Minimum Evaporation Model of Dermatological Delivery Systems. Lamellar Liquid Crystal Formulations Containing Brazilian Nut (Bertholletia excelsa HBK) Vegetable Oil and Guarana Glycolic Extract

Formulations with lyotropic liquid crystals were prepared from a Brazilian nut vegetable oil, guarana extract and combination of sorbitan monooleate (Span 80) and sorbitan monolaurate ethoxylate EO 20 (Tween 20) in the ratio 1:3 (surfactant component) and their physical–chemical aspects and rheological properties were determined. Compositions with liquid crystals were found in the pseudoternary diagram in a surfactant range of 70–90% and polarized light microscopy, small-angle x-ray scattering (SAXS) showed them to be lamellar. The preparations were furthermore characterized rheologically by shear stress shear rate sweeps finding plastic and pseudoplastic behavior without thixotropy. Electric conductivity and pH measurements demonstrated a potential for future application as dermatological delivery system of the active compounds in the Bertholletia excelsa and Paullinia cupana.      

Small-Angle Neutron Scattering Study of Nonionic Surfactant Micelles and Phase Transitions in w/o Microemulsion

The structure of micelles formed by a four component water-in-oil nonionic microemulsion surfactant polyoxyethene (20) sorbitan monoleate (Tween 80), sorbitan monolaurate (Span 20) at ethyl oleate and deuterated water interface have been probed by small-angle neutron scattering (SANS). The total surfactant concentration in each of the samples studied (Tween 80: Span 20) is fixed at 3:2. The deuterated water content is variable at 5–60% w/w. The experimental SANS data from all the seven samples are fit well by spherical micelles interacting with hard sphere potential. Increased deuterated water leads to spherical to lamellar and rod-like micelle geometry featured in the SANS scattering data. The observed change in micelle geometry supports the characterization of phase transition between the self-assembled micelles of the nonionic microemulsion.      

A Three-Step Model for Submicron W/O Emulsion Formation in a Transitional-Phase Inversion Process

A three-step model of the transitional phase inversion (TPI) process for the formation of water-in-oil (W/O) emulsions is presented. Three types of emulsions exist in an emulsification process at different oil–water ratios and hydrophilic–lipophilic balance (HLB). A stable W/O emulsion was obtained using Sorbitan oleate (Span 80) and polyoxyethylenesorbitan monooleate (Tween 80) with a specified HLB and oil volume fraction. Oil was added into water, which contained the water-soluble surfactant, to dissolve the oil-soluble surfactant. This route allowed TPI to occur, and an interesting emulsification process was observed by varying the HLB, which corresponded to the change in the oil–water ratio. Two types of emulsions in the emulsification process were found: transition emulsion 1 (W/O/W high internal phase emulsion) and target emulsion 2 (W/O emulsion with low viscosity). This study describes the changes that occurred in the emulsification process.     

Influence of Surfactant and Humidity on Sol-Gel Macroporous Organosilicate Coatings

In the preparation of macroporous hydrophobic organosilicate films using methyltriethoxysilane (MTES) as precursor, the effects of surfactant addition, surfactant properties and atmospheric humidity were explored. As films dried, preferential evaporation of the ethanol resulted in an increase of the relative water content. This led to development of phase separation between the hydrophobic gel and the aqueous liquid and ultimately the formation of macropores. In the presence of surfactant, surfactant adsorption at the aqueous phase/gel interface affected the extent of phase separation therefore the resulting pores. Span 20 surfactant (HLB = 8.6) has lower compatibility with the aqueous phase than Tween 20 (HLB = 16.7) and effectively increases the hydrophobicity of the gel phase leading to the formation of larger pores. An increase in Span 20 content from 2 wt.% to 5 wt.% also increased pore size. Film porosity also increased significantly with humidity inside the coating chamber. It would appear that the increased porosity is a result of increased phase separation caused by reduced water evaporation at the higher humidity. Highly macroporous (up to 80% porosity), reproducible and uniform films were obtained by incorporating Span 20 surfactant into the coating solutions and performing dip coating at 80% relative humidity.     

