RAPID CHARACTERIZATION OF THE SOLUBILITY OF AMPHIPHILES

摘要

Disclosed is a process and device allowing for fast measurements of the physicochemical properties of amphiphiles (lipids, surfactants, soaps, . . . ). A Marangoni flow is created and characterized using amphiphiles to be characterized. The observed flow is characterized, and using the disclosed process, one can deduce from this measurement many important physicochemical parameters of the amphiphiles such as their critical micellar concentration. Compared to existing techniques, the disclosed process offers the advantage that it requires a single experiment to deduce the parameters, when other techniques (pendant drop method, conductometry, etc . . . ) require the measurement of a quantity (interfacial tension, conductometry) against a systematically varied parameter (amphiphile concentration, . . . ). The disclosed process and devices are ideal to characterize and/or screen rapidly amphiphiles molecules based on their interaction with a solvent.

主权项

1. A method for assessing the critical micellar concentration of amphiphilic compounds comprising the steps of:
providing a solvent; preparing a layer of solvent; preparing and providing a solution comprising amphiphilic compounds; dispersing tracing particles into the solution; injecting the traceable solution at the surface of the solvent layer, upon injection of the traceable solution at the surface of the solvent layer at a constant total flow rate Q; taking pictures of the surface of the solvent layer, upon injection of the traceable solution, and determining the radius re of the corona formed; assessing the velocity u of the tracing particles dispersed into the traceable solution, preferably upon injection of said solution to the surface of the solvent layer, and determining the maximum velocity umax of the tracing particles; and from these measurement and using the associated model, determining the critical micellar concentration of the amphiphilic compounds.