RESUMEN

A deepened investigation on an innovative organic-inorganic hybrid material, referred to as ECS-14 (where ECS = Eni carbon silicates), revealed the possibility to use them as gas sensors. Indeed, among ECS phases, the crystalline state and the hexagonal microplateletlike morphology characteristic of ECS-14 seemed favorable properties to obtain continuous and uniform films. ECS-14 phase was used as functional material in screen-printable compositions and was thus deposited by drop coating for morphological, structural, thermal, and electrical characterizations. Possible operation at room temperature was investigated as technological progress, offering intrinsic safety in sensors working in harsh or industrial environments and avoiding high power consumption of most common sensors based on metal oxide semiconductors. Electrical characterization of the sensors based on ECS-14 versus concentrations of gaseous analytes gave significant results at room temperature in the presence of humidity, thereby demonstrating fundamental properties for a good quality sensor (speed, reversibility, and selectivity) that make them competitive with respect to systems currently in use. Remarkably, we observed functionality reversal of the organic and inorganic components; that is, in contrast to other hybrids, for ECS-14 the functional site has been ascribed to the inorganic phase while the organic component provided structural stability to the material. The sensing mechanism for humidity was also investigated.

RESUMEN

Oil-soluble calcium carbonate colloids are used as detergent additives in lubricating oils. They are colloidal dispersions of calcium carbonate particles stabilized by different surfactants; in this study alkyl-aryl-sulfonates and sulfurized alkyl-phenates, widely used in the synthesis of these additives, are considered. The physical properties of surfactant layers surrounding the surfaces of calcium carbonate particles were analyzed by using some nitroxide spin-probes (stable free radicals) and observing the corresponding ESR spectra. The spin-probe molecules contain polar groups which tend to tether them to the carbonate particle polar surface. They can reach these surfaces only if the surfactant layers are not very compact, hence the relative amounts of spin-probe molecules accessing carbonate surfaces are an index of the compactness of surfactant core. ESR signals of spin-probe molecules dissolved in oil or "locked" near the carbonate surfaces are different because of the different molecular mobility. Through deconvolution of the ESR spectra, the fraction of spin-probes penetrating surfactant shells have been calculated, and differences were observed according to the surfactant molecular structures. Moreover, by using specially labeled spin-probes based on stearic acids, functionalized at different separations from the carboxylic acid group, it was possible to interrogate the molecular physical behavior of surfactant shells at different distances from carbonate surfaces. Molecular modeling was applied to generate some three-dimensional micellar models of the colloidal stabilizations of the stabilized carbonate particles with different molecular structures of the surfactant. The diffusion of spin-probe molecules into the surfactant shells were studied by applying a starting force to push the molecules towards the carbonate surfaces and then observing the ensuing behavior. The simulations are in accordance with the ESR data and show that the geometrical organization of the surfactants depends on their molecular structure. The compactness of surfactant shells influences the properties of overbased detergents, especially their stability, their interaction with other additives used in lubricating oil formulations and with the acids produced by the combustion of fuel.

RESUMEN

Fourteen different crude oil samples were analyzed as collected by mass spectrometry. For two of them the results obtained by means of different techniques, i.e. electrospray ionization, atmospheric pressure chemical ionization, laser desorption/ionization, were compared. The latter technique leads to the best results: even if unable to give specific information on heteroatom-containing components, it allows a general view to be obtained of the panorama of the oil composition in terms of molecular weight distribution. The statistical evaluation of the mass spectrometry data by multivariate techniques, such as cluster analysis (Average Linkage) and correspondence analysis, allows evidence for the differences and similarities among the crude oils under study.

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RESUMEN

The composition of the de-asphalted oil fraction obtained from two different Italian fields was studied by laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry. These fractions were treated with different solvent mixtures, and subfractions containing saturates, aromatic and polar compounds were obtained and analyzed by the same instrumental approach.The investigation showed clear differences between the samples coming from the two oils. The instrumental approach did not lead to an accurate description of the different components in terms of elemental composition and structures; however, valid information could be obtained on the molecular weight distribution of the components of the different fractions.

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RESUMEN

The molecular weight distribution of the asphaltene fractions of two types of crude oils from two different Italian fields (samples 1 and 2) was investigated. The analytical tools used to perform these analyses were matrix assisted laser desorption ionization (MALDI) and laser desorption ionization (LDI) mass spectrometry. After observing that the use of the matrix (as well as the addition of Ag+) did not improve the quality of the data compared to that obtained in LDI conditions, all further measurements were performed with the latter technique. Operating under usual conditions of laser power and delay time, a very low resolution was observed, showing only macroscopic differences between the two samples in the molecular weight distribution of the different components. An accurate study on the possible reasons of this undesirable behavior indicates that it can originate from space charge phenomena occurring either in the ion source region or during the flight. A valid parameterization of the delay time and the laser power allowed higher quality spectra to be obtained. Surface-enhanced laser desorption ionization (SELDI) measurements were also performed using normal phase (silica) as the sample holder surface. Under these conditions, better results are obtained, proving that the sample-surface interaction is important to achieve, by means of laser irradiation, a homogeneous set of product ions. Both asphaltene samples were fractionated in five subfractions by gel-permeation chromatography (GPC) to obtain a better separation of the molecular weight distributions; the related spectra confirmed these findings. By using different approaches, relevant and reproducible differences between the asphaltene fractions of the two oil samples were observed.