Thermosensitive pickering emulsion stabilized by poly(N-isopropylacrylamide)-carrying particles

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Colloid and Surface Chemistry

Background:

• Pickering emulsions offer enhanced stability compared to conventional emulsions.
• Thermosensitive polymers can alter their properties with temperature changes.
• Controlling emulsion stability is crucial for various industrial applications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To characterize Poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM)-carrying particles as thermosensitive Pickering emulsifiers.
• To investigate the formation and stability of emulsions stabilized by these particles.
• To demonstrate temperature-triggered control over emulsion stability.

Main Methods:

• Preparation of oil-in-water (O/W) emulsions using various oils (heptane, hexadecane, trichloroethylene, toluene) and PNIPAM-carrying particles.
• Characterization of emulsion stability over time at room temperature.
• Investigation of emulsion behavior upon heating to 40°C, inducing PNIPAM coil-to-globule transition.

Main Results:

• PNIPAM-carrying particles successfully stabilized O/W emulsions with diverse oils.
• Emulsions exhibited excellent stability for over 3 months at room temperature.
• Phase separation was observed upon heating to 40°C due to PNIPAM's thermosensitive transition.

Conclusions:

• Thermosensitive PNIPAM-carrying particles function effectively as Pickering emulsifiers.
• Emulsion stability can be precisely controlled by temperature-induced changes in PNIPAM.
• This offers a novel method for tunable emulsion stabilization.