Substrate Influence on the Recrystallization of 1,2-dodecanediol: An Atomic Force Microscopy Study

1,2-dodecanediol otherwise known as lauryl glycol (LG), a skin conditioning agent in many skin cosmetics was recrystallized from chloroform on to a number of different technical substrates to understand how material properties affect their recrystallization behavior at the molecular level. For this purpose, four different technical substrates were chosen based on their polarity and crystallinity. On highly oriented pyrolytic graphite or HOPG (nonpolar, crystalline), LG recrystallization formed parallelogram-like-structures in the initial stage. On nonpolar, amorphous substrate like glassy carbon (GC) stalactite-like-structures were observed. Contrary to this, on polar substrates like mica (polar, crystalline) and glass (polar, amorphous), LG molecules were recrystallized as thin film. The morphological changes of LG at different time intervals were investigated and their mechanism of recrystallization on all the substrates is discussed in detail for the first time. Direct view of the recrystallization process at the molecular level on different technical substrates can be used as a model in understanding how these molecules as a constituent in skin cosmetic products behave, when applied to skins of varying physical and chemical barrier ultimately helping in better cosmetic development.