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Natural silica-based amphiphilic Janus particles as Pickering emulsifiers: A sustainable approach
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DOI：10.1016/j.surfin.2026.108827.png)
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Abstract
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Pickering emulsifiers are solid particles that mimic and outperform molecular surfactants in stabilizing oil-water and air-water interfaces. Amphiphilic Janus particles have spatially separated hydrophilic and hydrophobic regions. This design gives them higher interfacial activity, making them suitable for long-term stabilization of interfaces. In this study, we present the amphiphilic Janus modification of low-cost silica nanoparticles from three natural sources using a Pickering emulsion template. The pre-processed silica particles from Cherthala sand, pumice powder, and montmorillonite clay had irregular, spherical, and layered morphology with average particle sizes of 331.1, 339.0, and 286.2 nm, respectively. A higher salt concentration (1 M NaCl) favored effective assembling of clay at the wax-water interface for partial masking, while the spherical silica particles formed aggregates because of poor electrostatic repulsion. By arresting one side of silica particles under solidified wax, the bare surface was modified with hydrophobic siloxane. The asymmetrical functionalization and amphiphilic nature of the obtained Janus particles were studied using FT-IR, TGA, contact angle, and toluene-water partitioning test. All three Janus particles showed spontaneous self-assembly at the oil-water interface and better emulsification performance than their symmetrical counterparts. The montmorillonite clay-based Janus particles showed a greater emulsification index (50%) and 24.07±6.1 μm average emulsion droplet size after 24 h. The pumice-based Janus particles formed an intact interfacial film due to a greater degree of silanization and resulting amphiphilicity. The Cherthala sand-based Janus particles formed 5.49±1.61 μm uniform emulsion droplets with a poor emulsification index, which was due to polydisperse particle size and greater amphiphilicity. This study presents the effective use of silica minerals as amphiphilic Janus structures, which have potential in Pickering emulsion stabilization.
Keywords:
Natural silica
Amphiphilic Janus particles
Pickering emulsifiers
Emulsion stabilization
Sustainable approach
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