RHEOLOGY AND PIPELINE FLOW BEHAVIOUR OF NANOPARTICLE-STABILIZED PICKERING EMULSIONS: MODELLING AND EXPERIMENTS

纳米颗粒稳定的 Pickering 乳液的流变性和管道流动行为：建模和实验

• 批准号: RGPIN-2021-02633
• 负责人: PAL, Rajinder
• 金额: $ 2.04万
• 依托单位: University of Waterloo
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Discovery Grants Program - Individual
• 财政年份: 2022
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2022-01-01 至 2023-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=747175
• 关键词: RHEOLOGY; PIPELINE; FLOW; BEHAVIOUR; NANOPARTICLE

Recent research into the use of nanoparticles as emulsifiers in Pickering emulsions shows great promise for the production of new food, cosmetic and pharmaceutical products, to name a few. However, the way these Pickering emulsions behave in large-scale production systems is unknown. This research proposes to provide the models needed to predict their behavior, so that manufacturers can design plants and processes accordingly. This research will help Canadian industry capitalize on the advantages of these emulsions to produce enhanced products and so successfully compete in global markets. Many products incorporate emulsions that use surfactants to suspend one liquid in another immiscible liquid (e.g. oil and water). The surfactants stabilize emulsion products through manufacturing, packaging, transportation and storage, and help ensure they remain safe after purchase. Unfortunately, surfactants are commonly obtained from non-renewable sources and can cause health problems, including skin irritation and red blood cell damage. This is problematic in cosmetics and pharmaceuticals produced as creams, liniments and ointments for the skin. In the past decade, scientists began using solid nanoparticles of non-toxic substances, such as proteins and starches, to create surfactant-free emulsions. Their outstanding properties make them ideal for product development, but little is known about how they flow within a mass-production system. In fact, the layer of nanoparticles at the oil-/water interface of these Pickering emulsions changes their rheological and pipeline flow behaviours. Therefore, using the models for conventional surfactant-based emulsions to manufacture Pickering emulsions would cause process and quality control problems. Manufacturers need a solid understanding of the rheology and pumping behaviour of Pickering emulsions before they can design, select and operate equipment to handle, mix, store and transport such materials through a system of pipelines. And yet, no published studies adequately describe the rheology and pipeline flow of Pickering emulsions. The longterm goal of this research is to conduct modelling and experimental studies of the rheology and pipeline flow of dilute and concentrated Pickering emulsions, which will lead to models that predict how they will behave in a mass production system. Canadian industry can use these models to design cost-effective, long-lasting and energy efficient infrastructure and processes for their innovative new products. Much of this research will be conducted by students, who will become experts in a poorly understood aspect of manufacturing that could bestow a great advantage to Canadian companies. Upon graduation, the students will possess strong experimental skills and theoretical understanding of rheology, and interfacial and transport phenomena pertaining to emulsions. This transferrable knowledge, vital throughout Canada's manufacturing and resource industries, is in high demand.

最近对使用纳米颗粒作为皮克林乳液中的乳化剂的研究表明，其在生产新食品、化妆品和药品等方面具有巨大的前景。然而，这些皮克林乳液在大规模生产系统中的行为方式尚不清楚。这项研究建议提供预测其行为所需的模型，以便制造商可以相应地设计工厂和流程。这项研究将帮助加拿大工业利用这些乳液的优势来生产增强型产品，从而成功地在全球市场上竞争。许多产品都含有乳液，使用表面活性剂将一种液体悬浮在另一种不混溶的液体（例如油和水）中。表面活性剂可在制造、包装、运输和储存过程中稳定乳液产品，并有助于确保它们在购买后保持安全。不幸的是，表面活性剂通常是从不可再生来源获得的，会导致健康问题，包括皮肤刺激和红细胞损伤。这对于生产用于皮肤的霜剂、搽剂和软膏的化妆品和药物来说是有问题的。在过去的十年中，科学家开始使用无毒物质（例如蛋白质和淀粉）的固体纳米粒子来制造不含表面活性剂的乳液。它们出色的特性使它们成为产品开发的理想选择，但人们对它们如何在大规模生产系统中流动却知之甚少。事实上，这些皮克林乳液的油/水界面处的纳米颗粒层改变了它们的流变和管道流动行为。因此，使用传统表面活性剂乳液的模型来制造皮克林乳液会导致工艺和质量控制问题。制造商需要对皮克林乳液的流变性和泵送行为有充分的了解，然后才能设计、选择和操作设备来通过管道系统处理、混合、储存和运输此类材料。然而，尚未发表的研究充分描述皮克林乳液的流变学和管道流动。这项研究的长期目标是对稀释和浓缩皮克林乳液的流变性和管道流动进行建模和实验研究，这将产生预测它们在大规模生产系统中的行为的模型。加拿大工业界可以利用这些模型为其创新新产品设计具有成本效益、持久且节能的基础设施和流程。大部分研究将由学生进行，他们将成为制造业鲜为人知的方面的专家，这可以为加拿大公司带来巨大的优势。毕业后，学生将拥有较强的实验技能和对流变学以及乳液相关界面和传输现象的理论理解。这种可转移的知识对于加拿大的制造业和资源行业至关重要，而且需求量很大。