Highly homogeneous nanostructured templates based on environmental friendly microemulsion for nanomaterials processing.

Highly homogeneous nanostructured templates in the system Water/Polyoxyethylene(4)lauryl ether (Brij 30)/Pinus Oil have been designed for nanomaterials processing by studying the phase behaviour and influence of several physico-chemical parameters such as water/oil ratio (R), water/alcohol ratio (r), temperature, surfactant concentration and nickel salt on the phase transition. A Winsor I→III→II inversion was promoted by using isopropanol cosolvent, at different r, from 1 to 10. For r=4, as the temperature is increased the Winsor II domain is enhanced subsequently, but no phase transition by temperature change has been revealed. While a narrowing of Winsor II microemulsion region has been noticed, as a result of Ni(II) salt addition by increasing the concentration, still no phase transitions promoted by their presence have been obtained. The Water/Isopropanol/Brij 30/Pinus Oil formulations are promoted as potential synthesis templates for both inorganic and organic materials or as an efficient extraction system for pollutants removal from aqueous media. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]