Thesis subject

BSc & MSc - Smart separations: ionic liquid-in-water Pickering emulsions

Room temperature ionic liquids are organic salts with low melting points. They are an interesting class of materials as they have a miscibility gap with water and most of the common organic solvents. We aim to use them for separation purposes, for example to extract proteins in their native state from complex mixtures of natural molecules. To enhance the efficiency of such protocols, a large specific surface area is required; we thus aim at formulating stable and responsive ionic liquid-in-water emulsions.

Left: Core-shell particles. The core is prepared from polystyrene (PS), while the shell consists of a crosslinked poly(N-isopropylacrylamide-co-acrylic acid) (PNIPAM-co-AAc) polymer hydrogel. Right: Confocal image of an oil-in-water emulsions stabilised by polystyrene particles.
Left: Core-shell particles. The core is prepared from polystyrene (PS), while the shell consists of a crosslinked poly(N-isopropylacrylamide-co-acrylic acid) (PNIPAM-co-AAc) polymer hydrogel. Right: Confocal image of an oil-in-water emulsions stabilised by polystyrene particles.

Pickering emulsions are stabilised with solid particles and offer a better stability than surfactants stabilised emulsions. In this project, we will prepare thermo-responsive particles, characterize them and screen their applicability for stabilizing ionic liquid-in-water emulsions.

Experimental techniques:

  • Colloid synthesis
  • Contact angle measurements
  • Dynamic and static light scattering
  • Confocal microscopy