Controlling the Thermal Gelation of Nanoemulsions and Applications Thereof

Nanoemulsions are kinetically stable liquid-in-liquid dispersions with droplet sizes on the order of 100 nm. Their small size leads to useful properties such as high surface area per unit volume, robust stability, optically transparent appearance, and tunable rheology. Nanoemulsions are finding application in diverse areas such as drug delivery, food, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, and material synthesis. In this talk, I will discuss three strategies to control the thermal gelation of nanoemulsions: 1) telechelic polymers which bridge droplets, 2) end-group functionalized polymers which displace surfactants on droplets, and 3) copolymers which thermally associate to create “hairy droplets”. Time permitting, some applications of these systems in pharmaceutical applications will be discussed.