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Reversibly pH-Switchable Anionic-Surfactant-Based Emulsions

  • Original Article
  • Published:
Journal of Surfactants and Detergents

Abstract

To develop a convenient and reversible strategy for phase separation and re-emulsification of surfactant-based emulsions, we established a method for pH switching of emulsions formed from a pH-switchable anionic surfactant, potassium dodecyl seleninate (C12SeO2K). Upon acidification, C12SeO2K was protonated to give a precipitate of dodecyl seleninic acid (C12SeO2H); upon basification, C12SeO2H was neutralized restore C12SeO2K. The pH-switchable window of the emulsion thus obtained was a pH range of 7 to 8. Reversible changes in both interfacial tension by ~10.2 mN m−1, as well as the mechanical, steric, and/or electrical barriers formed by C12SeO2K at the interface of the oil–aqueous solution account for the fully reversible phase separation and re-emulsification of the C12SeO2K-based emulsions. A stable emulsion (i.e. the time needed to separate 1 mL of H2O from 6 mL of emulsion at 25 °C is larger than 1 h) could be cycled at least 25 times when the pH was varied between 7 and 8.

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Acknowledgements

This work was financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant nos. 21673103, 21503094), the Qinglan Project of Jiangsu Province, and Zhejiang Zanyu Technology Co. Ltd., People’s Republic of China.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Chemical and Material Engineering, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, 214122, People’s Republic of China

    Hui Chen, Yuandi Zhang, Yongmin Zhang & Yun Fang

  2. Key Laboratory of Synthetic and Biological Colloids, Ministry of Education, School of Chemical and Material Engineering, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, 214122, People’s Republic of China

    Xuefeng Liu

Authors
  1. Hui Chen
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  2. Yuandi Zhang
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  3. Xuefeng Liu
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  4. Yongmin Zhang
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  5. Yun Fang
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Correspondence to Xuefeng Liu.

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Chen, H., Zhang, Y., Liu, X. et al. Reversibly pH-Switchable Anionic-Surfactant-Based Emulsions. J Surfact Deterg 20, 1115–1120 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11743-017-1981-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11743-017-1981-5

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