Projects - X (Xuefeng) Shen MSc

Particle-stabilized emulsions, also known as Pickering emulsions, have garnered exponentially increasing interest in recent years.  Pickering agents are particles that stabilise the interface between two immiscible liquids, reducing the interfacial energy of the system to produce a stable emulsion with resistance against fusion (coalescence) and coarsening (Ostwald ripening). The involved stabilization mechanisms are fundamentally different as compared to conventional emulsification methods, which can be an asset in terms of emulsion stability. The unique potential of Pickering emulsions can be applied in a number of areas of research and industrial importance, such as food manufacturing, liquid-liquid phase separation, drug delivery, functional materials, cosmetics and enhanced oil recovery. The commercial applications of Pickering emulsions and foams have for a long time been scarce, but there is an increasing interest from companies to apply Pickering emulsions and foams. Hence, EU Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme has funded the ITN project PICKFOOD, which has the aim to develop novel Pickering emulsions for food applications (PICKFOOD – Pickering emulsions for food applications). Surprisingly, little fundamental effort has gone to understanding the mechanisms and coalescence of droplets whose interface are coated with solid particles, while those mechanisms are well established for surfactant-stabilized emulsions. The objective of my work is to study the mechanisms of coalescence of particle-laden interfaces and Pickering emulsion droplets.