Oil-in-oil emulsions stabilised solely by solid particles

Relaxing Wrinkles in Jammed Interfacial Assemblies

Dynamic covalent bonding has emerged as a mean by which stresses in a network can be relaxed. Here, the strength of the bonding of ligands to nanoparticles at the interface between two immiscible liquids affect the same results in jammed assemblies of nanoparticle surfactants. Beyond a critical degree of overcrowding induced by the compression of jammed interfacial assemblies, the bonding of ligands to nanoparticles (NPs) can be broken, resulting in a desorption of the NPs from the interface. This reduces the areal density of nanoparticle surfactants at the interface, allowing the assemblies to relax, not to a fluid state but rather another jammed state. The relaxation of the wrinkles caused by the compression reflects the tendency of these assemblies to eliminate areas of high curvature, favoring a more planar geometry. This enabled the generation of giant vesicular and multivesicular structures from these assemblies.

Ionic Liquid-in-Water Emulsions Stabilized by Molecular and Polymeric Surfactants

Ionic liquids have drawn notable attention for their unique solvent properties and use in applications such as batteries and chemical separations. While many ionic liquids are water-soluble, there are numerous examples of ionic liquids that are sufficiently hydrophobic to remain phase separated from water. However, relatively little is known about the stability and properties of ionic liquid-in-water emulsions. Here, we survey a series of ionic liquid-in-water emulsions stabilized by a range of ionic and nonionic molecular surfactants and polymers. To assess droplet stability and dynamics, we characterize the ionic liquid-surfactant interfacial tension, describe qualitative coarsening rates, and quantify droplet solubilization rate. In some instances, we observe unexpected spontaneous formation of complex double and triple emulsions. Our observations highlight approaches for ionic liquid emulsion formulation and provide insight into how to address challenges surrounding stabilization of ionic liquid-in-water droplets with molecular surfactants.

All-oil Constructs Stabilized by Cellulose Nanocrystal Surfactants

Constructing all-oil systems with desired geometries and responsiveness would produce a new class of reconfigurable materials that can be used for applications that are not compatible with water or aqueous systems, a fascinating goal to achieve but severely limited by the lack of surfactants. Here, we demonstrate an efficient strategy to stabilize oil-oil interfaces by using the co-assembly between the cellulose nanocrystal and amine-functionalized polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (POSS-NH₂). Cellulose nanocrystal surfactants (CNCSs) form and assemble in situ at the interface, showing significantly enhanced binding energy and acid-dependent interfacial activity. When CNCSs jam at the interface, a robust assembly with exceptional mechanical properties can be achieved, allowing the 3D printing of all-oil devices on demand. Using CNCSs as emulsifiers, oil-in-oil high internal phase emulsions can be prepared by one-step homogenization and, when used as templates, porous materials that require water-sensitive monomers can be synthesized. These results open a new platform for stabilizing and structuring all-oil systems, providing numerous applications for microreactors, encapsulation, delivery, and tissue engineering scaffolds.

Oxygen and hydrocarbon volumetric transfer coefficients in the production of an oil-degrading bacterial consortium: emulsifying activity and surface tension in a bioreactor

Our work shows that in multiphase systems, it is more important to take into account the mass transfer of oil rather than that of just oxygen. The oxygen volumetric transfer coefficient is important in aerobic bioreactor design. However, in multiphase systems with non-soluble substrates, oil transfer can impose larger restrictions but is usually not considered. Emulsification and surface tension could play an important role due to effects on oil droplet size and interfacial transfer area. Petroleum oil and is derivates such as diesel can negatively affect living organisms. This study evaluated the effects of the volumetric transfer coefficients (kLa) of hydrocarbons and oxygen on the production of an oil-degrading consortium in an airlift bioreactor relative to emulsifying activity and surface tension, which play important roles in the biodegradation of non-soluble substrates such as diesel due to a combined mass transfer constraint. Our results showed a clear difference in kLa values, which ranged from 15 to 91 h-1 for oxygen and from 0 to 0.0014 h-1 for diesel. Most aerobic biodegradation studies focus on the oxygen volumetric transfer coefficient (kLaoxygen), but our results indicated that non-soluble constraints, such as the volumetric transfer coefficient of diesel (kLadiesel), could be more important. Additionally, d32diesel decreased as superficial gas velocity (Ug) increased. Lower Ug rates (0.15 cm s-1) resulted in higher values of d32diesel (0.38 cm-1), whereas higher Ug rates (2.7 cm s-1) resulted in lower values of d32diesel (0.21 cm-1) at the beginning of the cultivation.

