新型Cerberus乳液的形成机理研究及微/纳各向异性结构的可控构筑

Cerberus emulsion ((O1+O2+O3)/W) prepared by one-step mixing is novel emulsion with three immiscible oils compositing the inner structure of “three room”. The discovery of Cerberus emulsion is a breakthrough in the field of emulsion science, and also an outcome of the wide application and fundamental investigication. Different composition, separate sub-room, and sharply contoured space endow Cerberus emulsion with special capability in solubilization, insulation, protection, and controlled release. The asymmetric architecture of “three room” opens a new avenue of the construction of anisotropic structure. The present proposal will focus on how to prepare Cerberus emulsion, and how to construct the controllable macro-nano sized anisotropic structure with Cerberus emulsion as template. Systematic investigations will start with the formation mechanism, stability, and the phase inversion. Subsequently, the destabilize processes of creaming, sedimentation, flocculation, coalescence, and the Ostwald ripening will be studied in terms of properties of surfactant films, interaction force between the droplets, and the viscosity of the system. What is more important, the structure of the emulsion droplets including the size distribution and the ratio of the three rooms will be controlled by the composition of emulsion, and the energy of emulsification. Based on the fundamental investigations on the novel Cerberus emulsion, the anisotropic materials will be synthesized by replacing the oil phases with polymerizable monomers. Meanwhile, some materials of magnetic, and pharmaceutical molecules will be added to realize the functionalization of anisotropic particles. In a word, it is essential to study the fundamental properties of this novel emulsion from the view of academic importance as well as of industrial applications.

本项目组首次以一步混合法成功制备新型乳液 ((O1+O2+O3)/W)，并以希腊神话中的三头犬Cerberus命名。Cerberus乳液内相液滴由三种互不相溶的油构成三室。三室结构丰富了乳液的形式，是人类对传统乳液认识的全新突破；各室的形状不对称赋予液滴拓扑结构的各向异性；组成各异、彼此独立、相界分明的微相区对功能性分子的增溶、隔离、保护和缓释具有传统乳液无法比拟的优势。本项目立足已有工作基础，拟从界面膜的分子组成、内外相的物理化学特性阐明该新型乳液的形成机理、稳定机制及相转变特性；基于多组分相图揭示体系组成与液滴拓扑结构的定量关系，构建各向异性结构的理论模型，实现微米、亚微米、乃至纳米尺度的连续可控调节。此外，以乳液为模板合成各向异性材料，将同时实现批量制备、设备简单、微/纳尺度变化和形貌丰富多样。此研究将拓展乳液在医药、食品、化妆品等领域的应用，并为各向异性结构的构筑开辟新的发展方向。

Cerberus乳液是一种全新的乳液类型，其内相液滴由三种互不相溶的油组成。内相的三室结构丰富了乳液的形式；各室的形状不对称、各室的体积互不相同使得液滴的拓扑结构具备各向异性；液滴内部具备三个组成各异的微相区，这种独特的复合结构可以选择性增溶不同的功能性分子。此外，Cerberus乳液的制备不需要依赖于复杂的装置，工艺简单，并且可以一次性大量生产，易于实现工业化。由Cerberus乳液法构筑的各向异性结构不仅是各种有机、无机固体材料的模板，同时，在Cerberus乳液的三油相、外水相中掺杂功能性材料，如磁性分子、光活性分子和半导体感光物质等，可以得到功能型复合材料。因此，以Cerberus乳液为模板构筑各向异性结构，也将是材料合成领域的一个全新突破。.本项目围绕Cerberus乳液的形成机理、相转变特性及稳定机制展开研究，首先结合多组分相图，并跟踪乳液相转变的过程，考察体系组成、温度等对Cerberus乳液中各向异性结构的影响，实现了同一体系中单重乳液、Janus乳液、及Cerberus乳液三种类型的可控转变，阐明各向异性结构间的转变取决于初始内相体系的相行为；首次采用一步混合法批量制备油包水型反相各向异性乳液，研究发现液滴内部结构取决于内相组成及各相之间的界面行为。此外，从表面活性剂降低油水界面自由能，形成热力学不稳定、动力学稳定的乳液这一现象出发，研究界面膜的组成及性质对乳液三室结构的影响，研究发现，聚结和分层是造成该复合型乳液失稳的两个主要过程，在界面能的驱使下，凝结而成的液滴仍然保存Janus形态。同时，本项目以可聚合单体取代油组分，通过乳化过程的优化、温度、组分比例等的调节，实现对Cerberus乳液中液滴的内部精细结构的调控。基于Cerberus乳液独特的各向异性结构及稳定性调节，光照引发聚合得到“engulfed-linear”型，“partial engulfed-linear”型，“linear”等各种结构形态及多种组分的高分子各向异性粒子；并在油相及水相中掺杂磁性分子，实现乳液及各向异性粒子的可控转动，并应用在染料吸附、粒径分级、导电和导热性能调控等方面。