Helfrich's concept of intrinsic force and its molecular origin in bilayers and monolayers

How to gather useful and valuable information from protein binding measurements using Langmuir lipid monolayers

This review presents data on the influence of various experimental parameters on the binding of proteins onto Langmuir lipid monolayers. The users of the Langmuir methodology are often unaware of the importance of choosing appropriate experimental conditions to validate the data acquired with this method. The protein Retinitis pigmentosa 2 (RP2) has been used throughout this review to illustrate the influence of these experimental parameters on the data gathered with Langmuir monolayers. The methods detailed in this review include the determination of protein binding parameters from the measurement of adsorption isotherms, infrared spectra of the protein in solution and in monolayers, ellipsometric isotherms and fluorescence micrographs.

Phase inversion emulsification: Current understanding and applications

This review is addressed to the phase inversion process, which is not only a common, low-energy route to make stable emulsions for a variety of industrial products spanning from food to pharmaceuticals, but can also be an undesired effect in some applications, such as crude oil transportation in pipelines. Two main ways to induce phase inversion are described in the literature, i.e., phase inversion composition (PIC or catastrophic) and phase inversion temperature (PIT or transitional). In the former, starting from one phase (oil or water) with surfactants, the other phase is more or less gradually added until it reverts to the continuous phase. In PIT, phase inversion is driven by a temperature change without varying system composition. Given its industrial relevance and scientific challenge, phase inversion has been the subject of a number of papers in the literature, including extensive reviews. Due to the variety of applications and the complexity of the problem, most of the publications have been focused either on the phase behavior or the interfacial properties or the mixing process of the two phases. Although all these aspects are quite important in studying phase inversion and much progress has been done on this topic, a comprehensive picture is still lacking. In particular, the general mechanisms governing the inversion phenomenon have not been completely elucidated and quantitative predictions of the phase inversion point are limited to specific systems and experimental conditions. Here, we review the different approaches on phase inversion and highlight some related applications, including future and emerging perspectives.