RSC Advances最新文献

{"title":"Tuning carbon quantum dot optics through nitrogen surface chemistry.","authors":"Shweta Dua, Pawan Kumar, Sakshi Kapoor, Manoj Kumar Khanna, Geeta Bhatt","doi":"10.1039/d6ra07516a","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1039/d6ra07516a","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Nitrogen-doped carbon quantum dots (N-CQDs) were synthesized <i>via</i> rapid microwave carbonization of citric acid monohydrate and urea at three CA : Urea mass ratios-2 : 1 (B1-CQD), 1 : 1 (B2-CQD), and 1 : 2 (B3-CQD) to systematically investigate how precursor stoichiometry influences their structural, compositional, and optical properties. XRD and Raman spectroscopy indicated semi-graphitic carbon structures with increasing structural disorder at higher urea content, together with additional crystalline reflections in B3-CQD attributed to reaction by-products. TEM revealed a decrease in particle size with increasing urea content, with B3-CQD exhibiting the smallest (2.95 ± 0.89 nm) and most monodisperse dots. EDX and XPS analyses showed a systematic increase in nitrogen content from 20.5% (B1-CQD) to 31.9% (B3-CQD) by EDX, while total oxygen remained nearly invariant (∼28-30%). The surface-to-bulk nitrogen ratio (SBNR), defined as the ratio of the XPS- to the EDX-derived nitrogen content, increased progressively from 34.1% to 82.4% with increasing urea content, approaching parity between the surface and bulk nitrogen contents; because the XPS sampling depth is comparable to the particle size, the SBNR is presented as a descriptive composition ratio. High-resolution N 1s XPS indicated a redistribution among nitrogen environments, from predominantly pyridinic/amine nitrogen in B1-CQD toward pyrrolic/amide nitrogen in B3-CQD, which XPS alone cannot fully resolve. UV-Vis absorption showed principal maxima at 342.7 nm (B1-CQD), 328.7 nm (B2-CQD), and 328.0 nm (B3-CQD), with an additional shoulder at 273-274 nm in B2-CQD and B3-CQD. Tauc analysis revealed a core-state (π → π*) gap of ∼5.4-5.5 eV together with sub-gap levels between 2.61 and 4.24 eV associated with nitrogen- and oxygen-containing groups. As particle size and nitrogen content vary together in this series, their individual contributions to the optical properties cannot be separated. Excitation-dependent photoluminescence was observed in all samples; under 360 nm excitation, the emission maxima were 438-442 nm, and B3-CQD showed a maximum at 370 nm under 320 nm excitation. Collectively, these findings show that precursor stoichiometry tunes the nitrogen content, surface chemistry, and optical properties of the filtered N-CQD dispersions, which may also contain co-produced molecular species, providing a structure-chemistry-property framework for rational CQD design.</p>","PeriodicalId":102,"journal":{"name":"RSC Advances","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.1,"publicationDate":"2026-10-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13662548/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149190227","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Polysulfone mixed matrix membranes embedded with sub-25 nm NH₂-MIL-101(Cr) for enhanced divalent salt separation and permeability.","authors":"Mubark Alshareef, Ahmed Alharbi, Mohamed S Fahmi","doi":"10.1039/d6ra07963f","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1039/d6ra07963f","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>High-performance nanofiltration (NF) membranes are essential for sustainable water treatment but are often limited by the permeability-fouling trade-off. In this study, highly crystalline sub-25 nm NH₂-MIL-101(Cr) nanoparticles (19-21 nm), possessing a high BET surface area (1700.18 m² g^-1) and permanent pores (2.04 nm), were hydrothermally synthesized and incorporated into polysulfone (PSF) mixed matrix membranes <i>via</i> phase inversion. The uniform distribution of hydrophilic NH₂ groups enhanced membrane hydrophilicity, reducing the water contact angle from 76.2 ± 2° to 56.1 ± 2° at the optimum loading of 0.75 wt%. At 5 bar using a 2000 ppm feed solution, the optimized membrane achieved a water flux of 15.3 kg m^-2 h^-1, representing a 2.3-fold increase over pristine PSF, while maintaining high rejection of MgSO₄ (86.5%) and CaSO₄ (96.2%) through combined steric hindrance and Donnan exclusion mechanisms. Flux increased linearly with pressure up to 17.8 kg m^-2 h^-1 at 7.0 bar. Organic fouling tests with 10 ppm humic acid demonstrated excellent antifouling performance, with flux recovery ratios of 83.2% and 68.5% after the first and second alkaline cleaning cycles, respectively. These findings demonstrate that the PSF/NH₂-MIL-101(Cr) mixed matrix membrane effectively overcomes the permeability-fouling trade-off, offering a promising platform for high-performance and long-term desalination applications.