A lithium depletion boundary age of 21 Myr for the Beta Pictoris moving group

Optical spectroscopy is used to confirm membership for 8 low-mass candidates in the young Beta Pic moving group (BPMG) via their radial velocities, chromospheric activity and kinematic parallaxes. We searched for the presence of the Li I 6708A resonance feature and combined the results with literature measurements of other BPMG members to find the age-dependent lithium depletion boundary (LDB) -- the luminosity at which Li remains unburned in a coeval group. The LDB age of the BPMG is 21 +/- 4 Myr and insensitive to the choice of low-mass evolutionary models. This age is more precise, likely to be more accurate, and much older than that commonly assumed for the BPMG. As a result, substellar and planetary companions of BPMG members will be more massive than previously thought.Comment: Accepted for MNRAS Letter

Particles at oil–air surfaces : powdered oil, liquid oil marbles, and oil foam

The type of material stabilized by four kinds of fluorinated particles (sericite and bentonite platelet clays and spherical zinc oxide) in air–oil mixtures has been investigated. It depends on the particle wettability and the degree of shear. Upon vigorous agitation, oil dispersions are formed in all the oils containing relatively large bentonite particles and in oils of relatively low surface tension (γla < 26 mN m⁻¹) like dodecane, 20 cS silicone, and cyclomethicone containing the other fluorinated particles. Particle-stabilized oil foams were obtained in oils having γla > 26 mN m⁻¹ where the advancing air–oil–solid contact angle θ lies between ca. 90° and 120°. Gentle shaking, however, gives oil-in-air liquid marbles with all the oil–particle systems except for cases where θ is <60°. For oils of tension >24 mN m⁻¹ with omniphobic zinc oxide and sericite particles for which advancing θ ≥ 90°, dry oil powders consisting of oil drops in air which do not leak oil could be made upon gentle agitation up to a critical oil:particle ratio (COPR). Above the COPR, catastrophic phase inversion of the dry oil powders to air-in-oil foams was observed. When sheared on a substrate, the dry oil powders containing at least 60 wt % of oil release the encapsulated oil, making these materials attractive formulations in the cosmetic and food industries

Saddle-splay modulus of a particle-laden fluid interface

The scaled-particle theory equation of state for the two-dimensional hard-disk fluid on a curved surface is proposed and used to determine the saddle-splay modulus of a particle-laden fluid interface. The resulting contribution to saddle-splay modulus, which is caused by thermal motion of the adsorbed particles, is comparable in magnitude with the saddle-splay modulus of a simple fluid interface.Comment: 10 pages, 2 figure

A revised age greater than 50 Myr for the young cluster IC 4665

IC 4665 is one of only a dozen young open clusters with a ``lithium depletion boundary" (LDB) age. Using an astrometrically and spectroscopically filtered sample of cluster members, we show that both the positions of its low mass stars in Gaia absolute colour-magnitude diagrams and the lithium depletion seen among its K- and early M-stars are discordant with the reported LDB age of (32 +4/-5) Myr. Re-analysis of archival spectra suggests that the LDB of IC 4665 has not been detected and that the published LDB age should be interpreted as a lower limit. Empirical comparisons with similar datasets from other young clusters with better-established LDB ages indicate that IC 4665 is bracketed in age by the clusters IC 2602 and IC 2391 at (55 +/- 3) Myr.Comment: For publication in MNRAS, accepted versio

Preparation of double emulsions using hybrid polymer/silica particles: New pickering emulsifiers with adjustable surface wettability

A facile route for the preparation of water-in-oil-in-water (w/o/w) double emulsions is described for three model oils, namely, n-dodecane, isopropyl myristate, and isononyl isononanoate, using fumed silica particles coated with poly(ethylene imine) (PEI). The surface wettability of such hybrid PEI/silica particles can be systematically adjusted by (i) increasing the adsorbed amount of PEI and (ii) addition of 1-undecanal to the oil phase prior to homogenization. In the absence of this long-chain aldehyde, PEI/silica hybrid particles (PEI/silica mass ratio = 0.50) produce o/w Pickering emulsions in all cases. In the presence of 1-undecanal, this reagent reacts with the primary and secondary amine groups on the PEI chains via Schiff base chemistry, which can render the PEI/silica hybrid particles sufficiently hydrophobic to stabilize w/o Pickering emulsions at 20 °C. Gas chromatography, 1H NMR and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy provide compelling experimental evidence for this in situ surface reaction, while a significant increase in the water contact angle indicates markedly greater hydrophobic character for the PEI/silica hybrid particles. However, when PEI/silica hybrid particles are prepared using a relatively low adsorbed amount of PEI (PEI/silica mass ratio = 0.075) only o/w Pickering emulsions are obtained, since the extent of surface modification achieved using this Schiff base chemistry is insufficient. Fluorescence microscopy and laser diffraction studies confirm that highly stable w/o/w double emulsions can be achieved for all three model oils. This is achieved by first homogenizing the relatively hydrophobic PEI/silica hybrid particles (PEI/silica mass ratio = 0.50) with an oil containing 3% 1-undecanal to form an initial w/o emulsion, followed by further homogenization using an aqueous dispersion of relatively hydrophilic PEI/silica particles (PEI/silica mass ratio = 0.075). Dye release from the internal aqueous cores into the aqueous continuous phase was monitored by visible absorption spectroscopy. These studies indicate immediate loss of 12-18% dye during the high speed homogenization that is required for double emulsion formation, but no further dye release is observed at 20 °C for at least 15 days thereafter

