Macroemulsions versus microemulsions

Studies of microemulsions have resulted in a detailed understanding of the properties of surfactant films. Progress have been made with respect to both experimental methods and theoretical concepts. This paper discusses how some of this knowledge can be used in emulsion studies, in particular the role of the phase behavior, diffusion studies of both microemulsions and macroemulsions, the implications of the flexible surface model for emulsion stability and the Ostwald ripening process in a potentially metastable emulsion system. By way of these examples it is demonstrated how microemulsion research has helped to develop our current understanding of macroemulsions. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science B.V.