Influence of oil-phase alkane additives on the evaporation rate of double emulsion curing process

Short-chain alkanes have been proved to be effective fluorobenzene/polymer solution phase additions to prolong the evaporation for the curing process of double emulsion, which can significantly improve the surface finishing of shells generated by emulsion microencapsulation. This work reveals the mechanism of the inhibition of evaporation caused by alkane additions. The molecular simulations on various fluo-robenzene solutions and oil/water interfaces indicate that the alkane additions have little effect on the diffusivity of fluorobenzene. A comparison between the early-stage solution of the evaporation model proposed in this work and the experimental data concludes that the activity of fluorobenzene is the major factor that determines the evaporation rate, while the activity of fluorobenzene decreases when alkanes with shorter chain lengths are added. Besides, the present evaporation model also sets up a correlation between the solution diffusion and the phase equilibrium of the oil and outer water phases in a double emulsion. (c) 2022 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

Short-chain alkanes are effective additives to prolong the evaporation time during the curing process of double emulsion, improving the surface finishing of microencapsulated shells. The addition of alkanes inhibits evaporation by decreasing the activity of fluorobenzene.