Selective retardation of perfume oil evaporation from oil-in-water emulsions stabilized by either surfactant or nanoparticles

Diffusion across particle-laden interfaces in Pickering droplets

Emulsions stabilized by nanoparticles, known as Pickering emulsions, exhibit remarkable stability, which enables applications ranging from encapsulation, to advanced materials, to chemical conversion. The layer of nanoparticles at the interface of Pickering droplets is a semi-permeable barrier between the two liquid phases, which can affect the rate of release of encapsulates, and the interfacial transfer of reactants and products in biphasic chemical conversion. A gap in our fundamental understanding of diffusion in multiphase systems with particle-laden interfaces currently limits the optimal development of these applications. To address this gap, we developed an experimental approach for in situ, real-time quantification of concentration fields in Pickering droplets in a Hele-Shaw geometry and investigated the effect of the layer of nanoparticles on diffusion of solute across a liquid-liquid interface. The experiments did not reveal a significant hindrance on the diffusion of solute across an interface densely covered by nanoparticles. We interpret this result using an unsteady diffusion model to predict the spatio-temporal evolution of the concentration of solute with a particle-laden interface. We find that the concentration field is only affected in the immediate vicinity of the layer of particles, where the area available for diffusion is affected by the particles. This defines a characteristic time scale for the problem, which is the time for diffusion across the layer of particles. The far-field concentration profile evolves towards that of a bare interface. This localized effect of the particle hindrance is not measurable in our experiments, which take place over a much longer time scale. Our model also predicts that the hindrance by particles can be more pronounced depending on the particle size and physicochemical properties of the liquids and can ultimately affect performance in applications.

Recent advances in versatile inverse lyotropic liquid crystals

Owing to the rapid and significant progress in advanced materials and life sciences, nanotechnology is increasingly gaining in popularity. Among numerous bio-mimicking carriers, inverse lyotropic liquid crystals are known for their unique properties. These carriers make accommodation of molecules with varied characteristics achievable due to their complicated topologies. Besides, versatile symmetries of inverse LCNPs (lyotropic crystalline nanoparticles) and their aggregating bulk phases allow them to be applied in a wide range of fields including drug delivery, food, cosmetics, material sciences etc. In this review, in-depth summary, discussion and outlook for inverse lyotropic liquid crystals are provided.

Volatile Aroma Surfactants: The Evaluation of the Adsorption-Evaporation Behavior under Dynamic and Equilibrium Conditions

Multicomponent heterogeneous systems containing volatile amphiphiles are relevant to the fields ranging from drug delivery to atmospheric science. Research presented here discloses the individual interfacial activity and adsorption-evaporation behavior of amphiphilic aroma molecules at the liquid-vapor interface. The surface tension of solutions of nonmicellar volatile surfactants linalool and benzyl acetate, fragrances as such, was compared with that of the conventional surfactant sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) under equilibrium as well as under no instantaneous equilibrium, including a fast-adsorbing regime. In open systems, the increase in the surface tension on a time scale of ∼10 min is evaluated using a phenomenological model. The derived characteristic mass transfer constant is shown to be specific to both the desorption mechanism and the chemistry of the volatile amphiphile. Fast-adsorbing behavior disclosed here, as well as the synergetic effect in the mixtures with conventional micellar surfactants, justifies the advantages of volatile amphiphiles as cosurfactants in dynamic interfacial processes. The demonstrated approach to derive specific material parameters of fragrance molecules can be used for an application-targeted selection of volatile cosurfactants, e.g., in emulsification and foaming, inkjet printing, microfluidics, spraying, and coating technologies.

