Interfacial Activity of Amine‐Functionalized Polyhedral Oligomeric Silsesquioxanes (POSS): A Simple Strategy To Structure Liquids

Amine‐functionalized polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (POSS), the smallest, monodisperse cage‐shaped silica cubic nanoparticle, is exceptionally interfacially active and can form assemblies that jam the toluene/water interface, locking in non‐equilibrium shapes of one liquid phase in another. Th...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Angewandte Chemie (International ed.) 2019-07, Vol.58 (30), p.10142-10147
Main Authors: Hou, Honghao, Li, Jin, Li, Xiangming, Forth, Joe, Yin, Jie, Jiang, Xuesong, Helms, Brett A., Russell, Thomas P.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Emulsions
Ligands
Liquid phases
liquid/liquid interfaces
Locking
Mud-water interfaces
Nanoparticles
Packing density
Pollutants
Polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane
POSS
self-assembly
Silica
Silicon dioxide
structured liquids
Surface tension
Surfactants
Toluene
wrinkling
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Summary:Amine‐functionalized polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (POSS), the smallest, monodisperse cage‐shaped silica cubic nanoparticle, is exceptionally interfacially active and can form assemblies that jam the toluene/water interface, locking in non‐equilibrium shapes of one liquid phase in another. The packing density of the amine‐functionalized POSS assembly at the water/toluene interface can be tuned by varying the concentration, the pH value, and the degree of POSS functionalization. Functionalized POSS gives a higher interface coverage, and hence a lower interfacial tension, than nanoparticle surfactants formed by interactions between functionalized nanoparticles and polymeric ligands. Hydrogen‐bonded POSS surfactants are more stable at the interface, offering some unique advantages for generating Pickering emulsions over typical micron‐sized colloidal particles and ligand‐stabilized nanoparticle surfactants. Ligand‐free POSS nanoparticle surfactants can assemble at a liquid–liquid interface and lock in non‐equilibrium shapes. Their use thus constitutes a facile alternative strategy for Pickering emulsification and structuring liquids, complementing typical approaches based on the use of colloidal microparticles and ligand‐stabilized nanoparticle surfactants.
ISSN:1433-7851
1521-3773
DOI:10.1002/anie.201903420