-emission scanning electron microscopy suggested an enhanced exfoliation degree upon increasing the number of surfactant chains. Results from zeta potential measurement also revealed increased system stability along with a hig.....

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In this study, durian shell-based activated carbon (DAC) was produced via chemical activation method by utilising durian shell and sulphuric acid (H2SO4) as the starting material and activating agent, respectively. The incorporation of H2SO4 in the DAC production process resulted an improvement in the surface properties and adsorption capacity of the produced DAC adsorbent. Field emission scanning electron microscopy analysis further showed that the produced DAC possessed a porous structure which was beneficial for dye adsorption application. Under operating conditions of 500°C and 3 hours carbonisation temperature and time, the Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) surface area, total pore volume and BET average pore diameter were measured to be 242.03 m2/g, 0.028 cm3/g and 2.28 nm, respectively. The adsorption performance of the produced DAC was then investigated using methylene blue (MB) as the model adsorbate. The optimum MB dye removal and adsorption capacity were found to be 92.05% a.....

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The development of scalable membrane-based separation processes has attracted considerable interest on laboratory and industrial scales. Polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) is one of the most widely used fluoropolymer materials for membrane fabrication due to its excellent mechanical strength, good thermal stability and chemical resistance as well as aging resistance. However, the hydrophobic nature of PVDF has resulted in serious membrane fouling during the filtration process. From the past decade, the embedment of hydrophilic materials in/on PVDF-based membranes can significantly alter the membrane’s morphology and surface properties. Therefore, based on most articles retrieved from Web of Science, Scopus, Google Scholar, etc., this article provides the overview of the recent development of PVDF-based membranes during the recent several decades. The detailed information regarding PVDF as a polymer material as well as the main challenge in the development of PVDF-based membranes with bet.....

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Earlier studies demonstrated the ability of some fluorinated surfactants to form rod-like reverse micelles with the ability to thicken water/supercritical CO2 (scCO2) mixtures at temperatures below 45 ºC [Langmuir 26 (2010) 83–88. Soft Matter 8 (2012) 7044–7055. Colloids and Surfaces B, 168 (2018), 201–210.]. Such viscosity enhancement of scCO2 is known to increase sweep efficiency for oil recovery with CO2 flooding. However, temperatures of up to ∼100 ºC in conventional reservoirs are much higher than those employed in laboratory studies, and tend to weaken inter- and intra-molecular interactions between surfactant molecules, discouraging rod-like reverse micelle formation. With the aim of designing surfactants which form rod-like reverse micelles and thicken CO2 at high temperatures, this study examined phase behavior, nanostructures of reverse micelles and thickening ability of double ω-hydroperfluorocarbon-tail anionic surfactants in W/scCO2 mixtures at temperatures of 3.....

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Biodiesel has become an alternative fuel to substitute conventional fuel, yet challenges remain, particularly concerning water content. The presence of water in biodiesel can negatively impact engine spray and combustion properties and may lead to damage storage tanks. To address this issue, a phase-shift-based capacitive sensor was developed in this study to accurately measure water concentration in biodiesel. The sensor, designed with a semicylindrical electrode on a glass tube, is integrated with a signal conditioning circuit and the Digilent Analog Discovery module, allowing for real-time data analysis and enhanced sensitivity in detecting low concentrations of water concentration in biodiesel. The experimental results demonstrated a direct correlation between capacitance values and phase shift, with higher capacitance leading to more significant phase shifts. A Bode plot and simulation analysis, utilizing the transfer function, validated these experimental conditions, confirming t.....

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