Droplet-droplet interactions investigated using a combination of electrochemical and dynamic light scattering techniques. The case of water/BHDC/benzene:n-heptane system

How the external solvent in biocompatible reverse micelles can improve the alkaline phosphatase behavior

In the last decade, the nature of the nonpolar solvents that can be part of reverse micelles (RMs) has been the topic of several investigations to improve their applications. In this sense, the hydrolysis of 1-naphthyl phosphate catalyzed by the enzyme alkaline phosphatase (AP) was used as a probe to investigate the effect of the change of the external solvent on RMs formulated with the anionic surfactant sodium diethylhexyl sulfosuccinate (AOT). As external nonpolar solvents, two biocompatible lipophilic esters, isopropyl myristate and methyl laurate, and the traditional nonpolar solvents, n-heptane and benzene, were used. The results were compared among the RMs investigated and with the reaction in homogeneous media. Thus, the effect of the nanoconfinement as well as the impact of the replacement of a conventional external nonpolar solvent by biocompatible solvents were analyzed. The results indicate that the catalytic efficiency in the AOT RMs is larger than that in homogeneous media, denoting a different hydration level over the AP enzyme, which is directly related to the different degrees of nonpolar solvent penetration to the RM interface. Our findings demonstrated that toxic solvents such as n-heptane and benzene can be replaced by nontoxic ones (isopropyl myristate or methyl laurate) in AOT RMs without affecting the performance of micellar systems as nanoreactors, making them a green and promising alternative toward efficient and sustainable chemistry.

Biocompatible Solvents and Ionic Liquid-Based Surfactants as Sustainable Components to Formulate Environmentally Friendly Organized Systems

In this review, we deal with the formation and application of biocompatible water-in-oil microemulsions commonly known as reverse micelles (RMs). These RMs are extremely important to facilitate the dissolution of hydrophilic and hydrophobic compounds for biocompatibility in applications in drug delivery, food science, and nanomedicine. The combination of two wisely chosen types of compounds such as biocompatible non-polar solvents and ionic liquids (ILs) with amphiphilic character (surface-active ionic liquids, SAILs) can be used to generate organized systems that perfectly align with the Green Chemistry concepts. Thus, we describe the current state of SAILs (protic and aprotic) to prepare RMs using non-polar but safe solvents such as esters derived from fatty acids, among others. Moreover, the use of the biocompatible solvents as the external phase in RMs and microemulsions/nanoemulsions with the other commonly used biocompatible surfactants is detailed showing the diversity of preparations and important applications. As shown by multiple examples, the properties of the RMs can be modified by changes in the type of surfactant and/or external solvents but a key fact to note is that all these modifications generate novel systems with dissimilar properties. These interesting properties cannot be anticipated or extrapolated, and deep analysis is always required. Finally, the works presented provide valuable information about the use of biocompatible RMs, making them a green and promising alternative toward efficient and sustainable chemistry.

Is it Necessary for the Use of Fluorinated Compounds to Formulate Reverse Micelles in a Supercritical Fluid? Searching the Best Cosurfactant to Create "Green" AOT Reverse Micelle Media

Herein, we report the effect of employing two different alcohols, such as n-pentanol and 2,2,3,3,4,4,5,5-octafluoro pentanol (from now on F-pentanol), into 1,4-bis-2-ethylhexylsulfosuccinate (AOT) reverse micelles (RMs), to determine the interfacial activity and establish the best candidate to act as a cosurfactant in supercritical RMs. Dynamic light scattering (DLS), Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR), and fluorescence emission spectroscopy allowed us to determine and understand the behavior of alkanols in RMs. As a result, we found interesting displacements of alkanol molecules within the RMs, suggesting that the electrostatic interaction between SO₃^- and Na⁺ weakens because of new interactions of n-pentanol with SO₃^- through H-bonds, changing the curvature of the micellar interface. According to FT-IR and DLS studies, F-pentanol forms a RM polar core interacting through intermolecular H-bonds, suggesting no perturbations of the AOT RM interface. Hence, n-pentanol was selected as a cosurfactant to form supercritical RMs, which is confirmed by red edge excitation shift studies, using C343 as a molecular probe. Herein, we were able to create RMs under supercritical conditions without the presence of modified surfactants, fluorinated or multitailed compounds, which, to the best of our knowledge, was not shown before.

Excited-state prototropism of 7-hydroxy-4-methylcoumarin in [Cnmim][BF4] series of ionic liquid–water mixtures: insights on reverse micelle-like water nanocluster formation

This study explores the excited-state prototropic behavior of 7-hydroxy-4-methylcoumarin dye in ionic liquid–water media, to reveal the intriguing reverse micelle formation in these solvent systems.

Enhanced stability and water solubilizing capacity of water-in-oil microemulsions based on protic ionic liquids

In view of this limited research on pILs in microemulsions, here we study the formation and characterization of a series of pIL–water/oil microemulsions with specific questions on the effect of pILs on water uptake capacity and thermal stability of W/O microemulsions.

Improvement of the amphiphilic properties of a dialkyl phosphate by creation of a protic ionic liquid-like surfactant

Imim-DEHP, an interesting protic IL-like surfactant to create RMs in aliphatic and aromatic non-polar solvents and unilamellar vesicles in water.

Dynamic light scattering of xanthan gum biopolymer in colloidal dispersion

The dynamical properties of nanogels of xanthan gum (XG) with hydrodynamic radius controlled in a size range from 5 nm to 35 nm, were studied at the different XG concentrations in water/sodium bis-2-ethylhexyl-sulfosuccinate (AOT)/decane reverse micelles (RMs) vs. mass fraction of nano-droplet (MFD) at W = 40, using dynamic light scattering (DLS). The diffusion study of nanometer-sized droplets by DLS technique indicated that enhancing concentration of the XG polysaccharide resulted in exchanging the attractive interaction between nano-gels to repulsive interaction, as the mass fraction of nano-droplets increased. The reorientation time (τr ) of water nanodroplets decreased with MFD for water-in-oil AOT micro-emulsion comprising high concentration (0.0000625) of XG. On the other hand, decreasing concentration of biopolymer led to increasing the rotational correlation time of water nanodroplets with MFD. In conclusion, a single relaxation curve was observed for AOT inverse microemulsions containing different XG concentrations. Furthermore, the interaction between nanogels was changed from attractive to repulsive versus concentration of XG in the AOT RMs.

The impact of the polar core size and external organic media composition on micelle–micelle interactions: the effect on gold nanoparticle synthesis

An easy way to modulate reverse micelles as nanoreactors to produce different kinds of gold nanoparticles.