Dual Stimuli-Responsive Pickering Emulsions from Novel Magnetic Hydroxyapatite Nanoparticles and Their Characterization Using a Microfluidic Platform

Abstract

Stimuli-responsive emulsifiers have emerged as a class of smart agents that can permit regulated stabilization and destabilization of emulsions, which is essential for food, cosmetic, pharmaceutical, and petroleum industries. Here, we report the synthesis of novel “smart” hydroxyapatite (HaP) magnetic nanoparticles and their corresponding stimuli-responsive Pickering emulsions and explore their movement under confined spaces using a microfluidic platform. Pickering emulsions prepared with our magnetic stearic acid-functionalized Fe₂O₃@HaP nanoparticles exhibited pronounced pH-responsive behavior. We observed that the diameter of emulsion droplets decreases with an increase in pH. Swift demulsification was achieved by lowering the pH, whereas the reformation of emulsions was achieved by increasing the pH; this emulsification-demulsification cycling was successful for at least ten cycles. We used a microfluidic platform to test the stability of the emulsions under flowing conditions and their response to a magnetic field. We observed that the emulsion stability was diminished and droplet coalescence was enhanced by the application of the magnetic field. The smart nanoparticles we developed and their HaP-based emulsions present promising materials for pharmaceutical and petroleum industries, where responsive emulsions with controlled stabilities are required.