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Surfactants: Design, Synthesis and Application

A special issue of International Journal of Molecular Sciences (ISSN 1422-0067). This special issue belongs to the section "Materials Science".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 9 October 2025 | Viewed by 237

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
Department of Physical and Quantum Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, Wroclaw University, University of Science and Technology, Wyb. Wyspianskiego 27, 50-370 Wroclaw, Poland
Interests: nanoemulsions; microemulsions; double emulsions; cubosomes; hexosomes; bilosomes; solid lipid nanoparticles (SLN); nanostructured lipid carriers (NLC); polymeric nanocapsules and nanospheres; polymeric micelles
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Surfactants, i.e., surface-active amphiphilic compounds, are unique in their structure, allowing the dissolution of one compound in two different solvents simultaneously, thanks to the ability to adsorb at the interface, forming supramolecular micellar aggregates—so-called associated colloids, or microheterogenic systems—with a developed external surface and a number of interesting features. Consequently, the rational design of the surfactant architecture, synthesis, and finally their application in the self-assembly and stabilization processes of many disperse and colloidal systems are the key issues to provide their potential in pharmaceutical, medical (including theranostic), food, and cosmetic requests.

This Special Issue focuses on the recent progress in the design, engineering, and physicochemical evaluation of novel surfactant structures as well as their appropriate selection in the engineering of novel nanostructured formulations and nanoparticles of pharmaceutical, medical, food, and cosmetic impact. It will include research papers and review articles reflecting the most recent developments in this dynamic research area, including surfactant design, synthesis, aggregation, solubility, and adsorption phenomena. On the other hand, it will focus on “soft” and surface-modified surfactant-stabilized structures such as different emulsion formulations and foams, as well as micellar nanocarriers: lipid-based (vesicular and non-vesicular origin) and polymer-based, mainly supramolecular structures (polymersomes, polymeric micelles, nanocapsules, nanospheres, dendrimers, nanogels). Papers involving recent research and achievements in the fabrication of colloidal semiconductor (inorganic or organic) luminescent nanoparticles stabilized by surfactants as well as novel lipid–polymer and organic–inorganic nanohybrids are also welcome.

Dr. Urszula Bazylinska
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • surfactants
  • adsorption phenomena
  • critical micellar concentration (CMC)
  • hydrophilic–lipophilic balance (HLB)
  • critical packing parameter (CPP)
  • emulsion formulations
  • vesicular and non-vesicular origin nanocarriers
  • drug delivery
  • theranostics

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

19 pages, 3228 KB  
Article
Towards Designing Green-Inspired Nano- and Microemulsions Alongside Novel Solvatochromic Probes as an Effective Tool in Delivery Issues
by Aleksandra Szarwaryn, Wojciech Bartkowiak, Tomasz K. Olszewski and Urszula Bazylińska
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2025, 26(18), 9259; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms26189259 - 22 Sep 2025
Abstract
The extensive use of submicron emulsion systems, particularly those stabilized by nonionic surfactants, with their proven effectiveness and safety profile, provides a reassuring foundation for our research. Consequently, we designed and engineered new submicron emulsion formulations stabilized with a biocompatible surfactant polyoxyethylated cocoamine, [...] Read more.
The extensive use of submicron emulsion systems, particularly those stabilized by nonionic surfactants, with their proven effectiveness and safety profile, provides a reassuring foundation for our research. Consequently, we designed and engineered new submicron emulsion formulations stabilized with a biocompatible surfactant polyoxyethylated cocoamine, whose nonionic character is due to a high degree of polyoxyethylation. We chose oleic acid as the oil phase, a fatty acid known for its beneficial properties. This led to novel biocompatible nanoemulsions with high stability and cosurfactant-free microemulsions. The dynamic light scattering studies confirmed that both formulations have a nanometric size and low polydispersity index values. Moreover, transmission electron microscopy verified the nanodroplets’ morphological homogeneity and spherical shape. The resulting nanoplatforms can be applied to carry bioactive agents in the pharmaceutical and cosmetic fields. For this reason, we solubilized newly synthesized 5-dimethylamino-5′-nitro-2,2′-bithiophene as a model hydrophobic cargo for delivering poorly water-soluble compounds. This dye was chosen due to its strong solvatochromic behavior and suitability for micropolarity analysis via UV–Vis spectroscopy. We also present a simple method for rapid micropolarity screening to assess the type of nanodispersion via solvatochromic shift as an alternative procedure for evaluating of the oils used to fabricate nanoformulations for pharmaceutical and cosmetic purposes. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Surfactants: Design, Synthesis and Application)
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