Characterization of micelles of the thermo-responsive zwitterionic surfactant, 3-(-nonyl N,N-dimethylammonio)-propyl sulfate, present in isotropic solutions above its upper critical solution temperature

Tanji, Tamao*; Kusunoki, Yuto*; Nakagawa, Taichi; Takase, Tsugiko*; Ueda, Yuki; Motokawa, Ryuhei; Hinze, W. L.*; Takagai, Yoshitaka*

Langmuir, 41(21), p.13184 - 13191, 2025/06

https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.langmuir.5c00818

Fluorous and organic extraction systems; A Comparison from the perspectives of coordination structures, interfaces, and bulk extraction phases

Ueda, Yuki; Micheau, C.; Akutsu, Kazuhiro*; Tokunaga, Kohei; Yamada, Masako*; Yamada, Norifumi*; Bourgeois, D.*; Motokawa, Ryuhei

Langmuir, 40(46), p.24257 - 24271, 2024/11

https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.langmuir.4c02268

Microscopic structures in liquid-liquid extraction, such as structuration between extractants or extracted complexes in bulk organic phases and at interfaces, can influence macroscopic phenomena, such as the distribution behavior of solutes, including extraction efficiency, selectivity, and phase separation of the organic phase. In this study, we correlated the macroscopic behavior of the extraction of Zr(IV) ions from nitric acid solutions with microscopic structural information in order to understand at the molecular level the key factors contributing to the higher metal ion extraction performance in the fluorous extraction system comprising fluorous phosphate (TFP) in perfluorohexane as compared to the analogous organic extraction system comprising organic phosphate (THP) in n-hexane. Extended X-ray absorption fine structure, neutron reflectometry, and small-angle neutron scattering revealed the local coordination structure around the Zr(IV) ion, the accumulation of extractant molecules at the interface, and the structuration of extractant molecules in the bulk extraction phase, respectively. In the fluorous extraction system, extractant aggregates with were formed after contact with nitric acid. In contrast, in the organic extraction system, only extractant dimers were formed. We speculate that differences in the local coordination structure around the Zr(IV) ion and the structuration of the extractant molecules in the bulk extraction phase contribute to the high Zr(IV) extraction performance in the fluorous extraction system. In particular, the size of the aggregates hardly changed with increasing Zr(IV) concentration in the fluorous phase, which may be closely related to the absence of phase splitting in the fluorous extraction system.

Globular pattern formation of hierarchical ceria nanoarchitectures

Aoyagi, Noboru; Motokawa, Ryuhei; Okumura, Masahiko; Ueda, Yuki; Saito, Takumi*; Nishitsuji, Shotaro*; Taguchi, Tomitsugu*; Yomogida, Takumi; Sazaki, Gen*; Ikeda, Atsushi

Communications Chemistry (Internet), 7, p.128_1 - 128_13, 2024/06

https://doi.org/10.1038/s42004-024-01199-y

Organization of malonamides from the interface to the organic bulk phase

Micheau, C.; Ueda, Yuki; Motokawa, Ryuhei; Akutsu, Kazuhiro*; Yamada, Norifumi*; Yamada, Masako*; Moussaoui, S. A.*; Makombe, E.*; Meyer, D.*; Berthon, L.*; et al.

Journal of Molecular Liquids, 401, p.124372_1 - 124372_12, 2024/05

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.molliq.2024.124372

Fundamental evaluation of hydrogen behavior in sodium for sodium-water reaction detection of sodium-cooled fast reactor

Yamamoto, Tomohiko; Kato, Atsushi; Hayakawa, Masato; Shimoyama, Kazuhito; Ara, Kuniaki; Hatakeyama, Nozomu*; Yamauchi, Kanau*; Eda, Yuhei*; Yui, Masahiro*

Nuclear Engineering and Technology, 56(3), p.893 - 899, 2024/03

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.net.2023.10.043

Foam flotation of clay particles using a bifunctional amine surfactant

Micheau, C.; Ueda, Yuki; Motokawa, Ryuhei; Bauduin, P.*; Girard, L.*; Diat, O.*

Langmuir, 39(31), p.10965 - 10977, 2023/07

https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.langmuir.3c01213

Hierarchical aggregation in a complex fluid; The Role of isomeric interconversion

Massey, D.*; Williams, C. D.*; Mu, J.*; Masters, A. J.*; Motokawa, Ryuhei; Aoyagi, Noboru; Ueda, Yuki; Antonio, M. R.*

Journal of Physical Chemistry B, 127(9), p.2052 - 2065, 2023/03

https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jpcb.2c07527

Polymer photonic crystals prepared by triblock copolymerization-induced microphase separation

Isozaki, Yuka*; Higashiharaguchi, Seiya*; Kaneko, Naoya*; Yamazaki, Shun*; Taniguchi, Tatsuo*; Karatsu, Takashi*; Ueda, Yuki; Motokawa, Ryuhei

Chemistry Letters, 51(6), p.625 - 628, 2022/06

https://doi.org/10.1246/cl.220089

Polarization analysis for small-angle neutron scattering with a He spin filter at a pulsed neutron source

Okudaira, Takuya; Ueda, Yuki; Hiroi, Kosuke; Motokawa, Ryuhei; Inamura, Yasuhiro; Takata, Shinichi; Oku, Takayuki; Suzuki, Junichi*; Takahashi, Shingo*; Endo, Hitoshi*; et al.

Journal of Applied Crystallography, 54(2), p.548 - 556, 2021/04

https://doi.org/10.1107/S1600576721001643

Neutron polarization analysis (NPA) for small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) experiments using a pulsed neutron source was successfully achieved by applying a He spin filter as a spin analyzer for the scattered neutrons. The He spin filter covers a sufficient solid angle for performing SANS experiments, and the relaxation time of the He polarization is sufficient for continuous use over a few days, thus reaching the typical duration required for a complete set of SANS experiments. Although accurate evaluation of the incoherent neutron scattering, which is predominantly attributable to hydrogen atoms in samples, is practically difficult using calculations based on the sample elemental composition, the developed NPA approach with consideration of the influence of multiple neutron scattering enabled reliable decomposition of the SANS intensity distribution into the coherent and incoherent scattering components. To date, NPA has not been well established as a standard technique for SANS experiments at pulsed neutron sources. This work is anticipated to greatly contribute to the accurate determination of the coherent neutron scattering component for scatterers in various types of organic sample systems in SANS experiments at J-PARC.

Extraction performance of a fluorous phosphate for Zr(IV) from HNO solution; Comparison with tri--butyl phosphate

Ueda, Yuki; Kikuchi, Kei; Sugita, Tsuyoshi; Motokawa, Ryuhei

Solvent Extraction and Ion Exchange, 37(5), p.347 - 359, 2019/07

https://doi.org/10.1080/07366299.2019.1638015

We have newly-designed fluorous phosphate(TFP) for the effective Zr(IV) ion extractant as an alternative extractant against the conventional organic phosphate, tri--butyl phosphate(TBP). Zr(IV) ion extraction system using the TBP has many problems such as the formation of the third phase during liquid-liquid extraction. Here, we develop the fluorous extraction system based on the TFP-perfluorohexane for the Zr(IV) ion extraction to improve the Zr(IV) ion extraction system with an effective extractability and without the third phase formation. Our main findings were that the significant high extraction performance of the TFP for Zr(IV) ion as compared with TBP, and the origins of the high extraction performance of the TFP are related to the water and HNO contents in the fluorous phase and the stability of the complex, Zr(No)(TFP).