Tailoring the droplet size of Pickering emulsions by PISA synthesized polymeric nanoparticles. (7th October 2020)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Zeng, Min; Li, Xiang; Zhang, Yunchong; Chen, Xi; Sui, Xiaofeng; Yuan, Jinying
• Is Part Of: Polymer. Volume 206(2020)
• Publication Date: 2020-10-07
• Subjects: Pickering emulsion -- Polymerization-induced self-assembly -- Block copolymer nanoparticles; Polymers -- Periodicals; Polymerization -- Periodicals; Polymères -- Périodiques; Polymérisation -- Périodiques; 547.7
• DOI: 10.1016/j.polymer.2020.122853
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0032-3861

Abstract

Abstract: Pickering emulsions, water or oil droplets stabilized solely by solid particles, are attracting increasing attention, due to the fascinating possibilities for applications in food, pharmaceuticals and preparation of hybrid materials. In this paper, we report oil-in-water (O/W) Pickering emulsions stabilized solely by polymerization-induced self-assembly (PISA) synthesized diblock copolymer spherical nanoparticles. Poly ( N, N -dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate)- b -poly (benzyl methacrylate) (PDMA- b -PBzMA) diblock copolymer nanoparticles with 20 wt% solid content were prepared in ethanol via RAFT dispersion polymerization. Then PDMA- b -PBzMA nanoparticles were used as emulsifiers to prepare O/W Pickering emulsions by homogenization. The regulation of droplet size of the O/W Pickering emulsion was systemically investigated by adjusting the size of emulsifiers, the concentration of emulsifiers, and the ratio of oil/water. Moreover, Pickering emulsion polymerization was successfully applied to prepare poly (laurate methacrylate) microparticles. These results provide instructive insights to choose proper nanoparticles for the preparation of Pickering emulsions and control over the size of emulsion droplets. Graphical abstract: Image 1 Highlights: Diblock copolymer spherical nanoparticles were synthesized. Pickering emulsions were prepared by using polymeric spherical nanoparticles as emulsifiers. The droplet size of Pickering emulsions was readily regulated.