Branched Threadlike Micelles in an Aqueous Solution of a Trimeric Surfactant
Dganit Danino 1,
Yeshayahu Talmon 1,
Hélène Levy 2,
Gerard Beinert 2, and
Raoul Zana 2
1 Department of Chemical Engineering, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa 32000, Israel
2 Institut C. Sadron, 6 Rue Boussingault, 67000 Strasbourg, France
Very long threadlike micelles observed in aqueous solutions of some surfactants have attracted much attention because of the peculiar rheological properties of these systems. Molecular dynamics simulations have suggested that branched threadlike micelles should exist in concentrated solutions of dimeric surfactants. Here experimental evidence, obtained from transmission electron microscopy at cryogenic temperature, is presented of branched threadlike micelles in aqueous solutions of a triquaternary ammonium (trimeric) surfactant made up of three amphiphilic moieties connected at the level of the head-groups by two propanediyl spacers.
Submitted on May 10, 1995
Accepted on July 14, 1995
