The effect of hydrophobicity on the surface activity of environmentally responsive surface-modified silica nanoparticles

In this study, the surface activity of environmentally responsive surface-modified silica nanoparticles is examined. To this end, propyl, n-hexyl, or n-octyl chains as hydrophobic agents and polyethylene glycol chains as hydrophilic agent at various quantities were coated covalently on the surface of silica nanoparticles to synthesize responsive nanoparticles. Various experiments including interfacial-tension, and contact-angle measurements, and emulsion formation were performed to investigate the performance of modified nanoparticles. Results showed that the presence of the hydrophobic and hydrophilic agents influences considerably the surface activity of the responsive nanoparticles. To achieve the effective responsive nanoparticles, the hydrophobicity should be tuned at an optimum value, which would be at a lower amount with longer linear-alkyl chains.

کلیدواژه ها:

Environmentally responsive ، Silica nanoparticle ، Surface activity.