Sole Stabilizer Research Articles

High Internal Phase Emulsions of Algae Oil Based on Rapeseed Protein via Salt Extraction Combined With Ultrafiltration

ABSTRACTRapeseed protein, as a valuable plant protein, holds great potential as a natural emulsifier for construction of food‐grade high internal phase emulsions (HIPEs). In this work, rapeseed protein, obtained through salt extraction combined with ultrafiltration, was employed as a sole stabilizer to formulate algae oil‐based HIPEs. The effects of protein concentration and pH changes on the physicochemical properties of HIPEs are systematically evaluated. The results show that a protein concentration of 0.5 wt% is sufficient to form stable and self‐supporting HIPEs. As the protein concentration increases, the droplet size of HIPEs gradually decreases, leading to a more robust structure and enhanced stability. Compared to neutral conditions (pH 7.0), the HIPEs under acidic pH 3.5 exhibit more densely packed emulsion droplets with smaller size and more uniform distribution, contributing to superior mechanical properties (higher G′ and yield stress) as well as preferable thixotropic and creep recovery behaviors, which thereby improve their physical stability during storage, thermal processing, and freeze‐thaw cycles. Furthermore, the rapeseed protein‐stabilized HIPEs inhibit the oxidation of algae oil, especially at pH 3.5. The results of oral lubrication indicate that the reduction in the friction coefficient is mainly associated with an increase in protein concentration, with minor effect from pH variation. These findings suggest that rapeseed protein is an effective emulsifier for preparing stable and processable HIPEs, especially under acidic conditions, which have great potential for applications in semi‐solid emulsion foods or edible oil structuring.

Compaction and strength characteristics of lead contaminated lateritic soil treated with eco-friendly biopolymer for use as road foundation material

Reuse of unwanted soil material due to contamination is one of the available alternative to mitigate the depletion of natural construction material like lateritic soil. Lateritic soil can become contaminated as a result of mining activities. However, assessment of such soil for adequate compaction and strength development is a critical requirement for establishing foundation for road pavement failure of which can result in rapid deterioration of structural integrity of pavement. The research paper investigated the efficacy of Gum Arabic biopolymer (GAB) as eco-friendly additive, in enhancing strength development of lead-contaminated lateritic soil (LCLS) for use as foundation material for road pavement. Varying contents of GAB up to 25% of the dry weight of soil in 5% succession was used in treating LCLS. Compaction characteristics, Maximum Dry Density (MDD) and Optimal Moisture Content (OMC), and California Bearing Ratio (CBR) with microstructural analysis of the treated soil were assessed using three distinct compactive efforts: British Standard Light (BSL), West African Standard (WAS), and British Standard Heavy (BSH). With increase in GAB content, there is a corresponding rise in MDD, while OMC decreased across all three compaction efforts. Optimal CBR values were obtained at 10% GAB content across the three compactive efforts. The Scanning Electron Microscopic (SEM) analysis revealed modifications in the surface morphology occurring at the peripheries of clay particles. The R-squared (R2) values of the regression models derived from statistical analysis of all dependent variables revealed that GAB, MDD, OMC and CE (compactive effort) collectively exert considerable significant effect over CBR values. However, the ultimate strength values fall short of the recommended thresholds for sub-base stabilization. This suggests that a GAB content of 10% enhances the characteristics of contaminated lateritic soil. However, it should not be employed as a sole stabilizer; instead, it could be considered as a potential admixture in cement stabilization.

Preparation of high internal phase pickering emulsions using micron-sized esterified maize starch as the sole effective stabilizer

Preparation of high internal phase Pickering emulsions (HIPPEs) from starch nanocrystals (SNCs) is currently a key area of research. However, the high cost of producing SNCs restricts their usage in the food industry. This study investigated the effectiveness of micron-sized esterified maize starch (M-NMS) as the sole stabilizer for the preparation of HIPPEs. It was found that stable, gel-like HIPPEs with an oil phase volume of 75–90% could be created by using M-NMS granules at a concentration of ≥3.0 wt%. At a pH of 5.0–9.0, the absolute value of zeta potential for all emulsions exceeded 61 mV, indicating high interfacial stability. The addition of NaCl at a concentration of 40–160 mmol/l had no significant effect on the emulsion's viscosity, viscoelasticity, or stability. The gel structure formed by the swollen M-NMS molecular chain predominantly determined the emulsion's performance, as shown by atomic force microscopy.