</p>","PeriodicalId":102,"journal":{"name":"RSC Advances","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.1,"publicationDate":"2026-10-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13662755/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149190243","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Monte Carlo-based QSPR modeling of drop-weight impact sensitivity of energetic materials using hybrid SMILES-graph descriptors.","authors":"Shahram Lotfi, Shahin Ahmadi, Parvin Kumar","doi":"10.1039/d6ra07617c","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1039/d6ra07617c","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Impact sensitivity under mechanical stimuli is one of the most crucial safety properties of energetic materials. The drop-weight test is a common method for evaluating the impact sensitivity of explosives, with results typically reported as the 50% initiation height (<i>H</i> ₅₀) or drop energy (<i>E</i> ₅₀ (cm)). In this study, three quantitative structure-property relationship (QSPR) models were developed and assessed to predict the logarithm drop-weight impact sensitivity (log <i>E</i> ₅₀) of various types of explosive materials using a Monte Carlo algorithm implemented <i>via</i> CORAL software. The descriptor of correlation weight (DCW) was computed from the SMILES notations of the compounds. The correlation intensity index (CII) and the index of ideality of correlation (IIC) were employed as supplementary parameters for optimizing the correlation weights (CW) utilized in the computation of optimal descriptors. A dataset of 515 explosives or energetic compounds was employed to make QSPR models utilizing hybrid optimal descriptors derived from SMILES and hydrogen filled graph (HFG). The dataset was partitioned into four subsets: active training, passive training, calibration, and validation. The prediction ability of generated models was evaluated by various validation criteria. For the log <i>E</i> ₅₀ endpoint, the models obtained across three independent random data splits achieved an average validation-set <i>R</i> ² of 0.7005 ± 0.0094. An average determination coefficient of 0.7162 ± 0.0129 was obtained for the active training sets. The structural attributes that promote an increase/decrease in log <i>E</i> ₅₀ were extracted and discussed, providing a mechanistic interpretation of the model.</p>","PeriodicalId":102,"journal":{"name":"RSC Advances","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.1,"publicationDate":"2026-10-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13662854/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149190108","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Probiotic <i>Enterococcus faecium</i> BDIFST25003: a novel exopolysaccharide producing strain with industrial potential.","authors":"Md Nur Hossain, Banasree Bhowmik, Afsana Habib Jui, Shariful Islam, Md Humayun Kabir, Monzur Morshed Ahmed","doi":"10.1039/d6ra05745d","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1039/d6ra05745d","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The present study aimed to optimize Exopolysaccharides (EPS) production by probiotic Lactic Acid Bacteria (LAB) using different growth media and to assess the structural and functional properties of the EPS. In this study, a strain of <i>Enterococcus faecium</i> BDIFST25003 was identified by <i>16S rRNA</i> gene sequencing. As a probiotic, strain BDIFST25003 demonstrated the ability to endure stomach pH of 3.0, tolerate 1 g L^-1 bile salt, and temperature of 60 °C and exhibited no signs of hemolysis. The strain exhibited notable auto-aggregation ability and co-aggregation against <i>Escherichia coli</i> and <i>Salmonella typhi</i>, along with moderate cell surface hydrophobicity in chloroform. Two growth media, MRS and vegetable-based edible media, were optimized for EPS yield. The EPS was extracted by the ethanol precipitation method and the highest EPS yield of 1.72 ± 0.2 g L^-1 was obtained from edible media while 0.314 ± 0.01 g L^-1 of EPS was obtained from MRS media. The presence of COO^-, OH, and amide groups in the EPS was confirmed through FTIR analysis. The XRD demonstrated the amorphous nature of the EPS. The LC-ESI-MS analysis demonstrated the presence of hexose monosaccharides within the polysaccharide composition of EPS. Moreover, the TGA and DSC analysis of the EPS showed a degradation temperature of 352 °C and an endothermic transition at 105.5 °C. The EPS from <i>E. faecium</i> also exhibited emulsifying activity against different edible oils. Furthermore, EPS supplementation enhanced the growth of LAB and led to an increase in SCFAs production, suggesting functional prebiotic properties of EPS.