Rheology of systems containing cetomacrogol 1000—cetostearyl alcohol. I. Self-bodying action

Emulsions of liquid paraffin in water stabilized by the mixed emulsifier cetomacrogol 1000-cetostearyl alcohol have been examined using rheological, microscopical, and particle size analytical techniques. The rheological properties of the emulsions were related to gel networks formed in the continuous phases. These networks had similar properties to ternary systems formed by dispersing the mixed emulsifier in water. The networks were not fully formed immediately after preparation; they built up over a period of time at 25°C, and thus the creep compliances fell and the viscosities rose on storage. The mechanisms responsible for the formation of the nonionic networks are discussed and compared with the mechanisms which function in gels formed by ionic surfactant/long-chain alcohol mixed emulsifiers.