Formation of surfactant free microemulsions in the ternary system water/eugenol/ethanol

This works analyzes the aggregation phenomena occurring in a ternary mixture formed by two solvent mutually immiscible, water and eugenol, and a third solvent that can act as co-solvent with both, thus fulfilling the requirements for the appearance of the pre-Ouzo effect. The combination of visual observation of the samples and GC-MS allows us to draw a ternary phase diagram for the system. Dynamic Light Scattering (DLS) has provided information on the bulk aggregation occurring in the system, and also has given good insights in the destabilization of the pseudo-one phase region. The DLS measurements performed in different paths of the phase diagram have allowed us to establish a critical composition for destabilization of the one phase region, having equal content of the components. Stable microemulsions can be used for solubilization of a model insecticide, opening a new route for the fabrication of biosustainable formulations for insecticides. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.