Unconventional and conventional Pickering emulsions: Perspectives and challenges in skin applications

Pickering emulsions are free from molecular and classical surfactants and are stabilized by solid particles, creating long-term stability against emulsion coalescence. Additionally, these emulsions are both environmentally and skin-friendly, creating new and unexplored sensorial perceptions. Although the literature mostly describes conventional emulsions (oil-in-water), there are unconventional emulsions (multiple, oil-in-oil and water-in-water) with excellent prospects and challenges in skin application as oil-free systems, permeation enhancers and topical drug delivery agents, with various possibilities in pharmaceutical and cosmetic products. However, up to now, these conventional and unconventional Pickering emulsions are not yet available as commercial products. This review brings to the discussion some important aspects such as the use of phases, particles, rheological and sensorial perception, as well as current trends in the development of these emulsions.

Oxidation and oxidative stability in emulsions

Emulsions are implemented in the fabrication of a wide array of foods and therefore are of great importance in food science. However, the application of emulsions in food production is restricted by two main obstacles, that is, physical and oxidative stability. The former has been comprehensively reviewed somewhere else, but our literature review indicated that there is a prominent ground for reviewing the latter across all kinds of emulsions. Therefore, the present study was formulated in order to review oxidation and oxidative stability in emulsions. In doing so, different measures to render oxidative stability to emulsions are reviewed after introducing lipid oxidation reactions and methods to measure lipid oxidation. These strategies are scrutinized in four main categories, namely storage conditions, emulsifiers, optimization of production methods, and antioxidants. Afterward, oxidation in all types of emulsions, including conventional ones (oil-in-water and water-in-oil) and uncommon emulsions in food production (oil-in-oil), is reviewed. Furthermore, the oxidation and oxidative stability of multiple emulsions, nanoemulsions, and Pickering emulsions are taken into account. Finally, oxidative processes across different parent and food emulsions were explained taking a comparative approach.

Influence of particle wettability on foam formation in honey

The rising level of obesity is often attributed to high sugar and/or fat consumption. Therefore, the food industry is constantly searching for ways to reduce or eliminate sugar or fat in food products. Therefore, honey foam, which contains little sugar and no fat, can be used as cake, cracker or bread spread instead of butter or margarine which contains a substantial amount of fat or jam that contains a substantial amount of sugar. Small solid particles (nanometers to micrometers) of suitable wettability are now considered outstanding foam-stabilizing agents. However, while the degree of particle wettability necessary to obtain very stable aqueous and nonaqueous foams is well-known, that needed to obtain very stable honey foam is unknown. In this study, the influence of the degree of wettability of fumed silica particles, indicated by their % SiOH (14-100), was investigated in honey in relation to foam formation and foam stability. The honephilic particles (61%-100% SiOH) formed particle dispersion in honey, while foams were obtained with the honephobic particles (14%-50% SiOH). The thread-off between particle dispersion and foam formation occurs at 50% SiOH, meaning foam formation in honey is possible when the particles are at least 50% honephobic. At relatively low particle concentration <1 wt.%, foam volume decreases with increasing honephobicity, but increases with honephobicity at relatively high concentration >1 wt.%. Also, as particle concentration increases, the shape of the air bubbles in the foam changes from spherical to non-spherical. After a little drainage, the foams remain stable to drainage and did not coalesce substantially for more than six months. These findings will guide the formulation of edible Pickering honey foams.

A review on octenyl succinic anhydride modified starch-based Pickering-emulsion: Instabilities and ingredients interactions

Pickering emulsions endow attractive features and a wide versatility in both food and nonfood fields. In the last decades, a noticeable interest has emerged toward the use of octenyl succinic anhydride (OSA)-starch to improve the long-term stability in such systems. In this review, instabilities were pointed out, where a new kinetic equilibrium was observed in Pickering emulsions assigned to migration and size variations of particles. These features were monitored using rheological measurements to understand microstructure and droplets mobility. The elastic modulus (G'), the viscous modulus (G″), and tan(δ) values were attributed to the transition from solid to fluid and assigned to the instability of the formulation regardless of the type of the system configuration. The novelties in using OSA-modified starch, were also exposed. The chemical modification of starch decreased creaming for months. Interaction between OSA-modified starches and some ionic components (potassium, magnesium, and calcium) as well as hydrocolloids and proteins reduced creaming and coalescence due to dense interfacial film. Furthermore, the key parameters (oil fraction, fatty acids composition, oxidative stress oil polarity, and oil viscosity) that govern oil phase in Pickering emulsion, were analyzed. These parameters were found to be positively correlated to the stability of Pickering emulsions.

