Influence of ripening and creaming on the aggregation rate of dodecane-in-water nanoemulsions. Is the creaming rate an appropriate measure of emulsion stability?

TL;DR

This study investigates how ripening and creaming affect the aggregation rate of dodecane-in-water nanoemulsions and questions whether creaming rate alone is a reliable measure of emulsion stability.

Contribution

It provides a detailed analysis of nanoemulsion behavior and highlights limitations of using creaming rate as the sole stability indicator.

Findings

Creaming rate may not accurately reflect emulsion stability.

Nanoemulsions show complex behavior not captured by creaming alone.

Turbidity and radius measurements reveal stability nuances.

Abstract

The behavior of four oil-in-water (O/W) ioinic nanoemulsions composed of dodecane, and mixtures of dodecane with squalene and tetra-chloro-ethylene is studied. These nanoemulsions were stabilized with sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS). The behavior of the turbidity and the average radius of the emulsions were followed as a function of time. The results illustrate the shortcomings of characterizing the stability of emulsions by their creaming rate.