Photorecovery of nanoparticles from an organic solvent

Commercial silica nanoparticles were dispersed in toluene, stabilized by a mixture of sodium bis(2-ethylhexyl)sulfosuccinate (AOT) and a photolyzable anionic surfactant sodium hexylphenylazosulfonate (C6PAS). Selective photolysis of the interfacial C6PAS component induces colloid instability, resulting in flocculation and eventual phase separation of the silica nanoparticles. UV-vis spectroscopy was used to follow the photochemical breakdown of C6PAS; diffusion coefficient measurements by dynamic light scattering were employed to monitor the photoinduced flocculation; and silica contents in the toluene, before and after UV light irradiation, were determined gravimetrically. The results show that light can be used to trigger separation and recovery of nanoparticles stabilized by photolabile interfacial layers.