Comparative effects of different cosurfactants on sterile prednisolone acetate ocular submicron emulsions stability and release

Pluronic F68 is a nonionic, thermogelling block copolymer showing a high dehydration resistance during autoclaving due to its high cloud point (>100 °C). Tween 80 (with cloud point of 72.5 °C), is a polyoxyethylene-based cosurfactant, susceptible to temperature because of a decrease in its solubility by temperature increase. This study was done to explore whether or not, when compared with Tween 80, Pluronic F68 could be used blindly as a suitable cosurfactant for the preparation of terminally sterilized ocular submicron emulsions containing a lipid soluble drug, prednisolone acetate (PA). Various oils of variable viscosities were also tried. The results proved that no prediction can be made based on previously known physico-chemical properties alone and that emulsion stability depends on the contribution of the various emulsion components including: oil, surfactant and cosurfactant, in addition to the drug properties.     

Cinnamoyl Pluronic F127 as a Stimuli-Sensitive Amphiphile

Cinnamoyl Pluronic F127 (CP F127) was prepared by reacting cinnamoyl chloride and Pluronic F127. On the ¹H NMR spectrum of CP F127, 1.2 moiety of cinnamoyl group was found to be attached to one molecule of CP F127. Using pyrene as a fluorescence probe, it was found that not only Pluronic F127 but also CP F127 could be readily assembled into micelles, and the critical micelle concentration was around 0.015 mg/ml and 0.03 mg/ml, respectively. Pluronic F127 in aqueous solution (2% w/v) could form no particles in 10–20°C, but particles (ca. 30 nm in diameter) were detected on a dynamic light scattering machine in 25–40°C possibly due to the thermal micellization. However, CP F127 was assembled into particles (ca. 230 nm) even in the lower temperature range, possibly because of the intermolecular hydrophobic interaction of the cinnamoyl group. The particle size of CP F127 strongly depended on the medium temperature and UV irradiation time. CP F127 was a good emulsifier for the preparation of O/W emulsions. The oil droplet size markedly increased upon UV irradiation (254 nm, 6 W), possibly because of the photo-dimerization of cinnamoyl group, but it was little affected by the temperature change (10–40°C).     

Formula Optimization of Emulsifiers for Preparation of Multiple Emulsions Based on Artificial Neural Networks

Formulation optimization of emulsifiers for preparing multiple emulsions was performed in respect of stability by using artificial neural network (ANN) technique. Stability of multiple emulsions was expressed by the percentage of reserved emulsion volume of freshly prepared sample after centrifugation. Individual properties of multiple emulsions such as droplet size, δ, viscosity of the primary and the multiple emulsions were also considered. A back‐propagation (BP) network was well trained with experimental data pairs and then used as an interpolating function to estimate the stability of emulsions of different formulations. It is found that using mixtures of Span 80 and Tween 80 with different mass ratio as both lipophilic and hydrophilic emulsifiers, multiple W/O/W emulsions can be prepared and the stability is sensitive to the mixed HLB numbers and concentration of the emulsifiers. By feeding ANN with 39 pairs of experimental data, the ANN is well trained and can predict the influences of several formulation variables to the immediate emulsions stability. The validation examination indicated that the immediate stability of the emulsions predicted by the ANN is in good agreement with measured values. ANN therefore could be a powerful tool for rapid screening emulsifier formulation. However, the long‐term stability of the emulsions is not good, possibly due to the variation of the HLB number of the mixed monolayers by diffusion of emulsifier molecules, but can be greatly improved by using a polymer surfactant Arlacel P135 to replace the lipophilic emulsifier.     

