A new deep eutectic solvent (DES) was developed as a phase-selective gelator for oil-spill remediation. The newly designed nonionic DES is based on a combination of an amide (N-methylacetamide) and a long chain carboxylic acid (lauric acid) and does not require any synthetic procedure besides mixing. Our studies show that the DES works as gelator by forming a gel between lauric acid and the hydrocarbon, whereas the amide serves to form the DES and dissolves in water during the gelation process. In addition, the DES material has gelation properties comparable to those considered as state-of-the-art. Overall, the newly developed material shows a promising future in oil recovery methodologies.

中文翻译：

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用于溢油修复的无合成相选择胶凝剂

开发了一种新型的深共熔溶剂（DES），作为用于溢油修复的相选择胶凝剂。新设计的非离子DES基于酰胺（N-甲基乙酰胺）和长链羧酸（月桂酸）的组合，除混合外无需任何合成程序。我们的研究表明，DES通过在月桂酸和烃之间形成凝胶而充当胶凝剂，而酰胺则在凝胶化过程中形成DES并溶于水。另外，DES材料具有与被认为是最新技术的凝胶性能相当的凝胶性能。总体而言，新开发的材料在采油方法方面显示出光明的未来。