Lipase-catalyzed enantioselective esterifications using different microemulsion-based gels

Chiral esters with high optical purity have been synthesized at 298.2 K from racemic 2-octanol and alkanoic acids using the commerical lipases fromChromobacterium viscosum (CV) orCandida sp. (SP 525) immobilized in microemulsion-based gelatin gels. The microemulsions consisted of water and alkanes stabilized by the anionic surfactant sodium 1,4-bis(2-ethylhexyl) sulfosuccinate (AOT) and the naturally occurring zwitterionic surfactant soybean lecithin, respectively. The enzymes were solubilized both in water-in-oil (W/O) microemulsions and in microemulsions with a bicontinuous structure. Different microstructures of the gels were chosen since the enzyme may undergo conformational changes in different environments resulting in different catalytic efficiencies toward competing substrates. Therefore, it is of great fundamental interest to know the phase behaviour and the microstructures of the used microemulsion systems. Phase diagrams were determined at 298.2 K for the systems water-hexane-AOT and ethanol/water (11)-hexadecane-soybean lecithin. The former system exhibited a large one-phase W/O microemulsion region, while in the latter a small one-phase region with bicontinuous structure was present. The kinetic enantiomeric ratios (E-values), as determined from enantiomeric excess (e.e.) values at a conversion below 0.5, were higher both in the W/O microemulsion as well as in the bicontinuous microemulsion using the SP 525 lipase, than using the CV lipase. On the other hand, the conversions were higher using gels based on W/O microemulsions (AOT stabilized) than using gels based on microemulsions with a bicontinuous structure (lecithin stabilized).     

Hollow-fiber membranes coated with polymerizable bicontinuous microemulsions

A new method has been successfully employed to prepare hollow-fiber membranes by coating and polymerizing bicontinuous microemulsions onto the internal surfaces of hollow-fiber membranes. The bicontinuous microemulsion consisting of water, a polymerizable zwitterionic surfactant of acryloyloxyundecyl dimethylammonio acetate, methyl methacrylate, and 2-hydroxylethyl methacrylate (HEMA) can form a transparent polymer thin film after polymerization. The hollow-fiber membranes as the supports for microemulsion coatings were fabricated from the spinning solution of polyethersulfone/diethylene glycol/N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone. The microemulsion coated hollow-fiber membranes were evaluated by the separation efficiency and the permeation rate of polyethylene glycol (PEG) solutions. The performance of coated membrane on the PEG separation is strongly dependent on the concentration of HEMA and water in precursor bicontinuous microemulsions. The pore size of the hollow-fiber membranes can be regulated between about 2 to 40 nm by varying the composition of precursor bicontinuous microemulsions. The characteristics of the coated membranes is believed to be directly related to the bicontinuous structures of precursor bicontinuous microemulsions. The use of polymerizable bicontinuous microemulsions enable one to better control the microstructures of coated membranes via in situ polymerization.     

An attempt to detect bicontinuity from SANS data

SANS is a powerful tool to characterise microemulsions, which can have a discontinuous droplet-like structure (oil in water (O/W), water in oil (W/O)) or a bicontinuous one. In the present study, we try to distinguish O/W, W/O and bicontinuous microemulsions by SANS measurements under practical conditions and by a certain evaluation technique. For this reason we chose the well characterised ternary system water-non-ionic surfactant (C(12)E(5))-oil (n-octane), at a fixed surfactant concentration and performed SANS measurements throughout its one-phase channel where droplet-like phases as well as bicontinuous phases are well established. We evaluated the scattering data via the 'Generalised Indirect Fourier Transformation' method (GIFT) which is based on a particulate picture. It should therefore give good results in the droplet domains while a poor fit could be expected for the bicontinuous regime. For comparison we also applied the model of Teubner and Strey (TS) which was developed especially for bicontinuous phases, here a bad fit can be expected for the particulate regime. The data evaluation via GIFT leads to relatively good fits throughout the one-phase channel. The results are physically meaningful and are comparable to those of the TS model. We show that the scattering pattern of a bicontinuous microemulsion can be represented by that of a polydisperse particulate system. This is in clear contradiction to the expectation that the particle picture used in the GIFT method must fail when the bicontinuous regime is reached.     

