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. 2021 Mar 31;26(7):1971.
doi: 10.3390/molecules26071971.

Preparation of Microemulsion from an Alkyl Polyglycoside Surfactant and Tea Tree Oil

Thuy-Vi Vo  1 , Ya-Yen Chou  2 , Bing-Hung Chen  1
Affiliations

Preparation of Microemulsion from an Alkyl Polyglycoside Surfactant and Tea Tree Oil

Thuy-Vi Vo et al. Molecules. .

Abstract

Preparation and characterization of microemulsions consisting of a plant-derived alkyl polyglycoside (APG) surfactant and the essential oil of Melaleuca alternifolia (tea tree) was studied. This nonionic APG surfactant used was Triton CG-110 with a CMC at 1748 ppm at 25 °C. Tea tree oil (TTO) was extracted from tea tree leaves by Triton CG-110-assisted hydrodistillation method. The preparation of the microemulsion was aided by the construction of pseudo-ternary phase diagrams, which were investigated at the different weight ratios of surfactant mixtures (Smix = Triton CG-110/PPG) as 0.6:1, 1.8:1, 1:0 with hydrodistilled and commercial TTO by water titration method at room temperature. Particularly, structure of microemulsion was identified by electrical conductivity and viscosity. Moreover, shelf stability of some microemulsion made of 1% TTO with various concentration of Triton CG-110/PPG (1.8:1 w/w) were monitored for over a two-month period with dynamic light scattering. These results showed that microemulsion made of 1% TTO, 9% Triton CG-110/PPG (1.8:1 w/w) was insensitive with time and temperature of storage.

Keywords: alkyl polyglycoside; humectant; hydrodistillation; microemulsion; tea tree oil.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Pseudoternary phase diagrams of mixed surfactant—tea tree oil (TTO)—water systems. The mixed surfactants were prepared from Triton CG-110 and a co-surfactant at different mass ratios (either 0.6:1 or 1.8:1). The co-surfactants include glycerol, propylene glycol (PPG) and polyethylene glycol 400 (PEG 400), while either in-house hydrodistilled TTO or commercial TTO was used. (a,d) Triton CG-110 only, (b,e) Triton CG-110/ PPG (1.8/1), (c,f) Triton CG-110/PPG (0.6/1), (g) Triton CG-110/glycerol (1.8/1), (h) Triton CG-110/PEG 400 (1.8/1).
Figure 2
Figure 2
Properties of microemulsions prepared from dilution along Line 1–9 and Line 3–7: (a) Electrical conductivity; (b) Viscosity.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Effect of storage temperature and time on the aggregate size of microemulsion prepare from mixed surfactants of Triton CG-110/PPG (1.8:1 w/w) and 1 wt% in-house hydrodistilled TTO: (a) Stored at 25 °C, (b) Measured after one-week storage.
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