Evaluation and Optimization of Water-in-Oil Microemulsion Using Ternary Phase Diagram and Central Composite Design

Abstract

In the present study, water-in-oil (w/o) microemulsions were prepared, evaluated, and optimized using pseudoternary phase diagram and central composite design (CCD). Ternary phase diagrams were designed to determine the microemulsion region whereas face-centered CCD helped in the determination of the effect of variables like oil type and surfactant ratio on globule size and viscosity of w/o microemulsion. The design exhibited that the factors have statistically significant effects (p < 0.0001) on the selected responses. The actual responses showed excellent agreement with the predicted values as suggested by the CCD with lower residual standard error. Similarly, the optimized values were found within the range as predicted by the model. Furthermore, other characteristics of microemulsions like pH, conductivity, refractive index, and transmittance were also analyzed. Overall, the primary objective of the research was to fabricate water-in-oil microemulsions which could facilitate effective delivery of hydrophilic molecules and drugs.