Increased Emulsion Stability for Reverse Y-Shaped Sugar-Based Surfactants

A series of reverse Y-shaped surfactants containing aromatic and aliphatic linkers to combine two short hydrocarbon chains and one carbohydrate head group was prepared. Liquid crystalline behavior, air-water interfacial properties, and efficiency as an emulsifier was investigated for each reverse Y-shaped surfactant. All reverse Y-shaped surfactants mediated higher emulsion stabilities for water-in-oil compared to common typical reference surfactants, reflecting an improved ability to cope with a curvature towards water. The introduction of a benzene ring into the linker substantially increased the affinity of the surfactant for hydrophobic media, resulting in improved emulsion stability for both water-in-oil and oil-in-water.