Reversible assembly of silica nanoparticles at water–hydrocarbon interfaces controlled by SDS surfactant

Achieving reversible and tunable assembly of silica nanoparticles at liquid-liquid interfaces is vital for a wide range of scientific and technological applications including sustainable subsurface energy applications, catalysis, drug delivery and material synthesis. In this study, we report the mechanisms controlling the assembly of silica nanoparticles (dia. 50 nm and 100 nm) at water-heptane and water-toluene interfaces using sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) surfactant with concentrations ranging from 0.001-0.1 wt% using operando ultrasmall/small-angle X-ray scattering, cryogenic scanning electron microscopy imaging and classical molecular dynamics simulations. The results show that the assembly of silica nanoparticles at water-hydrocarbon interfaces can be tuned by controlling the concentrations of SDS. Silica nanoparticles are found to: (a) dominate the interfaces in the absence of interfacial SDS molecules, (b) coexist with SDS at the interfaces at low surfactant concentration of 0.001 wt% and (c) migrate toward the aqueous phase at a high SDS concentration of 0.1 wt%. Energetic analyses suggest that the van der Waals and electrostatic interactions between silica nanoparticles and SDS surfactants increase with SDS concentration. However, the favorable van der Waals and electrostatic interactions between the silica nanoparticles and toluene or heptane decrease with increasing SDS concentration. As a result, the silica nanoparticles migrate away from the water-hydrocarbon interface and towards bulk water at higher SDS concentrations. These calibrated investigations reveal the mechanistic basis for tuning silica nanoparticle assembly at complex interfaces.