Tensiometry as a Simple Analytical Method for Quantification of Solubility and Release of Aroma Molecules in Aqueous Media

Dynamic tensiometry is shown to be a high-potential analytical tool in assessing physico-chemical characteristics of fragrance molecules, such as solubility limit, volatility as well as much rarely assessed interfacial activity of these amphiphilic molecules. Surface tension of aqueous solutions of selected essential oils has been measured as a function of time and fragrance concentration using maximum bubble pressure method. The effect of the temperature and saline solution on the rate of dissolution in water was assessed. Dynamic surface tension turned to be sensitive to the composition of fragrances, as demonstrated on examples of natural and synthetic mixtures. Furthermore, presented work reveals the possibility of maximum bubble pressure tensiometry method to quantify the amount of fragrance compositions in flavored salts, including the artificially aged carrier samples. Suggested here analytical approach can be used for the detection of the purity of essential oils, for the optimization of compositions and of the manufacturing processes of fragrances-containing products, as well as for the assessment of the release/evaporation of fragrances from carrier systems.

Natural antimicrobial-loaded nanoemulsions for the control of food spoilage/pathogenic microorganisms

Both consumers and producers of food products are looking for natural ingredients and efficient formulation strategies to improve the shelf life of final products. Natural antimicrobial ingredients such as essential oils can be applied as alternatives to synthetic preservatives, but their main challenge is low stability, adverse effects on sensory properties, low solubility, high needed doses, etc. Formulation of these bioactive compounds into nanoemulsions can be an efficient strategy to improve their properties and practical applications in food products. In this review, after an overview on nanoemulsion formulation, ingredients and fabrication methods, different types of natural antimicrobial agents have been discussed briefly. In addition, properties and action mechanisms of antimicrobial-loaded nanoemulsions, along with their application in preservation and shelf life improvement of different food products have been explained. Finally, safety and regulatory issues of antimicrobial delivery via nanoemulsions have been examined. As a conclusion antimicrobial-loaded nanoemulsions can be promising candidates and alternatives for common synthetic preservatives in real food systems.

Buckling and Drying Kinetics of Particle-Stabilized Water Droplets Fully or Partially Immersed in an Oil Layer

We have investigated the effect of buckling of particle-stabilized water droplets on the drying kinetics. Particle-stabilized water droplets in an oil phase were prepared and the shrinking modes of the droplets during drying were controlled by the wettability of the particles. We obtained water droplets with and without buckling and used them in drying experiments. The drying times were comparable when the droplets were fully immersed in a thick oil layer. However, when the thickness of the oil layer was smaller than the droplet diameter, the buckled droplets showed faster drying. Observation of the reflection images around the droplets suggested that the buckled droplets preferentially shrank in the height direction, while the droplets without buckling isotropically shrank. Mathematical models that assumed diffusion of dissolved water molecules in the oil layer showed good agreement with the experimental data. The effective water-oil interfacial area was constant in the buckled droplets, whereas it shrank in the droplets without buckling. This would be a reason for the faster drying of the partially immersed buckled droplets. Particulate shells on liquid droplets could be used to enhance droplet drying.

Evaporation kinetics of continuous water and dispersed oil droplets

Drying of volatile oil droplets immersed in a continuous water phase was observed and analysed. Drying sample solutions were sandwiched between two glass plates and the water and oil phases were observed by confocal microscopy. In the initial stage of drying, evaporation of water was dominant and drying of the oil droplets was negligible. However, the rate of water evaporation decreased when the oil droplets were compressed. Comparison of experimental data with a diffusion model of water vapour showed that the decline in drying rates occurred earlier in the experiment than in the theoretical prediction. This implies that compression and narrowing of water paths caused the decline in the rate of water evaporation. After most water had evaporated, evaporation of the oil droplets occurred. The oil droplets did not shrink isotropically and the air-liquid interface invaded into the drying oil droplets. Cross-sectional observation by z-scanning revealed direct exposure of the oil droplets and they were pinned by the residual water phase. The water network between the oil droplets collapsed after the oil droplets had evaporated. The correlation between changes in structures and drying kinetics in both liquid phases was discussed.

