Understanding External Perturbation of Light-Responsive Pickering Emulsions by SANS/SEMSANS/SESANS

This project aims to determine the key structure-function relationships that enable the design of light-responsive Pickering emulsions.

The project will advance capabilities of techniques used by the SANS group at ISIS (SANS, SEMSANS, and SESANS) and sample environments available to ISIS users (ultrasound stage with light-exposure), while new scientific understanding will open up potential applications for Pickering emulsions across different sectors.

The specific objectives are: (i) to design a model light-responsive Pickering emulsion whose parameter space can be systematically tuned; (ii) to develop a new sample environment that enables in situ sonication and light irradiation during SANS experiments; (iii) to identify key structure-property characteristics that enable on-demand control of emulsion stability with light, leading to a set of design rules for light-responsive Pickering emulsions.