Microemulsions are isotropic, thermodynamically stable systems consisting of surfactant, oil and water, and as necessary, additives such as alcohol or electrolytes. They are often obtained with emulsifier systems based on alkoxylated non-ionic surfactants in a certain limited temperature range. These classical microemulsions (ME) have served the pesticide industry with ready to use products for a number of years. The fine droplet size (typically 100 nm) of these emulsions enables clear, transparent products with a long shelf life.

The authors present a novel surfactant system that replaces traditional ethoxylated emulsifiers used in ME formulas. This system, based on one emulsifier, alkyl polyglycoside (consisting of a hydrophilic saccharide moiety and a long hydrophobic alkyl chain), and one co-emulsifier, glycerol monooleate, forms a transparent microemulsion. These microemulsions remain stable over a broad range of temperatures and follow the desirable trend of very low environmental impact. In this study, the systematic investigation of the phase behavior of this specific selected system is discussed for both modified seed oil formulas as well as formulas containing pesticides.