Supramolecular microgels disassembly to control Pickering emulsion stabilization and destabilization
Abstract
Microgel-stabilized Pickering emulsions are of great interest both in fundamental science and in applications for their long-term stability and their possible on-demand destabilization by microgel stimulation. In previous studies, the microgel structure has been proven to be a key parameter in the emulsion stabilization mechanism. Here, we take advantage of the on-demand controlled degradation of PNIPAM-based supramolecular microgels to modify in-situ their structure and thus study the role of this parameter in both the emulsion stabilization and destabilization mechanisms. First, the study of microgels with different architectures confirms that, at a given microgel concentration, microgel with a more pronounced core-shell structure and/or a smaller crosslinker content more efficiently limit the droplet coalescence and thus lead to smaller surface coverage and smaller droplet sizes. This result is attributed to the lower crosslinker concentration in the microgel shell that can entangle more efficiently at the droplet interface. Second, the partial cleavage by chemical oxidation of the supramolecular crosslinkers, based on an Fe(II)/bisterpyridine complex, allows us to modify in-situ the shell crosslinker content before emulsification and thus to confirm its key role in the emulsion stabilization mechanism. Third, the control of the complete microgel degradation kinetics, directly linked to the initial supramolecular crosslinker distribution and content, permits to finely tune the emulsion destabilization kinetics. Therefore, the use of cleavable supramolecular crosslinker not only permits to elucidate the complex mechanisms governing the stabilization and destabilization of microgel-stabilized emulsions but also opens new possibilities for the development of responsive emulsion systems with well controlled properties.
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BibTeX
@misc{brezault2026supramolecular,
title = {{Supramolecular microgels disassembly to control Pickering emulsion stabilization and destabilization}},
author = {Antoine Brézault and Patrick Garrigue and Valérie Ravaine and Véronique Schmitt and Patrick Perrin and Nicolas Sanson},
howpublished = {HAL},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
url = {https://hal.science/hal-05739621v1},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - Supramolecular microgels disassembly to control Pickering emulsion stabilization and destabilization
AU - Antoine Brézault
AU - Patrick Garrigue
AU - Valérie Ravaine
AU - Véronique Schmitt
AU - Patrick Perrin
AU - Nicolas Sanson
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/05
PB - HAL
UR - https://hal.science/hal-05739621v1
AB - Microgel-stabilized Pickering emulsions are of great interest both in fundamental science and in applications for their long-term stability and their possible on-demand destabilization by microgel stimulation. In previous studies, the microgel structure has been proven to be a key parameter in the emulsion stabilization mechanism. Here, we take advantage of the on-demand controlled degradation of PNIPAM-based supramolecular microgels to modify in-situ their structure and thus study the role of this parameter in both the emulsion stabilization and destabilization mechanisms. First, the study of microgels with different architectures confirms that, at a given microgel concentration, microgel with a more pronounced core-shell structure and/or a smaller crosslinker content more efficiently limit the droplet coalescence and thus lead to smaller surface coverage and smaller droplet sizes. This result is attributed to the lower crosslinker concentration in the microgel shell that can entangle more efficiently at the droplet interface. Second, the partial cleavage by chemical oxidation of the supramolecular crosslinkers, based on an Fe(II)/bisterpyridine complex, allows us to modify in-situ the shell crosslinker content before emulsification and thus to confirm its key role in the emulsion stabilization mechanism. Third, the control of the complete microgel degradation kinetics, directly linked to the initial supramolecular crosslinker distribution and content, permits to finely tune the emulsion destabilization kinetics. Therefore, the use of cleavable supramolecular crosslinker not only permits to elucidate the complex mechanisms governing the stabilization and destabilization of microgel-stabilized emulsions but also opens new possibilities for the development of responsive emulsion systems with well controlled properties.
ER -