Induction of Amphiphilicity in Polymer@Silica Particles: Ceramic Surfactants

It is shown that, in general, when submicrometer hybrid particles of polymer@silica are subjected to thermal treatment, phase-separated hydrophobicity emerges at particles surface; and that the triggering of hydrophobicity results in particles which show amphiphilic behavior, arranging themselves at...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Langmuir 2013-03, Vol.29 (9), p.2835-2842
Main Authors: Fuchs, Ido, Avnir, David
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Chemistry
Colloidal state and disperse state
Exact sciences and technology
General and physical chemistry
Physical and chemical studies. Granulometry. Electrokinetic phenomena
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:It is shown that, in general, when submicrometer hybrid particles of polymer@silica are subjected to thermal treatment, phase-separated hydrophobicity emerges at particles surface; and that the triggering of hydrophobicity results in particles which show amphiphilic behavior, arranging themselves at water interfaces and stabilizing W/O and O/W emulsions. Many polymer@silica particles show this behavior, and the entrapped polymers include polyethylene Engage, poly(dimethylsiloxane), poly-l-lactic acid, poly(ethylene-block-ethyleneglycol), poly(styrene-co-allyl-achohol), and poly(dimethylesiloxane-block-ethyleneoxide-co-propyleneoxide). The concept is attractive because, by doping the particles with functional molecules, one can get various surfactants from the same treated particle; this is demonstrated with fluorescent probes. It is proposed that the amphiphilic activity is due to Janus heterogeneous distribution of the hydrophobic moieties on the surface.
ISSN:0743-7463
1520-5827
DOI:10.1021/la3048246