Nanoemulsion polymerization and templating: Potentials and perspectives

Abstract

The current study aims to provide an outlook on the nanoemulsions templating method by discussing their potentials to produce different polymers and evaluating challenges that might be posed during emulsification and polymerization. Tunable properties such as controllable droplet size, volume fraction, composition, and interdroplet interactions provide tools for controlling the structure of nanoemulsions and nanoemulsion-templated polymers. Therefore, these properties along with a phase diagram including the liquid, gel, attractive glass, and repulsive glass states of nanoemulsions are discussed in this Perspective. Although the synthesis of nanoparticles is the main application of nanoemulsion templating in the literature, polymerization of monomers in the continuous phase of nanoemulsions has potential to expand their applications and produce complex structured porous polymers. Nanoemulsion characteristics can also be tuned to produce porous polymers with desirable properties. This Perspective also looks at multiple nanoemulsions with multi-phase droplets, which recently have become of great interest for producing nanoparticles with complex morphologies. Multiple nanoemulsions and their templating provide new avenues for certain applications particularly in pharmaceutical and nanotechnology industries.

Porous Hydrogels: Present Challenges and Future Opportunities

“…One of the most common porogen materials used is NaCl due to its abundance, grain-size range, and solubility. Particles of hydrophilic water-soluble polymers have also been used as porogens since their size can be tuned, for example when they are formed into beads through the precipitation of preformed polymers in (nano)­droplets . These beads can then be added to polymer solutions during cross-linking and leached out via water washing.…”

“…Particles of hydrophilic water-soluble polymers have also been used as porogens since their size can be tuned, for example when they are formed into beads through the precipitation of preformed polymers in (nano)droplets. 120 These beads can then be added to polymer solutions during cross-linking and leached out via water washing. For example, gelatin microbeads have been incorporated in poly(ethylene glycol)-diacrylate (PEGDA) that is cross-linked in an organic solvent.…”

Polymer nanoparticles from low-energy nanoemulsions for biomedical applications

“…Nanoemulsions are versatile templates for the preparation of polymer nanoparticles [ 21 ]. To formulate nanoemulsions of predefined aqueous and solvent–polymer or monomer (oil) phases, it is crucial to choose the right surfactant.…”

Glassy and compressed nanoemulsions stabilized with sodium dodecyl sulfate in the presence of poly(ethylene glycol)-diacrylate

“…Furthermore, the influence of the PEGDA oligomer content on the rheological properties of nanoemulsions has not been studied yet, specifically at high droplet volume fractions of interest for the templating approach. 7 Therefore, in the present work, we examine Fig. 1 A typical state diagram for the colloidal behavior of (nano)emulsions as a function of repulsion/attraction strength and droplet volume fraction indicating various rheological states.…”

“…1 A typical state diagram for the colloidal behavior of (nano)emulsions as a function of repulsion/attraction strength and droplet volume fraction indicating various rheological states. 7 the effect of different PEGDA concentrations on nanoemulsions' rheology. We also measure the dynamic interfacial tension at the oil/water interface to obtain more information about the possible presence of PEGDA or PEGDA/SDS complexes at the interface or in the bulk and any possible changes in interfacial tension.…”