Vapors of benzene and its derivatives are harmful and toxic for human beings and natural environment. Their detection has fundamental importance. For this purpose authors propose surface acoustic wave (SAW) sensor with skeletonized layer deposited by Langmuir-Blodgett (L-B) method. This layer was obtained by depositing a binary equimolar mixture of 5-[[1,3-dioxo-3-[4-(1-oxooctadecyl) phenyl]propyl]amino]–1,3–benzenedicarboxylic acid with cetylamine. The skeletonized sensor layer has been obtained by removing cetylamine. Response of this sensor depends mainly of the electrical dipole momentum of molecule. Among the tested compounds, benzene has a zero dipole moment and gives the smallest sensor response, and nitrobenzene has the largest dipole moment and the sensor reacts most strongly to its vapor.

In the present study, the removal capacity of Pb(II) ions was investigated using the biomass of dried cattle manure in an aqueous solution. The biomaterials were characterized using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Energy-Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (EDS) techniques. The results reveal that the adsorption mechanism may be associated with the interaction between Pb(II) ions and functional groups through aggregation, coordination, ion exchange, microprecipitation, oxidation, and hydrophobicity. The bio-adsorption of the metal was analysed in discontinuous tests; the effect of temperature, pH, agitation, and adsorbent dose was evaluated. The maximum adsorption capacity was determined at pH 7.5, 18°C and 200 rpm. The bio-adsorption of Pb(II) was best fitted to the pseudo-second order model. The experimental data of the isotherm were adjusted to the models of Langmuir, Freundlich and Dubinin–Radushkevich; while Langmuir’s model related better to the experimental data forming a single layer at saturation. The rate of adsorption was rapid, reaching equilibrium after 25 min and removal of 96.8%. Thermodynamic parameters determined that the process was viable, spontaneous, and exothermic. The present study contributes mainly to demonstrating that a biomaterial prepared from bovine manure is a promising adsorbent for heavy metals such as Pb(II). It also reduces the environmental impact of this waste through the generation of greenhouse gases in countries that maintain intensive livestock. Another important aspect is the reduction of the micro- and macronutrients accumulation in soil and contamination of surface waters and aquifers by runoff and seepage during rainy periods.

In this work, nickel adsorption onto low Jordanian zeolite dose is being investigated. Natural zeolite doses were stirred continuously with nickel solutions in batch reactors at 180 RPM for 24 hours, where the temperature was set to 20°C. The pH was initially 4.5 and reached 5.2 at equilibrium. The removal efficiency of nickel reaches maximum value when the initial nickel concentration is around 1 ppm and then tends to decrease when the initial nickel concentration increases above 1 ppm. The optimal nickel removal reaches 65% when the initial nickel concentration is 1 ppm and the zeolite dose is 26 mg·dm–3. This study investigates the behaviour of nickel removal and modelling isotherms below and above this critical peak point. At this level of zeolite dose, the adsorption does not follow either Freundlich or Langmuir isotherms, but rather, it follows Freundlich for the data plot just below the peak point with the highest coefficient of determination (R2) equals (0.98) when the zeolite dose is (26 mg·dm–3), whereas it follows Langmuir for the data plot just above the peak point with the highest coefficient of determination (R2) equals (0.99) when the zeolite dose is (10 mg·dm–3). These findings clarify the theory behind each isotherm and can be used to find new information for efficient treatment techniques.

Using Langmuir and Langmuir-Blodgett techniques molecular films of chlorinated perylene derivatives, namely tetra-n-butyl-1,6,7,12-tetrachloroperylene-3,4,9,10-tetracarboxylate (PCn for n = 1, 5, 9) have been studied. The Langmuir films of pure compounds and mixed with liquid crystalline 4-octyl-4′-cyanobiphenyl (8CB) were characterized by surface pressure-mean molecular area isotherms. An additive rule reveals miscibility of all the dyes with 8CB but shows different types of intermolecular interaction forces. The pure and mixed Langmuir films were transferred onto quartz plates and characterized spectroscopically. Absorption and fluorescence spectra were recorded for the samples in form of diluted chloroform solution, the dye with 8CB mixtures in monomolecular Langmuir-Blodgett films and in liquid crystal cells. Different tendency to aggregation of the dye with short and long alkyl chains was observed. It is shown that the dye molecule stacking and aggregation of the chlorinated perylene dyes depend on the dye concentration and are related to the torsion of the perylene core.

To study the influence of structural features of phthalocyanine (Pc) derivatives on their physico-chemical properties in bulk and thin films, 23 new phthalocyanines with different quantity and ratio of donor (alkyloxy-groups, in fragment “A”) and acceptor (Cl-, in fragment “B”) substituents in one molecule of the A₃B, ABAB and AABB types with varied length of alkyloxy-substituents and their metal complexes were designed and synthesized. A comparative analysis of spectral, mesomorphic and photoelectric properties of these mix-substituted phthalocyanines of a “push–pull” type was performed. It was shown that non-peripheral substitution by alkyloxy-fragments in hetero-substituted Pcs (similar to homo-substituted Pc) leads to red-shifting of the Q-band into near-IR region. The intensity of photoluminescence, position of peaks and their splitting are strongly connected with chemical structure of Pcs and the type of solvent. In contrast to non-mesogenic octyloxy-Pc (A4) having alkyloxy-substituents in non-peripheral positions, 22 of 23 synthesized compounds possess columnar mesomorphism. The change of donor–acceptor ratio can influence the type of mesophase. A new approach to the creation of materials for optoelectronics is proposed and implemented, which includes design of compounds possessing vitrification from mesophase with maintenance of a columnar order, absorption in the near IR-region of the spectrum and good performance electrophysical characteristics simultaneously.