Volume 61, Issue 4

This review critically analyzes the incorporation of artificial intelligence (AI) in surface chemistry and catalysis to emphasize the revolutionary impact of AI techniques in this field. The current review examines various studies that using AI techniques, including machine learning (ML), deep learning (DL), and neural networks (NNs), in surface chemistry and catalysis. It reviews the literature on the application of AI models in predicting adsorption behaviours, analyzing spectroscopic data, and improving catalyst screening processes. It combines both theoretical and empirical studies to provide a comprehensive synthesis of the findings. It demonstrates that AI applications have made remarkable progress in predicting the properties of nanostructured catalysts, discovering new materials for energy conversion, and developing efficient bimetallic catalysts for CO 2 reduction. AI-based analyses, particularly using advanced NNs, have provided significant insights into the mechanisms and dynamics of catalytic reactions. It will be shown that AI plays a crucial role in surface chemistry and catalysis by significantly accelerating discovery and enhancing process optimization, resulting in enhanced efficiency and selectivity. This mini-review highlights the challenges of data quality, model interpretability, scalability, and ethical, and environmental concerns in AI-driven research. It highlights the importance of continued methodological advancements and responsible implementation of artificial intelligence in catalysis research.

Eco-friendly, biodegradable, microbially produced surfactants, known as biosurfactants, have been intensively studied for their ability as potential substitutes for their synthetic counterparts. Currently, the commercialization of biosurfactants compared to synthetic (chemical) surfactants remains an economic challenge due to high production costs and lower yields. This review details the challenges and better strategies for industrial scale-up of biosurfactant production and downstream processing techniques. An analysis of the use of low cost, renewable substrates, parameter optimization, strain improvement, bioreactor engineering is discussed. The role of various engineering factors that help in scale-up of biosurfactant production such as drag coefficient, Reynolds number, Enrichment ratio , Eӧtvӧs number have also been considered in this review article. The review article demonstrates the potential activity of integrated separation processes and applications of biosurfactants, bringing biosurfactants into mainstream commercialization.

Aqueous solutions of surfactants exhibit remarkable differences in their adsorption properties on metal surfaces. This study evaluates the adsorption of surfactant mixtures on zinc metal surfaces. The adsorption of single surfactants cocamidopropyl betaine (CAPB) and sodium dodecyl benzenesulfonate (SDBS) and their mixtures from aqueous solution at mole fractions of 0.00, 0.25, 0.50, 0.75 and 1.00 on zinc powder at 25 °C was studied. The surface tension of the single and CAPB/SDBS surfactant mixtures was measured in the presence and absence of 2 % zinc powder to determine the adsorption isotherms. The depletion method was employed to carry out the adsorption investigation. The amount of the surfactant adsorbed was also calculated from the shaded area between the surface tension versus concentration curves of these surfactants in the presence and absence of 2 % zinc powder. The highest adsorbed amounts were found to increase with the SDBS content. Furthermore, scanning electron microscope (SEM) images of zinc sheets in solutions containing single or mixed CAPB/SDBS surfactants were taken in the presence and absence of 0.05 M HCl. The micrographs indicated that the CAPB-SDBS surfactant layers formed by precipitation can protect zinc metal from acid corrosion.

Oily sludge is a complex system that is inevitably generated during the process of oil extracting and processing. It will cause serious environmental pollution and waste of resources if untreated sludge is discharged. In this paper, a composite emulsion cleaner based on modified graphite oxide and surfactants was developed for cleaning oily sludge. First, graphite oxide (GO) was functionally modified with butylamine, and its structures were verified by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray electron spectroscopy (XPS), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and environmental scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Then, the oil-in-water composite emulsion cleaner was prepared by using butylamine modified graphite oxide and surfactants. The conditions for emulsion preparation and oil sludge cleaning were modelled and optimized by the response surface methodology. The obtained optimal formulations were: surfactant content was 2.17 ‰ with SDS/AEO-3 ratio of 9:1, GO-A4 content was 0.96 ‰, water-oil ratio was 5:5, and the oil removal rate was 97.45 %. The optimal cleaning conditions were: liquid-solid ratio of 3.2:1, cleaning time of 32 min, cleaning temperature of 28.7 °C, and oil removal rate of 99.02 %. The solid sediments were characterized by FTIR and SEM, which proved the feasibility of cleaning oily sludge with the emulsion.

