Abstract

Supercritical fluids (SCFs) as solvents have properties that provide unique advantages. A SCF is a gas heated above its critical temperature and compressed beyond its critical pressure and it possesses both liquid-like and gas-like properties. It is possible to vary these properties in a continuous fashion by changing the temperature and pressure without going through a phase separation. It has been demonstrated that inverse microemulsions can be formed in SCFs. The solubilization capacity, critical micelle concentration, and the strength of micellemicelle interactions depend strongly on the density of the continuous phase.

© 1992 Optical Society of America