Double Emulsions and Microcapsules Produced by Emulsification Processes

Dear Colleagues,

Encapsulation systems both protect ingredients from the environment and the environment from the encapsulated ingredients themselves. They can improve the bioavailability of substances and increase the storage stability of valuable components. Double emulsions have long been discussed as a formulation for such purposes. However, formulation specialists still struggle to find universal formulations capable of encapsulating different active ingredients. The challenge here lies in the complex interplay between two differently curved interfaces. The added emulsifiers and surfactants must be carefully selected and used at an appropriate concentration. The solubility of the encapsulated substance in the intermediate phase must match that of the application so that release occurs at the desired rate. In order to achieve long-term stability, the intermediate and outer phases of double emulsions are often gelled or solidified. This additional phase transition poses an additional challenge in the realm of production. The production processes themselves, whether classical two-stage approaches, microfluidic techniques, single-stage approaches, or phase inversion processes, each bring their own challenges and limitations and still offer extensive room for optimization. This Special Issue welcomes contributions from all application areas such as food science, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, agriculture, as well as basic research and theoretical work on double emulsions. Applications using double emulsions as an intermediate step for the production of solid microcapsules, Janus particles or microreactors are also welcome.

Prof. Dr. Heike Karbstein
Dr. Nico Leister
Guest Editors

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• double emulsions
• encapsulation
• W/O/W and O/W/O
• microfluidics
• low-fat products
• janus particles
• microreactors
• surfaces
• interfaces
• monolayers
• methods, tools and new insights in multiphase systems