Abstract

Emulsions are stabilized with surfactants, polymers, or polyelectrolytes to extend their shelf-life and colloidal stability. Electro-steric interaction in polyelectrolyte stabilized emulsions makes them ideal systems for probing the conformational dynamics. Here, magnetic chaining technique is exploited for inter-droplet force measurement in poly acrylic acid (PAA) stabilized magnetic nanoemulsions, and to probe the conformational changes of the stabilizing moieties as a function of time and PAA concentration. Force measurement studies indicate an increased inter-droplet spacing for higher concentration of PAA due to an increase in osmotic pressure with concentration. Further, for a fixed concentration, the inter-droplet spacing decreases with time due to the slow diffusion of the polymer chains resulting in conformational changes. This is the first experimental report on conformational dynamics of PAA stabilized oil-in-water magnetic nanoemulsions. The obtained results are beneficial for understanding the nature of colloidal interaction forces in polyelectrolyte stabilized nanoemulsions.

Talk to us

Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have

Schedule a call

Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.