Solubilization of Celecoxib in Microemulsions Based on Mixed Nonionic Surfactants and Peppermint Oil

U-type microemulsions formulated with water, mixed nonionic surfactants, and peppermint oil were used to solubilize celecoxib. Microemulsion dilution and interfacial factors contributing to the celecoxib solubilization were evaluated. Celecoxib solubilization capacity decreases with the increase in the water content. Electrical conductivity, dynamic viscosity, and SAXS measurements reveal the structural transition occurring in the microemulsion region. It was found that below 0.25 aqueous phase volume fraction the water-in-oil microemulsions are present, the transition between the water-in-oil to bicontinuous and then to oil-in water microemulsions occur at 0.30 and 0.8 aqueous phase volume fraction, respectively. The results demonstrate that the solubilized drug affects the transition from bicontinuous to water-in-oil microemulsions. The solubilized drug increases the hydrodynamic radius of the oil-in-water microemulsion droplets measured by dynamic light scattering.     

Formation of fractal porous silica by hydrolysis of TEOS in a bicontinuous microemulsion

Mesoporous silica particles have been prepared by hydrolysis of TEOS (Si(OC₂H₅)₄) in bicontinuous microemulsions containing polyoxyethylene (POE) dodecylether, isooctane and water. TEOS was dissolved in a continuous water phase and hydrolyzed by the dispersed water at around the phase inversion temperature (60°C). Undulating solid materials with layered mesostructures were produced from middle-phase microemulsions in the three phase region (o/w=0.2–0.7). On the other hand, the solids obtained from the lower aqueous phase in the three phase region were found to have a heterogeneous disordered structure. Measurements of the fractal dimensions were performed in the macropore region using a box-counting method for the outline of the SEM texture. We found that the macropore size distribution in the particles prepared from the middle-phase microemulsion follows the fractal rule with a dimension of 1.7. From the results of nitrogen adsorption/desorption curves on the silica, a steep increase in the adsorption amounts was observed at a relative pressure below 0.2, and adsorption/desorption hysteresis was also observed at a relative pressure between 0.3 and 0.5. These studies suggest that the silica synthesized in the bicontinuous microemulsion mesostructure has a very broad size range from micro to macropores with a fractal distribution.     

Mesoscopic scale structures in self-organized surfactant solutions determined by small-angle neutron scattering

A novel procedure for SANS data analysis is described which enables one to use the fitted parameters to compute the average mean, Gaussian and square mean curvatures of the interface in systems which show a micro-phase-separated bicontinuous structure. This procedure also leads to a 3-D reconstruction of the connected internal interface which allows one to visualize the mesoscopic scale morphology of the material. The method has been successfully applied to various bicontinuous structures such as microemulsions made of surfactant, water and oil, porous silica glasses and phase-separated homopolymer blends. In this lecture, we show examples of analyses of SANS data taken from one-phase bicontinuous microemulsions at the hydrophile-lipophile-balance temperature and a light scattering intensity taken from a symmetric micro-phase-separated polymer blend at the late stage of spinodal decomposition.     

微乳液结构的研究

测定了十二烷基磺酸钠／正丁醇／２０％苯乙烯／水体系的相平衡，用冷冻刻蚀、ＥＳＲ、ＦＴ－ＩＲ研究了上述体系微乳液的结构，研究表明，苯乙烯含量恒定时，随着体系中水含量增加，电导确定的双连续结构的微乳液经历着从油包水到以连续再到水包油变化，ＦＴ－ＩＲ测定表明，Ｗ／Ｏ微乳兴较Ｏ／Ｗ微乳液的ＯＨ伸缩振动和弯曲振动频率有显著减小，说明Ｗ／Ｏ微乳兴中氢键缔合要比Ｏ／Ｗ强得多。ＥＳＲ测定表明Ｏ／Ｗ微乳液的旋转相关     

Sugar-based microemulsion glass templates

Complex fluids comprising of surfactants with water and/or oil form a rich variety of dynamic self-assembled structures, ranging from spherical swollen micelles, viscous rod-like micelles, and bicontinuous microemulsions to ordered liquid crystalline phases. The wide range of practical and specialized applications of complex fluids has made them the subject of intense research for many decades. Here, we demonstrate for the first time how bicontinuous microemulsions containing equal masses of oil and sugar can be driven to the glassy state without phase separation at ambient temperatures by controlled desiccation of sugar-rich microemulsions. The robust nanostructure of these microemulsion glasses allows polymerization of hydrophobic liquid monomers within the interstices of the glassy microemulsion template without macroscopic phase separation. Yet after polymerization, the sugar and surfactant template can be easily removed by dissolution in water.     

丙烯酸酯及苯乙烯微乳体系的相行为及微乳聚合

甲基丙烯酸甲酯;十二烷基磺酸钠;十二烷基磺酸钠;丙烯酸酯及苯乙烯微乳体系的相行为及微乳聚合     

CTAB/正丁醇-正辛烷-水和盐水的拟三元体系相图及微乳液微观结构的电导研究

绘制了CTAB/正丁醇-正辛烷-水和Al(NO₃)3(或Na2WO4)盐水拟三元体系的35℃相图.用电导法并结合电解质理论讨论了微乳液的微观结构,将整个微乳液单相区分为W/O微乳区、O/W微乳区和B.C.双连续区,并且用渗滤理论确定了一个分散相质点为W/O球状结构的反胶团微乳液区.     

