Contact angles in relation to emulsions stabilised solely by silica nanoparticles including systems containing room temperature ionic liquids.

We report measured and calculated oil-ionic liquid, water-ionic liquid and oil-water contact angles on silica surfaces which have been hydrophobised to different extents by silanisation. Based on the idea that the contact angle formed by a liquid-liquid interface with a particle adsorbed at that interface is a key determinant of the strength of particle adsorption and the tendency of the adsorbed particle film to curve, we correlate the contact angle data with the phase inversion points and stabilities of the corresponding particle-stabilised emulsions.