Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory

Polyoxometalates (POMs) using {Mo₇₂V₃₀} as an example, dissolved in water, can interact with amine-terminated polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS-NH₂) dissolved in toluene at the water/toluene interface to form POM-surfactants that significantly lower the interfacial tension and can be used to stabilize liquids via interfacial elasticity. The jamming of the POM-surfactants at the water/oil interface with consequent wrinkling occurs with a decrease in the interfacial area. The packing density of the POM-surfactants at the interface can be tuned by varying the strength of screening with the addition of cations with differing hydrated radii.