Oil-loaded monolinolein-based particles with confined inverse discontinuous cubic structure (Fd3m)

In our recent work, we reported on the effect of varying temperature and solubilizing tetradecane (TC) on the structural transitions observed in dispersed particles based on the monolinolein (MLO)-water-TC system. At a given temperature, the addition of TC induces a transition of the internal structure from the bicontinuous cubic phase, Pn3m, to the reversed hexagonal, H2, and to the isotropic liquid phase (water-in-oil (W/O) microemulsions). Our present study focuses on the discovery of a Fd3m phase (reversed discontinuous micellar cubic), which is formed in the MLO-water-TC system at a specific TC/MLO weight ratio. It is situated between the H2 and the isotropic liquid phase (W/O microemulsion). Remarkably, it is not found in the absence of TC by increasing the temperature. The Fd3m structure was investigated in detail by means of small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS), and cryogenic transmission electron microscopy (cryo-TEM). The present work proves that the structural transformation in the dispersed particles from H2 (hexosomes) to the W/O microemulsion system (emulsified microemulsion (EME)) is indirect and it occurs gradually via an emulsified intermediate phase. Specifically, in addition to the nanostructured aqueous dispersions described above, we present new TC-loaded aqueous dispersions with a confined intermediate phase, which is a discontinuous micellar cubic phase of the symmetry Fd3m. We denoted this type of emulsified particles as "micellar cubosomes".     

The effect of structure of oil phase, surfactant and co-surfactant on the physicochemical and electrochemical properties of bicontinuous microemulsion

Efforts were made to prepare bicontinuous microemulsions with ten different oil phases involving aliphatic, linear, and aromatic hydrocarbons as oil phases, two co-surfactants (n-butanol and n-pentanol) and two surfactants: cationic (CTAB) and anionic (SDS). Different weight percentages were employed for the preparation of cationic and anionic surfactant based microemulsions as reported in the literature. Out of the 40 compositions (10 oil phasesx2 co-surfactantsx2 surfactants) thus selected only 28 systems showed stable bicontinuous microemulsion phase. This behavior is explained on the basis of the structures of various constituents present in the microemulsions. Viscosity variations of stable bicontinuous microemulsions are found to depend mainly on the nature of co-surfactant. Conductivity behavior on the other hand depends mainly on the weight percentage and composition of aqueous phase. The solubility of pyrene in the oil phase determines the excimer formation and fluorescence behavior in microemulsions. The electron transfer property of both the water-soluble and the oil-soluble redox systems does not depend on the oil phase and the co-surfactant. The significance and importance of characterizing well defined bicontinuous microemulsions is thus highlighted.     

Sucrose ester-based biocompatible microemulsions as vehicles for aceclofenac as a model drug: formulation approach using D-optimal mixture design

We assessed the functionality of sucrose esters (sucrose laurate, myristate, palmitate, and stearate), relatively innocuous nonionic surfactants, in formulation of biocompatible microemulsions. The putative influence of surfactant structure on the extension of microemulsion region was explored through the construction of the pseudo-ternary phase diagrams for the isopropyl myristate/sucrose ester-isopropyl alcohol/water system, using the titration method and mixture experimental approach. Minor changes in surfactant tail length strongly affected the microemulsion area boundaries. D-optimal mixture design proved to be highly applicable in detecting the microemulsion regions. Examination of conductivity, rheology, and thermal behavior of the selected sucrose laurate and sucrose myristate-based microemulsions, upon dilution with water, indicated existence of percolation threshold and suggested the phase inversion from water-in-oil to oil-in-water via a bicontinuous structure. Atomic force micrographs confirmed the suggested type of microemulsions and were valuable in further exploring their inner structure. The solubilization capacity of aceclofenac as a model drug has decreased as the water volume fraction in microemulsion increased. High surfactant concentration and the measured solubility of aceclofenac in microemulsion components suggested that the interfacial film may mostly contribute to aceclofenac solubilization.     

