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Published on: August 3, 2021
Stability of C(12)E(j) Bilayers Probed with Adhesive Droplets
Ksenia Astafyeva1, Wladimir Urbach1,2, Nabil Garroum1
1†Laboratoire de Physique Statistique, Ecole Normale Supérieure, Sorbonne Universités, UPMC Université, and Université Paris Diderot, CNRS, 24 rue Lhomond, F-75005 Paris, France.
Abstract:
The stability of model surfactant bilayers from the poly(ethylene glycol) mono-n-dodecyl ether (C12Ej) family was probed. The surfactant bilayers were formed by the adhesion of emulsion droplets. We generated C12Ej bilayers by forming water-in-oil (w/o) emulsions with saline water droplets, covered by the surfactant, in a silicone and octane oil mixture. Using microfluidics, we studied the stability of those bilayers. C12E1 allowed only short-lived bilayers whereas C12E2 bilayers were stable over a wide range of oil mixtures. At high C12E2 concentration, a two-phase region was displayed in the phase diagram: bilayers formed by the adhesion of two water droplets and Janus-like particles consisting of adhering aqueous and amphiphilic droplets. C12E8 and C12E25 did not mediate bilayer formation and caused phase inversion leading to o/w emulsion. With intermediate C12E4 and C12E5 surfactants, both w/o and o/w emulsions were unstable. We provided the titration of the C12E2 bilayer with C12E4 and C12E5 to study and predict their stability behavior.
