Formation, characterization and stability of oil nanodroplets on immersed substrates

• Nanodroplets at solid–liquid interfaces can be produced by direct adsorption from emulsions or the solvent exchange.
• Several techniques are now available for characterization of interfacial nanodroplets.
• Applications of interfacial nanodroplets are emerging, particularly in surface and nanostructure engineering.

Nanoscale oil droplets locating at solid–liquid interfaces significantly impact the interfacial properties, which are concerned in both industry applications and fundamental studies. This review article presents an overview of the current progress in nanodroplet research. We will start from the characterization of interfacial nanodroplets and the formation of interfacial nanodroplets by direct adsorption from emulsions and by the solvent exchange protocol. Then we will review the experimental and theoretical studies on the evolution of oil nanodroplets including spreading, dissolution, and detachment. We will also cover the emerging applications of the interfacial nanodroplets in the fields of surface functionalization and nanostructure engineering, and particularly, highlight the potential application as capping agents to obtain architectures on microparticle surface. Finally we propose the challenges and the opportunities in this area. In our opinion, the nanodroplets have not only of high relevance to practical applications, but also serve as a model system for understanding many interfacial phenomena, such as phase separation and wetting on a microscopic scale.

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