Liquid droplet dispersions formed by homogeneous liquid-liquid nucleation: The ouzo effect

The ouzo effect enables one to create a dispersion of small droplets in a surrounding liquid phase without the use of surfactants, dispersing agents, or mechanical agitation: a phenomenon which can be of value in many disciplines. In the quantitative studies presented here, dispersions of oil droplets in water are formed by the addition of water to a solution of the oil dissolved in a solvent. This causes the oil to supersaturate and then nucleate into small droplets. The mean droplet diameter is a function only of the oil-to-solvent ratio at a given temperature. The number density of droplets formed can be controlled independently from the droplet diameter by changing the amount of water added. Smaller droplets are formed by using more hydrophilic cosolvents. The droplet size distribution is typically log-normal. The width of the distribution can be narrowed by mixing the components at an elevated temperature and then allowing the dispersion to cool.