Modelling of mass transfer from multiple emulsions

Multiple emulsions are complex systems, where the droplets of a dispersed phase themselves contain smaller dispersed droplets of the second liquid phase (containing released material). The two major types of double emulsions are W/O/W and O/W/O where: W – water phase, O – organic phase (e.g. oil). The potential applications of the system are enormous, mainly in medicine and pharmaceutics technologies, food and cosmetics, in the area of slow and controlled release of species (e.g. drugs, pesticides). The model of mass transfer was proposed which would allow evaluating the influence of the consecutive parameters on the drug release process from multiple emulsions. The obtained results implicate the effectiveness of the model. According to the preliminary anticipations, the most important parameters that allow controlling the time of substance release are diffusion coefficient of the continuous phase of emulsion and the mass transfer to the external medium. It can be reached by selecting the properties of the continuous liquid phase in emulsion.