Tyler, J.J.S., Farmer, M.A.H. orcid.org/0009-0008-9645-6921, Mykhaylyk, O.O. orcid.org/0000-0003-4110-8328 et al. (3 more authors) (2025) A highly anisotropic and hydrolytically degradable pickering emulsifier for oil-in-water emulsions. Langmuir. ISSN 0743-7463
Abstract
Highly anisotropic poly(l-lactide)-based block copolymer nanoparticles are prepared by the judicious combination of reverse sequence polymerization-induced self-assembly with crystallization-driven self-assembly (CDSA). Such nanoparticles can be efficiently prepared as a 30% w/w aqueous dispersion and possess a distinctive diamond platelet morphology as judged by transmission electron microscopy. X-ray diffraction studies confirm the semicrystalline nature of the poly(l-lactide) block, while atomic force microscopy analysis suggests a mean thickness of approximately 6 nm for the dried platelets. Small-angle X-ray scattering studies suggest that these platelets form localized tactoids at copolymer concentrations as low as 1.0% w/w. Herein we evaluate these platelets as a new hydrolytically degradable Pickering emulsifier for the preparation of oil-in-water emulsions using various oils. In the case of squalane, systematic variation of the copolymer concentration and the high-shear homogenization conditions enabled the mean oil droplet diameter to be varied from approximately 40 to 125 μm. Fluorescein-labeled platelets were imaged on the surface of oil droplets using confocal microscopy. Such studies indicate submonolayer surface coverage of the droplets even under optimized conditions, which may account for the unexpected long-term instability observed for such Pickering emulsions.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © 2025 The Authors. Except as otherwise noted, this author-accepted version of a journal article published in Langmuir is made available via the University of Sheffield Research Publications and Copyright Policy under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC-BY 4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ |
Keywords: | Cells; Copolymers; Emulsions; Liquids; Nanoparticles |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Sheffield |
Academic Units: | The University of Sheffield > Faculty of Science (Sheffield) > School of Mathematical and Physical Sciences |
Funding Information: | Funder Grant number Medical Research Council MR/X012077/1 |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Sheffield |
Date Deposited: | 30 Jun 2025 10:11 |
Last Modified: | 30 Jun 2025 10:19 |
Status: | Published online |
Publisher: | American Chemical Society (ACS) |
Refereed: | Yes |
Identification Number: | 10.1021/acs.langmuir.5c01134 |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:228525 |
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