</p>","PeriodicalId":102,"journal":{"name":"RSC Advances","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.1,"publicationDate":"2026-10-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13662549/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149190196","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Evaluation of novel 1,4-dihydropyridine spirooxindole as antitumor, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant agents.","authors":"Esraa H Al-Afghani, Jalal A Zahra, Mustafa M El-Abadelah, Areej M Jaber, Violet Kasabri","doi":"10.1039/d6ra06965g","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1039/d6ra06965g","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>A novel series of 2-oxo-1'<i>H</i>-spiro[indoline-3,4'-pyridine]-3',5'-dicarbonitrile derivatives (5a-e, 6a-d) was successfully synthesized <i>via</i> an efficient one-pot, three-component reaction of <i>N</i>-alkylisatins, malononitrile, and secondary amines (morpholine or thiomorpholine). The chemical structures of all target compounds were unambiguously characterized using ¹H NMR, ¹³C NMR, 2D NMR techniques (COSY, HMQC, HMBC), and high-resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS). In malignancies' adherent monolayers, optimal differential antiproliferation effects of sub-25 µM IC₅₀ values were attained by 5a and 6b (colorectal CaCo2 and lung A549), 5b (A549 and skin melanoma A375), 5c and 5d (mammary T47D and colorectal SW480), 5e (SW480), 6a (colorectal HT29) and 6d (colorectal HCT116 and A549). Among all physiologically regulated immunomodulatory 9 spirooxindoles derivatives, 6c was ascribed the maximal efficacy of 0.45 µM IC₅₀ value in LPS-primed RAW 264.7 macrophages. Distinctively, 6a displayed superior antioxidative capacity in DPPH radical scavenging compared with the others. Collectively these findings highlight 1,4-dihydropyridine spirooxindoles as promising multifunctional leads for anticancer and anti-inflammatory drug development with a high therapeutic safety window.</p>","PeriodicalId":102,"journal":{"name":"RSC Advances","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.1,"publicationDate":"2026-10-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13662855/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149190144","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"S-Scheme charge transfer in topotactically transformed LTO/g-C₃N₄ for photo-Fenton mineralization in complex water matrices.","authors":"Fowzia S Alamro, Wafaa B Elsharkawy, Arafat Toghan, Ashraf A Mohamed, Ayman M Mostafa, Mohamed Farag, Hoda A Ahmed, Mohamed A Ahmed, Mahmoud A Elsayed","doi":"10.1039/d6ra06898g","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1039/d6ra06898g","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The development of visible-light-driven photo-Fenton catalysts for the mineralization of recalcitrant organic pollutants remains a challenge in wastewater treatment. In this study, an S-scheme-type ZnFe₂O₄/ZnO/CuO@g-C₃N₄ (GLTO) heterojunction was prepared <i>via</i> topotactic transformation of a Zn-Cu-Fe layered triple hydroxide (LTH) precursor, followed by ultrasonic assembly with exfoliated g-C₃N₄. Structural and optical characterizations revealed intimate interfacial contact, a mesoporous architecture (mean pore diameter, 31.0 nm; specific surface area, 49.6 m² g^-1), and an optical band gap of 2.4 eV. The GLTO composite demonstrated visible-light photo-Fenton activity for the degradation of rhodamine B dye (RhB), achieving 93.5% dye removal and 65% total organic carbon (TOC) reduction within 28 min. Liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry revealed progressive conversion to low-molecular-weight products, with the detected intermediates tentatively assigned. The apparent rate constant (0.0877 min^-1) was ∼30-fold higher than that of bare LTO. The catalyst maintained >90% degradation efficiency at 10 mM NaCl and 72% degradation at 10 mg L^-1 humic acid under the tested model water conditions, and retained >95% of its initial activity after five cycles. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and electron spin resonance spectroscopy supported enhanced charge separation and the involvement of reactive oxygen species, consistent with the proposed S-scheme mechanism. In this model, electrons are retained on g-C₃N₄, while holes are retained on the LTO component. ECOSAR modeling predicted a progressive reduction in the potential ecotoxicity of the detected intermediates. These findings demonstrate the potential of LTH-derived multimetal oxides coupled with g-C₃N₄ for the photo-Fenton treatment of organic pollutants under the tested model water conditions.