Solubilization of organic liquid into water using mesoporous phospholipid particles

Phospholipid is an abundant and nature-friendly resource, which works as functional building blocks for various soft materials. Herein, we report the use of mesoporous phospholipid particles (MPPs) to stabilize liquid/liquid interfaces to produce oil-in-water emulsions. The MPPs are solid particles of approximately 10 & mu;m in size, composed of lipid bilayers. MPPs have been proven to possess high surface activity compared to liposomes which enables their adsorption at the oil/water interface, resulting in the formation of an oil-in-water emulsion. When isooctane was used as the organic phase, the resulting emulsion was stable for at least 6 h. In one day, the emulsion flocculated on the surface of the suspension, where the destabilization mechanism depended on the presence of charged molecules on the MPP. Destabilization was initiated by aggregation of the emulsion droplets with the charged MPPs, whereas coalescence occurred in the case of the non-charged MPP. These materials can substitute surfactants as more nature-friendly materials with possible applications for oil adsorbent/recovery in seawater and soils.

Automated summary

Phospholipid, as a natural and abundant resource, can be used as functional building blocks for various soft materials. In this study, mesoporous phospholipid particles (MPPs) were utilized to stabilize liquid/liquid interfaces and produce oil-in-water emulsions. The MPPs, composed of lipid bilayers and approximately 10 μm in size, showed high surface activity and could adsorb at the oil/water interface to form stable emulsions. The destabilization mechanism of the emulsion depended on the presence of charged molecules on the MPPs, with aggregation occurring in the case of charged MPPs and coalescence in the case of non-charged MPPs. These materials have potential applications as more nature-friendly alternatives to surfactants for oil adsorption/recovery in seawater and soils.