Surfactant-induced electrical transport phenomena in non-polar liquids

术语表面活性剂（SURFace ACTIVE ACTNTs）用于描述在许多重要的工业应用中以及在我们的日常生活中发挥关键作用的广泛化学品。例如，表面活性剂是衣物洗涤剂的化合物，用于“软化”水并使污垢松散和包封，使得其不能再次沉积。表面活性剂的相关工业应用包括地下水修复、塑料生产或分散油漆和涂料的稳定化。另一个重要的特征是表面活性剂可以在非极性液体如碳氢化合物（例如油、石油或有机溶剂）中产生电荷，这在其他情况下很难实现。这些充电功能不仅用于管道中的安全运输，还用于现代电子显示技术。在拟议的研究中，我们探讨了在表面活性剂/非极性液体的混合物和在接触这些表面的电荷产生机制。的 对充电机理的详细了解支持为特定应用选择“正确的”表面活性剂和设计具有定制特征的新型表面活性剂。因此，这项研究具有相当大的潜力，以提高效率的既定过程，以及使新的过程。此外，该研究项目将培养几名学生（高素质人才），并为他们在工业和学术界的职业生涯做好准备。

The term surfactant (SURFace ACTive AgeNTs) is used to describe a wide group of chemicals which play a crucial role in many important industrial applications but also in our daily life. For example, surfactants are compounds of laundry detergents to "soften" the water and to loosen and encapsulate the dirt such that it cannot redeposit again. Relevant industrial applications for surfactants include ground water remediation, production of plastics, or the stabilization of dispersion paints and coatings. Another important feature is that surfactants can generate electrical charges in nonpolar liquids such as hydrocarbons (e.g. oil, petroleum or organic solvents), which can hardly be achieved otherwise. These charging features are used for the safe transport in pipelines but also in modern electronic display technologies. In the proposed research, we explore the charge generation mechanisms in surfactant/nonpolar liquid mixtures and at surfaces in contact with those. The detailed knowledge of the charging mechanism supports the selection of the "right" surfactant for a specific application and the design of novel surfactants with tailored features. Hence, the research has considerable potential to increase the efficiencies of established processes as well as to enable novel processes. Additionally, this research project will train several students (Highly Qualified Personnel) and preparing them for careers in industry and academia.