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Related Concept Videos

Micelles01:30

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Micelle formation is an intricate process that hinges on the properties of amphiphilic or amphipathic molecules and the conditions of the system in which they are found. Amphiphilic molecules, which have both hydrophilic (water-attracting) and hydrophobic (water-repelling) parts, play a critical role in this process.In aqueous environments, these molecules arrange themselves such that their hydrophilic heads are turned towards the water phase, while their hydrophobic tails are oriented away...
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Children at play often make suspensions such as mixtures of mud and water, flour and water, or a suspension of solid pigments in water known as tempera paint. These suspensions are heterogeneous mixtures composed of relatively large particles that are visible to the naked eye or can be seen with a magnifying glass. They are cloudy, and the suspended particles settle out after mixing. On the other hand, a solution is a homogeneous mixture in which no settling occurs and in which the dissolved...
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Emulsification through surfactant hydration: the PIC process revisited.

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  • 1PMMH, CNRS UMR 7636, ESPCI, 10 rue Vauquelin, F 75231 Paris Cedex 05, France. kevin.roger@espci.fr

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Summary

Sudden water addition to oil-surfactant solutions creates metastable emulsions. This process, known as phase inversion composition (PIC) emulsification, results in bimodal droplet sizes and wasted surfactant, unlike phase inversion temperature (PIT) emulsification.

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Area of Science:

  • Colloid and Surface Science
  • Materials Science

Background:

  • Understanding emulsion formation is crucial for various industrial applications.
  • Phase inversion composition (PIC) emulsification involves rapid changes in system composition.
  • The efficiency of PIC emulsification is often compared to phase inversion temperature (PIT) emulsification.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the pathway and conditions for forming metastable oil-in-water emulsions via sudden composition changes.
  • To elucidate the role of the clearing boundary (CB) and quench speed in successful emulsion formation.
  • To compare the efficiency of PIC emulsification with PIT emulsification.

Main Methods:

  • Utilizing a high-purity system of octaethylenehexadecyl ether (C(16)E(8)) as the surfactant and hexadecane (C(16)) as the oil.
  • Performing sudden water addition to a surfactant-oil solution below the clearing boundary (CB).
  • Analyzing the system's evolution through swelling of reverse micellar and sponge phases, followed by oil droplet nucleation.

Main Results:

  • Successful quenches yield metastable oil-in-water emulsions with droplet sizes around 100 nm.
  • The formation pathway involves reverse micellar swelling, sponge phase formation, and subsequent oil droplet nucleation.
  • Oil droplet size is dictated by the spontaneous curvature of the sponge phase.
  • Surfactant is distributed between droplet adsorption and coexisting micelles, leading to a bimodal size distribution.

Conclusions:

  • Phase inversion composition (PIC) emulsification inherently leads to a bimodal droplet size distribution.
  • A significant portion of the surfactant is utilized in forming small, coexisting micelles, reducing overall emulsification efficiency.
  • PIC emulsification is less efficient compared to phase inversion temperature (PIT) emulsification due to surfactant distribution.