title: Stability of C(12)E(j) Bilayers Probed with Adhesive Droplets.
abstract: The stability of model surfactant bilayers from the poly(ethylene glycol) mono-n-dodecyl ether (C12Ej) family was probed. The surfactant bilayers were formed by the adhesion of emulsion droplets. We generated C12Ej bilayers by forming water-in-oil (w/o) emulsions with saline water droplets, covered by the surfactant, in a silicone and octane oil mixture. Using microfluidics, we studied the stability of those bilayers. C12E1 allowed only short-lived bilayers whereas C12E2 bilayers were stable over a wide range of oil mixtures. At high C12E2 concentration, a two-phase region was displayed in the phase diagram: bilayers formed by the adhesion of two water droplets and Janus-like particles consisting of adhering aqueous and amphiphilic droplets. C12E8 and C12E25 did not mediate bilayer formation and caused phase inversion leading to o/w emulsion. With intermediate C12E4 and C12E5 surfactants, both w/o and o/w emulsions were unstable. We provided the titration of the C12E2 bilayer with C12E4 and C12E5 to study and predict their stability behavior.
authors.affiliation: †Laboratoire de Physique Statistique, Ecole Normale Supérieure, Sorbonne Universités, UPMC Université, and Université Paris Diderot, CNRS, 24 rue Lhomond, F-75005 Paris, France.
authors.forename: Ksenia
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Astafyeva
authors.affiliation: †Laboratoire de Physique Statistique, Ecole Normale Supérieure, Sorbonne Universités, UPMC Université, and Université Paris Diderot, CNRS, 24 rue Lhomond, F-75005 Paris, France.|‡Université René Descartes, Paris, France.
authors.forename: Wladimir
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Urbach
authors.affiliation: †Laboratoire de Physique Statistique, Ecole Normale Supérieure, Sorbonne Universités, UPMC Université, and Université Paris Diderot, CNRS, 24 rue Lhomond, F-75005 Paris, France.
authors.forename: Nabil
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Garroum
authors.affiliation: §Sorbonne Universités, UPMC Univ. Paris 06, CNRS, Laboratoire d'Imagerie Biomédicale, INSERM, F-75006 Paris, France.
authors.forename: Nicolas
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Taulier
authors.affiliation: †Laboratoire de Physique Statistique, Ecole Normale Supérieure, Sorbonne Universités, UPMC Université, and Université Paris Diderot, CNRS, 24 rue Lhomond, F-75005 Paris, France.
authors.forename: Abdou R
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Thiam
mesh_terms: D004655:Emulsions / Q000737:chemistry; D008051:Lipid Bilayers / Q000737:chemistry*; D010316:Particle Size; D011092:Polyethylene Glycols / Q000737:chemistry*; D013499:Surface Properties; D013501:Surface-Active Agents / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D004655:Emulsions; D008051:Lipid Bilayers; D013501:Surface-Active Agents; C017272:dodecyloctaethyleneglycol monoether; D011092:Polyethylene Glycols