Formation and stability of paraffin oil-in-water nano-emulsions prepared by the emulsion inversion point method

Paraffin oil-in-water nano-emulsions stabilized by Tween 80/Span 80 were prepared using the emulsion inversion point method at different emulsification temperatures. Nano-emulsions with droplet size below 200 nm were formed above a critical surfactant-to-oil ratio of 0.20 at 50 degrees C. The main destabilization mechanism of the systems was found to be Ostwald ripening. An interesting phenomenon was that the Ostwald ripening rate declined as the surfactant concentration rose. Furthermore, flocculation was also found to contribute to the instability of the nano-emulsions, especially for those with low surfactant concentrations. Study on the electrophoretic properties of emulsion droplets revealed a negative value of the zeta potential, which was strongly dependent on the pH of the systems.     

Factors in the Single-Step Bulk Process Preparation of a Triple Janus Emulsion

Some factors in the preparation of triple Janus emulsions in a single-step bulk process were investigated using optical microscopy. The emulsions consisted of water, O.097 weight fraction, a commercial surfactant, Tween 80, 0.03 weight fraction, a vegetable oil (VO), 0.18 weight fraction, and a silicone oil (SO), 0.72 weight fraction. A surprising connection was found between the state of the compounds prior to mixing and the final morphology as well as stability of the emulsion. Separately adding the compounds or with the surfactant dissolved in the vegetable oil, prior to mixing, did not result in a Janus emulsion. Instead, simpler emulsions with limited stability were attained even with prolonged mixing. Storing the compounds together without mixing for two days followed by mixing resulted in a Janus emulsion in which the (VO + SO)/W/VO drops were more sparsely populated with Janus drops, and emulsion stability was limited. Finally, preparing the emulsion from the aqueous surfactant solution and the two oils gave a (VO + SO)/W/VO/SO emulsion with the W drops heavily populated by Janus drops and with improved stability.      

The emulsion polymerization of vinyl acetate. Factors controlling particle surface area and rate of polymerization

An emulsion polymerization system with uniform continuous addition of vinyl acetate monomer, Pluronic F68 surfactant, and persulfate initiator has been examined with variation of the surfactant concentration over a tenfold range. The particle surface area per unit weight of emulsion was found to vary directly as the surfactant/monomer ratio, as also did the emulsion viscosity. At constant polymer/emulsion weight the number of particles per unit emulsion weight varied directly as the cube of the surfactant concentration. It is shown that these relationships apply also to other monomers, such as styrene and methacrylate esters. The solubility of vinyl acetate in a range of Pluronic F68 aqueous solutions was determined, and it was shown that the rate of polymerization is dependent on the solubility of the monomer in the surfactant solution. It is concluded that when a water-soluble initiator is used, polymerization proceeds in the aqueous phase. The principal factors controlling the rate of polymerization in the emulsion polymerization of vinyl acetate are, consequently, the initiating system and the concentration of monomer in the aqueous phase. Solubilization characteristics indicate that the surfactant concentration will have a much greater effect on the less water-soluble monomers, such as styrene, than on the more soluble ones, such as vinyl acetate.     

Influence of the HLB parameter of surfactants on the dispersion properties of brine in residue

In order to study the relationship between the hydrophilic–lipophilic balance of surfactants and the dispersion properties of brine in residue, using droplet size and droplet distribution analytical method were determined on emulsions prepared with emulsifier blends of varying hydrophilic–lipophilic balance (HLB) values the required HLB values of emulsion. The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of HLB on the dispersion properties of brine in residue. The type of emulsion was prepared using emulsifiers with various hydrophilic–lipophilic balance values. The droplet size and droplet distribution varied widely among emulsions containing emulsifiers with different HLB values. The results obtained in this study indicate that the different systems of residue/brine need different HLB values. The HLB value of the emulsion with the least dispersion ratio or the least average droplet diameter was taken as the system of residue/brine required HLB the required HLB values of (NH₄)₆Mo₇O₂₄·4H₂O, Co(NO₃)₂, NiSO₄, Ni(NO₃)₂ and FeSO₄. The results showed that the values of HLB were determined as different system of emulsion.     