Advances in antibubble formation and potential applications

Antibubbles are unusual physical objects consisting of a liquid core(s) surrounded by a thin air film/shell while in a bulk liquid. Antibubbles carry two air-liquid interfaces, i.e., one with the inner liquid and the other with the outer liquid. The distinct structure of antibubbles makes them quite attractive for drug and therapeutic delivery, although their potential applications have not been realized so far. The major challenge in this regard is a short-lived span of antibubbles, which is usually in the order of a few minutes to a few hours based on the stabilization mechanism used. We present a critical overview of different techniques that can be used to generate antibubbles. This includes a more commonly applied conventional approach in which the air-film is created through surface entrapment when a liquid jet/drop falls on a bulk liquid. The other available options rely on entirely different mechanisms for antibubble formation, for instance, through drop encapsulation by a submerged air bubble, or through evaporation/sublimation of volatile oil from a W/O/W double emulsion. Furthermore, the mechanisms of antibubble formation and collapse, and the factors affecting their stability have been discussed explicitly; and wherever required, the concept is correlated to other allied physical objects such as bubbles, liquid marbles, etc. Finally, the potential applications, research gaps in the existing knowledge, and some directions for future research are provided towards the end of this article.

Nonaqueous Emulsion Polycondensation Enabled by a Self‐Assembled Cage‐like Surfactant

Nonaqueous emulsions are crucial for a range of applications based on water‐sensitive systems such as controlled polymerizations requiring anhydrous reaction conditions and the stabilization of readily hydrolyzable reagents or pharmacologically active components. However, defined molecular surfactants to stabilize such nonaqueous emulsions are scarce. We introduce a self‐assembled coordination cage, decorated with cholesterol functionalities, to serve as a molecular surfactant for various oil‐in‐oil emulsions of immiscible organic solvents. While the positively charged cage forms the amphiphile's polar moiety, the non‐polar cholesterol appendices can bend in a common direction to stabilize the emulsion. Templated by the droplets, polycondensation reactions were carried out to produce microstructured polyurethane and polyurea materials of different particle sizes and morphologies. Further, the amphiphilic cage can encapsulate a guest molecule and the resulting host‐guest assembly was also examined as a surfactant. In addition, the aggregation behavior of the amphiphilic cage in an aqueous medium was examined.

Tailor-made urethane-linked alkyl-celluloses: A Promising Stabilizer for Oil-in-oil Pickering Emulsions

Oil-in-oil emulsions or nonaqueous emulsions are formulated from two immiscible organic solvents, which provide an ideal platform for water-sensitive systems such as readily hydrolyzable reagents and polymerization in anhydrous conditions....

The role of emulsification strategy on the electrospinning of β-carotene-loaded emulsions stabilized by gum Arabic and whey protein isolate

This work was aimed to systematically assess the effect of diverse emulsification strategies, i.e., layer-by-layer (LbL), directly mixing (DM), and heteroaggregation (HA) assemblies on electrospinnability of emulsions stabilized by gum Arabic (GA)-whey protein isolate (WPI) blend and their subsequence potential in β-carotene (BC) encapsulation. The designed BC emulsions were characterized in terms of zeta-potential, droplet size, and rheological properties. According to the results, LbL-formulated emulsions possessed the highest zeta-potential; however, HA-produced ones appeared to be more viscous among all emulsions. Properties of electrospun nanofibers varied considerably relying on either the emulsification strategy or the oil phase volume fraction as confirmed by field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and fourier transform infrared specroscopy (FTIR). It was found that the resulting nanofibers produced by LbL and HA emulsification guaranteed higher BC encapsulation efficiency (>90%), in comparison to that of DM-engineered samples offering a lower efficiency of ∼71 %. The storage stability of BC emulsions stabilized with WPI-GA blend was in the order of LbL > HA > DM emulsions. Most importantly, the application of LbL assembly exhibited the most thermally/physicochemically stable carotenoid-comprising nanofibers among all studied mixing techniques. These results offer useful information for applications of different emulsification strategies for fabricating BC-loaded nanofibers via emulsion electrospining technique.

Coordination Cage-Based Emulsifiers: Templated Formation of Metal Oxide Microcapsules Monitored by In Situ LC-TEM

Metallo‐supramolecular self‐assembly has yielded a plethora of discrete nanosystems, many of which show competence in capturing guests and catalyzing chemical reactions. However, the potential of low‐molecular bottom‐up self‐assemblies in the development of structured inorganic materials has rarely been methodically explored so far. Herein, we present a new type of metallo‐supramolecular surfactant with the ability to stabilize non‐aqueous emulsions for a significant period. The molecular design of the surfactant is based on a heteroleptic coordination cage (CGA‐3; CGA=Cage‐based Gemini Amphiphile), assembled from two pairs of organic building blocks, grouped around two Pd(II) cations. Shape‐complementarity between the differently functionalized components generates discrete amphiphiles with a tailor‐made polarity profile, able to stabilize non‐aqueous emulsions, such as hexadecane‐in‐DMSO. These emulsions were used as a medium for the synthesis of spherical metal oxide microcapsules (titanium oxide, zirconium oxide, and niobium oxide) from soluble, water‐sensitive alkoxide precursors by allowing a controlled dosage of water to the liquid‐liquid phase boundary. Synthesized materials were analyzed by a combination of electron microscopic techniques. In situ liquid cell transmission electron microscopy (LC‐TEM) was utilized for the first time to visualize the dynamics of the emulsion‐templated formation of hollow inorganic titanium oxide and zirconium oxide microspheres.

