Surface active ionic liquids: Study of the micellar properties of 1-(1-alkyl)-3-methylimidazolium chlorides and comparison with structurally related surfactants

► Properties of 1-R-3-methylimidazolim chlorides, R = decyl to tetradecyl investigated. ► Effects of chain length and T on thermodynamics of micellar surfactant ionic liquids. ► Novel, expedient procedure to calculate micellar aggregation numbers at different T. ► Comparison of SAILs with conventional cationic surfactants. ► Influence of H2 of the imidazolium group.