Cintia J. Fernandez, Verónica Volpe, Analía Guerrero, Danielle Silva do Nascimento, Marcos Grünhut
{"title":"Confocal Raman spectroscopy applied to microemulsions and nanoemulsions","authors":"Cintia J. Fernandez, Verónica Volpe, Analía Guerrero, Danielle Silva do Nascimento, Marcos Grünhut","doi":"10.1016/j.cocis.2025.101932","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cocis.2025.101932","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Raman spectroscopy is a light scattering technique in which a molecule scatters incident light at different wavelengths depending on the chemical structure of the analyte, from a high-intensity laser light source. The Raman scattered light is detected to create the Raman spectrum, which is unique to the chemical compounds present in the sample, acting as chemical fingerprints. Since Raman spectrometers can be coupled to a confocal microscope, the selection of regions of interest and a high magnification of the image of the sample can be achieved. Furthermore, 2D and 3D mapping can be generated from thousands of Raman spectra acquired from different positions on the sample, showing the distribution of individual chemical components in the sample. This review summarizes recent advances in the application of confocal Raman spectroscopy to the physicochemical and analytical characterization of microemulsions and nanoemulsions, focusing primarily on topical formulations and biological studies (<em>in-vitro</em> and <em>ex-vivo</em>), and including representative <em>in-vivo</em> and clinical investigations. Identification, quantification, and distribution of components (surfactants, oil phase, active ingredients, etc.) in the colloidal systems, as well as to biological studies related to dynamic processes of formulations in different tissues, even in real-time, were performed. The methodological aspects of confocal Raman spectroscopy in recent works were adequately described, discussed, and compared. Also, we analyzed the limitations and advantages of the spectroscopic technique, including its contribution to green chemistry. Finally, we discuss future perspectives considering its combination with chemometric and artificial intelligence algorithms to improve the quality of the results.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":293,"journal":{"name":"Current Opinion in Colloid & Interface Science","volume":"78 ","pages":"Article 101932"},"PeriodicalIF":7.9,"publicationDate":"2025-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144281053","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Micro- and nanoplastics as transport vectors for organic contaminants in the environment: A critical review","authors":"Charlotte Henkel , Thorsten Hüffer , Snežana Maletić , Thilo Hofmann","doi":"10.1016/j.cocis.2025.101934","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cocis.2025.101934","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The impact of micro- and nanosized plastic particles on the mobility of organic contaminants in the environment is a topic of ongoing scientific debate. Their extensive surface area and capacity to interact with organic contaminants have led to frequent concerns that micro- and nanoplastics significantly enhance their mobility and facilitate contaminant uptake by marine biota. For terrestrial systems, this hypothesis has been adopted, raising concerns that plastic particles could facilitate the transport of contaminants into deeper soil layers, thereby posing a threat to groundwater resources, especially in agricultural soils. These soils receive substantial plastic input through various sources, such as organic soil amendments, mulch, recycled wastewater, and atmospheric deposition. This review examines the molecular interactions between organic contaminants, including a wide range of non-intentionally added substances and additives, and plastic interfaces. We critically analyze the role of micro- and nanoplastics as vectors for contaminants in both marine environments and agricultural soils. Our analysis suggests that the vector effect of contaminants via micro- and nanoplastics in the marine environment is generally insignificant compared to other exposure routes. Our calculations regarding the mass transfer of common plastic additives indicate that the role of micro- and, particularly, nanoplastics as carriers for the majority of organic contaminants in agricultural soils is limited due to rapid desorption rates. Although micro- and nanoplastics do not considerably contribute to transport phenomena as vectors, it is crucial to recognize that they are significant sources of potentially harmful contaminants. These issues must be addressed in the forthcoming INC-5 plastic treaty.