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Published on: December 23, 2016
Pickering emulsion templated soft capsules by self-assembling cross-linkable ferritin-polymer conjugates.
Patrick van Rijn1, Nathalie C Mougin, Daniel Franke
1DWI an der RWTH Aachen e.V., Lehrstuhl für Makromolekulare Materialien und Oberflächen, RWTH Aachen University, Pauwelsstrasse 8, D-52056 Aachen, Germany.
Chemical Communications (Cambridge, England)
|June 21, 2011
Summary
Researchers created novel protein-polymer capsules using ferritin. These soft capsules can be transformed into water-in-water and oil-in-oil systems, expanding possibilities for advanced materials.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Biotechnology
- Colloid Science
Background:
- Pickering emulsions are stabilized by solid particles.
- Ferritin is a protein with potential for nanoparticle applications.
- Protein-polymer conjugates offer tunable properties for advanced materials.
Purpose of the Study:
- To prepare oil-in-water and water-in-oil Pickering emulsions using ferritin-polymer conjugates.
- To stabilize these emulsions using UV cross-linking.
- To create novel water-in-water and oil-in-oil capsules by transferring the stabilized emulsions.
Main Methods:
- Synthesis of ferritin-polymer conjugates.
- Preparation of oil-in-water and water-in-oil Pickering emulsions.
- Stabilization of emulsions via UV cross-linking.
- Transfer of capsules to media of matching polarity.
Main Results:
- Successful preparation of stable o/w and w/o Pickering emulsions using ferritin-polymer conjugates.
- UV cross-linking effectively stabilized the protein-polymer assembly around droplets.
- Formation of water-in-water (w/w) and oil-in-oil (o/o) capsules was achieved.
Conclusions:
- Ferritin-polymer conjugates are effective stabilizers for Pickering emulsions.
- UV cross-linking provides a robust method for creating soft protein-polymer capsules.
- The developed method allows for the creation of w/w and o/o capsules, broadening applications in soft matter and encapsulation.