Interfacial structures of particle-stabilized emulsions examined by ultrasonic scattering analysis with a core-shell model

Pickering emulsions comprising liquid droplets stabilized by solid microparticles have gained much attention in the field of cosmetics, inks, and drug delivery systems. To ensure that microparticles in Pickering emulsions are localized at the surface of liquid droplets, ultrasonic spectroscopy analysis combined with scattering function theory was conducted in this study. Two specific cases were investigated: (1) silica particles and liquid droplets independently dispersed in liquid and (2) silica particles effectively localized at the surface of the droplets. It was found that the core-shell model was effective for analyzing nanoparticles anchored at the surface of oil droplets. Conversely, it was found that an effective shell comprised of solid particles was no longer observed as the particle size or the distance between solid particles increased. When a large solid particle was applied, the ultrasonic spectra resembled those of conventional surfactant-stabilized emulsions without solid stabilizers.

Complex High-Internal Phase Emulsions that can Form Interfacial Films with Tunable Morphologies

High-internal phase emulsions (HIPEs) were considered as an important functional material and have been the focus of intense development effort, but their fundamental attributes have hardly been altered at either the microcosmic or macroscopic level, which severely limits their practical applications in various areas. In this work, we report a general strategy for creating complex HIPEs that can form interfacial films at liquid interfaces. Double HIPEs and Janus HIPEs are both realized for the first time. They feature complex microscopic patterns with short-range anisotropy and exhibit non-Newtonian pseudoplastic flow behavior. By taking advantage of their response to a high-pH subphase, interfacial films can be successfully obtained, which are tunable in thickness and morphologies under compression. Complex HIPEs can greatly expand the applications of liquid materials, and the interfacial films of droplets represent an important step toward producing 2D soft materials with a unique functionality that can be broadly applied to biological processes.

Preparation of Poly(ethylene glycol)@Polyurea Microcapsules Using Oil/Oil Emulsions and Their Application as Microreactors

The development process of catalytic core/shell microreactors, possessing a poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) core and a polyurea (PU) shell, by implementing an emulsion-templated non-aqueous encapsulation method, is presented. The microreactors' fabrication process begins with an emulsification process utilizing an oil-in-oil (o/o) emulsion of PEG-in-heptane, stabilized by a polymeric surfactant. Next, a reaction between a poly(ethylene imine) (PEI) and a toluene-2,4-diisocyanate (TDI) takes place at the boundary of the emulsion droplets, resulting in the creation of a PU shell through an interfacial polymerization (IFP) process. The microreactors were loaded with palladium nanoparticles (NPs) and were utilized for the hydrogenation of alkenes and alkynes. Importantly, it was found that PEG has a positive effect on the catalytic performance of the developed microreactors. Interestingly, besides being an efficient green reaction medium, PEG plays two crucial roles: first, it reduces the palladium ions to palladium NPs; thus, it avoids the unnecessary use of additional reducing agents. Second, it stabilizes the palladium NPs and prevents their aggregation, allowing the formation of highly reactive palladium NPs. Strikingly, in one sense, the suggested system affords highly reactive semi-homogeneous catalysis, whereas in another sense, it enables the facile, rapid, and inexpensive recovery of the catalytic microreactor by simple centrifugation. The durable microreactors exhibit excellent activity and were recycled nine times without any loss in their reactivity.

Incorporation of nanogels within calcite single crystals for the storage, protection and controlled release of active compounds

Nanocarriers have tremendous potential for the encapsulation, storage and delivery of active compounds. However, current formulations often employ open structures that achieve efficient loading of active agents, but that suffer undesired leakage and instability of the payloads over time. Here, a straightforward strategy that overcomes these issues is presented, in which protein nanogels are encapsulated within single crystals of calcite (CaCO3). Demonstrating our approach with bovine serum albumin (BSA) nanogels loaded with (bio)active compounds, including doxorubicin (a chemotherapeutic drug) and lysozyme (an antibacterial enzyme), we show that these nanogels can be occluded within calcite host crystals at levels of up to 45 vol%. Encapsulated within the dense mineral, the active compounds are stable against harsh conditions such as high temperature and pH, and controlled release can be triggered by a simple reduction of the pH. Comparisons with analogous systems - amorphous calcium carbonate, mesoporous vaterite (CaCO3) polycrystals, and calcite crystals containing polymer vesicles - demonstrate the superior encapsulation performance of the nanogel/calcite system. This opens the door to encapsulating a broad range of existing nanocarrier systems within single crystal hosts for the efficient storage, transport and controlled release of various active guest species.

