Crop Care
A microemulsion (ME) is defined as a system of oil, water and surfactants that forms a single, optically clear and thermodynamically stable emulsion.
MEs are water based formulations with a very small emulsified droplet size; this makes the formulation transparent.
They are thermodynamically stable over a wide temperature range due to this very fine droplet size, usually between 0.01 and 0.05 μm. Therefore in contrast to other emulsion systems, where the oil droplets can slowly coalesce causing phase separation, in ME formulations this does not occur.
Benefits
- Thermodynamically stable therefore have increased shelf life
- Low solvent level
- Easy to transport and store
- High flash point and safe handling
- Improved bioefficacy due to the solubilisation of the active ingredient in the micro droplets
- Low viscosity so easier to handle
Limitations
- Low active ingredient content
- Require high surfactant level to form