Modulating the formation of particle-stabilized emulsion gels by magnetic fields

Bicontinuous interfacially-jammed emulsion gels (bijels) can be used as emulsion templates for the fabrication of functional porous materials including membranes, electrodes, and biomaterials. Control over the domain size and structure is highly desirable in these applications. We present lattice Boltzmann simulations of the formation of bijels stabilized by magnetic ellipsoidal particles in external magnetic fields that. We show that the formation of bijels in magnetic fields leads to anisotropic domain size and tortuosity when ellipsoidal particles are used. The magnetic field leads to orientational ordering of the particles which in turn leads to alignment of the interfaces. Analysis of the particle arrangement at the interfaces reveals that the alignment facilitates enhanced packing and leads to different jamming times in the directions parallel and perpendicular to the field. These simulation results demonstrate the potential of magnetic particles for controlled fabrication of magnetically responsive emulsion systems.