Modifying pickering polymerized high internal phase emulsion morphology by adjusting particle hydrophilicity

This study investigates the use of submicron polymeric particles with varying crosslinking densities as the sole stabilizer for producing Polymerized High Internal Phase Emulsions (PolyHIPE). We establish a direct correlation between the crosslinking density and the hydrophilicity of the polymer particles. The hydrophilicity of these particles significantly influences the morphology and rheology of HIPEs. These differences manifest as various morphological variations in the resulting PolyHIPE templates. It was discovered that by increasing the crosslinker weight percentage in the particles from 0 % to 100 %, PolyHIPEs with semi-open, open, and closed porous structures can be obtained. Furthermore, non-crosslinked particles were observed to dissolve in the continuous phase, acting as macromolecular surfactants that generate small pores akin to surfactant-stabilized structures in PolyHIPE. These findings offer fresh insights into the relationship between particle localization at the interface, HIPE rheology, and the formation of pore throats in Pickering PolyHIPEs, leading to the creation of either closed or open porous networks. Additionally, interfacial rheological results demonstrate that particles synthesized with varying monomer-to-crosslinker ratios exhibit different interfacial elasticities, which are linked to PolyHIPE morphology.

One-Step Generation of O/W/O Double Pickering Emulsions Utilizing Biocompatible Gliadin/Ethyl Cellulose Complex Particles as the Exclusive Stabilizer.

Double emulsions hold great potential for various applications due to their compartmentalized internal structures. However, achieving their long-term physical stability remains a challenging task. Here, we present a simple one-step method for producing stable oil-in-water-in-oil (O/W/O) double emulsions using biocompatible gliadin/ethyl cellulose complex particles as the sole stabilizer. The resulting O/W/O systems serve as effective platforms for encapsulating enzymes and as templates for synthesizing porous microspheres. We investigated the impact of particle concentration and water fraction on the properties of Pickering O/W/O emulsions. Our results demonstrate that the number and volume of inner oil droplets increased proportionally with both the water fraction and particle concentration after a 60-day storage period. Moreover, the catalytic reaction rate of the encapsulated lipase within the double emulsion exhibited a significant acceleration, achieving a substrate conversion of 80.9% within 15 min. Remarkably, the encapsulated enzyme showed excellent recyclability, enabling up to 10 cycles of reuse. Additionally, by utilizing the O/W/O systems as templates, we successfully obtained porous microspheres whose size can be controlled by the outer water droplet. These findings have significant implications for the future design of Pickering complex emulsion-based systems, opening avenues for extensive applications in pharmaceuticals, food, cosmetics, material synthesis, and (bio)catalysis.

Thermomechanically micronized sugar beet pulp: Emulsification performance and the contribution of soluble elements and insoluble fibrous particles

In this work, thermomechanically micronized sugar beet pulp (MSBP), a micron-scaled plant-based byproduct comprised of soluble elements (∼40 wt%) and insoluble fibrous particles (IFPs, ∼60 wt%), was used as a sole stabilizer for oil-in-water emulsion fabrication. The influence of emulsification parameters on the emulsifying properties of MSBP was investigated, including emulsification techniques, MSBP concentration, and oil weight fraction. High-speed shearing (M1), ultrasonication (M2), and microfludization (M3) were used to fabricate oil-in-water emulsions (20% oil) with 0.60 wt% MSBP as stabilizer, in which the d4,3 value was 68.3, 31.5, and 18.2 μm, respectively. Emulsions fabricated by M2 and M3 (higher energy input) were more stable than M1 (lower energy input) during long-term storage (30 days) as no significant increase of d4,3. As compared to M1, the adsorption ratio of IFPs and protein was increased from ∼0.46 and ∼0.34 to ∼0.88 and ∼0.55 by M3. Fabricated by M3, the creaming behavior of emulsions was completely inhibited with 1.00 wt% MSBP (20% oil) and 40% oil (0.60 wt% MSBP), showing a flocculated state and could be disturbed by sodium dodecyl sulfate. The gel-like network formed by IFPs could be strengthened after storage as both viscosity and module were significantly increased. During emulsification, the co-stabilization effect of the soluble elements and IFPs enabled a compact and hybrid coverage onto the droplet surface, which acted as a physical barrier to endow the emulsion with robust steric repulsion. Altogether, these findings suggested the feasibility of using plant-based byproducts as oil-in-water emulsion stabilizers.