Solid-in-Oil-in-Water Emulsion: An Innovative Paradigm to Improve Drug Stability and Biological Activity

Abstract

An emulsion is a biphasic dosage form comprising of dispersed phase containing droplets that are uniformly distributed into a surrounding liquid which forms the continuous phase. An emulsifier is added at the interface of two immiscible liquids to stabilize the thermodynamically unstable emulsion. Various types of emulsions such as water-in-oil (w-o), oil-in-water (o-w), microemulsions, and multiple emulsions are used for delivering certain drugs in the body. Water (aqueous) phase is commonly used for encapsulating proteins and several other drugs in water-in-oil-in-water (w-o-w) emulsion technique. But this method has posed certain problems such as decreased stability, burst release, and low entrapment efficiency. Thus, a novel “solid-in-oil-in-water” (s-o-w) emulsion system was developed for formulating certain drugs, probiotics, proteins, antibodies, and tannins to overcome these issues. In this method, the active ingredient is encapsulated as a solid and added to an oil phase, which formed a solid-oil dispersion. This dispersion was then mixed with water to form a continuous phase for enhancing the drug absorption. This article focuses on the various studies done to investigate the effectiveness of formulations prepared as solid-oil-water emulsions in comparison to conventional water-oil-water emulsions. A summary of the results obtained in each study is presented in this article. The s-o-w emulsion technique may become beneficial in near future as it has shown to improve the stability and efficacy of the entrapped active ingredient.

Graphical abstract

Dynamic Covalent Nanoparticles for Acid-Responsive Nonaqueous Pickering Emulsions

Acid-responsive nonaqueous (glycerol in n-decane) Pickering emulsions were prepared using preferentially oil-wetted dynamic covalent silica (SiO₂-pDB) nanoparticles as the Pickering emulsifiers. The acid-responsive Pickering emulsifier SiO₂-pDB was prepared based on a Schiff base reaction between amino silica (SiO₂-NH₂) and p-decanoxybenzaldehyde (pDBA). The formation of SiO₂-pDB was characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, and elemental analysis. The preferentially oil-wetted character of SiO₂-pDB was indicated by contact angle measurement. Stable nonaqueous Pickering emulsions were prepared using preferentially oil-wetted SiO₂-pDB as the Pickering emulsifier. However, after adjusting the nonaqueous Pickering emulsions to an acidic environment, complete phase separation occurred. In the acidic environment, preferentially oil-wetted SiO₂-pDB decomposed into hydrophilic SiO₂-NH₂ and hydrophobic pDBA due to the decomposition of the dynamic imine bond in the SiO₂-pDB. Then, the hydrophilic SiO₂-NH₂ and hydrophobic pDBA desorbed from the two-phase interface, resulting in complete phase separation of the initially stable nonaqueous Pickering emulsions. The acid-responsive nonaqueous Pickering emulsions show great potential in application in water sensitive systems, such as oil-based drilling fluids.

Pickering emulsion approach for fabrication of waterborne cross-linkable polydimethylsiloxane coatings with high mechanical performance

HYPOTHESIS

The Pickering emulsion approach has been frequently employed to fabricate various emulsions. However, the direct formation of cross-linked polymer films from Pickering emulsions and double functions (emulsified and mechanical reinforcement) of Pickering agents have not been sufficiently reported.

EXPERIMENTS

Fumed silica was co-modified with vinyltrimethoxysilane (VTMS) and hexamethyl disilylamine (HMDS) and was further adopted to emulsify vinyl or hydrogen dimethicone. The as-obtained Pickering emulsions were mixed with Karstedt catalyst capsules to produce one-component waterborne cross-linkable polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) coatings that were subsequently transformed into elastic films after drying at ambient temperature.

FINDINGS

The co-modification of fumed silica with VTMS/HMDS is shown to balance the Pickering emulsion effect and film-forming ability of the coatings. Greater amounts of grafted VTMS/HMDS or higher modified silica dosages demonstrated better Pickering emulsion effects. Nevertheless, because Pickering agents hinder the coalescence of silicone oil droplets, the appropriate modified silica concentration is crucial for achieving the highest cross-link density and thus the highest mechanical strength. The grafted CC groups can endow the modified silica with hydrosilylation reactivity and can thus additionally contribute to the mechanical performance of PDMS film. In addition, the Pickering emulsion approach is shown to be superior to the traditional emulsion approach for acquiring waterborne coatings with high mechanical performance.

