Highly stable colloid from aqueous solutions of small organic molecules
AssigneeUniversity of Maryland, College Park
InventorsDeepa Subramanian, Mikhail A. Anisimov
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The present invention is related to a mesoscale colloidal particle including a hydrophobe-rich core surrounded by hydrogen bonded outer shell. The outer shell includes water and at least one hydrotrope wherein the hydrotrope molecules form hydrogen bonds with water molecules. The invention is also related to an aqueous solution including at least one mesoscale colloidal particle as well as methods of making and using such mesoscale colloidal particles and their solutions.
Claims8
A method for making a highly stable colloidal solution comprising:
- mixing water, at least one non-ionic hydrotrope, and at least one hydrophobic organic molecule to form a mixture;
- and wherein the solution does not include a surfactant, a polymer, or a charged species,
- wherein, the at least one non-ionic hydrotrope is tertiary-butanol, 2-butoxyethanol, or 3-methylpyridine and has a concentration range of 1 mol % to 40 mol %, based on the solution as a whole,
- wherein the at least one hydrophobic organic molecule is cyclohexane, propylene oxide, isobutyl alcohol, methyltertbutylether, or butylhydroxytoluene,
- wherein the at least one hydrophobic organic molecule disrupts highly dynamic hydrogen bonds between molecules of liquid water and has a concentration range of 10−6 mol % to 25 mol %, based on the solution as a whole, and
- allowing the mixture to form a highly stable colloid, wherein said highly stable colloid has a particle size of order of 100 nm for at least one year.
A method for making a highly stable colloidal solution comprising:
- mixing water, at least one non-ionic hydrotrope, and at least one hydrophobic organic molecule to form a mixture;
- and wherein the solution does not include a surfactant, a polymer, or a charged species,
- wherein, the at least one non-ionic hydrotrope is tertiary-butanol, 2-butoxyethanol, or 3-methylpyridine and has a concentration range of 1 mol % to 40 mol %, based on the solution as a whole,
- wherein the at least one hydrophobic organic molecule is cyclohexane, propylene oxide, isobutyl alcohol, methyltertbutylether, or butylhydroxytoluene,
- wherein the at least one hydrophobic organic molecule disrupts highly dynamic hydrogen bonds between molecules of liquid water and has a concentration range of 10−6 mol % to 25 mol %, based on the solution as a whole, and
- allowing the mixture to form a highly stable colloid, wherein said highly stable colloid has a particle size of order of 100 nm for at least one year and the highly stable colloid comprises a plurality of mesoscale particles with a hydrophobe-rich core surrounded by a hydrogen-bonded water-hydrotrope shell.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.