Quantifying the micellar structure formed from hydrocarbon-fluorocarbon surfactants

• Unusual micellisation process occurs in the system C16TAB/FSN-100 mixture solutions.
• FSN-100 forms disc-like micelles with aggregation number of 65.
• C16TAB forms globular, charged micelles with a larger aggregation number than FSN-100.

Many technological formulations contain mixtures of surfactants, each contributing some distinct property. Characteristics of each surfactant are often modulated in the mixture, based on the interactions between the various components present. Here, the mixing of the hydrocarbon surfactant cetyltrimethyl ammonium bromide (C16TAB) and the fluorocarbon surfactant, Zonyl-FSN-100 with average chemical structure of C8F17C2H4 (OC2H4)9OH, is quantified, in particular, the size and shape of the micelles and their critical micelle concentration (CMC). The CMC data suggest there are specific interactions between the two components which are strongly antagonistic. Small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) has been used to quantify the size and shape of the micelle, and these data indicate that the single component FSN-100 forms disc-like micelles with a small aggregation number (∼65) and the C16TAB forms globular, charged micelles with a larger aggregation number (135). The aggregation number of the mixed micelle is substantially greater than either of the pure species. Overall, a detailed study of CTAB, FSN-100 and their mixture systems will be presented in this paper.

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