The Effect of Particle Shell on Cooling Rates in Oil-in-Oil Magnetic Pickering Emulsions

Pickering emulsions (particle-stabilized emulsions) are usually considered because of their unique properties compared to surfactant-stabilized emulsions including better stability against emulsion aging. However, the interesting feature of particle-stabilized emulsions could be revealed during their magnetic heating. When magnetic particles constitute a shell around droplets and the sample is placed in an alternating magnetic field, a temperature increase appears due to energy dissipation from magnetic relaxation and hysteresis within magnetic particles. We hypothesize that the solidity of the magnetic particle shell around droplets can influence the process of heat transfer from inside the droplet to the surrounding medium. In this way, particle-stabilized emulsions can be considered as materials with changeable heat transfer. We investigated macroscopically heating and cooling of oil-in-oil magnetic Pickering emulsions with merely packed particle layers and these with a stable particle shell. The change in stability of the shell was obtained here by using the coalescence of droplets under the electric field. The results from calorimetric measurements show that the presence of a stable particle shell caused a slower temperature decrease in samples, especially for lower intensities of the magnetic field. The retarded heat transfer from magnetic Pickering droplets can be utilized in further potential applications where delayed heat transfer is desirable.

Interest of Pickering Emulsions for Sustainable Micro/Nanocellulose in Food and Cosmetic Applications

In the present review, natural and non-toxic particles made of micro/nanocellulose were specifically targeted as stabilizers of emulsions located at dispersed and continuous phases interfaces (called Pickering Emulsions, PEs). PEs are biphasic systems stabilized by solid particles with a recent interest in food and cosmetic domains. PEs have been more and more studied in the last ten years due to their advantages compared to conventional emulsions with surfactants. PEs have already been stabilized with various types of particles and particularly cellulose. Even if some studies showed that PEs were more stable when cellulose was chemically modified, numerous other recent studies showed that unmodified micro/nanocellulose is also promising biomaterial to stabilize PEs. Micro/nanocelluloses can be extracted by various green processes from numerous agricultural wastes and co-products, as banana peels, corncob, ginkgo seed shells, lime residues, mangosteen rind, oil palm empty fruit bunches, pistachio shells, as well as wheat straw. Main green processes used to treat cellulose are grinding, high pressure homogenization, microfluidization, enzymatic hydrolysis, subcritical water, extrusion, electron beam irradiation, cryocrushing, microwaves or sonication. PEs formulated with cellulose clearly participate to a global sustainable development but, additional studies will be necessary to better understand PEs stability and improve properties.

Janus-Like Single-Chain Polymer Nanoparticles as Two-in-One Emulsifiers for Aqueous and Nonaqueous Pickering Emulsions

The exploration of Pickering emulsions is very significant owing to their versatile and important applications in many scopes. In this study, synthesis of a novel kind of single-chain polymer nanoparticle (SCPN) and its stabilized Pickering emulsions were demonstrated. To this end, linear-dendritic diblock copolymers consisting of poly((2-dimethylamino) ethyl methacrylate) (PDMAEMA) blocks and four-generation dendritic aliphatic polyester blocks (G₄) have been first synthesized by the combination of click chemistry and reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization reaction. The subsequent intramolecular cross-linking of the PDMAEMA block of PDMAEMA-b-G₄ copolymers in DMF using 1,4-diiodobutane as cross-linkers afforded Janus-like SCPNs that exhibited a cross-linked PDMAEMA head tethered by a short dendritic tail. The molecular weight and distribution together with the structure of polymers were carefully characterized by GPC and NMR spectroscopy. By the employment of the as-synthesized Janus-like SCPNs as Pickering emulsifiers, aqueous and nonaqueous Pickering emulsions including water-in-oil and oil-in-oil as well as ionic liquid-in-oil were generated. Under the same conditions, it was found that the long-term stabilities of Pickering emulsions stabilized by Janus-like SCPNs were superior to those of Pickering emulsions stabilized by their linear quaternized PDMAEMA-b-G₄ by CH₃I analogous.

