Role of Surface Energy of Nanoparticle Stabilizers in the Synthesis of Microspheres via Pickering Emulsion Polymerization
Polymer microspheres are important for a variety of applications, such as ion exchange chromatography, catalyst supports, absorbents, etc. Synthesis of large microspheres can be challenging, because they cannot be obtained easily via classic emulsion polymerization, but rather by more complex method...
| Main Authors: | , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2022-03-01
|
| Series: | Nanomaterials |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2079-4991/12/6/995 |
| _version_ | 1797444078041825280 |
|---|---|
| author | Andrei Honciuc Oana-Iuliana Negru |
| author_facet | Andrei Honciuc Oana-Iuliana Negru |
| author_sort | Andrei Honciuc |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Polymer microspheres are important for a variety of applications, such as ion exchange chromatography, catalyst supports, absorbents, etc. Synthesis of large microspheres can be challenging, because they cannot be obtained easily via classic emulsion polymerization, but rather by more complex methods. Here, we present a facile method for obtaining polymer microspheres, beyond 50 μm, via Pickering emulsion polymerization. The method consists in creating oil-in-water (<i>o</i>/<i>w</i>) Pickering emulsion/suspension from vinyl bearing monomers, immiscible with water, whereas silica nanoparticles (NPs), bearing glycidyl functionalities, have a stabilizing role by adsorbing at the monomer/water interface of emulsion droplets. The emulsion is polymerized under UV light, and polymer microspheres decorated with NPs are obtained. We discovered that the contact angle of the NPs with the polymer microsphere is the key parameter for tuning the size and the quality of the obtained microspheres. The contact angle depends on the NPs’ interfacial energy and its polar and dispersive contributions, which we determine with a newly developed NanoTraPPED method. By varying the NPs’ surface functionality, we demonstrate that when their interfacial energy with water decreases, their energy of adhesion to water increases, causing the curvature of the polymer/water interface to decrease, resulting in increasingly larger polymer microspheres. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T13:07:21Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-25221fea7db24dfe9e1ea39cd3325704 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2079-4991 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T13:07:21Z |
| publishDate | 2022-03-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Nanomaterials |
| spelling | doaj.art-25221fea7db24dfe9e1ea39cd33257042023-11-30T21:46:43ZengMDPI AGNanomaterials2079-49912022-03-0112699510.3390/nano12060995Role of Surface Energy of Nanoparticle Stabilizers in the Synthesis of Microspheres via Pickering Emulsion PolymerizationAndrei Honciuc0Oana-Iuliana Negru1Electroactive Polymers and Plasmochemistry Laboratory, “Petru Poni” Institute of Macromolecular Chemistry, Aleea Gr. Ghica Voda 41A, 700487 Iasi, RomaniaElectroactive Polymers and Plasmochemistry Laboratory, “Petru Poni” Institute of Macromolecular Chemistry, Aleea Gr. Ghica Voda 41A, 700487 Iasi, RomaniaPolymer microspheres are important for a variety of applications, such as ion exchange chromatography, catalyst supports, absorbents, etc. Synthesis of large microspheres can be challenging, because they cannot be obtained easily via classic emulsion polymerization, but rather by more complex methods. Here, we present a facile method for obtaining polymer microspheres, beyond 50 μm, via Pickering emulsion polymerization. The method consists in creating oil-in-water (<i>o</i>/<i>w</i>) Pickering emulsion/suspension from vinyl bearing monomers, immiscible with water, whereas silica nanoparticles (NPs), bearing glycidyl functionalities, have a stabilizing role by adsorbing at the monomer/water interface of emulsion droplets. The emulsion is polymerized under UV light, and polymer microspheres decorated with NPs are obtained. We discovered that the contact angle of the NPs with the polymer microsphere is the key parameter for tuning the size and the quality of the obtained microspheres. The contact angle depends on the NPs’ interfacial energy and its polar and dispersive contributions, which we determine with a newly developed NanoTraPPED method. By varying the NPs’ surface functionality, we demonstrate that when their interfacial energy with water decreases, their energy of adhesion to water increases, causing the curvature of the polymer/water interface to decrease, resulting in increasingly larger polymer microspheres.https://www.mdpi.com/2079-4991/12/6/995pickering emulsionscolloidosomespolymer microspheresnanostructured surfacessurface energywettability of nanoparticles |
| spellingShingle | Andrei Honciuc Oana-Iuliana Negru Role of Surface Energy of Nanoparticle Stabilizers in the Synthesis of Microspheres via Pickering Emulsion Polymerization Nanomaterials pickering emulsions colloidosomes polymer microspheres nanostructured surfaces surface energy wettability of nanoparticles |
| title | Role of Surface Energy of Nanoparticle Stabilizers in the Synthesis of Microspheres via Pickering Emulsion Polymerization |
| title_full | Role of Surface Energy of Nanoparticle Stabilizers in the Synthesis of Microspheres via Pickering Emulsion Polymerization |
| title_fullStr | Role of Surface Energy of Nanoparticle Stabilizers in the Synthesis of Microspheres via Pickering Emulsion Polymerization |
| title_full_unstemmed | Role of Surface Energy of Nanoparticle Stabilizers in the Synthesis of Microspheres via Pickering Emulsion Polymerization |
| title_short | Role of Surface Energy of Nanoparticle Stabilizers in the Synthesis of Microspheres via Pickering Emulsion Polymerization |
| title_sort | role of surface energy of nanoparticle stabilizers in the synthesis of microspheres via pickering emulsion polymerization |
| topic | pickering emulsions colloidosomes polymer microspheres nanostructured surfaces surface energy wettability of nanoparticles |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2079-4991/12/6/995 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT andreihonciuc roleofsurfaceenergyofnanoparticlestabilizersinthesynthesisofmicrospheresviapickeringemulsionpolymerization AT oanaiuliananegru roleofsurfaceenergyofnanoparticlestabilizersinthesynthesisofmicrospheresviapickeringemulsionpolymerization |