A novel dianionic surfactant from the reaction of C14-alkenylsuccinic anhydride with sodium isethionate

A novel derivative of alkenylsuccinic anhydride has been developed. When the anhydride is opened with sodium isethionate, a difunctional surfactant, alkenyl carboxysulfonate (ACS), is produced. This product has a unique combination of properties: moderate foaming, effective detergency, as well as the capability to function as a hydrotrope and as a co-builder in formulated cleaning systems. This paper briefly reviews some past studies with ACS. The utility of ACS in hard-surface cleaning is also examined, especially the capacity of this molecule to act both as a low-streaking surfactant and a hydrotrope. This combined function should allow formulators to diminish or eliminate volatile solvents in a variety of cleaning products. ACS has shown merit as an agent to reduce soil redeposition in three different heavy-duty liquid formulations. Additionally, heavy-duty liquid detergents containing ACS can be formulated to high surfactant and organic builder levels. Presented at the 84th AOCS Annual Meeting, April 1993, in Anaheim, California.     

Optimization of nonionic/anionic surfactant blends for enhanced oily soil removal

Previously reported results for alcohol ethoxylate surfactants have shown that optimum removal of both nonpolar and sebum- like liquid soils from polyester/cotton fabric occurs at the phase inversion temperature (PIT) of the surfactant- water- soil system. A similar correlation between phase inversion and optimum detergency has been identified for detergent systems containing mixtures of nonionic and anionic surfactants such as alcohol ethoxylates and alcohol ethoxysulfates. Experimental techniques other than direct detergency studies are described which allow determination of the optimum nonionic/ anionic surfactant ratio for removal of a particular soil at a specified temperature. In addition, implications of these results for development of temperature- insensitive detergent formulations containing alcohol ethoxylates are discussed.     

A plea and a plan for replication.

Suggests that research publication norms, emphasizing "significant results" in conjunction with academia's use of publication credits as an index of the professional worth of faculty members, have contributed to the dearth of replication studies despite the importance of such research. Psychology departments should encourage replication studies by master's candidates. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Airborne SAR observations of ocean surface waves penetratingfloating ice

The results are presented for a new and improved procedure for estimating the synthetic-aperture radar (SAR) image spectrum of ocean waves. This procedure, the spectral-sum method, involves summing individual image spectra derived from each of the looks of a multilook set. An automatic registration of the per-look spectral information is achieved, accounting for subimage look misregistration due to the wave propagation between looks. Spectral-sum processing is compared with traditional look-sum processing as a function of the radar slant-range. Spectral-sum processing is applied to SAR imagery of waves penetrating the marginal ice zone     

Effect of density variation and non-covalent functionalization on the compressive behavior of carbon nanotube arrays

Arrays of aligned carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have been proposed for different applications, including electrochemical energy storage and shock-absorbing materials. Understanding their mechanical response, in relation to their structural characteristics, is important for tailoring the synthesis method to the different operational conditions of the material. In this paper, we grow vertically aligned CNT arrays using a thermal chemical vapor deposition system, and we study the effects of precursor flow on the structural and mechanical properties of the CNT arrays. We show that the CNT growth process is inhomogeneous along the direction of the precursor flow, resulting in varying bulk density at different points on the growth substrate. We also study the effects of non-covalent functionalization of the CNTs after growth, using surfactant and nanoparticles, to vary the effective bulk density and structural arrangement of the arrays. We find that the stiffness and peak stress of the materials increase approximately linearly with increasing bulk density.