Effects of grafting architecture of amphiphilic polymer-grafted nanoparticles on stabilization mechanisms of concentrated emulsions

This study explores the stabilization mechanisms of concentrated emulsions with tunable morphology using amphiphilic polymer-grafted nanoparticles (PGNPs). We employ coarse-grained molecular simulations to investigate concentrated oil-in-water emulsions stabilized by partially hydrolyzed poly(vinyl alcohol)-grafted poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) particles. Two grafting architectures were examined: hydrophilic-hydrophobic (AB-type) diblock PGNPs and reverse BA-type diblock PGNPs. Our findings reveal that AB-type diblock PGNPs tend to aggregate, leading to droplet-droplet coalescence. In contrast, BA-type diblock PGNPs disperse effectively in the water phase, stabilizing robust emulsion through a space-filling mechanism. The study further demonstrates that the stability and morphology of the emulsions can be tuned by varying the number of PGNPs. Our results suggest that BA-type diblock PGNPs are more effective in stabilizing concentrated emulsions, offering insights for the design of novel emulsifiers in industrial applications. • Conducted coarse-grained molecular simulations of concentrated emulsions. • Considered hydrophilic-hydrophobic diblock polymer-grafted nanoparticles (PGNPs) and reverse diblock PGNPs. • Discovered two different stabilization mechanisms that depend on the grafting architecture. • Stability and morphology of the emulsions can be tuned by varying the number of PGNPs.