Formation of surfactant free microemulsions in the ternary system water/eugenol/ethanol

Abstract

This works analyzes the aggregation phenomena occurring in a ternary mixture formed by two solventmutually immiscible, water and eugenol, and a third solvent that can act as co-solvent with both, thusfulfilling the requirements for the appearance of the ?pre-Ouzo? effect. The combination of visual obser-vation of the samples and GC?MS allows us to draw a ternary phase diagram for the system. DynamicLight Scattering (DLS) has provided information on the bulk aggregation occurring in the system, and alsohas given good insights in the destabilization of the pseudo-one phase region. The DLS measurementsperformed in different paths of the phase diagram have allowed us to establish a critical compositionfor destabilization of the one phase region, having equal content of the components. Stable microemul-sions can be used for solubilization of a model insecticide, opening a new route for the fabrication ofbiosustainable formulations for insecticides.