Partitioning behavior of an acid-cleavable, 1,3-dioxolane alkyl ethoxylate, surfactant in single and binary surfactant mixtures for 2- and 3-phase microemulsion systems according to ethoxylate head group size

► Aerosol-OT and cyclic ketal alkyl ethoxylate form temperature-insensitive microemulsions. ► HLB temperature for alkyl ethoxylate microemulsions predicted using partition coefficient data. ► Partitioning of cyclic ketal alkyl ethoxylates strongly affected by ethoxylate size. ► Tail region of cyclic ketal alkyl ethoxylates more polar than the that of fatty alcohol ethoxylates. ► Microemulsions in Winsor-III bottom phases formed by cyclic ketal alkyl ethoxylates (SANS).