Use of Formax High-Throughput Platform to Create a Specific Emulsion

The Formax high-throughput platform is capable of rapidly mapping out the formulation and process parameters required to produce an array of emulsions with a range of particle sizes. The specific emulsion in this instance is a stable emulsion with a small droplet size, preferably submicron. Using a combination of design of experimental software and high-throughput experimentation, the factors required to produce the emulsion with smallest droplet size were identified. Additionally, this work produced a template which allows the quick and efficient mapping of process and formulation space to determine for new systems which variables have the greatest impact upon the emulsion produced. (Supplemental materials are available for this article. Go to the publisher's online edition of the Journal of Dispersion Science and Technology to view the free supplemental file.)     

Analyzing the Stability of the Water-in-Diesel Fuel Emulsion

The diesel engine exhaust gas consists of many hazardous components that need to be reduced. Incorporation of water in fuel restricts the emission of such toxic gases and helps to reduce pollution. The aim of this research work is to develop a water-in-diesel fuel emulsion having maximum stability. Initially, the most suitable surfactant/blend of surfactants has been investigated, which gives the maximum stability to the Water-in-Diesel (W/D) emulsion. It is found that a blend of Span 80 and Tween 80 gives an effective result. The W/D emulsion was prepared by using a high-speed mixing homogenizer and adding a small amount of water into the diesel containing blend of Span 80 and Tween 80. The results show that 10% W/D emulsion having 5% surfactant concentration gives the most desirable emulsion stability. Beyond 10% water concentration, the properties of the W/D emulsion get lowered.     

Experimental Investigation of Rheological and Morphological Properties of Water in Crude Oil Emulsions Stabilized by a Lipophilic Surfactant

Rheological behavior of two crude oils and their surfactant-stabilized emulsions with initial droplet sizes ranging from 0.5 to 75 µm were investigated at various temperatures under steady and dynamic shear testing conditions. In order to evaluate the morphology and Stability of emulsions, microscopic analysis was carried out over three months and average diameter and size distribution of dispersed droplets were determined. The water content and surfactant concentration ranged from 10 to 60% vol/vol and 0.1 to 10% wt/vol, respectively. The results indicated that the rheological properties and the physical structure and stability of emulsions were significantly influenced by the water content and surfactant concentration. The crude oils behaved as Newtonian fluids over a wide range of shear rates, whereas the emulsions behaved as non-Newtonian fluids, indicating shear-thinning effects over the entire range of shear rates. The viscosity, storage modulus and degree of elasticity were found to be significantly increased with the increase in water content and surfactant concentration. The maximum viscosity was observed at the point close to the phase inversion point where the emulsion system changes from water-in-oil emulsion to oil-in-water emulsion. The results also indicated that the rheological properties of crude oils and their emulsions are significantly temperature-dependent.     

Properties of water-in-oil (W/O) nano-emulsions prepared by a low-energy emulsification method

Properties of water-in-oil (W/O) nano-emulsion formed by a low-energy emulsification method are described in this work. Nano-emulsions have been formed in water/mixed non-ionic surfactant/decane. Several mixtures of Span 20, Span 80, Tween 20 and Tween 80 were studied. Phase behavior studies and stability studies allowed to determine zones where nano-emulsions can be formed. Bluish and transparent W/O nano-emulsion with droplet sizes as low as 30 nm was formed. Nano-emulsion droplet size was measured by Dynamic Light Scattering. Nano-emulsions stability was studied by multiple light scattering and by dynamic light scattering. The results showed the evolution with time of the average radius droplet. The nano-emulsions prepared showed high kinetic stability for weeks, without phase separation, sedimentation or creaming. Nevertheless, their droplet size increased slightly over time. Stability studies show that nano-emulsion breakdown could be attributed to Ostwald ripening and coalescence mechanism, depending on the water concentration.     