Pickering high internal phase emulsions with excellent UV protection property stabilized by Spirulina protein isolate nanoparticles

Herein, we reported the use of natural, renewable, and food-grade Spirulina protein isolate nanoparticles (SPI NPs) as effective particle stabilizers for Pickering high internal phase emulsions (Pickering-HIPEs). SPI NPs were prepared using a straightforward antisolvent technique and characterized using dynamic light scattering (DLS), and zeta potential measurement as well as scanning electron microscopy (SEM). SPI NPs were afterward used as sole stabilizers to prepare the oil-in-water (O/W) HIPEs, the effects of oil content, particle concentration, and pH of aqueous phase on the microstructure, stability, and rheological behaviors of the resulting Pickering-HIPEs were investigated. The Pickering-HIPEs generated showed a self-supporting gel network, a high oil content (up to 85 vol%), and extraordinary storage stability after prolonged storage and UV exposure. Concurrently, the Pickering-HIPEs provided good UV protection for a variety of photosensitive compounds, including β-carotene, vitamin E, and limonene. These findings would not only advance the development of biocompatible particle stabilizers for Pickering-HIPEs in cosmetic, food, and pharmaceutical industries, but they would also provide a guidance for the protection of photosensitive compounds.

One-step High Internal Phase Pickering Emulsions stabilized by uncracked micronized orange pomace

High Internal Phase Emulsions (HIPE) were formulated using 1% w/w orange pomace (i.e. uncracked micro-scaled byproduct powder) as sole stabilizer, from a quick and simple process, with 80% of sunflower oil and 20% of water in the liquid phase. Various indicators were monitored over a 2-month storage at Tamb, such as droplet size distribution, flow and viscoelastic properties, multi-scale microstructure (light and confocal microscopy). HIPPEs were stable towards coalescence and drainage, showing the complementarity between the anchoring insoluble fraction acting as Pickering particles at the oil-water interface and the viscosifying/film-forming soluble compounds. The oil droplet size distribution remained the same, and no significant change could be quantified regarding the elastic modulus, the yield stress or the viscosity of the emulsions in 60 days. However, changing the oil source from sunflower to another vegetal or synthetic oil could lead to unstable systems.

Preparation of high internal phase Pickering emulsions stabilized by egg yolk high density lipoprotein: Stabilizing mechanism under different pH values and protein concentrations

While egg yolk high-density lipoprotein (HDL) is a potential stabilizer for preparing high internal phase Pickering emulsions (HIPPEs), its poor solubility and stability are the critical challenges to overcome. In this work, soluble HDL was obtained from dissolving egg yolk granules and removing phosvitin. HIPPEs were prepared by HDL as a sole stabilizer with a simple homogenization method. The results showed that HDL self-assembled with small amount of LDL into micellar structure in solution, along with an isoelectric point between pH 6 and 7. As expected, the emulsifying ability showed a strong correlation with the pH conditions and HDL concentrations. HIPPE that was prepared at pH 5 exhibited small droplet size, high viscosity and gel stability. When the pH values were above 6, unstable double HIPPEs formed because the continuous increment of contact angles of HDL induced the emulsion phase transformation. After storage for 3 d, the number of droplets of as-formed double HIPPEs was significantly reduced, along with increment in droplet size and conversion of single HIPPEs. Our findings in this study are of importance for not only using egg yolk HDL to prepare food-grade HIPPEs, but also investigating the stability mechanism of the protein-based nanoparticles at oil-water interface.

Robust and highly adaptable high internal phase gel emulsions stabilized solely by a natural saponin hydrogelator glycyrrhizic acid.

Herein, we report a new class of high internal phase gel emulsions (gel-HIPEs) that are mechanically robust, adaptable, and processable. They can be synthesized facilely by using the natural food-grade saponin glycyrrhizic acid (GA) as the sole stabilizer, which is shown to be versatile for various oils. The structural properties of these HIPEs including appearance, viscoelasticity and processability are well controlled by simply changing the concentration of GA nanofibrils. When the GA nanofibril concentration exceeds 0.3 wt%, the unique gel-HIPEs can be produced through the formation of fibrillar hydrogel networks in the continuous phase. When the nanofibril concentration only increases to 5 wt%, it is surprising to see that these gel-HIPEs display an extremely high mechanical strength, and the storage moduli as well as the yield stress values can reach 408.5 kPa and 3340 Pa (or even more), respectively. We conjecture that such remarkable mechanical performance is mainly attributed to the highly viscoelastic GA nanofibrillar networks in the continuous phase of gel-HIPEs, which can actively trap the nanofibril-coated emulsion droplets and thus strengthen the gel matrix. Consequently, the robust gel-HIPEs can be used as a solid template to fabricate stable porous materials without the need for crosslinking of the continuous phase, and the open- and closed-cell foam microstructures are controlled by the nanofibril concentration. Furthermore, the nanofibril-based HIPEs are promising long-term delivery vehicles with controlled-release properties for lipophilic active cargoes, since the strong fibrillar networks at the droplet surfaces and in the continuous phase can effectively retard the active release.