Phase behavior of CO2-expanded fluorinated microemulsions

The formation of CO2-expanded, fluorinated reverse microemulsions is demonstrated for the system of perfluoropolyether (PFPE) surfactant (ClPFPE-NH4, MW = 632) and PFPE oil (PFPE, MW = 580). The phase behavior of this system is examined as a function of temperature (25-45 degrees C), pressure, CO2 concentration, and water to surfactant molar ratios (W0 = 10 and 20). Visual observations of one-phase behavior consistent with reverse microemulsion formation are further supported by spectroscopic measurements that establish the existence of a bulk water environment within the aqueous core. Microemulsion formation is not observed in the absence of CO2 for this PFPE surfactant/PFPE oil system, and a CO2 content greater than 70 mol % is required to induce microemulsion formation. Over the range of water loadings and temperatures investigated, the lowest cloud point pressure is observed at 46 bar (5 wt % ClPFPE-NH4 in PFPE oil, W0 = 20, xCO2 = 0.7, T = 25 degrees C). In the regions where one-phase behavior is observed, the cloud point pressures increase with temperature, water loadings, and CO2 content. The driving forces of microemulsion formation in the CO2-expanded fluorinated solvent are discussed relative to traditional reverse microemulsions and CO2-continuous microemulsions.     

Characterization of cephalexin loaded nonionic microemulsions

Water/propylene glycol/sucrose laurate/ethoxylated mono-di-glyceride/isopropyl myristate/peppermint oil U-type microemulsions were used to solubilize cephalexin. Microemulsion dilution and interfacial factors contributing to the cephalexin solubilization were evaluated. Cephalexin solubilization capacity increases with the increase in the aqueous phase volume fraction (φ) up to 0.4 then decreases. Electrical conductivity of drug loaded and drug free microemulsions increases with φ. The hydrodynamic radius measured by dynamic light scattering of the oil-in-water loaded microemulsions decreases with temperature. The microemulsions were characterized by the volumetric parameters, density, excess volume, ultrasonic velocity and isentropic compressibility. The microemulsion densities increase with φ up to 0.8 then decrease. The excess volume decreases with φ up to 0.8 then stabilizes. Ultrasonic velocities increase with the increase in φ while isentropic compressibility decreases. Analysis of the volumetric parameters enabled the characterization of structural transition along the microemulsion phase region. The presence of water-in-oil, bicontinuous and oil-in-water microemulsions, at aqueous phase volume fractions below 0.2, between 0.3 and 0.7 and above 0.8, respectively were found. Interfacial properties and dynamic structure of the monolayer for drug loaded and drug free microemulsions, were studied by electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy employing the nitroxide spin probe 5-doxylstearic acid. The rigidity of the interface was affected by the water content and also the presence of cephalexin.     

Design of highly porous melamine-based networks through a bicontinuous microemulsion templating strategy

Designing low density polymeric porous materials with defined pore sizes (diameters in the 100 nm range) still remains a real synthesis challenge. Here, for the first time, we present a strategy by which bicontinuous microemulsions are used as templating agents for the in-situ aqueous polycondensation of organic resins (melamine formaldehyde, MF). The behaviour of surfactants with different head-groups in systems including oil and MF-containing aqueous phase is studied. While many surfactants are not compatible with aqueous MF precondensates, here we report a non-ionic surfactant either used solely or along with anionic surfactants which prove to be successful at keeping bicontinuous microemulsion systems homogeneous even during early stages of polymerisation. However, upon acid-catalysis it becomes clear that the pore structure of the organic material is largely controlled by the kinetics of phase separation due to the sol–gel process rather than by the thermodynamic equilibrium of the template (microemulsion). Indeed, despite numerous attempts, stabilising the microemulsion interface with zero curvature (bicontinuous) has remained problematic. Instead, we show a new behaviour for the MF resin whereby non-spherical MF morphologies (i.e. thread-like structures) can be obtained by specific interactions between the aqueous amino resin and the acid counterions.     

Microemulsification of triglyceride sebum and the role of interfacial structure on bicontinuous phase behavior

A unique triblock surfactant is reported that allows for the efficient microemulsification of triglycerides. Unlike the results of all previous efforts, these triglyceride microemulsions can be formed without the use of cosurfactants or dilution with co-oils and follow the classical patterns of surfactant phase behavior exhibited by mixtures of water, alkane oils, and nonionic oligoethylene glycol surfactants, i.e., progression from oil/water emulsions to one-phase microemulsions to water/oil emulsions with increasing temperature. Lamellar phases that usually dominate the aqueous phase behavior of surfactant/triglyceride mixtures are suppressed, allowing for the formation of single-phase microemulsions containing equal amounts of triglyceride and water. These isotropic and low-viscous fluids are particularly useful for cleansing and delivery of functional ingredients in skin care products. The effects of mixing a variety of typical skin care ingredients and components of sebum (skin oil) were also explored. Fatty acids significantly reduce the average microemulsion temperature, while other ingredients and oils, which do not partition at the oil/water interface, have less impact on the phase behavior. In all cases, one-phase microemulsions containing equal amounts of oil and water can be formed even at high additive concentrations. Indeed, partial replacement oftriglyceride with any of the additives examined consistently reduced the amount of surfactant necessary to form single-phase microemulsions. However, the greatest boost in surfactant efficiency was found with the addition of medium molecular weight amphiphilic block copolymers.     