</p>","PeriodicalId":102,"journal":{"name":"RSC Advances","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.1,"publicationDate":"2026-10-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13662861/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149190258","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"First-principles and device-level investigation of a novel double halide perovskite solar cell for sustainable energy applications.","authors":"Farooq Afzaal, Rashid Jalil","doi":"10.1039/d6ra07979b","DOIUrl":"10.1039/d6ra07979b","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Double perovskites (DPs) have emerged as promising materials for energy and optoelectronics applications due to their structural stability and tunable properties. In this work, Na₂AgRhBr₆ is systematically investigated through density functional theory (DFT) and device-level simulations using COMSOL Multiphysics. The material exhibits excellent structural stability with a lattice constant of 10.67 Å, tolerance factor of 0.73, octahedral factor of 0.59, and negative formation energy of 1.64 eV per atom. Mechanical robustness is confirmed by bult (1.39 GPa), shear (12.96 GPa), and young's modulus (29.29 GPa), while thermal stability is supported by a Debye temperature of 187.74 K. Optically, it shows a direct bandgap of 1.42 eV, high absorption coefficient (4.1 × 10⁵ cm^-1), and favorable optical conductivity. A ZnO/Na₂AgRhBr₆/Spiro-OMeTAD solar cell is further designed and optimized using COMSOL Multiphysics. The device achieves a maximum efficiency of 28.83%, short-circuit density of 29.70 mA cm^-2. Fill factor of 84.65%, and power output of 288.37 W m^-2. Performance enhancement is strongly influenced by absorber thickness, doping temperature, and hole transport layer optimization. These findings highlight Na₂AgRhBr₆ as a highly efficient and stable candidate for next-generation photovoltaic applications.</p>","PeriodicalId":102,"journal":{"name":"RSC Advances","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.1,"publicationDate":"2026-10-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13665679/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149190164","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Curing regime controlled performance of basalt-modified alkali activated slag: phase composition, porosity profile, microstructure and compressive strength.","authors":"Musa A Said, M Ramadan, Fatma M Helmy, Hany M Abd El-Lateef, Mai M Khalaf, Mohammed A O Basubaih, Saad Shaaban, Nagih M Shaalan, Abdullah A Saber, Alaa Mohsen","doi":"10.1039/d6ra07623h","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1039/d6ra07623h","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The transition from traditional cement to low-carbon alkali-activated materials is no longer an environmental obligation but a materials-design challenge requiring precise control of reaction kinetics. In this study, basalt-modified alkali-activated slag was cured under various conditions to demonstrate how mix design and curing regimes affect gel formation and strength development. Ground-granulated blast-furnace slag (GGBFS) was replaced with 5-20 wt% basalt (BT) and then activated with 6 wt% NaOH. The developed materials were cured under normal conditions (1-28 days), hydrothermal conditions (135-170 °C/5 h) and microwave conditions (450 W/5-15 min). Advanced microstructural analyses (XRD, FTIR, SEM/EDX and BET/BJH) elucidated the phase evolution, morphological features and porosity profile within the matrices. The results reveal that BT has a slight effect on the fresh properties (workability and setting time) of the alkali-activated slag. Despite diluting reactive calcium phases in GGBFS, the AAS-20BT (80% GGBFS + 20% BT) composite delivered robust, structural-grade compressive strengths: 49.5 MPa under normal curing, 56 MPa after 170 °C/5 h hydrothermal treatment, and a rapid 37 MPa after just 10 min at 450 W of microwave exposure. From the compressive-strength results and advanced analysis techniques, it can be concluded that the curing regime strongly controls the composition of the load-bearing capacity phases, microstructural development and pore refinement. Overall, hydrothermal curing provides the most favorable balance between reaction kinetics, zeolitic phase formation, hydrate morphology and microstructural development. Under normal conditions, BT particles act as fillers and nucleation seeds, while hydrothermal curing increases their reactivity, facilitating Si and Al dissolution and participation in geopolymeric products. Accordingly, the AAS-20BT can be considered a promising low-carbon binder that offers a highly scalable, eco-efficient pathway for next-generation construction materials.