Interfacial dynamics analysis in starch nanocrystal/ poly (butyl methacrylate) nanocomposites: Impact of the reinforcement’s functionalization

Nanocomposites based on waterborne polymer dispersion and biobased nanoparticles have gained significant interest because they offer a wide range of dimensionality and shape, and they are abundantly available from renewable biobased sources. Although polymer-filler interaction is key to the resulting performance of the nanocomposites, these interfacial properties are challenging to measure and analyze. In the present work, dielectric spectroscopy was used to investigate the interfacial characteristics of nanocomposites based on Poly(Butyl-methacrylate) (PBMA) and starch nanocrystals (SNCs) prepared by in-situ emulsion polymerization, where SNCs was the sole stabilizer. Unmodified and vinyltriethoxysilane-functionalized SNCs (VTES-SNCs) were used as both reinforcements and colloidal stabilizers to control the degree of binding of SNCs on PBMA. Two main relaxation processes were detected and identified as Maxwell-Wagner-Sillars (MWS) polarization and dipolar relaxation. The origin of these relaxations and their evolution based on the SNCs content and functionalization were discussed in terms of the SNCs-polymer matrix interaction mechanism. Most notably, an apparent effect of SNCs loading on the electrical conductivity of nanocomposites was revealed, pointing to evidence of percolation of the SNCs despite their non-conductive character.

Crosslinkable dextrin-coated latex via surfactant-free emulsion polymerization

Emulsion polymerization remains the most attractive method to produce waterborne dispersions for coatings and adhesives, thanks to the use of water as dispersion medium. The possibility to replace the surfactants necessary for the stabilization by biopolymers would make this polymerization route even more attractive to alleviate the shortcomings of surfactants. Herein, dextrins were used as sole stabilizer to produce stable latex dispersions by emulsion polymerization with solid contents up to 55 wt% and narrow size distributions. The H2O2/ascorbic acid redox initiator was found to be the most effective, ensuring a complete polymerization at 50 °C within 3–4 h, giving rise to dextrin-functionalized polymer latexes with a particle size between 150 and 600 nm. The stabilization was explained by the coating of the polymer particles with a chemically bound layer of dextrins, forming a steric barrier. The functionalization of the latex particles by dextrins was exploited to induce a post-crosslinking of the polymer by the inclusion of additives capable of reacting with dextrins. As application, a crosslinkable pressure-sensitive adhesive was prepared and used without any additive. Given the biobased origin of the dextrins and their availability, their use as sole stabilizer in emulsion polymerization is promising to produce waterborne latex dispersions for coatings, adhesives, inks, drug delivery, and textiles.

Recent Advances and Applications of Plant-Based Bioactive Saponins in Colloidal Multiphase Food Systems.

The naturally occurring saponins exhibit remarkable interfacial activity and also possess many biological activities linking to human health benefits, which make them particularly attractive as bifunctional building blocks for formulation of colloidal multiphase food systems. This review focuses on two commonly used food-grade saponins, Quillaja saponins (QS) and glycyrrhizic acid (GA), with the aim of clarifying the relationship between the structural features of saponin molecules and their subsequent self-assembly and interfacial properties. The recent applications of these two saponins in various colloidal multiphase systems, including liquid emulsions, gel emulsions, aqueous foams and complex emulsion foams, are then discussed. A particular emphasis is on the unique use of GA and GA nanofibrils as sole stabilizers for fabricating various multiphase food systems with many advanced qualities including simplicity, ultrastability, stimulability, structural viscoelasticity and processability. These natural saponin and saponin-based colloids are expected to be used as sustainable, plant-based ingredients for designing future foods, cosmetics and pharmaceuticals.

Surfactant-Free Glibenclamide Nanoparticles: Formulation, Characterization and Evaluation of Interactions with Biological Barriers.

