Investigating the Use of surface modified Silica-Graphene Nanohybrid as a Novel Oil- Water Emulsion and Its Effect on Interfacial Tension

The main objective of the current study is the experimentally investigation of surfaced modified silica-graphene nanohybrids as a novel stabilizer of oil-water emulsion and its effect on interfacial tension (IFT). The nanohybrid was prepared through chemical vapor deposition using silica aerogel and acetylene as catalyst and carbon precursor at atmospheric pressure and 600 ºC and modified through the treatment with acid vapor. The emulsion average droplet size decreased by increasing the nanohybrid concentration. Moreover, the experimental results showed that the IFT between oil and water can be reduced to about half of its initial value by employing modified silica-graphene nanohybrid as an efficient nanoadditive.

Keywords:

surface modified silica-graphene nanohybrids , functional groups , Pickering emulsion , interfacial tension