A NEW MECHANISM OF SPONTANEOUS EMULSIFICATION - RELATION TO SURFACTANT PROPERTIES

A new mechanism of spontaneous emulsification is described and related to the surfactant phase behaviour and to the molecular architecture. Aqueous solutions of the anionic surfactant AOT are shown to form vesi cular phases, due to the fact that the head and tail group of AOT are nearly balanced. When these phases are brought gently into contact wit h an oil by means of a micropipette, a flow of the surfactant aggregat es towards the oil phase is observed. The incorporation of the oil int o the surfactant bilayers leads to the formation of oil films within t he bilayers that are unstable. The Vesicles are consequently destabili zed and ''explode'', thereby dispersing the oil in the aqueous phase.