The aim of this work was to formulate and characterize surfactant-free glibenclamide nanoparticles using Eudragit RLPO and polyethylene glycol as sole stabilizer. Glibenclamide nanoparticles were obtained by nanoprecipitation and evaluated in terms of drug content, encapsulation efficiency, apparent saturation solubility, drug release profile, solid state and storage stability. The influence of different stirring speed on the particle size, size distribution and zeta potential of the nanoparticles was investigated. The nanoparticle biocompatibility and permeability were analyzed in vitro on Caco-2 cell line (clone HTB-37) and its interaction with mucin was also investigated. It was found that increasing the molecular weight of polyethylene glycol from 400 to 6000 decreased drug encapsulation, whereas the aqueous solubility and dissolution rate of the drug increased. Particle size of the nanoformulations, with and without polyethylene glycol, were between 140 and 460nm. Stability studies confirmed that glibenclamide nanoparticles were stable, in terms of particle size, after 120days at 4°C. In vitro studies indicated minimal interactions of glibenclamide nanoparticles and mucin glycoproteins suggesting favorable properties to address the intestinal mucus barrier. Cell viability studies confirmed the safety profile of these nanoparticles and showed an increased permeation through epithelial cells. Taking into consideration these findings, polyethylene glycol is a useful polymer for stabilizing these surfactant-free glibenclamide nanoparticles and represent a promising alternative to improve the treatment of non-insulin dependent diabetes.

Pickering emulsions based on food byproducts: A comprehensive study of soluble and insoluble contents

HypothesisPickering emulsions can be produced using raw particles obtained from uncracked vegetal food byproducts as sole stabilizers. The complexity brought by these non-purified ingredients will be their strength since insoluble particles and soluble compounds shall display good complementary properties, at the interface and the continuous phase. ExperimentsEmulsions were monitored over a one-month storage as regards to oil droplet diameter as main indicator of stability. Then, two main studies were carried out: 1) on the whole powders (water binding capacity, dry matter and insoluble content, size and morphology); 2) on the soluble content (size, charge, pH, Brix degree, surface tension measurements). FindingsAll byproducts stabilized-emulsions were stable during storage. They display various oil droplet sizes with sugar beet < apple < oat. Direct observation of the oil-water interfaces showed adsorption of the solid particles, and some voids corresponding to soluble elements from the byproducts’ powders. The latter displayed surface-active properties. The insoluble particles are driving the oil droplet size and protecting against coalescence while soluble compounds can also adsorb at the interface, lowering droplet size, and also act as thickening agents from the continuous phase (pectins). Vegetal byproducts are thus meta ingredients, able to stabilize clean-label emulsions.

Outstanding antioxidant pickering high internal phase emulsions by co-assembled polyphenol-soy β-conglycinin nanoparticles

This work reports a kind of novel antioxidant Pickering high internal phase emulsions (HIPEs; with an oil fraction, ϕ > 0.74) stabilized by soy β-conglycinin (β-CG) and polyphenol complex nanoparticles, as outstanding protective containers for lipophilic nutraceuticals. The nanoparticles with a representative polyphenol ((-)-epigallocatechin-3-gallate; EGCG) encapsulated were fabricated through an ethanol-mediated dissociation and re-assembly process of β-CG, with greater particle size and higher surface hydrophilicity observed at higher initial EGCG concentrations. Using these co-assembled nanoparticles as sole stabilizers, a kind of HIPE gels with similar gel stiffness and microstructure, could be easily fabricated at ϕ = 0.8 and a protein concentration in the aqueous phase of 1.0 wt% using polyunsatuated fatty acid-rich flaxseed oil as the dispersed phase. These HIPE gels were extraordinarily stable against heating or long-term storage, but susceptible to freeze-thawing. The as-fabricated HIPEs showed an excellent protection to β-carotene (encapsulated in oil phase) against heating, as well as an inhibition of lipid oxidation. The oxidation protection was in an EGCG concentration dependent manner. The results would be of interest for providing a novel strategy to fabricate functionalized Pickering HIPEs as potential containers or delivery systems for lipophilic nutraceuticals.

