Nanoparticle-stabilized carbon dioxide-in-water foams with fine texture

The concept of hydrophilic/CO2-philic balance (HCB) was extended to describe stabilization of carbon dioxide-in-water (C/W) foams (also called emulsions) with silica nanoparticles adsorbed at the CO2–water interface. Opaque, white C/W foams (bubble diameter <100 μm) were generated with either PEG-coated silica or methylsilyl modified silica nanoparticles in a beadpack with CO2 densities between 0.2 and 0.9 g mL−1. For methylsilyl modified silica nanoparticles, 50% SiOH modification provided an optimal HCB for generation and stabilization of viscous C/W foams with high stability. The apparent viscosity measured with a capillary tube viscometer reached 120-fold that of a CO2–water mixture without nanoparticles, a consequence of the small bubble size and the energy required to deform a high density of aqueous lamellae between CO2 bubbles. Air-in-water (A/W) foams stabilized with nanoparticles were used to gain insight into the relationship between nanoparticle surface properties and adsorption of the nanoparticles at various types of interfaces. With suitable nanoparticles, A/W foams were stable for at least 7 days and C/W foams were stable for at least 23 h. The ability to achieve long term stability for nanoparticle stabilized C/W foams could offer an alternative to conventional surfactants, which are known to have much lower adsorption energies.

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► Hydrophilic/CO2-philic balance was extended to nanoparticles for CO2/water foam.
► Opaque white C/W foams were generated in a beadpack with silica nanoparticles.
► Foam viscosity reached 120x that of a CO2–water mixture without nanoparticles.
► With suitable nanoparticles, the C/W foams were stable for at least 23 h.
► 50% SiOH level provided an optimal HCB for foams with high viscosity and stability.