Thermoanalytical investigation of lyotropic liquid crystals and microemulsions for pharmaceutical use

The interactions between surfactant and water were studied thermoanalytically focusing on the lyotropic liquid crystalline and microemulsion region in four ternary systems containing Cremophor EL and Cremophor RH40 as surfactants, neutral oil and isopropyl myristate as oily components. Subzero temperature DSC (SZT-DSC) measurements were carried out to determine the quantity of the bound water forming a hydration layer in surfactant microstructures, and the amount of free water, which has physico-chemical properties not much different from those of pure water. The variation of the surfactant:bound water ratio in the function of water concentration was also investigated. Phase changes detected by the SZT-DSC measurements were confirmed by polarization-microscopic and rheological investigations.