Vinyltriethoxysilane-functionalized starch nanocrystals as Pickering stabilizer in emulsion polymerization of acrylic monomers. Application in nanocomposites and pressure-sensitive adhesives

Emulsion polymerization provides a sustainable way to produce latex polymers for coatings and adhesives thanks to the use of water as a dispersion medium. This synthesis approach can be even more attractive if synthetic surfactant can be replaced by biobased solid particles as a stabilizer, through what is known as a “Pickering effect”. Herein, latex dispersions with solid content up to 35 wt% were successfully produced by emulsion polymerization using starch nanocrystals (SNCs) as a sole stabilizer and H2O2/citric acid as a redox-initiator. The effect of the SNC modification with vinyltriethoxysilane (VTES) on the colloidal properties of the polymer dispersion and performance of the resulting nanocomposite film were investigated. As an application of this approach, pressure-sensitive adhesive (PSA) dispersions have been prepared via Pickering emulsion polymerization in the presence of 8 wt% SNCs. The use of VTES-SNCs has a beneficial impact on the performance of PSAs with improved peel strength and wettability. The possibility to use SNCs as a stabilizer to replace synthetic surfactants in emulsion polymerization opens new avenues for the application of SNCs as biobased Pickering stabilizers to produce latex for coatings, adhesives, inks, and textiles.

Cutoff Ostwald ripening stability of eugenol-in-water emulsion by co-stabilization method and antibacterial activity evaluation

Essential oil-loaded emulsion is known to be unstable against Ostwald ripening. Hence, aiming to cut off this phenomenon, we fabricated eugenol-in-water emulsion by using co-stabilization method including interfacial layer formed by cinnamaldehyde/chitosan (CA-chitosan) and surfactant of glycerol monocaprylate (GMC). Oiling-off occurred in the emulsion with GMC as the sole stabilizer. While only white precipitates appeared in the CA-chitosan-stabilized emulsions due to the higher density of eugenol. In the presence of co-stabilizers, the particle size of emulsions showed unimodal distribution and kept almost constant within three months. Although there were some white precipitates in the emulsion after long-time storage, oil droplets still kept intact under optical microscopy. This result indicated that co-stabilizers could help to suppress the process of Ostwald ripening. The addition of polyvinyl alcohol effectively enhanced the stability of emulsions against gravitational separation. Eugenol emulsions kept stable even when eugenol content was up to 5 and 10 wt%. Antibacterial assay and time-kill experiment indicated that encapsulated eugenol had better antibacterial activity and long-term antibacterial efficiency, as compared to free eugenol. The obtained knowledge provides a novel technique to prepare eugenol-in-water emulsions, which has good long-term stability and antibacterial activity.

A Convenient and Versatile Strategy for the Functionalization of Silica Foams Using High Internal Phase Emulsion Templates as Microreactors.

Functional porous materials show extensive applications in the environment, biology, aerospace, and so on. In this work, the generation of silica foams and functionalization of pore surface were simultaneously realized through an interfacial sol-gel reaction within high internal phase emulsion (HIPE) microreactors, where a hyperbranched polyethoxysiloxane (PEOS) was used as the sole stabilizer for the HIPEs. With various functional substances containing amino, epoxy, and carboxyl groups initially dissolved in the aqueous phase of HIPEs, these functional groups could be grafted onto the pore surface in the process of forming silica foams. Amino-functionalized silica foam showed fast adsorption of sunset yellow, and the adsorption capacity could reach as high as 1213.13 mg/g. Sodium polyacrylate-modified silica foam exhibited good adsorption capacity of cationic dyes and metal ions, e.g., 280.11 mg/g to methylene and 226.24 mg/g to Cu(II). Epoxy-functionalized silica foam particles were confirmed with a pronounced activity at the oil/water interface due to their Janus-like surface, which could be used as Pickering stabilizer. This HIPE-based synthesis strategy for silica foams shows promising future in adsorption, emulsion stabilization, and compatibilization.

Robust porous organosilica monoliths via a surfactant-free high internal phase emulsion process for efficient oil-water separation

Elastic porous organosilica monoliths (POMs) are successfully prepared by water in oil (w/o) high internal phase emulsions (HIPEs) with a novel silica precursor named polyethoxysiloxane (PEOS) as sole stabilizer. The stability of the HIPEs and the mechanical strength of the POMs are investigated as functions of PEOS and crosslinker contents in the oil phase. FESEM reveals that PEOS molecules play a significant role of in-situ growth into silica particles to strengthen the POMs, which enables the successful preparation of elastic POMs. Furthermore, oil-water separation behavior of the POMs is studied. Both the absorbent capacity and speed are considerably superior to the previously reported PDMS sponges.