Fundamental Investigation of Micelles and Microemulsions in Supercritical Fluids.

摘要

The goal of this 3-year program has been to characterize the physicochemical properties of microemulsions formed in supercritical fluids so as to determine their potential relevance to Army applications. Included in this program has been an investigation of extraction processes utilizing microemulsions formed in supercritical fluids. Supercritical fluid microemulsions may ultimately be applied to a range of problems involving waste disposal, decontamination technologies, solute extractions and chemical reaction processes. This program has involved two related major activities; (1) exploration of selected ternary and quaternary systems composed of surfactant (and possibly a co-surfactant), water and supercritical fluids to characterize their physicochemical properties using analytical methods such as conductivity, quasi-elastic light scattering (QLS) and the UV-visible and FTIR spectroscopy of probe molecules within the microemulsion; and (2) study of the properties of microemulsions formed in supercritical fluids relevant to the enhancement of extraction and reaction rates.