ISSN:
1089-7690
Source:
AIP Digital Archive
Topics:
Physics
,
Chemistry and Pharmacology
Notes:
The influence of urea on Aerosol-OT (AOT)/n-hexane/water reversed micelles (RMs) at molar concentration ratio [water]/[AOT]=10 is investigated by means of small angle x-ray scattering. The data are analyzed within the framework of repulsion and attractive interaction potentials through the sticky hard-sphere model. In the absence of urea the simple hard sphere (excluded volume) model applies up to RM volume fraction φ of 0.32. In the presence of 5M urea, the x-ray curves evidence a big influence of the attractive forces in the system for φ=0.06, in good agreement with previous light scattering results, without disturbing the RM structure (shape and size). When φ exceeds this value, a percolation phenomenon is observed by ionic conductance measurements. In addition, the data show an interplay between attractive and repulsive RM interactions at higher φ values, with preservation of the discrete RM structure, without the formation of a "long-lived" bicontinuous phase. © 1999 American Institute of Physics.
Type of Medium:
Electronic Resource
URL:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.480093
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