Replacing traditional surfactants in the preparation of polymer nanoparticles

替代传统表面活性剂制备聚合物纳米颗粒

• 批准号: RGPIN-2020-04361
• 负责人: Cunningham, Michael
• 金额: $ 4.66万
• 依托单位: Queen's University
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Discovery Grants Program - Individual
• 财政年份: 2021
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2021-01-01 至 2022-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=739919
• 关键词: Replacing; traditional; surfactants; preparation; polymer

Several important, large volume commercial products including automotive tires, paints, coatings, sealants and adhesives are made in manufacturing processes that require the use of large amounts of surfactants, also commonly known as detergents, emulsifiers or soaps. Their role is to stabilize the small polymer (plastic, rubber) particles which are dispersed in water by preventing them from coagulating. This is a global market worth over $50 billion (CAD) annually that uses approximately 400,000 tonnes of surfactant per year. The surfactants are essential to making these products, but they cannot be removed or recovered. Consequently the surfactants end up in the environment where they pose serious toxicity and environmental concerns, either by leaching out of the product during its service life, or when the product ends up in a landfill. Furthermore, they are petroleum-based and therefore non-renewable. Recognizing these problems, industry is actively seeking alternatives to conventional surfactants, however despite their intensive research efforts no promising candidates have emerged. An ideal replacement would be non-toxic and renewably sourced. This research proposal will explore a new type of stabilizer for polymer particles, capable of replacing existing surfactants but having a very different design, eliminating the environmental and toxicity concerns, and additionally being renewably sourced, or bio-based. Almost a century ago it was first recognized that nano-size solid particles of silica (much like sand, only much smaller) were able to stabilize oil-in-water emulsions. However this discovery remained little more than a curiosity until recently when increasing interest has been shown for these "Pickering emulsifiers", primarily for use in the food industry as well as higher end cosmetics and personal care products. These applications involve stabilizing relatively large oil droplets or waxy particles. Given the recent interest in Pickering emulsifiers, an intriguing question is whether it is possible, and/or practical, to use a similar approach to replace conventional surfactants in the polymer-based processes described above. Recent progress at Queen's and elsewhere has offered encouragement that such an undertaking may be possible. The proposed research program will therefore endeavor to develop a new class of bio-based alternatives to conventional surfactants based on nanoparticles made from cellulose, starch, chitin or chitosan. There are very few previous studies using bio-based nanoparticles to make polymer particles, presenting an opportunity to make significant scientific and commercial impacts. The benefits would be global. Benefits to Canada, in addition to health and environmental benefits due to reduced use of surfactants, would include economic benefits from being global leaders in bio-based Pickering emulsifiers including advanced training of several highly qualified personnel.

几种重要的大批量商业产品，包括汽车轮胎、油漆、涂料、密封剂和粘合剂，都是在需要使用大量表面活性剂的制造过程中制造的，这些表面活性剂也通常被称为洗涤剂、乳化剂或肥皂。它们的作用是稳定分散在水中的小聚合物(塑料、橡胶)颗粒，防止它们凝结。这是一个每年价值超过500亿加元(加元)的全球市场，每年使用约40万吨表面活性剂。表面活性剂是制造这些产品所必需的，但它们不能被去除或回收。因此，表面活性剂最终会进入环境中，在那里它们会造成严重的毒性和环境问题，要么是在产品的使用期限内从产品中渗出，要么是当产品最终被填埋时。此外，它们是以石油为基础的，因此不可再生。认识到这些问题，工业界正在积极寻找传统表面活性剂的替代品，然而，尽管他们进行了大量的研究工作，但没有出现有前途的候选者。理想的替代品应该是无毒且来源可再生的。这项研究计划将探索一种新型的聚合物颗粒稳定剂，能够取代现有的表面活性剂，但具有非常不同的设计，消除了环境和毒性问题，此外，还可以是可再生来源的，或基于生物的。近一个世纪前，人们首次认识到纳米尺寸的二氧化硅固体颗粒(很像沙子，只是小得多)能够稳定水包油乳状液。然而，直到最近，人们对这些主要用于食品工业以及高端化妆品和个人护理产品的“Pickering乳化剂”表现出越来越大的兴趣，这一发现仍然只是一种好奇。这些应用包括稳定相对较大的油滴或蜡质颗粒。鉴于最近对Pickering乳化剂的兴趣，一个耐人寻味的问题是，在上述基于聚合物的工艺中，是否有可能和/或是否可以使用类似的方法来取代传统的表面活性剂。女王学院和其他地方最近的进展鼓舞了人们，这样的承诺可能是可能的。因此，拟议的研究计划将致力于开发一种新型的生物基表面活性剂，以纤维素、淀粉、甲壳素或壳聚糖制成的纳米颗粒为基础，取代传统表面活性剂。以前使用基于生物的纳米颗粒制造聚合物颗粒的研究很少，这为产生重大的科学和商业影响提供了机会。好处将是全球性的。除了减少使用表面活性剂给加拿大带来的健康和环境好处外，还将包括作为生物基Pickering乳化剂的全球领导者带来的经济好处，包括对几名高素质人员的高级培训。