Issue 36, 2021

On the nanoscopic structural heterogeneity of liquid n-alkyl carboxylic acids

Abstract

Herein we report the first in-depth structural characterisation of simple linear carboxylic acids with alkyl tail length ranging from one to six carbon atoms. By means of the SWAXS technique, a pronounced nanoscopic heterogeneity evolving along the aliphatic portion of the molecule is highlighted. Via classical molecular dynamics, the origin of such heterogeneity is unambiguously assigned to the existence of aliphatic domains resulting from the self-segregation of the polar and apolar portions of the molecules. Furthermore, the structural correlation of aliphatic-separated polar domains is responsible for observing the so-called “pre-peak” in the SAXS region.

Graphical abstract: On the nanoscopic structural heterogeneity of liquid n-alkyl carboxylic acids

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
23 Jun 2021
Accepted
19 Aug 2021
First published
20 Aug 2021
This article is Open Access
Creative Commons BY-NC license

Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys., 2021,23, 20282-20287

On the nanoscopic structural heterogeneity of liquid n-alkyl carboxylic acids

A. Mariani, A. Innocenti, A. Varzi and S. Passerini, Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys., 2021, 23, 20282 DOI: 10.1039/D1CP02846D

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