Encapsulation of Fragrance in Aqueous Emulsions by Delaminated Synthetic Hectorite

Fragrance emulsions are used in many applications in daily life. Since a lot of fragrances are quite volatile substances, their release rate from emulsions is a crucial factor. Since in most cases a mixture of fragrances is applied, the olfactory impression might change over time if the release rates of individual components differ significantly. For such applications, encapsulation with barrier materials is sought to retard release in an unselective manner. Stable fragrance-in-water emulsions were made by applying a synthetic hectorite as Pickering emulsifier which was fixed as a multilayer stack at the oil-water interface by adding poly(ethylene imine). The release of different fragrance molecules (eucalyptol, limonene, α-pinene, and ethyl-2-methylbutyrate) from these emulsions was studied as the ratio between hectorite and poly(ethylene imine) was varied. While the release rates of all fragrances were retarded by the hybrid capsule acting as a nonselective barrier, the relative release was determined by the solubility of individual fragrances in the capsule material. Fragrance release could be further reduced by additional chemical cross-linking of poly(ethylene imine).

Strengthening and drying rate of a drying emulsion layer

From direct observations and MRI measurements we demonstrate that during the drying of a direct (oil in water) emulsion the whole system essentially concentrates homogeneously, which leads to shrinkage, without air penetration. The structure and mechanical strength (i.e. the elastic modulus) of this concentrated bulk are not significantly different from those of an emulsion directly prepared at this higher concentration. Despite this phenomenon, the drying rate continuously and rapidly decreases as the water content decreases, in contrast with the drying of a simple granular packing. This results from a concentration gradient which develops towards the free surface of the sample where the oil droplets finally coalesce, ultimately forming an oil layer covering the sample through which the water molecules have to diffuse before evaporating. Moreover, as during the process, the liquid is transported towards the free surface where it evaporates, surfactants accumulate and tend to form a thin solid layer below the oil layer, which tends to further reduce the drying rate.

Effect of olive oil on the preparation of nanoemulsions and its effect on aroma release

The present study focused on the effect of olive oil on Ostwald ripening of flavor nanoemulsions. The release of the aroma compounds from the nanoemulsion system was also investigated. The results showed that the droplets size of the nanoemulsions decreased sharply first and then kept stable with the increase of Tween 80. The optimum surfactant/cosurfactant (Km) ratio was determined at 7:1. The average particle size of nanoemulsion was 39.22 nm. The polydispersity index (PDI) was 0.242 nm, and the particle size distribution was in the range of 20-150 nm at the optimum Km. The stability of the nanoemulsions was improved after the addition of olive oil, and it increased noticeably with the increase of olive oil. The addition of olive oil could help to stabilize the emulsions and hamper Ostwald ripening. All the 11 aroma compounds in the nanoemulsions were detected after 24-h storage. While only 5 aroma compounds were found after 48-h storage, and α-pinene and β-myrcene were the only two aroma compounds detected after 72-h storage with low contents of 1.41 and 0.5 mg/L. The addition of olive oil inhibited the release of the aroma compounds from the nanoemulsion system. The released ethyl acetate was reduced by 48% after the addition of 10% olive oil. Significant decrease on the release of α-pinene and nonanal was observed after the addition of 3% olive oil. And the decrease was also observed on the release of β-myrcene, D-limonene, α-terpineol, decanal and eugenol when the olive oil content was ≥ 5%. However, benzyl alcohol, β-ionone and 1-octanol showed no significant changes with the increase of olive oil. This indicated that the addition of olive oil could provide greater retention of the aroma compounds in the nanoemulsions.

