Generic Phase Diagrams in the Ouzo Effect: Current Knowledge, Few Clarifications, and Future Challenges

Twenty years ago, a minireview written by one of the authors (Ganachaud & Katz, ChemPhysChem , 6 , 209–216, 2005) was published on the possibility that the so-called Ouzo effect applies to a wide range of solutes (oils, monomers, dyes, natural and synthetic polymers, lipids, proteins, inorganic precursors…). Since then, numerous studies have reported phase diagrams for ternary systems comprising a solvent, a non-solvent (typically water), and one or several solutes . This review provides a brief overview of studies in the literature that have derived phase diagrams and aims at comprehensively describing what is known, what may be misinterpreted, and presenting potential follow-ups in the field.