Issue 23, 2011

Reversible emulsification controlled by ionic surfactants and responsive nanoparticles

Abstract

We identify a new mechanism for the spontaneous formation of an oil-in-water emulsion. Our classical density functional, which describes electrostatics, ionic surface reactions, and nanoparticle adsorption, predicts kinetically and even thermodynamically stable emulsion droplets with a tunable mesoscopic size. Our results closely match recent experiments [S. Sacanna et al., Phys. Rev. Lett., 2007, 98, 158301 and D. Kraft et al., J. Phys. Chem. B, 2010, 114, 10347], and may open new pathways for the reversible dispersion of particle-coated droplets that are desired in the fields of catalysis, controlled drug delivery and particle synthesis.

Graphical abstract: Reversible emulsification controlled by ionic surfactants and responsive nanoparticles

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
28 Apr 2011
Accepted
28 Jun 2011
First published
02 Aug 2011

Soft Matter, 2011,7, 11093-11097

Reversible emulsification controlled by ionic surfactants and responsive nanoparticles

J. Zwanikken, K. Ioannidou, D. Kraft and R. van Roij, Soft Matter, 2011, 7, 11093 DOI: 10.1039/C1SM05779K

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