Preparation of Water-in-Diesel Fuel Nanoemulsions Using High-Energy Emulsification Method and a Study of Some of Their Surface Active Properties

In this work, formations of water-in-diesel fuel nanoemulsions using water/mixed nonionic surfactant/diesel fuel system has been studied. The high-energy emulsification method was used to form three emulsions using different water contents: 5, 10, and 14% (v/v) namely; E1, E2, and E3, respectively. These nanoemulsions were stabilized with emulsifiers having different hydrophilic lipophilic balance (HLB), namely, Span 80 (HLB = 4.3), Emarol 85 (HLB = 11), and their mixture (SE) with HLB = 10. The effect of water on the droplet size formation has been investigated. The interfacial tension and thermodynamic properties of the individual and emulsifiers blends have been studied. The interfacial tension (γ) measurements at 30°C were used to determine the critical micelle concentration (CMC) and surface active properties of these emulsifiers. The water droplet sizes were measured by dynamic light scattering (DLS). From the obtained data, it was found that mean sizes between 19.3 and 39 nm were obtained depending on the water content and concentration of blend emulsifiers (SE). Also, the results show that the interfacial tension (γ) gives minimum value (10.85 mN/m) for SE comparing with individual emulsifier (17.13 and 12.77 mN/m) for Span 80 and Emarol 85, respectively. The visual inspection by transmission electron microscopy showed that the obtained results support the data obtained by dynamic light scattering.     

Preparation of finely dispersed O/W emulsion from fatty acid solubilized in subcritical water

A novel method for preparing a finely dispersed oil-in-water emulsion is proposed. Octanoic acid dissolved in water at a high temperature of 220 or 230 degrees C at 15 MPa was combined with an aqueous solution of a surfactant and then the mixture was cooled. When a nonionic surfactant, decaglycerol monolaurate (ML-750) or polyoxyethylene sorbitan monolaurate (Tween 20), was used, fine emulsions with a median oil droplet diameter of 100 nm or less were successfully prepared at ML-750 and Tween 20 concentrations of 0.083% (w/v) and 0.042%, respectively, or higher. The diameters were much smaller than those of oil droplets prepared by the conventional homogenization method using a rotor/stator homogenizer. However, an anionic surfactant, sodium dodecyl sulfate, was not adequate for the preparation of such fine emulsions by the proposed method. Although the interfacial tensions between octanoic acid and the surfactant solutions were measured at different temperatures, they were not an indication for selecting a surfactant for the successful preparation of the fine emulsion by the proposed method.     

The use of phase-inverting emulsions to show the phenomenon of interfacial crystallization on both heating and cooling

Highly anomalous crystallization behavior has been achieved in phase-inverting emulsion systems by using nonionic surfactants that induce nucleation. In particular, nucleation can be inhibited at the phase inversion, allowing systems held at, or near, this temperature to undergo crystallization either on heating or cooling. This new phenomenon is demonstrated for 27.4 wt % aqueous glycine solutions emulsified in decane using Span 20 Tween 20 blends. The inhibitory effect on interfacial nucleation at/near the phase inversion is readily shown by the maximum in the induction time for crystallization found in systems at/near the phase-inversion temperature. These findings are unprecedented. An extremely rapid rise in nucleation rate is expected on cooling glycine solutions, owing to the associated increase in supersaturation, the driving force for crystallization. The origin of this highly anomalous behavior is thought to be the low droplet interfacial tension, gammaow, that occurs at the phase-inversion temperature, which results primarily in a substantially increased contact angle between the glycine critical nucleus and the droplet interface. This may present a paradigm shift in crystallization strategies through the use of tunable contact-angle nucleators.     

“True” Hydrophilic-Lipophilic Balance of Polyoxyethylene Fatty Acid Esters Nonionic Surfactants

This article proposes a set of equations that allow the calculation of the hydrophilic-lipophilic balance (HLB) value of polyoxyethylene esters from quality control data of the raw materials (fatty acids and polyethylene glycol) and the finished product (surfactant). The quality control data required include the acid value of the fatty acid, the hydroxyl value of the polyethylene glycol, and the hydroxyl value of the surfactant. Moreover, these calculations allow the determination of the mean relative molecular masses of the fatty acids, polyethylene glycol, monoesters, and diesters, and to calculate the proportion of polyoxyethylene monoester and polyoxyethylene diester. Models such as this would be of great utility for the rational design of emulsified products.