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":293,"journal":{"name":"Current Opinion in Colloid & Interface Science","volume":"78 ","pages":"Article 101934"},"PeriodicalIF":7.9,"publicationDate":"2025-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144490963","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Recent advances in fluorine-free functionalized nanomaterials for low-wettability applications","authors":"Donald Hill, Henry Apsey, Shirin Alexander","doi":"10.1016/j.cocis.2025.101922","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cocis.2025.101922","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The reduction in wettability afforded by applying superhydrophobic coatings onto substrate materials imbues many useful properties. This review presents recent research advancements of superhydrophobic surfaces formed from functionalised nanoparticles in some of their most promising applications. Silica and metal oxide nanoparticles can be readily functionalised with commercially available hydrophobic compounds to lower their surface energy and can be easily applied to materials with complicated forms and topographies using methods such as spraying or dipping, thus making the coating process adaptable to many situations. Advances in these coatings for imbuing icephobicity, corrosion resistance, self-cleaning, oil-in-water separation, and anti-biofouling behaviour are presented in this short review.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":293,"journal":{"name":"Current Opinion in Colloid & Interface Science","volume":"78 ","pages":"Article 101922"},"PeriodicalIF":7.9,"publicationDate":"2025-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144090645","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Jack W. Avery , Beatrice E. Jones , Gregory N. Smith , Rachel C. Evans
{"title":"Light-responsive emulsions and dispersions: Design and applications","authors":"Jack W. Avery , Beatrice E. Jones , Gregory N. Smith , Rachel C. Evans","doi":"10.1016/j.cocis.2025.101935","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cocis.2025.101935","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The response of molecules to light can have a dramatic impact on the stability, morphology, and controlled release from emulsions or dispersions. In this review, we discuss the underlying mechanisms enabling light-responsive behaviour, including photoswitching, photodestruction, and photothermal effects, in surfactant- and particle-stabilised emulsions and dispersions of structured lipid nanoparticles. We critically evaluate the recent literature to demonstrate the precise control that can be achieved over a wide range of parameters, including droplet size, stability, and release. Finally, we summarise the emerging applications of these systems, identify current challenges, and suggest future research directions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":293,"journal":{"name":"Current Opinion in Colloid & Interface Science","volume":"78 ","pages":"Article 101935"},"PeriodicalIF":7.9,"publicationDate":"2025-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144570453","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Evaporation of emulsion drops on surfaces: A short review","authors":"Dileep Mampallil","doi":"10.1016/j.cocis.2025.101938","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cocis.2025.101938","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The evaporation of drops is a ubiquitous phenomenon with implications across a wide range of applied processes. Consequently, the fundamentals of drop evaporation under various configurations and conditions have been extensively studied. One particularly interesting configuration involves the evaporation of emulsion drops, which has implications for food technology, drug delivery, and cosmetics, to name a few. This review explores the evaporation of emulsion systems placed on solid surfaces. Oil-in-water and water-in-oil emulsions exhibit distinct evaporation dynamics and offer possibilities for various applications. Here, we discuss the fundamental principles of drop evaporation in general and highlight various applications of emulsion systems. Additionally, we examine the potential opportunities that can be explored within this system.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":293,"journal":{"name":"Current Opinion in Colloid & Interface Science","volume":"78 ","pages":"Article 101938"},"PeriodicalIF":7.9,"publicationDate":"2025-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144580647","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Microfluidic production of hydrogel-shelled microcapsules and their applications","authors":"Jiwoo Lee , Ji-Won Kim , Shin-Hyun Kim","doi":"10.1016/j.cocis.2025.101936","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cocis.2025.101936","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Hydrogel shells enable precise compartmentalization of aqueous cores while regulating transmembrane molecular transport based on size- and charge-selectivity. Recent advances in droplet microfluidics have enabled the production of monodisperse multiple-emulsion droplets, which serve as ideal templates for hydrogel shell fabrication. This mini-review highlights recent progress in microfluidic emulsion templating for hydrogel shell production and explores optimal design strategies for diverse applications. Hydrogel shells are fabricated using various types of emulsions, with formation mechanisms and material selection tailored to each type. Their applications span drug and cell microcarriers, microreactors, and microsensors, where the composition, structure, and crosslinking density are precisely engineered.