Advances and Opportunities of Oil-in-Oil Emulsions

Emulsions are mixtures of two immiscible liquids in which droplets of one are dispersed in a continuous phase of the other. The most common emulsions are oil-water systems, which have found widespread use across a number of industries, for example, in the cosmetic and food industries, and are also of advanced scientific interest. In addition, the past decade has seen a significant increase in both the design and application of nonaqueous emulsions. This has been primarily driven by developments in understanding the mechanism of effective stabilization of oil-in-oil (o/o) systems, either using block copolymers (BCPs) or solid (Pickering) particles with appropriate surface functionality. These systems, as highlighted in this review, have enabled emergent applications in areas such as pharmaceutical delivery, energy storage, and materials design (e.g., polymerization, monolith, and porous polymer synthesis). These o/o emulsions complement traditional emulsions that utilize an aqueous phase and allow the use of materials incompatible with water. We assess recent advances in the preparation and stabilization of o/o emulsions, focusing on the identity of the stabilizer (BCP or particle), the interplay between stabilizer and oils, and highlighting applications and opportunities associated with o/o emulsions.

Particle Stabilization of Oil-Fluorocarbon Interfaces and Effects on Multiphase Oil-in-Water Complex Emulsion Morphology and Reconfigurability

Stabilization of oil-oil interfaces is important for nonaqueous emulsions as well as for multiphase oil-in-water emulsions, with relevance to a variety of fields ranging from emulsion polymerization to sensors and optics. Here, we focus on examining the ability of functionalized silica particles to stabilize interfaces between fluorinated oils and other immiscible oils (such as hydrocarbons and silicones) in nonaqueous emulsions and also on the particles' ability to affect the morphology and reconfigurability of complex, biphasic oil-in-water emulsions. We compare the effectiveness of fluorophilic, lipophilic, and bifunctional fluorophilic-lipophilic coated nanoparticles to stabilize these oil-oil interfaces. Sequential bulk emulsification steps by vortex mixing, or emulsification by microfluidics, can be used to create complex droplets in which particles stabilize the oil-oil interfaces and surfactants stabilize the oil-water interfaces. We examine the influence of particles adsorbed at the internal oil-oil interface in complex droplets to hinder the reconfiguration of these complex emulsions upon addition of aqueous surfactants, creating "metastable" droplets that resist changes in morphology. Such metastable droplets can be triggered to reconfigure when heated above their upper critical solution temperature. Thus, not only do these bifunctional silica particles enable the stabilization of a broad array of oil-fluorocarbon nonaqueous emulsions, but the ability to address the oil-oil interface within complex O/O/W droplets expands the diversity of oil chemical choices available and the accessibility of droplet morphologies and sensitivity.

Phase Inversions Observed in Thermoresponsive Pickering Emulsions Stabilized by Surface Functionalized Colloidal Silica

In this study, the emulsification performance of functionalized colloidal silica is explored with the aim to achieve phase inversion of particle-stabilized (Pickering) emulsion systems. An increased understanding of inversion conditions can facilitate surfactant-free emulsion fabrication and expand its use in industrial applications. Phase inversion was achieved by adjusting the temperature but without changing the composition of the emulsion formulation. Silica nanoparticles modified with hydrophobic propyl groups and hydrophilic methyl poly(ethylene)glycol (mPEG) groups are used as emulsifiers, enabling control of the wettability of the particles and exploration of phase inversion phenomena, the latter due to the thermoresponsiveness of the attached PEG chains. The phase inversion conditions as well as the reversibility of the emulsion systems were examined at varying electrolyte concentrations and pH values of the suspensions. Transitional phase inversions, from oil-in-water and water-in-oil and back, were observed in functionalized silica particle-stabilized butanol emulsions at distinct temperatures. The phase inversion temperature was affected by electrolyte concentration and pH conditions due to salting-out effects, PEG-silica interactions, and the effects of the particle surface charge. Investigations of phase inversion conditions, temperature, and hysteresis effects in Pickering emulsions can improve the theoretical understanding of these phenomena and facilitate the implementation of low-energy emulsion preparation.

Self-Regulated Smectic Emulsion with Switchable Lasing Application

A structurally reversible smectic liquid crystal (LC) emulsion made of semifluorinated rod-type molecules in silicon oil, which is controlled by simple heating and cooling, is presented. Without adding any kind of additives, such as surfactants, polymers or emulsifiers, and without using any special tools, such as microfluidics or gas bubbling, the LC molecules spontaneously form monodisperse spherical and myelin-like structures upon cooling from the isotropic temperature. The LC emulsion can easily trap guest materials, providing a platform for repeatable and reliable switchable emulsification. For example, this interesting system enables the realization of an on-off lasing system by confining fluorescent dyes in the LC droplets.

