Stabilizing liquid drops of arbitrary shape by the interfacial jamming of nanoparticles

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9878296-B2
Application number	US-201414509609-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 8, 2014
Priority date	Oct 11, 2013
Publication date	Jan 30, 2018
Grant date	Jan 30, 2018

Abstract

A stabilized assembly including a first liquid phase of non-spherical droplets in a second liquid phase, wherein the second liquid phase is immiscible with the first phase, and nanoparticle surfactants assembled at an interface of the non-spherical droplets and the second phase is disclosed. The nanoparticle surfactants include nanoparticles and end-functionalized polymers that can interact through ligand type interactions, and the first phase is stabilized by a disordered, jammed layer of nanoparticle surfactants. A method of preparing a stabilized assembly is also disclosed.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A stabilized assembly comprising,
a first liquid phase comprising non-spherical droplets dispersed in a second liquid phase, wherein the second liquid phase is immiscible with the first phase; and
nanoparticle surfactants assembled at an interface of the non-spherical droplets and the second phase;
wherein the nanoparticle surfactants comprise nanoparticles and end-functionalized polymers that can interact through ligand interactions; and
wherein the first liquid phase is stabilized by a disordered, jammed layer of nanoparticle surfactants.

2. The stabilized assembly of claim 1 , wherein the ligand interactions comprise high affinity or low affinity site-specific interactions, non-bonded electrostatic interactions, ionic bonds, hydrogen bonds, coordination bonds, or a combination thereof.

3. The stabilized assembly of claim 1 , wherein the first phase comprises water.

4. The stabilized assembly of claim 1 , wherein the second phase comprises an organic phase.

5. The stabilized assembly of claim 1 , wherein the nanoparticles are metal, metal oxide, dielectric, semiconducting, inorganic, organic, hybrid structures, or a combination thereof, and wherein the nanoparticles have one or more dimensions of less than or equal to 100 nanometers.

6. The stabilized assembly of claim 1 , wherein the nanoparticles comprise carboxylated polystyrene.

7. The stabilized assembly of claim 1 , wherein the end-functionalized polymer comprises an amine-functionalized polydimethylsiloxane.

8. The stabilized assembly of claim 1 , wherein the end-functional polymer comprises a bis(amine)-functionalized polydimethylsiloxane.

9. The stabilized assembly of claim 1 , wherein
the first phase comprises water;
the second phase comprises an organic phase;
the nanoparticles comprise carboxylated polystyrene; and
the end-functionalized polymer comprises amine-functionalized polydimethylsiloxane.

10. A method for preparing a stabilized assembly, the method comprising,
suspending a first liquid phase in a second liquid phase, wherein the first phase and the second phase are immiscible, and wherein the first phase comprises nanoparticles;
dissolving an end-functionalized polymer in the second phase, wherein the polymer and the nanoparticles can interact at an interface through ligand interactions to form nanoparticle surfactants;
applying an external deformation field; and
releasing the external deformation field;
wherein applying the deformation field increases the surface area of the first phase to create a new interface;
wherein the nanoparticle surfactants form a disordered, jammed assembly at the new interface;
wherein upon releasing the external deformation field the jammed assembly at the new interface traps the first phase in a deformed state; and
wherein the deformed state has a shape that is non-spherical.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the external deformation field comprises an electric field, a shear field, a compression field, a magnetic field, an ultrasonic field, or a combination thereof.

12. The method of claim 10 , wherein the external deformation field comprises an electric field.

13. The method of claim 10 , wherein the first phase comprises water.

14. The method of claim 10 , wherein the second phase comprises an organic phase.

15. The method of claim 10 , wherein the nanoparticles are metal, metal oxide, dielectric, semiconducting, inorganic, organic, hybrid structures, or a combination thereof, and wherein the nanoparticles have one or more dimensions of less than or equal to 100 nanometers.

16. The method of claim 10 , wherein the nanoparticles comprise carboxylated polystyrene.

17. The method of claim 10 , wherein the end-functionalized polymer comprises an amine-functionalized polydimethylsiloxane.

18. The method of claim 10 , wherein the end-functional polymer comprises a bis(amine)-functionalized polydimethylsiloxane.

19. The method of claim 10 , wherein
the first phase comprises water;
the second phase comprises an organic phase;
the nanoparticles comprise carboxylated polystyrene;
the end-functionalized polymer comprises amine-functionalized polydimethylsiloxane; and
the external deformation field is an electric field.

20. The method of claim 10 , further comprising the steps of
reapplying the external deformation field to unjam the nanoparticle surfactant assembly and further increase the surface area of the first phase to create a second new interface;
releasing the external deformation field; and
optionally, repeating the steps of reapplying and releasing the deformation field one or more times;
wherein the nanoparticle surfactants form a disordered, jammed assembly at the second new interface; and
wherein upon releasing the external deformation field, the jammed assembly at the second new interface traps the first phase in a second deformed state that is the same or different as the deformed state prior to reapplying the deformation field, and is non-spherical.

Assignees

• Univ Massachusetts

Inventors

• Russell Thomas P
• Cui Mengmeng
• Emrick Todd

Classifications

• B01F17/0007

  Operations & Transport · mapped topic

• B01F17/0071

  Operations & Transport · mapped topic

• B01F17/0028 Primary

  Operations & Transport · mapped topic

• C09K23/54 Primary

  Silicon compounds · CPC title

• C09K23/002

  Inorganic compounds · CPC title