Wormlike micelles in mixed amino acid-based anionic/nonionic surfactant systems

We present the formation of viscoelastic wormlike micelles in mixed amino acid-based anionic and nonionic surfactants in aqueous systems in the absence of salt. N-Dodecylglutamic acid (designated as LAD) has a higher Krafft temperature; however, on neutralization with alkaline amino acid l-lysine, it forms micelles and the solution behaves like a Newtonian fluid at 25 °C. Addition of tri(oxyethylene) monododecyl ether (C12EO3) and tri(oxyethylene) monotetradecyl ether (C14EO3) to the dilute aqueous solution of the LAD–lysine induces one-dimensional micellar growth. With increasing C12EO3 or C14EO3 concentration, the solution viscosity increases gradually, but after a certain concentration, the elongated micelles entangle forming a rigid network of wormlike micelles and the solution viscosity increases tremendously. Thus formed wormlike micelles show a viscoelastic character and follow the Maxwell model. Tri(oxyethylene) monohexadecyl ether (C16EO3), on the other hand, could not form wormlike micelles, although the solution viscosity increases too. The micelles become elongated; however, they do not appear to form a rigid network of wormlike micelles in the case of C16EO3. Rheological measurements have shown that zero shear viscosity (η0η0) increases with the C12EO3 concentration gradually at first and then sharply, and finally decreases before phase separation. However, no such maximum in the η0η0 plot is observed with the C14EO3. The η0η0 increases monotonously with the C14EO3 concentration till phase separation. In studies of the effect of temperature on the wormlike micellar behavior it has been found that the η0η0 decays exponentially with temperature, following an Arrehenius behavior and at sufficiently higher temperatures the solutions follow a Newtonian behavior. The flow activation energy calculated from the slope of log η0η0 versus 1/T1/T plot is very close to the value reported for typical wormlike micelles. Finally, we also present the effect of neutralization degree of lysine on the rheology and phase behavior. The formation of wormlike micelles is confirmed by the Maxwell model fit to the experimental rheological data and by Cole–Cole plots.

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