Cyanoflan: A cyanobacterial sulfated carbohydrate polymer with emulsifying properties

The extracellular polysaccharides produced by cyanobacteria have distinctive characteristics that make them promising for applications ranging from bioremediation to biomedicine. In this study, a sulfated polysaccharide produced by a marine cyanobacterial strain and named cyanoflan was characterized in terms of morphology, chemical composition, and rheological and emulsifying properties. Cyanoflan has a 71 % carbohydrate content, with 11 % of sulfated residues, while the protein account for 4 % of dry weight. The glycosidic-substitution analysis revealed a highly branched complex chemical structure with a large number of sugar residues. The cyanoflan high molecular mass fractions (above 1 MDa) and entangled structure is consistent with its high apparent viscosity in aqueous solutions and high emulsifying activity. It showed to be a typical non-Newtonian fluid with pseudoplastic behavior. Altogether, these results confirm that cyanoflan is a versatile carbohydrate polymer that can be used in different biotechnological applications, such as emulsifying/thickening agent in food or cosmetic industries.

Synthesis of poly(amide-thioether) with tunable hydrophilicity via thiolactone chemistry and its application in oil-in-oil emulsions

Oil-in-oil emulsions are ideal systems for water-sensitive reactions such as polymerizations and catalytic reactions, which has received extensive attention in recent years. The application of oil-in-oil emulsions has been developed slowly due to the limited types of surfactants and complicated synthesis process. Herein, we proposed a simple method to prepare poly(amide-thioether)-based surfactant for oil-in-oil emulsions via taking advantage of single-pot multicomponent and click characters of thiolactone chemistry. Using a combination of alkyl amine and acrylamide thiolactone, the aminolysis of thiolctone occurred first, generating thiol group in-situ, and then the generated thiol group would sequentially react with the double bonds of acrylamide to form polythioether in the presence of amine. The hydrophobicity of the surfactant could be effectively adjusted by the chain length of the alkyl amine and thus this polymer could serve as a promising surfactant for oil-in-oil emulsion. Notably, the emulsion types could be switched by changing the chain length of the alkyl amine. In addition, the effects of surfactant loading, volume ratio of oil phases, oil types on the size and stability of oil-in-oil emulsions were further investigated. It was demonstrated that the oil-in-oil emulsion stabilized by poly(amide-thioether)s kept stable after more than five months. Besides, we preliminarily explored the application of the oil-in-oil emulsion to prepare closed cell foam and porous particles via photo-initiated thiol-ene polymerization. It is believed that this super-stable oil-in-oil emulsion could offer more possibilities for highly potential water-sensitive systems.

Building Reconfigurable Devices Using Complex Liquid-Fluid Interfaces

Liquid-fluid interfaces provide a platform both for structuring liquids into complex shapes and assembling dimensionally confined, functional nanomaterials. Historically, attention in this area has focused on simple emulsions and foams, in which surface-active materials such as surfactants or colloids stabilize structures against coalescence and alter the mechanical properties of the interface. In recent decades, however, a growing body of work has begun to demonstrate the full potential of the assembly of nanomaterials at liquid-fluid interfaces to generate functionally advanced, biomimetic systems. Here, a broad overview is given, from fundamentals to applications, of the use of liquid-fluid interfaces to generate complex, all-liquid devices with a myriad of potential applications.

Controlling the morphological evolution of a particle-stabilized binary-component system

This work bridges the morphological evolution in particle-stabilized low molecular weight liquids and that in polymer blends.

In situ interfacial surface modification of hydrophilic silica nanoparticles by two organosilanes leading to stable Pickering emulsions

Oil-in-water Pickering emulsions are stabilized by in situ functionalization of hydrophilic silica nanoparticles with two organosilane precursors of opposite polarity, dodecyltriethoxysilane (DTES) and 3-(aminopropyl)triethoxysilane (APTES), in a two-step emulsification procedure. The modification of the silica nanoparticles is verified by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy analysis. The stabilization of the oil droplets by silica is confirmed by tracing the localization of the colloidal silica nanoparticles at the oil–water interface, as observed by confocal fluorescence microscopy. In comparison to modification of the silica nanoparticles prior to the emulsification, in situ functionalization of silica with both organosilanes achieves enhanced emulsion stability and homogeneity, by forming a polysiloxane network between the silica nanoparticles, through polymerization of the organosilanes in the presence of water. The polysiloxane network fixes the silica in place as solid shells around the emulsion droplets, in structures called colloidosomes. These colloidosome shell structures are visualized using confocal microscopy and cryogenic scanning electron microscopy, the latter method successfully enables the direct observation of the silica nanoparticles embedded in the polysiloxane matrix around the oil droplets. Stabilizing the Pickering emulsion droplets and forming silica-based colloidosome shells is dependent on the extent of the hydrolysis and polycondensation reaction of the two organosilanes.

Oil-in-water Pickering emulsions are stabilized by in situ functionalization of hydrophilic silica nanoparticles with two organosilane precursors of opposite polarity in a two-step emulsification procedure.