Phase Inversion Emulsification

Abstract

Phase inversion refers to a phenomenon that occurs when agitated oil in water emulsion, reverts to a water in oil and vice versa. Emulsification via phase inversion is widely used in fabrication of cosmetic products, pharmaceutical products (e.g., vesicles for drug delivery), foodstuff and detergents. Emulsification process is strongly affected by preparation method; very different droplet size distribution could be achieved, which is strictly linked to the product stability. Phase inversion process leads to the formation of finely dispersed droplets in a continuous phase. In this work an experimental investigation of phase inversion emulsification to produce stable samples has been performed. The emulsion morphology has been characterized in detail by direct observation via optical and confocal microscopy.