Influence of Hydrophilic Interaction on Polyglycerol Ester Emulsifier at Oil-polyol nterface: Interfacial Adsorption...

This study investigated the interfacial adsorption behavior and emulsification performance of polyglycerol ester emulsifiers with varying hydrophilic group chain lengths in a mineral oil system containing three hydrophilic polyol solvents (glycerol, 1,3-butanediol, and 1,2-propylene glycol) by measuring dynamic interfacial tension and fitting the kinetic adsorption model. The results demonstrated that as the length of the hydrophilic groups increased, the interfacial critical micelle concentration (CMC_IFT) decreased, while the critical interfacial tension (γ_CMC) increased, leading to a larger particle size (D) of the emulsion. Furthermore, the study examined the impact of hydrophilic polyol solvents on the arrangement of emulsifier molecules at the interface and their emulsification performance. It was found that different levels of initial interfacial tension (γ₀) had a more pronounced effect on the particle size and uniformity of the emulsion. When γ₀ was low (< 20 mN/m), the interaction between the emulsifier and the hydrophilic medium became more significant, resulting in greater variability in the emulsion. This research provided new insights into the interfacial behavior of polyglycerol ester emulsifiers in polyol-oil systems and offered theoretical guidance for the development of more efficient P/O emulsions.