Oil-water interface (or Lipid-water interface)

The oil-water (or lipid-water) interface is a physical boundary present wherever hydrophobic oil or lipid phases come into contact with water. This interface is a nanoscale region where water molecules exhibit altered bonding and structure compared to bulk water, including reduced tetrahedral ordering and weaker hydrogen bonding[3][5][6]. The interface is considered “rigid” at ambient temperature and spans approximately the diameter of a water molecule[2]. Its properties affect phenomena such as interfacial tension, emulsion stability, diffusion of solutes, and molecular partitioning[1][4][7]. Electrostatic forces and the alignment of interfacial molecules modulate the local environment, notably in the presence of surfactants or charged species, which further affect the structure and dynamics of the interfacial zone[6][7]. While critical for biophysical, chemical, and pharmaceutical processes, “oil-water interface” is not a singular molecule, canonical drug target, or biological entity.

Other names

lipid-water interfaceoil-water interfacehydrophobic–aqueous interfaceoil–aqueous interface