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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Oct 31, 2025

Enhanced Oil Recovery using a Combination of Biosurfactants

Enhanced Oil Recovery using a Combination of Biosurfactants

Published on: June 3, 2022

Molecular Brush Surfactants: Versatile Emulsifiers for Stabilizing and Structuring Liquids.

Beibei Wang¹, Tan Liu¹, Hao Chen¹

¹Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Soft Matter Science and Engineering, College of Materials Science and Engineering, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing, 100029, China.

Angewandte Chemie (International Ed. in English)

|June 29, 2021

Summary

This study introduces molecular brush surfactants (MBSs) for easy emulsion stabilization. These MBSs form in situ, enabling the creation of stable emulsions and structured liquids with unique properties.

Keywords:

jamming liquid-liquid interfaces molecular brushes structured liquids surfactants

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Area of Science:

Materials Science
Colloid and Surface Chemistry

Background:

Stabilizing emulsions typically requires synthesizing specific amphiphilic molecular brushes, a complex and time-consuming process.
Existing methods for emulsion stabilization can be challenging and limit the types of emulsions that can be formed.

Purpose of the Study:

To develop a novel, efficient method for creating stable emulsions using molecular brush surfactants (MBSs).
To demonstrate the in situ formation and assembly of MBSs at oil-water interfaces.
To explore the potential of structured liquids formed by jammed MBSs for advanced applications.

Main Methods:

Utilizing electrostatic interactions between water-soluble molecular brushes and oil-soluble oligomeric ligands.
In situ formation, assembly, and jamming of molecular brush surfactants (MBSs) at the oil-water interface.
Varying molar ratios of molecular brushes to ligands to control emulsion type (o/w, w/o, o/w/o).

Main Results:

Stable o/w, w/o, and o/w/o emulsions were easily prepared by adjusting the molecular brush to ligand ratios.
Jammed MBSs formed elastic films at the interface with strong binding energy, enabling the stabilization of liquids in nonequilibrium shapes.
Demonstrated the creation of structured liquids with exceptional mechanical properties.

Conclusions:

The in situ formation of MBSs offers a facile route to stable emulsions and structured liquids.
The exceptional interfacial properties of jammed MBSs open avenues for advanced applications.
Potential applications include chemical biphasic reactions, liquid electronics, and biomimetic systems.