In this study, the interaction between a diester amide Gemini surfactant (C 12 –E 2 Ph–C 12 ) and the non-ionic polymer polyethylene glycol (PEG) with average molecular weights of 6000 g mol −1 and 10,000 g mol −1 was investigated using the surface tension method. The study showed no discernible interaction between them. Further examinations, using surface tension, micropolarity and turbidity methods were conducted to investigate the interaction between C 12 –E 2 Ph–C 12 and the anionic polymer sodium alginate (NaAlg). C 12 –E 2 Ph–C 12 and NaAlg molecules bind together to form aggregates with a pearl necklace-like structure, driven by electrostatic attraction. This interaction is evident in both the surface tension and micropolarity curves, where double plateaus appear. The inorganic salt NaCl exhibited a dual influence on the interaction between C 12 –E 2 Ph–C 12 and NaAlg, manifesting as either salt enhancement or reduction, depending on their competitive effects. Additionally, the dyeing performance of the different surfactants on two types of dyes was investigated using a colorimeter. C 12 –E 2 Ph–C 12 showed favorable effects on dyeing uniformity, color fastness, and improvement of hair tensile strength. Hair dyeing results were satisfactory when C 12 –E 2 Ph–C 12 was included as a uniform coloring agent and NaAlg was used as a thickening agent in the hair dye formulation.

This study investigated the influence of vitamin B7 (biotin) at different concentrations (0.1, 0.3 and 0.5) mM on the micellisation behaviour of three different ionic liquids with different cationic headgroups, namely N -methylmorpholinium bromide [Mor 1,12 ][Br], N -dodecyl- N -methylpyrrolidinium bromide [Pyrr 1,12 ][Br], and 1-dodecyl-3-methylimidazolium bromide [C 12 mim][Br], at four different temperatures (298.15, 303.15, 308.15, and 313.15) K using electrical conductivity and surface tension measurements. The evaluated CMC values for the studied system were used to obtain information about the colloidal behavior of the ionic liquids in the presence of biotin. The different thermodynamic parameters were studied. Tensiometry was used to determine the interfacial properties. The parameters obtained were used to study the different types of interactions for micelle formation. The main objective of studying these interactions is to further utilize this type of mixture in pharmaceutical industry, medicinal chemistry, and bio industry.

Dietary polyphenols from plant sources play an important role in the human diet. They have various biological effects, such as protein kinase inhibition, antibacterial, anticancer, antiulcer, antiarthritic, and anti-angiogenic properties. Among the various phenolic chemicals found in plants, resveratrol ( trans -3,5,4′-trihydroxystilbene) (RVT) is a non-flavonoid polyphenolic compound that has been extensively studied for its health-promoting advantages, including its anti-cancer, neuroprotective, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and cardio-protective activities. Considering its potential in pharmaceutical nanoformulations, a rapid, economical, sensitive, and robust UV spectrophotometric method was developed and validated. The proposed method was developed in phosphate buffer at pH 7.4 to estimate the RVT content in the pharmaceutical nanoformulation. The method was developed at a reported wavelength of 306 nm. The developed method was validated according to ICH Q2A (R1) guidelines and was applied for the estimation of RVT in prepared nanoformulations. The method showed exceptional linearity in the range of (1–6) μg mL −1 with a coefficient of determinant value of 0.9998. The study proves that the developed method is linear, precise, sensitive, robust, reproducible, and accurate. This method can be applied for the estimation of RVT in nanoformulations and other bulk dosage forms.

The current investigation examines the micellization process of sodium dodecylbenzene sulfonate in aqueous media with builders at temperatures ranging from 298.15 K to 313.15 K. Using conductometry and tensiometry analyses, the study examines changes in micellar properties in different surfactant solutions, focusing primarily on CMC. Additionally, the variation of CMC with temperature was used to determine the thermodynamic parameters of micellization such as ∆ G m ° , Δ H m ° , ${{\increment}G}_{\mathrm{m}}^{{}^{\circ}},{\Delta }{H}_{\mathrm{m}}^{{}^{\circ}}\text{,}$ and ∆ S m ° ${{\increment}S}_{\mathrm{m}}^{{}^{\circ}}$ . This approach provides valuable insights into the behavior of the surfactant and the different intermolecular interactions involved in the system. The different surface active parameters π CMC, A min, and Γ max were elucidated using tensiometry via the Wilhelmy plate technique. Moreover, the capacity of the builder to sequester calcium ions was studied using a well-established titration method, offering valuable insights into their effectiveness. Their efficiency under oxidative conditions, particularly in preventing the interaction between copper ions and hydrogen peroxide, was evaluated. This article provides a comprehensive analysis of different builders when used with the anionic surfactant, sodium dodecylbenzene sulfonate. Their combination provides improved efficiency in protecting metals from corrosion, extracting heavy metals from polluted soils, and in personal care products such as shampoos and soaps.