Nanoparticles have highly tunable physicochemical properties which are extremely important in applications like catalysis, biomedicine, and environmental remediation. Unique interfacial properties resulting from the nanoparticles' small size can be used to stabilize oil-in-water emulsions, where the nanoparticles adsorb at the surface of the oil droplet in water. These emulsions are usually referred to as Pickering emulsions. Specifically, iron oxide based emulsions have been considered as alternative dispersants for oil-spill applications. The objective of this work is to investigate the effect of the primary particle characteristics and stabilizing agent chemistry on the stability of oil-in-water Pickering emulsions. Iron oxide nanoparticles were synthesized by the co-precipitation method and were then coated with layers of sodium stearoyl lactylate (SSL), an FDA approved food additive, and subsequently dispersed in aqueous and organic solvents depending upon their nature. Formation of a monolayer or a bilayer coating on the nanoparticles was also controlled through systematic changes in reagent amounts. Characterizations of these nanoparticles were performed through the use of transmission electron microscopy (TEM), dynamic light scattering (DLS) and Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) to analyze their size distribution and ligand-solvent interactions. In this study, the capacity of these bilayer coated nanoparticles to stabilize oil-in-water emulsions was systematically determined using optical microscopy and Zeta-potential analysis. These emulsion systems were also subsequently tested for their pH/salinity responsiveness to determine their applicability in oil-spill remediation applications.

Synthesis of iron oxide nanoparticles coated with novel surfactant bilayers and their application in stabilizing oil-in-water emulsions

247th National Meeting (2014)

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