Interfacial stabilization by soft Janus nanoparticles

Abstract The stabilization of water/air, water/oil and water/solid interfaces by Janus particles with polystyrene (PS) and poly(methacrylic acid) (PMAA) hemispheres was systematically investigated. The stabilization of these interfaces is of relevance for the formulation of foams, emulsions and dispersions. The Janus particles were prepared from micellar solutions of polystyrene-b-polyisoprene-b-poly(tert-butyl methacrylate) (PS-PI-PtBMA) triblock terpolymers by selective cross-linking of the polyisoprene domain on a multi-gram scale, followed by hydrolysis of the PtBMA block. For the investigation of water/oil-emulsions a series of hydrophobic oils (paraffin oil, xylene, peanut oil, isopro…