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Chitosan is a cationic biopolymer, which attracts more and more attention in recent years, due to its exceptional physical and chemical properties, expressive biocompatibility and possibilities of obtaining from renewable sources. Formed polymer/surfactant complexes affect changes in the rheological properties and the final result is the formation of coacervates. The purpose of this study was to investigate the rheological properties of aqueous solutions of cationic polyelectrolyte, chitosan and sodium lauryl ether sulfate (SLES), an anionic surfactant, widely used in the cosmetics industry. Using the Thermo Haake RS600 rheometer, changes in the rheological and elastic properties of chitosan and SLES mixtures have been identified, gained as a result of the interaction of the components. In all examined samples coefficient of thixotropy was increasing with increase SLES concentration and achieves a maximum value at the mass ratio chitosan:SLES 1:2, after which it reduces. The oscillatory measurements in mixtures, performed by amplitude sweep method at low oscillating frequency 1 Hz, show that the linear viscoelastic region increases with increasing SLES concentration up to the same chitosan:SLES mass ratio. By monitoring the changes in the rheological parameters of the mixtures over five days, it was observed that the viscosity, the coefficient of thixotropy and elasticity were increasing, indicating that changes in the system occur over a longer period of time. In that manner, obtained results indicate the possibility of using rheological methods for a more detailed description of the interaction in the chitosan/SLES mixtures, important for their application in cosmetics and pharmaceutical industries. [Project of the Serbian Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development, Grant no. III46010]

Water in oil (W/O) emulsions are dispersed systems which have very wide application as a carriers in the food, pharmaceutical and cosmetic industry products. The main problem with practical application of such systems is their low stability. The emulsifiers used to stabilize this type of emulsions are with low hydrophilic-lipophilic balance values. The present work examines the possibility of the application of mixtures of lipophilic emulsifiers polyglycerol polyricinoleate (PGPR) and polyglycerol fatty acid esters for stabilization of W/O emulsions. First of all, the adsorption properties of the used emulsifiers were examined by tensiometic measurements. Based on these results, two emulsifiers PGPR and decaglycerol decaoleate (Caprol 10G10O) were selected for the preparation of the emulsions, as well as their mass ratios and total concentrations. The results of the investigation of the emulsions properties (dispersion analysis and sedimentation stability) showed that more stable emulsions can be obtained by decreasing the Caprol 10G10O mass ratio and increasing the total concentration of emulsifiers.[Project of the Serbian Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development, Grant no. III46010]

Contemporary formulations of cosmetic and pharmaceutical emulsions may be achieved by using combined polymer/surfactant system, which can form complexes with different structure and physicochemical properties. Such complexation can lead to additional stabilization of the emulsion products. For these reasons, the main goal of this study was to investigate the interfacial properties of chitosan/sodium dodecyl sulfate complexes. In order to understand the stabilization mechanism, the interface of the oil/water systems that contained mixtures of chitosan and sodium dodecyl sulfate, was studied by measuring the interfacial tension. Considering the fact that the properties of the oil phase has influence on the adsorption process, three different types of oil were investigated: medium-chain triglycerides (semi-synthetic oil), paraffin oil (mineral oil) and natural oil obtained from the grape seed. The surface tension measurements at the oil/water interface, for chitosan water solutions, indicate a poor surface activity of this biopolymer. Addition of sodium dodecyl sulfate to chitosan solution causes a significant decrease in the interfacial tension for all investigated oils. The results of this study are important for understanding the influence of polymer-surfactant interactions on the properties of the solution and stability of dispersed systems. [Project of the Serbian Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development, Grant no. III46010]

Water-in-oil (W/O) emulsions are dispersed systems which are often used in the pharmaceutical, cosmetic and food industries as products, or as carriers of active substances. It is well known that they are very unstable, so that selection of the emulsifier and properties of the oil and water phase are main factors affecting their stability. The aim of this paper was to examine the possibility of application of a lipophilic, polymeric emulsifier, PEG 30-dipolyhydroxystearate (CithrolTM DPHS), for stabilization of W/O emulsions. Behaviour of the emulsifier at W/O interfaces was determined by means of tensiometry. A series of emulsions were prepared with 20% (w/w) of water and different types of oil. Droplet size, droplet size distribution, viscosity, and sedimentation stability during 30 days of storage at room temperature of the emulsions prepared with paraffin oil, olive oil, grape seed oil, and medium-chain triglycerides, stabilized with 1% CithrolTM DPHS, were determined. All investigated emulsions were stable for 30 days, except the one prepared with paraffin oil. The results of this study confirmed that PEG 30-dipolyhydroxylstearate is a good emulsifier and stabilizer of W/O emulsions which contain different types of oil. [Projekat Ministarstva nauke Republike Srbije, br. III46010]

Mixtures of polymers and surfactants are commonly found in a range of products of pharmaceutical, cosmetic, and food industry. Interaction between polymers and surfactants influences different properties of these products, e.g. stability, flow properties, phase behavior, etc. It is known from previous work that an interaction in binary mixtures of hydroxypropylmethyl cellulose (HPMC) and sodium dodecylsulfate (SDS) takes place when SDS concentration (CSDS.) is higher than the critical association concentration (CAC) and lower than the polymer saturation point (PSP). The interaction results in the formation of an HPMC-SDS complex. The objective of this work was to study the effect of the ionic strength on the HPMC-SDS complex formation by rheological investigation. The HPMC/SDS mixtures composed of 0.70 % wt. HPMC, and 0.00 % to 2.50 % wt. SDS were prepared in deionized water, 0.01M and 0.05M NaCl solution. It was found that an increase in the ionic strength influences the HPMC-SDS complex formation by increasing the zero shear viscosity of the mixtures in the interaction region (CACPSP. The HPMC/SDS mixtures showed a shear thinning or a shear thickening flow properties depending on CSDS. The flow properties were influenced by the ionic strength of the mixtures.[Projekat Ministarstva nauke Republike Srbije, br. III46010]

Effect of dextrose equivalent (DE) of maltodextrin present in continuous phase on flow along with dispersion properties of sunflower oil in water emulsions has been investigated. Both, rheological and disperse characteristics of the emulsions were greatly influenced by continuous phase viscosity and thus by the DE value of maltodextrin.. The smaller DE value the greater high shear viscosity and the smaller the droplet size. Irrespective of the amount and DE value of maltodextrin used was, all the emulsions showed a pseudoplastic behaviour.