Solid lipid pickering particles: A versatile material for various applications

Pickering emulsion is a kind of emulsion that is stabilized only by solid particles locating at oil–water interface. Conventional pickering emulsions involve a liquid oily core stabilized using an inorganic solid nanoparticle such as, for example, silica and metal oxides. Mechanistically, the formation of the pickering emulsion is governed by the contact angle, and the adsorption of the particles at the oil-water interface that causes the interface to bend in the direction of the liquid that is less wetted by the particles, resulting in droplet formation. Because of the liquid core, the pickering emulsion have stability only in the solution medium which limit their application and importance. Thus, we presume that replacing the oil core in the emulsion with the solid-lipid/wax will result in a pickering particle with solid core, that can be obtained as a dispersible powder material. Keeping this in mind, we examined in detail the formation of solid-lipid pickering particle from various combinations of solid-lipids/wax and nanoparticles. This approach is significant to choose the right kind of solid-lipids, and nanoparticles, in order to obtain the specific type, size and desired physical character of pickering particles. Further, encapsulation and release behavior of various active agents from the pickering particles were simultaneously investigated.