Study of Surfactant-Induced Deformations at the Interface of Emulsion Droplets by Digital Image Analysis of Droplet Projections

Emulsion droplets do not always have smooth surfaces. Under certain conditions, the formation of surface-active species at oil-water interfaces leads to interfacial instabilities that cause a spontaneous increase in the droplet surface area, which results in fascinating droplet morphologies. The specific system presented in this study consists of stearic acid encapsulated in an oil droplet and the quaternary ammonium surfactant cetyltrimethylammonium bromide in the aqueous phase. This system is studied by examining the deformation of single emulsion droplets hanging on a capillary tip. By using digital image analysis, the relative perimeters and fractal dimensions from the droplet outlines are calculated and the influences of several process parameters on their temporal development are studied. It is demonstrated that the surfactant concentration, pH value, salt addition, alcohol addition, and viscosity have a considerable impact on the droplet morphology and possible causes for this behavior are discussed. Through this study, important insights are gained into the deformation mechanism and kinetics that can potentially guide the future preparation of particles with special surface morphologies.