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":293,"journal":{"name":"Current Opinion in Colloid & Interface Science","volume":"78 ","pages":"Article 101936"},"PeriodicalIF":7.9,"publicationDate":"2025-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144501651","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Pickering emulsions stabilized by cellulose nanofibers obtained from agricultural and food waste","authors":"Noriko Kanai , Izuru Kawamura","doi":"10.1016/j.cocis.2025.101931","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cocis.2025.101931","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Cellulose nanofibers (CNFs) have been extensively studied as natural stabilizers and emulsifiers for oil-in-water Pickering emulsions (PEs). While wood has been the primary source of CNFs worldwide, agricultural and food waste (AFW) is an attractive biomass source due to its fast growth and abundance. AFW-derived CNFs share structural similarities with wood-derived CNFs, with comparable emulsifying properties, and have attracted significant attention in food and cosmetics industries. Importantly, developing PEs stabilized by AFW-derived CNFs creates new research opportunities for waste valorization and upcycling into sustainable materials. This review summarizes the latest research of PEs stabilized by AFW-derived CNFs and cellulose nanocrystals.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":293,"journal":{"name":"Current Opinion in Colloid & Interface Science","volume":"78 ","pages":"Article 101931"},"PeriodicalIF":7.9,"publicationDate":"2025-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144470156","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Open issues in the linear and NonLinear rheology of wormlike micelles","authors":"Rossana Pasquino , Rolando Castillo","doi":"10.1016/j.cocis.2025.101919","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cocis.2025.101919","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>We review experimental evidence and theoretical/modeling approaches on Wormlike Micelles (WLMs) dynamics in linear and nonlinear regimes. We focus on recent works regarding the extraction of quantitative microscopic information from linear rheology data and the possibility of quantifying the fast relaxation processes. Models for WLMs undergoing reptation and chain sequence rearrangement are discussed. Strong shear and elongational flows that can cause interesting phenomena, <em>e.g</em>. chain scission, structure formation, and elastic instabilities in WLMs, are considered. More specifically, start-up shear flow in the nonlinear regime, LAOS experiments, and relative data treatment are discussed, together with shear-banding phenomena and their dynamics, inertio-elastic instabilities, and secondary flow. Different techniques for measuring WLMs in extensional flow are compared, referring in particular to the recent dripping-onto-substrate (DoS) extensional rheometry, which is able to address some shortcomings of the CaBER technique. We finally deal with the potential source of triggering flow profiles and secondary flows with fluid properties and external conditions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":293,"journal":{"name":"Current Opinion in Colloid & Interface Science","volume":"77 ","pages":"Article 101919"},"PeriodicalIF":7.9,"publicationDate":"2025-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143855834","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Patrick T. Spicer, Maryam Hosseini, Firoozeh Babayekhorasani
{"title":"Complex fluid product microstructure imaging with light sheet fluorescence microscopy","authors":"Patrick T. Spicer, Maryam Hosseini, Firoozeh Babayekhorasani","doi":"10.1016/j.cocis.2025.101916","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cocis.2025.101916","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Light sheet fluorescence microscopy (LSFM), uses a thin sheet laser illumination to rapidly image samples with greatly reduced photodamage versus previous techniques. The flexibility of the technique has powered significant advances in biology research by connecting length scales from individual cells to entire developmental embryos. For similar reasons, LSFM is poised to enhance mesoscale imaging of complex fluid microstructures in fundamental and commercial systems. This work introduces the LSFM technique and reviews some of its complex fluid applications along with examples of its use in food, biomaterial, and emulsion product samples. The technique is shown to nicely complement existing complex fluid characterization methods because of its breadth of length scale resolution and its lack of photobleaching effects. New product applications for LSFM are identified and discussed, suggesting additional integration with existing techniques.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":293,"journal":{"name":"Current Opinion in Colloid & Interface Science","volume":"77 ","pages":"Article 101916"},"PeriodicalIF":7.9,"publicationDate":"2025-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143768446","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}