Aripiprazole is considered as a third-generation antipsychotic drug with excellent therapeutic efficacy in controlling schizophrenia symptoms and was the first atypical anti-psychotic agent to be approved by the US Food and Drug Administration. Formulation of nanoemulsion-containing aripiprazole was carried out using high shear and high pressure homogenizers. Mixture experimental design was selected to optimize the composition of nanoemulsion. A very small droplet size of emulsion can provide an effective encapsulation for delivery system in the body. The effects of palm kernel oil ester (3–6 wt%), lecithin (2–3 wt%), Tween 80 (0.5–1 wt%), glycerol (1.5–3 wt%), and water (87–93 wt%) on the droplet size of aripiprazole nanoemulsions were investigated. The mathematical model showed that the optimum formulation for preparation of aripiprazole nanoemulsion having the desirable criteria was 3.00% of palm kernel oil ester, 2.00% of lecithin, 1.00% of Tween 80, 2.25% of glycerol, and 91.75% of water. Under optimum formulation, the corresponding predicted response value for droplet size was 64.24 nm, which showed an excellent agreement with the actual value (62.23 nm) with residual standard error <3.2%.

A nano-emulsion system was developed for pesticide formulation. Pseudoternary phase diagrams were constructed consisting emulsion system of long-chain fatty acid methyl esters (LFAMEs)/mixed surfactant/water and a quarternary component, glyphosate isopropylamine (IPA) as a herbicide active. Isotropic (L) regions were formed in the phase diagrams using mixed surfactant long-chain alkylpolyglucosides (LAPG) and ethoxylated -(3hydroxypropyl)-heptamethyltrisiloxane (organosilicone) at the ratios of 9:1, 8:2 and 7:3. Preformulation concentrates were chosen from the L regions with less than 20% (w/w) of inerts (LFAMEs + mixed surfactant) and were characterized with regard to particle size, particle aging rate and thermostability study. A pre-formulation concentrate with the lowest aging rate and stable at high temperature (54 °C) was selected for the mechanisms study of the preformulation concentrate in conjunction with the development of nano-emulsion formulation. The transmission electron microscopy (TEM) result showed that the pre-formulation concentrate appeared as a polymerized multi-connected network. Upon water dilution of the pre-formulation concentrate with gentle stirring (low-energy emulsification method), welldispersed nanoparticles were formed with no needle structure being observed. The nanoemulsion particles were incorporated well with the glyphosate IPA thus inferring that this nano-emulsion system could ameliorate the bioactivity and bioavailability of the herbicide.

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It was hypothesised that the significant difference in spray deposition with equal injury rates can be attributed to enhanced bioactivity of the nanoemulsion formulations. This initial discovery could be the platform for developing better penetration of agrochemical formulations in the future.