Impacts of Size and Deformability of β-Lactoglobulin Microgels on the Colloidal Stability and Volatile Flavor Release of Microgel-Stabilized Emulsions

Emulsions can be prepared from protein microgel particles as an alternative to traditional emulsifiers. Prior experiments have indicated that smaller and more deformable microgels would decrease both the physical destabilization of emulsions and the diffusion-based losses of entrapped volatile molecules. The microgels were prepared from β-lactoglobulin with an average diameter of 150 nm, 231 nm, or 266 nm; large microgels were cross-linked to decrease their deformability. Dilute emulsions of 15–50 μm diameter were prepared with microgels by high shear mixing. Light scattering and microscopy showed that the emulsions prepared with larger, untreated microgels possessed a larger initial droplet size, but were resistant to droplet growth during storage or after acidification, increased ionic strength, and exposure to surfactants. The emulsions prepared with cross-linked microgels emulsions were the least resistant to flocculation, creaming, and shrinkage. All emulsion droplets shrank as limonene was lost during storage, and the inability of microgels to desorb caused droplets to become non-spherical. The microgels were not displaced by Tween 20 but were displaced by excess sodium dodecyl sulfate. Hexanol diffusion and associated shrinkage of pendant droplets was not prevented by any of the microgels, yet the rate of shrinkage was reduced with the largest microgels.

Drying kinetics of water droplets stabilized by surfactant molecules or solid particles in a thin non-volatile oil layer

We have investigated drying of water droplets stabilized by solid particles or surfactant molecules in a thin oil layer. The surfactant-stabilized droplets isotropically shrink, whereas the droplets stabilized by spherical particles severely deform during drying because of buckling of the particulate shells. However, buckling of the shells hardly affects droplet drying. The drying times for complete evaporation are almost the same for water droplets with the same initial diameter and the drying time is independent of the type of surface stabilizer (particles or surfactant). The drying kinetics of the water droplets is well described by mathematical models, in which diffusion of water molecules in the oil phase to the oil-air interface is proposed as the rate-determining process. Droplets with a diameter comparable with the thickness of the oil layer shrink faster than small droplets because of the short diffusion length from the water droplets to the oil-air interface. We also investigated drying of water droplets stabilized by plate-like mica particles. The droplets also buckled but larger shells of mica particles remained compared with those of spherical particles. In addition, a longer drying time is necessary for some droplets stabilized by mica particles. These results indicate the possible effect of the particle morphology on the buckling and drying kinetics of particle-stabilized water droplets.

Giant Pickering Droplets: Effect of Nanoparticle Size and Morphology on Stability

The interaction between a pair of millimeter-sized nanoparticle-stabilized n-dodecane droplets was analyzed using a high-speed video camera. The droplets were grown in the presence of either poly(glycerol monomethacrylate)-poly(benzyl methacrylate) (PGMA-PBzMA) diblock copolymer spheres or poly(glycerol monomethacrylate)-poly(2-hydroxypropyl methacrylate)-poly(benzyl methacrylate) (PGMA-PHPMA-PBzMA) triblock copolymer worms prepared by polymerization-induced self-assembly. The effect of nanoparticle morphology on droplet coalescence was analyzed by comparing 22 nm spheres to highly anisotropic worms with a mean worm width of 26 nm and comparable particle contact angle. Both morphologies lowered the interfacial tension, providing direct evidence for nanoparticle adsorption at the oil-water interface. At 0.03 w/v % copolymer, an aging time of at least 90 s was required to stabilize the n-dodecane droplets in the presence of the worms, whereas no aging was required to produce stable droplets when using the spheres, suggesting faster diffusion of the latter to the surface of the oil droplets. The enhanced stability of the sphere-coated droplets is consistent with the higher capillary pressure in this system as the planar interfaces approach. However, the more strongly adsorbing worms ultimately also confer stability. At lower copolymer concentrations (≤0.01 w/v %), worm adsorption promoted droplet stability, whereas the spheres were unable to stabilize droplets even after longer aging times. The effect of mean sphere diameter on droplet stability was also assessed while maintaining an approximately constant particle contact angle. Small spheres of either 22 or 41 nm stabilized n-dodecane droplets, whereas larger spheres of either 60 or 91 nm were unable to prevent coalescence when the two droplets were brought into contact. These observations are consistent with the greater capillary pressure stabilizing the oil-water interfaces coated with the smaller spheres. Addition of an oil-soluble polymeric diisocyanate cross-linker to either the 60 or the 91 nm spheres produced highly stable colloidosomes, thus confirming adsorption of these nanoparticles.

