Engineering polymeric composite particles by emulsion-templating: Thermodynamics versus Kinetics

We investigate the important factors that control the structure of polymeric particles fabricated from emulsion templates. We find that the most energetically stable structure predicted by interfacial energy analysis is not always achieved. The slow dynamic due to an increase in the viscosity of the emulsion phases prevents the polymeric particles to achieve their equilibrium structure. We devise a novel strategy to remove this kinetic barrier, thus achieving the expected equilibrium structure. By considering both the 10