Droplet size controllable fabrication of Pickering emulsion stabilized by soy protein isolate-carbon nanotubes/carboxymethyl cellulose sodium

Pickering emulsion plays an important role in various industrial fields including food, catalysis, and bioscience. Soy protein isolate (SPI) has been proved feasible for stabilizing Pickering emulsion after modification, though such methods were either difficult to proceed or application restrictive. Herein, we report a simple fabrication of oil-in-water Pickering emulsion using a complex of SPI and carbon nanotubes (CNTs)/carboxymethyl cellulose sodium (CMC-Na). The stability of our emulsion could be kept at a wide range of CNTs diameter, oil fraction, and pH, while the emulsion droplet size might be controlled through the tuning of pH and dispersed phase solvent as well. A strong interaction between SPI and CNTs/CMC-Na is a key factor for the homogeneous distribution of CNTs at the aqueous–organic interface, which benefits the Pickering emulsion formation. Our work will offer some useful thoughts for improving the stability of protein-integrated emulsion.