Laboratory evaluation of a novel anaesthesia delivery device

Here, we describe proof of concept of a novel method for delivering volatile anaesthetics, where the liquid anaesthetic (sevoflurane or isoflurane) is formulated into an emulsion that is contained in a compact, lightweight device through which carrier gas flows. Release of anaesthetic is achieved by stirring of the formulation, allowing controlled and responsive release of anaesthetic at a variety of fixed flow rates between 0.5 l.min^-1 and 5 l.min^-1 , with ventilated, non-ventilated and draw-over breathing systems. Anaesthetic release was evaluated using target anaesthetic concentrations ranging from 0.5% v/v to 8% v/v to mimic those typically required for induction and maintenance of anaesthesia, and lower concentrations suitable for sedation. Under all conditions, output could be maintained within 0.1% v/v of the intended setting, and the device could deliver a controlled level of anaesthetic for at least 60 min, with compensation for different ambient temperatures (10-30 °C) and carrier gas flow rates. This device offers a simple, inexpensive method of delivering safe concentrations of volatile anaesthetics for a wide range of applications.

Evaporation of Particle-Stabilized Emulsion Sunscreen Films

We recently showed (Binks et al., ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces, 2016, DOI: 10.1021/acsami.6b02696) how evaporation of sunscreen films consisting of solutions of molecular UV filters leads to loss of UV light absorption and derived sun protection factor (SPF). In the present work, we investigate evaporation-induced effects for sunscreen films consisting of particle-stabilized emulsions containing a dissolved UV filter. The emulsions contained either droplets of propylene glycol (PG) in squalane (SQ), droplets of SQ in PG or droplets of decane in PG. In these different emulsion types, the SQ is involatile and shows no evaporation, the PG is volatile and evaporates relatively slowly, whereas the decane is relatively very volatile and evaporates quickly. We have measured the film mass and area, optical micrographs of the film structure, and the UV absorbance spectra during evaporation. For emulsion films containing the involatile SQ, evaporation of the PG causes collapse of the emulsion structure with some loss of specular UV absorbance due to light scattering. However, for these emulsions with droplets much larger than the wavelength of light, the light is scattered only at small forward angles so does not contribute to the diffuse absorbance and the film SPF. The UV filter remains soluble throughout the evaporation and thus the UV absorption by the filter and the SPF remain approximately constant. Both PG-in-SQ and SQ-in-PG films behave similarly and do not show area shrinkage by dewetting. In contrast, the decane-in-PG film shows rapid evaporative loss of the decane, followed by slower loss of the PG resulting in precipitation of the UV filter and film area shrinkage by dewetting which cause the UV absorbance and derived SPF to decrease. Measured UV spectra during evaporation are in reasonable agreement with spectra calculated using models discussed here.

Facile dispersion and control of internal structure in lyotropic liquid crystalline particles by auxiliary solvent evaporation

Submicron sized, structured lyotropic liquid crystalline (LLC) particles, so-called hexosomes and cubosomes, are generally obtained by high energy input dispersion methods, notably ultrasonication and high-pressure emulsification. We present a method to obtain dispersions of such LLC particles with a significantly reduced energy input, by evaporation of an auxiliary volatile solvent immiscible with water, e.g. cyclohexane or limonene. The inner structure of the particles can be precisely controlled by the addition of a nonvolatile oil, such as α-tocopherol or tetradecane consistently with bulk phase diagrams,. Two different lyotropic surfactants were employed, industrial grade monolinoleine (MLO) and soy bean phosphatidylcholine (PC). The lyotropic surfactant and oil phase modifier were first dissolved in the volatile solvent to give a liquid reverse micellar (L2) phase, which requires significantly less energy input to be dispersed in an aqueous solution of secondary emulsifier compared to the corresponding gel-like bulk mesophase. The auxiliary volatile solvent was then removed from the emulsion by evaporation at room temperature, yielding LLC particles of the desired inner structure, Pn3̅m, H2, or Fd3̅m. The obtained particles were characterized by small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS), dynamic light scattering (DLS), and cryogenic transmission electron microscopy (cryo-TEM). Our method enables fine-tuning of the final particle size through the volatile-to-nonvolatile volume ratio and processing conditions.

