Characteristics and Stability of Emulsions

The stability of any emulsion is dependent on needs and the application area. In some cases, the emulsion need to be stable for longer time than in other cases. As in the case of hair cream, the emulsion should destabilize as soon as it is applied to the hair, as otherwise, the hair will be white with emulsion droplets. On the other hand, any emulsion used in spraying on plants needs to be stable for longer time. Further, if one needs to clean oil spills on oceans, the emulsion formation then needs to be destabilized. 

There are different processes that are involved in the stability and characteristics of emulsions. 

Increasing the viscosity of the water phase and thereby decreasing the rate of movement of the oil drops 

Decreasing interfacial tension and thus the size of the oil drops 

The ionized surfactants will stabilize O/W emulsions by imparting the surface electrical double layer (EDL). 

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