Sapindus mukorossi modified palygorskite particles for stabilizing Pickering emulsions and enhancing antibacterial activities

Abstract

The cinnamaldehyde has the enormous potential in the antibacterial fields, but the inherent volatility is the major weaknesses in practical application. Herein, a novel strategy of which to encapsulate cinnamaldehyde into Pickering emulsion was adopted. The Pickering emulsion was stabilized with particles of Sapindus mukorossi modified palygorskite (Sm-Pal), and exhibited good pH and ionic strength resistance and storage stability, even in high salt environments. More importantly, the Pickering emulsion stabilized possessed enhanced antibacterial activities, the reduction (%) of Pickering emulsion toward Escherichia coli (E. coli), Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) and drug resistance bacteria-extended spectra of β-lactamases producing Escherichia coli (ESBL) and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) were 69.8%, 99.6%, 100% and 99.8%, respectively. This strategy could inspire novel designs for functional Pickering emulsions with efficient protective effect.