Janus emulsions of bixa orellana oil

Abstract

Janus emulsions of the oil from the Bixa orellana (BO) nut, silicone oil (SO), and an aqueous solution of Tween 80 were prepared by intense mixing and optical microscopy images were obtained of the drops. The results showed the expected disordered emulsion of large SO drops with a number of attached smaller drops of the vegetable oil, whose images were transformed to regular Janus drops by the shear, when the cover glass was applied. The drops with a large BO/SO volume ratio did not immediately form well-defined and topologically equal Janus drops due to kinetic factors. The microscopy image was used to evaluate the correct angles and radii by a mathematical rotation to form an image with a straight-line contact line.