Critical steps and energetics involved in a successful development of a stable nanoemulsion

Abstract Over the past two decades, nanoemulsions (NEs) have gained immense attention in the area of drug delivery because of their ease of manufacture, high solubilization capacity, spontaneous formation, thermodynamic stability, enhanced stability of the encapsulated drug, high absorption rates and ability to encapsulate both hydrophilic as well as hydrophobic drugs. Recent advances in separation science and the technologies from physical and biological sciences that can be used to characterize NEs are set to improve the status of NEs. The major advantage of NE technology is the stability in comparison with other colloidal carriers. It may remain stable from few hours to years, depending upon the selected components and the adopted methodology of their preparation. The destabilization of NE occurs because of the change in the droplet size by Ostwald ripening. The biggest contest to functionalize the surface of NEs has been the need to stabilize the oil–water interface during emulsification. This review clarifies the concepts found in the literature regarding NE development, components screening, preparation techniques, evaluation parameters and stability issues with respect to the significance of pseudo-ternary phase diagrams. We also framed about the critical steps involved in the development of stable NEs and the role of energies in their stabilization.