CaIFF Webinar: Professor Karen Elder
Structuring and Self-Assembly in Deep Eutectic Solvents
Deep eutectic solvents (DES) are mixtures of hydrogen bond donors and acceptors that form strongly hydrogen-bonded room temperature liquids. These mixtures are straightforward to prepare, using cheap, bioderived components, with lower toxicity than ionic liquids and lower volatility than many organic solvents, so are potential green solvents for applications ranging from organic synthesis to pharmaceutical delivery to extraction of actives.
Changing the H-bonding components and their ratios can alter the physicochemical properties of DES, leading to changes in solubility of other species in these solvents and also altering the self-organisation of surfactants in these mixtures. We have investigated how components in several different DES impact upon solubility and structuring in surfactant solutions, using small angle X-ray and neutron scattering and rheology.
Factors such as polarity, the presence of water, and the intermolecular interactions between both solvent components themselves and with the surfactant headgroups play a role in the size and morphology of the micelles formed. We aim to develop design rules for novel complex solutions with applications in templating, rheology control and encapsulation using these interesting new solvent systems.
Speaker
Professor Karen Edler, Lund University, Sweden