Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, T6G 1H9, Canada.
College of New Materials and New Energies, Shenzhen Technology University, Shenzhen, 518118, P. R. China.
Adv Sci (Weinh). 2021 Aug;8(15):e2004082. doi: 10.1002/advs.202004082. Epub 2021 May 27.
Advanced switchable molecules and materials have shown great potential in numerous applications. These novel materials can express different states of physicochemical properties as controlled by a designated stimulus, such that the processing condition can always be maintained in an optimized manner for improved efficiency and sustainability throughout the whole process. Herein, the recent advances in switchable molecules/materials in oil recovery and oily waste cleanup are reviewed. Oil recovery and oily waste cleanup are of critical importance to the industry and environment. Switchable materials can be designed with various types of switchable properties, including i) switchable interfacial activity, ii) switchable viscosity, iii) switchable solvent, and iv) switchable wettability. The materials can then be deployed into the most suitable applications according to the process requirements. An in-depth discussion about the fundamental basis of the design considerations is provided for each type of switchable material, followed by details about their performances and challenges in the applications. Finally, an outlook for the development of next-generation switchable molecules/materials is discussed.
先进的可切换分子和材料在众多应用中显示出巨大的潜力。这些新型材料可以根据指定的刺激表达不同的物理化学性质状态，从而始终将加工条件保持在最佳状态，以提高整个过程的效率和可持续性。本文综述了可切换分子/材料在采油和含油废物清理方面的最新进展。采油和含油废物清理对工业和环境至关重要。可切换材料可以设计成具有多种类型的可切换性质，包括 i）可切换界面活性，ii）可切换粘度，iii）可切换溶剂，和 iv）可切换润湿性。然后可以根据工艺要求将材料部署到最合适的应用中。对于每种类型的可切换材料，都深入讨论了设计考虑的基本原理，并详细介绍了它们在应用中的性能和挑战。最后，讨论了下一代可切换分子/材料的发展前景。
