Microemulsions and uses thereof as nanoreactors or delivery vehicles

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10384178-B2
Application number	US-201314405805-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 28, 2013
Priority date	Jun 29, 2012
Publication date	Aug 20, 2019
Grant date	Aug 20, 2019

Abstract

Lecithin based microemulsion and their uses as nanoreactors and carrying materials are disclosed. In one embodiment, a method of forming a nanomaterial comprises mixing a lecithin based microemulsion with a first reactant and a second reactant. In a further embodiment, a method for encapsulating a nanomaterial in a lecithin based microemulsion forming a composition and wherein the composition forms a dispersion in an aqueous solution, polar solution, or a non-polar solution.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of encapsulating a nanomaterial in a lecithin based microemulsion, the method comprising:
mixing the lecithin based microemulsion with the nanomaterial, thus encapsulating and stabilizing the nanomaterial; wherein the lecithin based microemulsion comprises:
10-90% by weight lecithin:
a co-surfactant;
fatty acids;
a carboxylic acid;
a salt of the carboxylic acid;
an ester of the carboxylic acid; and
water;
wherein the nanomaterial is selected from the group consisting of activated carbon, carbon nanofibers, carbon nanoplatelets, carbon nanotubes, fullerenes, graphene, graphene nanopowder, graphene nanoplatelets, graphene oxide fullerenes, and combinations of any thereof.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the nanomaterial has a particle size of between 2-500 nanometers.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the nanomaterial within the lecithin based microemulsion has a particle size of between 5-50 nanometers.

4. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the carboxylic acid is selected from the group consisting of lactic acid, propionic acid, methyl acetic acid, acetic acid, fumaric acid, citric acid, ascorbic acid, gluconic acid, gluconic delta lactone acid, adipic acid, malic acid, tartaric acid, a hydroxy acid, and combinations of any thereof.

5. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the carboxylic acid is lactic acid, the salt of the carboxylic acid is sodium lactate, and the ester of the carboxylic acid is ethyl lactate.

6. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising dispersing the lecithin based microemulsion in a non-polar solvent selected from the group consisting of non-polar organic solvents, ionic liquids, vegetable oil, mineral oil, an essential oil, paraffin, petroleum fractions, and combinations of any thereof.

Assignees

• Archer Daniels Midland Co
• Archer Daniel Midland Company

Inventors

• Baseeth Shireen
• Jadhav Swapnil

Classifications

• A61Q19/00

  Preparations for care of the skin · CPC title

• A61K8/11

  Encapsulated compositions · CPC title

• A61K2800/413

  Nanosized, i.e. having sizes below 100 nm · CPC title

• A61K2800/10

  General cosmetic use · CPC title

• A61K8/4993

  Derivatives containing from 2 to 10 oxyalkylene groups · CPC title