| Wed November 8th 2017 16:00 – 16:35 ZH286 | Seminar | Fundamental Understanding of the Interfacial Phenomena Involved in the Catalysis at the Water-Oil Interface of Nanoparticles-Stabilized Emulsions Jimmy Faria Albanese |
Details:The development of reactive-separation processes in which products are separated from the reaction media (i.e. reactants and catalysts) in a single reaction unit is prized by energy and chemicals industries for its simplicity and novelty. One example of this is the oxidation of hydrocarbons using aqueous soluble reagents in a bi-phasic (i.e. organic-aqueous reactor). The challenge in these processes is to how to maximise the contact between molecules dissolved in two different phases. To tackle this problem, we have developed a unique family catalytic nanoparticles that can simultaneously stabilise water-oil emulsions and perform selectively chemical reactions ate the liquid-liquid interface, which offers a number of advantages, including; a) increased water-oil interfacial area, b) enhanced mass transfer of molecules between the two phases, c) simplified reaction/separation process by using a recoverable solid catalyst, and d) effective separation of products from the reaction mixture by differences in the water/oil solubility (avoiding heating that leads to product decomposition). In this system, fine control of the wettability and nature of the particles is essential to guarantee the proper emulsion type (i.e. water-in-oil or oil-in-water), droplet size, emulsion fraction, and stability. In this seminar, we will discuss the influence of the surface physico-chemical properties on the emulsion properties and how this knowledge can be leveraged to improve complex catalytic processes. | ||
