Mono- and multilayer covered drops as carriers

Emulsions are successfully applied in many fields of human activity. When used as liquid colloidal carriers the stability of emulsion droplets against coalescence often requires improvement. Additional protection against colloidal degradation or environmental stresses is almost an unavoidable precondition for employment of emulsion formulations in food industry, pharmaceutics, cosmetics and medicine. In this review, a variety of current approaches to increase emulsion stability were summarized beginning systems stabilized by low molecular weight surfactants and spanning over to finely adjusted nanoengineering systems based on multilayer assemblies with very specific functionalities matching the application demand. Special attention is paid to applications in particular fields.