Polyphosphoester-modified Cellulose Nanocrystals for Stabilizing Pickering Emulsion Polymerization of Styrene

The structure and properties of functional nanoparticles are important for stabilizing Pickering emulsion polymerization. Recently, cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) are increasingly favored as a bio-based stabilizer for Pickering emulsions. In this study, we reported a novel functionalized polyphosphoester-grafted CNCs for the stabilization of oil-in-water Pickering emulsions and the emulsion polymerization of styrene. First, polyphosphoester containing an amino group at one end of the chain, abbreviated as PBYP-NH2, was prepared by ring-opening polymerization (ROP) and hydrolysis reaction, wherein PBYP represents poly[2-(but-3-yn-1-yloxy)-2-oxo-1,3,2-dioxaphospholane]. Subsequently, CNC-COOH was obtained via 2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine-1-oxyl (TEMPO) oxidation of CNCs. The functionalized nanocrystals CNC-PBYP-COOH with carboxyl groups and polyphosphoester on the surface were obtained by the amidation reaction of PBYP-NH2 with CNC-COOH. Finally, we used CNC-PBYP-COOH as sole particle emulsifiers to stabilize styrene-in-water Pickering emulsions and studied its effects on the emulsions in details by using dynamic light scattering (DLS). The results indicated that the properties of these emulsions depended on the concentration of hydrophobically modified CNCs, volume ratios of oil to water, and pH values. The modified CNCs had higher ability to stabilize the styrene-in-water emulsions relative to the unmodified CNCs, and a stable oil-in-water (o/w) Pickering emulsion with diameter of hundreds of nanometers could be obtained. The resulting emulsions could be polymerized to yield nanosized latexes. The polyphosphoester-modified CNCs as green particle emulsifiers can efficiently stabilize nanoemulsions and latexes, which would promote the development of novel environmentally friendly materials.