Journal
ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES
Volume 13, Issue 21, Pages 25553-25562Publisher
AMER CHEMICAL SOC
DOI: 10.1021/acsami.1c04977
Keywords
polymers; nanomaterial; controlled release; surfactants; stimuli-responsive; hydrolysis; emulsions; wettability
Funding
- College of Petroleum Engineering and Geosciences, King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals
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The study demonstrates a stimuli-responsive, sub-100 nm nanoparticle platform for in-situ generation of surfactants, and investigates the release kinetics of surfactants through hydrolysis. The released surfactant is efficient in reducing interfacial tension, altering wettability, and stabilizing oil-water emulsion.
A stimuli-responsive, sub-100 nm nanoparticle (NP) platform with a hydrolyzable ester side chain for in situ generation of surfactants is demonstrated. The NPs were synthesized via copolymerization of vinyl-laurate and vinyl-acetate [p-(VL-co-VA), 3:1 molar ratio] and stabilized with a protective poly(ethylene-glycol) shell. The NPs are similar to 55 nm in diameter with a zeta potential of -54 mV. Hydrolysis kinetics in an accelerated, base-catalyzed reaction show release of about 11 and 30% of the available surfactant at 25 and 80 degrees C, respectively. The corresponding values in seawater are 22 and 76%. The efficiency of the released surfactant in reducing the interfacial tension, altering wettability, and stabilizing oil-water emulsion was investigated through contact angle measurements and laser confocal scanning microscopy and benchmarked to sodium laurate, a commercially available surfactant. All these measurements demonstrate both the efficacy of the NP system for surfactant delivery and the ability of the released surfactant to alter wettability and stabilize an oil-water emulsion.
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