Bicontinuous emulsions stabilized solely by colloidal particles.

@article{citeulike:2735404, abstract = {Recent large-scale computer simulations suggest that it may be possible to create a new class of soft solids, called 'bijels', by stabilizing and arresting the bicontinuous interface in a binary liquid demixing via spinodal decomposition using particles that are neutrally wetted by both liquids. The interfacial layer of particles is expected to be semi-permeable; hence, if realized, these new materials would have many potential applications, for example, as micro-reaction media. However, the creation of bijels in the laboratory faces serious obstacles. In general, fast quench rates are necessary to bypass nucleation, so that only samples with limited thickness can be produced, which destroys the three-dimensionality of the putative bicontinuous network. Moreover, even a small degree of unequal wettability of the particles by the two liquids can lead to ill-characterized, 'lumpy' interfacial layers and therefore irreproducible material properties. Here, we report a reproducible protocol for creating three-dimensional samples of bijel in which the interfaces are stabilized by essentially a single layer of particles. We demonstrate how to tune the mean interfacial separation in these bijels, and show that mechanically, they indeed behave as soft solids. These characteristics and their tunability will be of great value for microfluidic applications.}, address = {SUPA, School of Physics, University of Edinburgh, Mayfield Road, Edinburgh, UK.}, author = {Herzig, E. M. and White, K. A. and Schofield, A. B. and Poon, W. C. and Clegg, P. S. }, citeulike-article-id = {2735404}, doi = {10.1038/nmat2055}, issn = {1476-1122}, journal = {Nature materials}, keywords = {colloidal, material, self-assembly}, month = {December}, number = {12}, pages = {966--971}, posted-at = {2008-05-07 17:08:31}, priority = {4}, title = {Bicontinuous emulsions stabilized solely by colloidal particles.}, url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/nmat2055}, volume = {6}, year = {2007} }

TY - JOUR ID - citeulike:2735404 L3 - citeulike-article-id:2735404 TI - Bicontinuous emulsions stabilized solely by colloidal particles. JF - Nature materials VL - 6 IS - 12 SP - 966 EP - 971 AD - SUPA, School of Physics, University of Edinburgh, Mayfield Road, Edinburgh, UK. SN - 1476-1122 N2 - Recent large-scale computer simulations suggest that it may be possible to create a new class of soft solids, called 'bijels', by stabilizing and arresting the bicontinuous interface in a binary liquid demixing via spinodal decomposition using particles that are neutrally wetted by both liquids. The interfacial layer of particles is expected to be semi-permeable; hence, if realized, these new materials would have many potential applications, for example, as micro-reaction media. However, the creation of bijels in the laboratory faces serious obstacles. In general, fast quench rates are necessary to bypass nucleation, so that only samples with limited thickness can be produced, which destroys the three-dimensionality of the putative bicontinuous network. Moreover, even a small degree of unequal wettability of the particles by the two liquids can lead to ill-characterized, 'lumpy' interfacial layers and therefore irreproducible material properties. Here, we report a reproducible protocol for creating three-dimensional samples of bijel in which the interfaces are stabilized by essentially a single layer of particles. We demonstrate how to tune the mean interfacial separation in these bijels, and show that mechanically, they indeed behave as soft solids. These characteristics and their tunability will be of great value for microfluidic applications. KW - colloidal KW - material KW - self-assembly AU - Herzig, EM AU - White, KA AU - Schofield, AB AU - Poon, WC AU - Clegg, PS PY - 2007/12// UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/nmat2055 ER -