posted on 2021-11-14, 13:30authored byXiaodong Lian, Shenglong Liao, Xiao-Qi Xu, Shoupeng Zhang, Yapei Wang
Herein,
fast interfacial polymerization (FIP) of highly reactive
ethyl α-cyanoacrylate (ECA) monomers triggered by water-soluble
initiators is demonstrated as a brand new method for instantly providing
a strong steric barrier at the oil–water interface to effectively
stabilize water-in-oil emulsions and microcapsule dispersions without
the assistance of additive interface-active agents. Compared with
emulsions stabilized by synthetic surfactants, amphiphilic polymers,
and solid particles, such emulsions exhibit unique and attractive
properties. Although polyECA polymers are hydrophilic, water-in-oil
emulsions are anomalously produced through the FIP method. By regulating
the polymerization rate, the interfacial coverage of irreversibly
absorbing polymers can reach 100% within only 15 s, which is also
considered to form a microcapsule dispersion. Besides, this emulsification
method is readily applicable to prepare high-internal-phase-emulsion-like
(HIPE-like) systems with an internal-phase volume fraction of 75.0%
and generate stable monodispersed droplets via a
microfluidic technique. The self-stabilizing encapsulation process
through the FIP method presented in this work does open a new sight
in the research field of both emulsions and microcapsules and may
possess promising industrial applications in multiple areas.