FT-IR and 1H NMR studies of the state of solubilized water in water-in-oil microemulsions stabilized by mixtures of single- and double-tailed cationic surfactants

The structure of solubilized water in water-in-n-heptane aggregates stabilized by mixtures of single- and double-tail quaternary ammonium surfactants, namely didodecyldimethylammonium chloride/dodecyltrimethylammonium chloride (DDAC/DTAC) or didodecyldimethylammonium bromide/dodecyltrimethylammonium bromide (DDAB/DTAB) was studied by two noninvasive techniques, 1H NMR and FT-IR. In the former, the chemical shift data, δobs, were used to calculate the so-called deuterium/protium fractionation factor, φM, of the aggregate-solubilized water and were found to be unity. In the FT-IR study, upon increasing water/surfactant molar ratio, W, the frequency, νOD, of the HOD species decreases, while its full width at half height and its area increase. The results obtained from both techniques indicate that the water appears to be present as a single nano-phase and the structure varies continuously as a result of increasing W. In addition, the effect of changing the counter-ion (Br− or Cl−) on 1H NMR and FT-IR results was investigated. In spite of the known difference in the dissociation of these counter-ions from micellar aggregates, this was found not to affect the state of solubilized water. This report gives further insight into the contradictory scientific debates on the structure of water in the polar nano-cores of microemulsions.

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► FTIR and 1H NMR are appropriate tools for understanding the state of solubilized water.
► Solubilized water appears to be present as a single nano-phase.
► Changing the counter-ion did not alter the state of solubilized water.