Structural studies of 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate/TX-100/ p-xylene ionic liquid microemulsions.

The ionic liquid (IL) 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate (bmimBF4) forms nonaqueous microemulsions with p-xylene, with the aid of the nonionic surfactant TX-100. The phase behavior of the ternary system is investigated, and three microregions of the microemulsions-ionic liquid-in-oil (IL/O), bicontinuous, and oil-in-ionic liquid (O/IL)-are identified by conductivity measurements, according to percolation theory. On the basis of a phase diagram, a series of IL/O microemulsions are chosen and characterized by dynamic light scattering (DLS). The size of aggregates increases on increasing the amount of added polar component (bmimBF(4)), which is a similar phenomenon to that observed for typical water-in-oil (W/O) microemulsions, suggesting the formation of IL/O microemulsions. The microstructural characteristics of the microemulsions are investigated by FTIR and 1H NMR spectroscopy. The results indicate that the interaction between the electronegative oxygen atoms of the oxyethylene (OE) units in TX-100 and the electropositive imidazolium ring may be the driving force for the solubilization of bmimBF4 into the core of the TX-100 aggregates. In addition, the micropolarity of the microemulsions is investigated by using methyl orange (MO) as a UV/Vis spectroscopic probe. A relatively constant polarity of the microemulsion droplets is obtained in the IL microemulsion. Finally, a plausible structure for the IL/O microemulsion is presented.     

Study on the Polarity of bmimPF6/Tween80/toluene Microemulsion Characterized by UV-Visible Spectroscopy

With the aid of nonionic surfactant Tween80, the ionic liquid 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate (bmimPF₆) forms nonaqueous microemulsions with toluene. The phase diagram of the ternary system was prepared at 25°C. It was demonstrated that there were a single-phase region and a two-phase region in the ternary phase diagram. The single-phase region could be further divided into toluene-in-bmimPF₆, bicontinuous and bmimPF₆-in-toluene microemulsion regions by electrical conductivity. And by the use of methyl orange as an absorption probe, the polarity of the bmimPF₆-in-toluene microemulsion was probed by UV-vis spectroscopy. A relatively constant polarity of the microemulsion droplets is obtained in the bmimPF₆ microemulsion.     

Interfacial Modification and Structural Transitions Induced by Guest Molecules Solubilized in U‐Type Nonionic Microemulsions

Abstract

Alcohols and polyols are essential components (in addition to the surfactant, water, and oil) in the formation of U‐type self‐assembled nano‐structures, (sometimes called L‐phases or U‐type microemulsions). These microemulsions are characterized by large isotropic regions ranging from the oil side of the phase diagram up to the aqueous corner. The isotropic oily solutions of reverse micelles (“the concentrates”) can be diluted along some dilution lines with aqueous phase to the “direct micelles” corner via a bicontinuous mesophases (i.e., two structural transitions). This dilution takes place with no phase separations or occurrence of liquid crystalline phases. The structural transitions were determined by viscosity, conductivity, and pulsed gradient spin echo NMR (PGSE NMR), and are not visible to the eye. Two guest nutraceutical molecules (lutein and phytosterols) were solubilized, at their maximum solubilization capacity, in the reversed micellar solutions (L₂ phase) and were further diluted with the aqueous phase to the aqueous micellar corner (L₁ phase). Structural transitions (for the two types of molecule) from water‐in‐oil to bicontinuous microstructures were induced by the guest molecules. The transitions occurred at an earlier stage of dilution, at a lower water content (20 wt.% aqueous phase), than in the empty (blank) microemulsions (transitions at 30 wt.% aqueous phase). The transitions from the bicontinuous microstructure to the oil‐in‐water microemulsions were retarded by the solubilizates and occurred at later dilution stage at higher aqueous phase contents (50 wt.% aqueous region for empty microemulsion and >60 wt.% for solubilized microemulsion). As a result, the bicontinuous isotropic region, in the presence of the guest molecules, becomes much broader. It seems that the main reason for such “guest‐induced structural transitions” is related to a significant flattening and enhanced rigidity of the interface. The guest molecules of the high molecular volume are occupying high volume fraction of the interface (when the solubilization is maximal).