</p>","PeriodicalId":102,"journal":{"name":"RSC Advances","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.1,"publicationDate":"2026-10-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13663031/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149190091","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Anomalous correlations between ionic conductivity isotherms and phase diagrams in hydrofluoric and acetic acid aqueous systems.","authors":"Hilal Al-Salih, Asefeh Poshtchioskuei, Yaser Abu-Lebdeh","doi":"10.1039/d6ra07584c","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1039/d6ra07584c","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>There is an empirically established correlation between ionic conductivity isotherms and solid-liquid phase diagrams in most electrolyte solutions, wherein the composition of maximum conductivity (<i>x</i> _max) typically coincides with the eutectic composition (<i>x</i> _eutectic). In this work, we investigate pronounced deviations from this correlation observed in hydrofluoric acid (HF) and acetic acid (AA) aqueous solutions, two systems that behave anomalously compared to other common acids. Ionic conductivity data across multiple temperatures and concentrations were compiled from literature and supplemented with new experimental measurements. In contrast, the reported HF conductivity isotherms increase with HF mole fraction throughout the measured composition range, including through the first eutectic region and beyond <i>x</i>HF = 0.5, without exhibiting a resolved maximum or the high-concentration downturn observed in any other aqueous system, whereas acetic acid displays a parabolic isotherm with an <i>x</i> _max occurring far earlier than its eutectic point, representing an extreme case of <i>x</i> _max ≪ <i>x</i> _eutectic. These deviations are discussed in relation to composition-dependent ionization, dielectric response, molecular association and hydrogen-bond organization. Because no direct structural measurements were performed in the present work, the proposed microdomain and transport descriptions are treated as literature-supported working hypotheses rather than uniquely established mechanisms. To further probe these anomalies, activation energy and pre-exponential factor values were extracted as functions of mole fraction and examined for both acids. These findings highlight the need for refined theoretical frameworks capable of capturing transport behaviour in systems where traditional conductivity-phase diagram correlations break down.</p>","PeriodicalId":102,"journal":{"name":"RSC Advances","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.1,"publicationDate":"2026-10-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13662865/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149190127","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Synergistic collaboration between an emulsifier, surfactant and penetrant for rapid low-shear emulsification to enhance heavy-oil recovery.","authors":"Jingxin Ruan, Huohai Yang, Xin Chen, Chengjun Xu, Zhenyu Li","doi":"10.1039/d6ra07023j","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1039/d6ra07023j","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Developing a viscosity reducer that can rapidly emulsify heavy oil and reduce its viscosity under low shear conditions is crucial for improving the oil recovery efficiency but remain a challenge unsolved. In this paper, a high-performance emulsifier (sodium isomeric tridecanol polyoxyethylene ether phosphate, E-1311P), a surfactant (disodium 4-dodecyl-2,4'-oxydibenzenesulfonate, DPEDS-12) and penetrant (methyl 3-nonenoate, M3N) were introduced and evaluated for enhance heavy-oil recovery. The emulsification and viscosity reduction performance of the emulsifier-surfactant-penetrant formulation was systematically evaluated through measurements of viscosity reduction, emulsification time, droplet size, oil-water interfacial tension, contact angle, and core-flooding performance. The addition of DPEDS-12 and M3N markedly improved the overall performance of E-1311P, with the optimal formulation comprising 0.30 wt% E-1311P, 0.10 wt% DPEDS-12, and 0.05 wt% M3N. At a shear rate of 7.34 s^-1, this formulation achieved a viscosity reduction of 90-95% within 2-8 min, lowered the oil-water interfacial tension to 2.0 mN m^-1, and reduced the contact angle to 33°. Core-flooding experiments yielded a cumulative oil recovery of 36.7%. Molecular dynamics simulations attributed the rapid low-shear emulsification to enhanced hydrophilicity, reduced steric hindrance, and accelerated molecular diffusion and penetration into heavy oil. These results demonstrate the multiscale synergy among the emulsifier, surfactant, and penetrant and highlight the great potential for enhancing heavy-oil recovery.</p>","PeriodicalId":102,"journal":{"name":"RSC Advances","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.1,"publicationDate":"2026-10-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13663030/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149190269","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}