Characterization and evaluation of surface active silica nanoparticles

Research Project, 2013 – 2017

Surface modified particles display very interesting properties, similar to those of surfactants. Properly designed, such particles can render emulsions and foams which are extremely long-lived. The emulsions will be more stable owing to lower rate of droplet coalescence. These emulsions (so-called Pickering emulsions) can be used in a broad range of industrial applications. The development in recent years has shown that surface modification of particles can induce surface activity. Thus, surface modified colloidal particles hold the prospect of offering environmentally benign solutions to various technical problems within the fields of emulsions and foams. There is a severe lack of understanding of both surface activity of particles and their ability to stabilize emulsions and foams. Further fundamental studies are therefore needed, both with regards to studying the chemistry of the modification, and also to increase the understanding of the physical properties of the modified particles. In the project particles with different sizes and shape within the range 1nm-1µm, with different degrees of modification will be synthesized, characterized and evaluated as stabilizers of emulsions. The aim of the project is to develop a set of relevant characterization methods that bring new insights into how these particles are modified and behave in different environments. NMR spectroscopic techniques, in particular 29Si solid state NMR, will be particularly important tools.