Interfacial solute flux promotes emulsification at the water|oil interface

Guillermo S. Colón-Quintana, Thomas B. Clarke and Jeffrey E. Dick ()
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Guillermo S. Colón-Quintana: Purdue University
Thomas B. Clarke: Purdue University
Jeffrey E. Dick: Purdue University

Nature Communications, 2023, vol. 14, issue 1, 1-9

Abstract: Abstract Emulsions are critical across a broad spectrum of industries. Unfortunately, emulsification requires a significant driving force for droplet dispersion. Here, we demonstrate a mechanism of spontaneous droplet formation (emulsification), where the interfacial solute flux promotes droplet formation at the liquid-liquid interface when a phase transfer agent is present. We have termed this phenomenon fluxification. For example, when HAuCl4 is dissolved in an aqueous phase and [NBu4][ClO4] is dissolved in an oil phase, emulsion droplets (both water-in-oil and oil-in-water) can be observed at the interface for various oil phases (1,2-dichloroethane, dichloromethane, chloroform, and nitrobenzene). Emulsification occurs when AuCl4– interacts with NBu4+, a well-known phase-transfer agent, and transfers into the oil phase while ClO4– transfers into the aqueous phase to maintain electroneutrality. The phase transfer of SCN– and Fe(CN)63– also produce droplets. We propose a microscopic mechanism of droplet formation and discuss design principles by tuning experimental parameters.

Date: 2023
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-35964-9

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