Influence of the Stabilizer Concentration on the Internal Liquid Crystalline Order and the Size of Oil-Loaded Monolinolein-Based Dispersions

The internal phase of monolinolein-based dispersions loaded with tetradecane or (R)-(+)-limonene was investigated as a function of the stabilizer content by small-angle X-ray scattering. Phase transitions at the colloidal scale were found in some of nanostructured aqueous dispersions by increasing the stabilizer content. For particles containing a bicontinuous cubic phase, a large increase of the stabilizer concentration promoted a liquid crystalline phase transition from the Pn3m to the Im3m cubic symmetry. The coexistence of both phases is observed in an intermediate stabilizer concentration range. For particles with an internal micellar cubic Fd3m symmetry, the internal structure changes in the isotropic fluid L2 phase. In case of particles with an internal hexagonal phase (H2 symmetry), the increasing amount of stabilizer did not alter the lattice parameter but decreased the size of the nanostructured domain. Moreover, we showed for hexagonal and emulsified micellar phase particles that the increas...