Emulsification in binary liquids containing colloidal particles: a structure-factor analysis

We present a quantitative confocal-microscopy study of the transient and final microstructure of particle-stabilised emulsions formed via demixing in a binary liquid. To this end, we have developed an image-analysis method that relies on structure factors obtained from discrete Fourier transforms of individual frames in confocal image sequences. Radially averaging the squared modulus of these Fourier transforms before peak fitting allows extraction of dominant length scales over the entire temperature range of the quench. Our procedure even yields information just after droplet nucleation, when the (fluorescence) contrast between the two separating phases is scarcely discernable in the images. We find that our emulsions are stabilised on experimental time scales by interfacial particles and that they are likely to have bimodal droplet-size distributions. We attribute the latter to coalescence together with creaming being the main coarsening mechanism during the late stages of emulsification and we support this claim with (direct) confocal-microscopy observations. In addition, our results imply that the observed droplets emerge from particle-promoted nucleation, possibly followed by a free-growth regime. Finally, we argue that creaming strongly affects droplet growth during the early stages of emulsification. Future investigations could clarify the link between quench conditions and resulting microstructure, paving the way for tailor-made particle-stabilised emulsions from binary liquids.Comment: http://iopscience.iop.org/0953-8984/22/45/455102

Arresting bubble coarsening: A two-bubble experiment to investigate grain growth in presence of surface elasticity

Many two-phase materials suffer from grain-growth due to the energy cost which is associated with the interface that separates both phases. While our understanding of the driving forces and the dynamics of grain growth in different materials is well advanced by now, current research efforts address the question of how this process may be slowed down, or, ideally, arrested. We use a model system of two bubbles to explore how the presence of a finite surface elasticity may interfere with the coarsening process and the final grain size distribution. Combining experiments and modelling in the analysis of the evolution of two bubbles, we show that clear relationships can be predicted between the surface tension, the surface elasticity and the initial/final size ratio of the bubbles. We rationalise these relationships by the introduction of a modified Gibbs criterion. Besides their general interest, the present results have direct implications for our understanding of foam stability

Colloid-stabilized emulsions: behaviour as the interfacial tension is reduced

We present confocal microscopy studies of novel particle-stabilized emulsions. The novelty arises because the immiscible fluids have an accessible upper critical solution temperature. The emulsions have been created by beginning with particles dispersed in the single-fluid phase. On cooling, regions of the minority phase nucleate. While coarsening these nuclei become coated with particles due to the associated reduction in interfacial energy. The resulting emulsion is arrested, and the particle-coated interfaces have intriguing properties. Having made use of the binary-fluid phase diagram to create the emulsion we then make use of it to study the properties of the interfaces. As the emulsion is re-heated toward the single-fluid phase the interfacial tension falls and the volume of the dispersed phase drops. Crumpling, fracture or coalescence can follow. The results show that the elasticity of the interfaces has a controlling influence over the emulsion behaviour.Comment: Submitted for the proceedings of the 6th Liquid Matter Conference, held in Utrecht (NL) in July 200

Are block copolymer worms more effective Pickering emulsifiers than block copolymer spheres?

RAFT-mediated polymerisation-induced self-assembly (PISA) is used to prepare six types of amphiphilic block copolymer nanoparticles which were subsequently evaluated as putative Pickering emulsifiers for the stabilisation of n-dodecane-in-water emulsions. It was found that linear poly(glycerol monomethacrylate)–poly(2-hydroxypropyl methacrylate) (PGMA–PHPMA) diblock copolymer spheres and worms do not survive the high shear homogenisation conditions used for emulsification. Stable emulsions are obtained, but the copolymer acts as a polymeric surfactant; individual chains rather than particles are adsorbed at the oil–water interface. Particle dissociation during emulsification is attributed to the weakly hydrophobic character of the PHPMA block. Covalent stabilisation of these copolymer spheres or worms can be readily achieved by addition of ethylene glycol dimethacrylate (EGDMA) during the PISA synthesis. TEM studies confirm that the resulting cross-linked spherical or worm-like nanoparticles survive emulsification and produce genuine Pickering emulsions. Alternatively, stabilisation can be achieved by either replacing or supplementing the PHPMA block with the more hydrophobic poly(benzyl methacrylate) (PBzMA). The resulting linear spheres or worms also survive emulsification and produce stable n-dodecane-in-water Pickering emulsions. The intrinsic advantages of anisotropic worms over isotropic spheres for the preparation of Pickering emulsions are highlighted. The former particles are more strongly adsorbed at similar efficiencies compared to spheres and also enable smaller oil droplets to be produced for a given copolymer concentration. The scalable nature of PISA formulations augurs well for potential applications of anisotropic block copolymer nanoparticles as Pickering emulsifiers