Highly crystalline poly-3-hexylthiophene particles prepared from Pickering emulsions stabilized by alkylamine functionalized graphene quantum dots

Pickering emulsions have received much attention due to their high emulsions stability and ability to form functional emulsions compared to conventional emulsions. The stability of Pickering emulsions is dependent on the geometry and wettability of the particle type emulsifiers, which affect the detachment energy at the interface. Therefore, surface property control of the particle is essential. The graphene quantum dots (GQDs) functionalized with octylamine (C8), dodecylamine (C12), and hexadecylamine (C16) were synthesized and the stability of oil-in-water type Pickering emulsions compared. The detachment energies of the Pickering emulsifiers were calculated by measuring their wettability. Crystalline poly-3-hexylthiopene nanoparticles (P3HT NPs) were synthesized from the Pickering emulsion with C12-GQDs. Among the three GQDs, the C12-GQDs formed the most stable Pickering emulsions at the water-CHCl₃ interface because of an appropriate balance between the water and oil phases due to the highest detachment energy. High-crystalline P3HT NPs can be synthesized from the Pickering emulsion with C12-GQDs due to the slower solvent evaporation and enhanced stability.