Encapsulation of alkenylsuccinic anhydride oil droplets in Laponite nanoparticles modified by carbon nitride quantum dots: Enhancement of emulsion stability and paper sizing performance.

Alkenylsuccinic Anhydride (ASA) is commonly applied as oil-in-water emulsions in papermaking industry. Herein, a particle stabilized ASA emulsion was developed for avoiding the adverse effect of surfactant, further improving the sizing performance and reducing the hydrolysis of ASA Pickering emulsions, where Laponite nanoparticles were employed as a stabilizer of the ASA Pickering emulsions after being modified with carbon nitride quantum dots. It was found that the hydrophilic Laponite particles became partially hydrophobic after being modified with CNQDs in dosage of 20–40 wt%, and thus promoted the formation of emulsions with fine and uniform droplets that resisted creaming/coalescence formation. The adsorption of the Laponite/CNQDs particles on the ASA droplet surface improved the emulsion stability, which was verified by fluorescent confocal laser scanning microscopy. Meanwhile, by using Laponite/CNQDs nanoparticles, the storage stability of ASA Pickering emulsion and its sizing performance on paper was also improved. Unlabelled Image • CNQD adsorption improved the Laponite hydrophobic property and the adsorption efficacy at the ASA-water interfaces. • The Pickering emulsion's stabilization mechanism was adequately illustrated using Laponite/CNQDs as fluorescent probes. • Different concentrations of Laponite do not induce CNQD fluorescence quenching. • Laponite/CNQDs can maintain ASA emulsion stability over extended aging periods and sustain high sizing performance [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]