A PHENOMENOLOGICAL MODEL FOR THE SURFACTANT INTERFACIAL CONFIGURATION IN A CONCENTRATED PARENTERAL FLUOROCARBON EMULSION

40% V/V Bis(Perfluorobutyl)ethene (F44E) emulsions were manufactured using 1-6% W/V purified egg yolk lecithin (EYL) as emulsifier. Knowing the surfactant molecular cross sectional area, the volume of the discontinuous phase and the amount of surfactant adsorbed at the interface as a function of its concentration in the emulsion, the theoretical surface volume diameter, D, for either a mono or a bilayer for different EYL concentrations in the emulsions were calculated. These were compared with experimentally determined droplet diameters obtained from centrifugal sedimentation followed by densitometry. Within the parameters used in this study, the results suggest the existence of an anisotropic interfacial film around the F44E droplets whose saturation is emulsifier concentration dependant