Comparison of surfactants used to prepare aqueous perfluoropentane emulsions for pharmaceutical applications.
Perfluoropentane (PFP), a very hydrophobic, nontoxic, noncarcinogenic fluoroalkane, has generated much interest in biomedical applications, including occlusion therapy and controlled drug delivery. For most of these applications, the dispersion within aqueous media of a large quantity of PFP droplets of the proper size is critically important. Surprisingly, the interfacial tension of PFP against water in the presence of surfactants used to stabilize the emulsion has rarely, if ever, been measured. In this study, we report the interfacial tension of PFP in the presence of surfactants used in previous studies to produce emulsions for biomedical applications: polyethylene oxide-co-polylactic acid (PEO-PLA) and polyethylene oxide-co-poly-epsilon-caprolactone (PEO-PCL). Because both of these surfactants are uncharged diblock copolymers that rely on the mechanism of steric stabilization, we also investigate for comparison's sake the use of the small-molecule cationic surfactant cetyl trimethyl ammonium bromide (CTAB) and the much larger protein surfactant bovine serum albumin (BSA). The results presented here complement previous reports of the PFP droplet size distribution and will be useful for determining to what extent the interfacial tension value can be used to control the mean PFP droplet size.
Kandadai
Madhuvanthi A
MA
Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah 84112, USA. madhu.kandadai@utah.edu
Mohan
Praveena
P
Lin
Genyao
G
Butterfield
Anthony
A
Skliar
Mikhail
M
Magda
Jules J
JJ
D000818:Animals; D002417:Cattle; D004655:Emulsions / Q000737:chemistry*; D005466:Fluorocarbons / Q000737:chemistry*; D057927:Hydrophobic and Hydrophilic Interactions; D019344:Lactic Acid / Q000737:chemistry; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D011091:Polyesters / Q000737:chemistry; D011092:Polyethylene Glycols / Q000737:chemistry; D011108:Polymers / Q000737:chemistry; D012710:Serum Albumin, Bovine / Q000737:chemistry; D013501:Surface-Active Agents / Q000737:chemistry*; D010420:Pentanes
D004655:Emulsions; D005466:Fluorocarbons; D019344:Lactic Acid; D011091:Polyesters; D011092:Polyethylene Glycols; D011108:Polymers; D012710:Serum Albumin, Bovine; D013501:Surface-Active Agents; C016240:polycaprolactone; C033616:poly(lactide); C008806:perfluoropentane; D010420:Pentanes