ZHANG Yong-Min1**, MU Meng2,3, ZHOU Yue1, GUO Shuang1
1. School of Chemical & Materials Engineering, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China; 2. Postdoctoral Scientific Research Working Station of Shengli Oilfield, SINOPEC, Dongying 257067, China; 3. Petroleum Engineering Technology Research Institute of Shengli Oilfield, SINOPEC, Dongying 257067, China
Abstract Microemulsions are uniformly homogeneous and transparent, isotropic dispersions formed by two mutually immiscible liquids and surfactants (usually with the addition of co-surfactants). Microemulsions with small particle size and thermodynamic stability play an important role in the field of organic synthesis, nanomaterial synthesis, drug delivery, extraction separation and so on. CO2/N2 stimuli-responsive microemulsion refers to a kind of smart microemulsion which can be demulsified/re-emulsified under the trigger of CO2 and N2. As CO2 gas is easy to get, green and environmentally friendly, and unlike the traditional pH response which will cause salt accumulation in the system, for which it has caused widespread interest. Based on the CO2 stimuli-responsive microemulsion, this paper summarizes the latest research progress of surfactant-based and surfactant-free microemulsion systems, including their phase behavior, structures, properties and potential applications,and prospects its development future.
