Tuning the wettability of calcite cubes by varying the sizes of the polystyrene nanoparticles attached to their surfaces

The wettability of calcite cubes was tuned by varying the sizes of the polystyrene nanoparticles attached to their surfaces via a dispersion polymerization. The products were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), energy dispersion spectrum (EDS) and Fourier transformation infrared spectrum (FTIR). The results showed that the hydrophobicity of the calcite cubes was enhanced with the increase of the size of the polystyrene nanoparticles attached. Using polystyrene nanoparticle-attached calcite cubes (PNACC) as emulsifiers, stable water-in-tricaprylin Pickering emulsions were produced. By gelling the water droplets of the Pickering emulsions, the hierarchical structures of polystyrene nanoparticle-attached calcite cube-armored microspheres were obtained. The polystyrene nanoparticle-attached calcite cubes were expected to have novel surface properties similar neither to traditional Pickering particles, nor to macroscopically asymmetrical Janus particles.