Issue 2, 2020

Charge-driven interfacial gelation of cellulose nanofibrils across the water/oil interface

Abstract

Interfacial gels, obtained by the interaction of water-dispersible oxidised cellulose nanofibrils (OCNF) and oil-soluble oleylamine (OA), were produced across water/oil (W/O) interfaces. Surface rheology experiments showed that the complexation relies on the charge coupling between the negatively-charged OCNF and OA. Complexation across the W/O interface was found to be dependent on the ζ-potential of the OCNF (modulated by electrolyte addition), leading to different interfacial properties. Spontaneous OCNF adsorption at the W/O interface occurred for particles with ζ-potential more negative than −30 mV, resulting in the formation of interfacial gels; whilst for particles with ζ-potential of ca. −30 mV, spontaneous adsorption occurred, coupled with augmented interfibrillar interactions, yielding stronger and tougher interfacial gels. On the contrary, charge neutralisation of OCNF (ζ-potential values more positive than −30 mV) did not allow spontaneous adsorption of OCNF at the W/O interface. In the case of favourable OCNF adsorption, the interfacial gel was found to embed oil-rich droplets – a spontaneous emulsification process.

Graphical abstract: Charge-driven interfacial gelation of cellulose nanofibrils across the water/oil interface

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
02 Aug 2019
Accepted
06 Nov 2019
First published
07 Nov 2019
This article is Open Access
Creative Commons BY license

Soft Matter, 2020,16, 357-365

Charge-driven interfacial gelation of cellulose nanofibrils across the water/oil interface

V. Calabrese, M. A. da Silva, J. Schmitt, K. M. Z. Hossain, J. L. Scott and K. J. Edler, Soft Matter, 2020, 16, 357 DOI: 10.1039/C9SM01551E

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