Micellar solubilization

Micellar solubilization is the process of incorporating the solubilizate into or onto micelles. Solubilization may occur in a system consisting of a solvent, an association colloid, and at least one other solubilizate.

Usage of the term

Solubilization is distinct from dissolution because the resulting fluid is a colloidal dispersion involving an association colloid. This suspension is distinct from a true solution, and the amount of the solubilizate in the micellar system can be different than the regular solubility of the solubilizate in the solvent.
In non-chemical literature and in everyday language, the term "solubilization" is sometimes used in a broader meaning as "to bring to a solution or suspension" by any means, e.g., leaching by a reaction with an acid.

Application

Micellar solubilization is widely utilized, e.g. in laundry washing using detergents, in the pharmaceutical industry, for formulations of poorly soluble drugs in solution form, and in cleanup of oil spills using dispersants.

Mechanism

Literature distinguishes two major mechanisms of solubilization process of oil by surfactant micelles, affecting the kinetics of solubilization: surface reaction, i.e., by transient adsorption of micelles at the water-oil interface, and bulk reaction, whereby the surfactant micelles capture dissolved oil molecules.