Making non-aqueous high internal phase pickering emulsions: influence of added polymer and selective drying

We report the first example of a non-aqueous (oil-in-oil) Pickering high internal phase emulsion (HIPE) stabilized by chemically modified fumed silica. In this case, a 75 vol % ethylene carbonate (EC)-rich internal phase is emulsified in 25 vol % p-xylene (xylene)-rich continuous phase using interfacial nanoparticles. It is revealed that no phase inversion takes place during the HIPE formation process when using the appropriate wettability of solid particles. Incorporating polystyrene (PS) into xylene enables one-step formation of PS-filled HIPEs in place of a multi-step polymerization of the continuous phase. We observe that the size of droplets changes with the addition of PS, and we associate this with the change in the viscosity of the continuous xylene-rich phase. Drying the pure HIPE results in the selective removal of xylene and coalescence of EC-rich droplets. With the PS in the xylene-rich continuous phase, we show that EC-rich droplets can be retained even though the xylene is evaporated off, and a new semi-solid composite containing both liquid phase and solid phase is formed via this non-aqueous Pickering-HIPE template.

Two-dimensional materials as emulsion stabilizers: interfacial thermodynamics and molecular barrier properties

A new application for two-dimensional (2D) materials is emulsification, where they can serve as ultrathin platelike interfacial stabilizers in two-liquid systems. We present a first detailed thermodynamic analysis of atomically thin 2D materials at organic-aqueous liquid-liquid interfaces and derive expressions for the transfer free energies of emulsion stabilization that account for material geometry, van der Waals transparency or opacity, and variable hydrophobicity. High mass potency is shown to be an intrinsic property of the 2D geometry, which at the atomically thin limit places every atom in contact with both liquid phases, resulting in unit atom efficiency. The thermodynamic model successfully predicts that graphene oxide but not pristine graphene has a favorable hydrophobic-hydrophilic balance for oil-water emulsion stabilization. Multilayer tiling is predicted to occur by the passivation of droplet surface patches left uncovered by packing inefficiencies in the first monolayer, and complete multilayer coverage is confirmed by cryogenic scanning electron microscopy. The molecular barrier function of graphene interfacial films causes a significant suppression of dispersed-phase evaporation rates with potential applications in controlled release. Finally, these emulsions can be used as templates for creating solid graphene foams or graphene microsacks filled with lipophilic cargos. Emerging 2D materials are promising as dispersants or emulsifiers where high mass potency and multifunctional properties are desired.

Layer-by-layer assembled multilayer shells for encapsulation and release of fragrance

Layer-by-layer assembled shells are prospective candidates for encapsulation, stabilization, storage, and release of fragrances. A shell comprising four alternative layers of a protein and a polyphenol is employed to encapsulate the dispersed phase of a fragrance-containing oil-in-water emulsion. The model fragrance used in this work consists of 10 ingredients, covering a range of typically employed aroma molecules, all premixed in equal mass and with sunflower oil acting as the base. The encapsulated emulsion is stable after 2 months of storage at 4 °C as revealed by static light scattering and confocal laser scanning microscopy. Gas chromatography/mass spectrometry data show that the encapsulation efficiency of 8 out of 10 fragrance ingredients depends on the water solubility: the less water-soluble an ingredient, the more of it is encapsulated. The amount of these fragrance ingredients remaining encapsulated decreases linearly upon emulsion incubation at 40 °C and the multilayer shell does not hinder their release. The other two fragrance ingredients having the lowest saturation vapor pressure demonstrate sustained release over 5 days of incubation at 40 °C. The composition of released fragrance remains almost constant over 3 days of incubation, upon further incubation it becomes enriched with these two ingredients when others start to be depleted.