Phase transition in salt-free catanionic surfactant mixtures induced by temperature

Wormlike micellar solutions formed by an anionic surfactant and a cationic surfactant with two head groups

Innovation in the molecular structure of surfactants is important for the preparation of soft materials with novel properties. In this study, we synthesized a cationic surfactant, N1,N1,N1,N1,N3,N3,N3-pentamethyl-N3-(3-stearamidopropyl)propane-1,3-diammonium bromide, hereafter referred to as C18-DQA. Unlike conventional cationic surfactants, C18-DQA contains two quaternary ammonium head groups and a long-saturated alkyl chain equal to a chain length of 21 carbon atoms. C18-DQA exhibits a low Krafft point of ∼0 °C and a water solubility >1000 mM at 25 °C. The critical micelle concentration (cmc) of C18-DQA was determined to be 0.59 mM using the Nile red method. C18-DQA was mixed with sodium laurate (SL) at different molar ratios to produce transparent solutions with excellent viscoelasticity over a wide concentration range. The 1 : 1.5 molar ratio C18-DQA/SL mixed solutions exhibited gel-like behavior for a total surfactant concentration of 2.88 wt% (75 mM). The solution with a total surfactant concentration of 300 mM (120 mM C18-DQA and 180 mM SL) achieved a maximum zero-shear viscosity (η0) of 4224 Pa s. Cryogenic transmission electron microscopy analysis revealed the formation of extremely long wormlike micelles, with a cross-sectional diameter of 5 nm and contour length >3 μm, in the mixed solutions. C18-DQA and SL molecules were drawn close by electrostatic attractions, leading to a suitable molecular geometry for the extensive growth of wormlike micelles. This work will act as an important reference for the future preparation of highly viscoelastic solutions by mixing cationic and anionic surfactants. The proposed system is also expected to have potential applications in cosmetic formulations, home care products, and oilfield fracturing fluids.

Influence of the Alkyl Chain Length of the Imidazole Ionic Liquid-Type Surfactants on Their Aggregation Behavior with Sodium Dodecyl Sulfate

The influence of the alkyl chain length of the ionic liquid surfactants 1-hexadecyl-3-alkyl imidazolium bromide [C₁₆imC_n]Br (n = 2-16) on their aggregation behavior with sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) in water was studied. The rheological properties, thermostability, and microstructure of the samples were characterized via a combination of rheology, cryo-transmission electron microscopy, polarization optical microscopy, and small-angle X-ray scattering. Upon the addition of SDS, the [C₁₆imC_n]Br (n = 2, 4, 6) rodlike micelles transit into the gels with high water content. The effects of molar ratio and alkyl chain length on the viscoelasticity and thermal stability of the SDS/[C₁₆imC_n]Br (n = 2, 4, 6) gels were studied. However, the [C₁₆imC_n]Br (n = 8, 10, 12, 14, 16) rodlike micelles precipitate with the addition of SDS. The [C₁₆imC_n]Br (n = 10, 12, 14, 16) gels transit to the rodlike micelles with the proper addition of SDS. The mechanism of the influence of the alkyl chain length of the [C₁₆imC_n]Br on their aggregation behavior with SDS was proposed.

Interplay between aggregation number, micelle charge and hydration of catanionic surfactants

Catanionic mixtures are commonly used in applications due to synergetic properties of both cationic and anionic surfactants. To better understand the mechanism of the micellization process of salt-free catanionic surfactants, alkyltrimethylammonium alkanecarboxylates, [CxMe3N]+[Cy]-, with medium to long alkyl chains on both cation and anion (x,y = 6-10), were investigated in aqueous solution by density and zeta potential measurements, isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC), and dielectric relaxation spectroscopy (DRS). The obtained ITC data was analysed with the help of a two-step model equation, yielding the thermodynamic parameters, micelle charge and aggregation numbers. Comparison with the "parent" decyltrimethylammonium chloride and sodium decanoate reveals that combined dehydration of both alkyl chains increases entropy upon micellization. In the first step neutral smaller micelles with partly dehydrated alkyl chains are formed, while in the second step larger charged micelles with fully dehydrated alkyl chains are equally favourable. At low temperature both formations are thermodynamically equivalent, while with increasing temperature neutral micelles become more entropically favourable and charged micelles more enthalpically favourable. The resulting average micelle charge and average aggregation number are decreasing with temperature. From the DRS spectra, effective hydration numbers of the free monomers and micelles were deduced and are comparable to the "parent" cationic surfactant micelles.

Ionic-surfactants-based thermotropic liquid crystals

Ionic surfactants can be combined with various functional groups through electrostatic interaction, resulting in a series of thermotropic liquid crystals (TLCs).

Superstructures with diverse morphologies and highly ordered fullerene C60 arrays from 1 : 1 and 2 : 1 adamantane-C60 hybrid molecules

Superstructures from fullerene C₆₀-containing compounds, especially those tethered to rigid functional groups with defined shapes, remain largely unexplored. Being the smallest diamondoid, adamantane (Ad) can be viewed as a promising building block for the construction of well-defined superstructures. Here, we report the syntheses of 1 : 1 (4a) and 2 : 1 (4b) Ad-C₆₀ hybrid molecules, which were then used to construct superstructures in binary solvent mixtures via a modified liquid/liquid interfacial precipitation (LLIP) method using CHCl₃ as a good solvent. Typically in the combination of DMSO/CHCl₃ with a final concentration (c_f) of 1.0 mmol L^-1, 4a successively forms spheres, plates, nanoflowers and plicated particles with increasing content of DMSO while 4b forms cuboid blocks and microparticles with hierarchically organized surfaces. Changing from DMSO to other poor solvents including acetone, MeOH and EtOAc leads to variations of the morphology of the superstructures for both 4a and 4b. At the nanometer length scale, 4a and 4b adopt different organizations within the superstructures. While 4a tends to self-organize into lamellae with highly ordered C₆₀ layers, the hexagonal phase is dominant in the superstructures formed by 4b. Wettability tests indicate that films formed by the superstructures of 4a and 4b show anti-wetting properties. Besides the solvent effect, the morphology of the superstructures can be also tuned by concentration. For example, when c_f is lowered to 0.5 mmol L^-1, a new form of superstructure, i.e., fibers, was detected for 4a. Our results also indicate that besides the solvent-induced aggregate transition, gravity-induced sedimentation and subsequent structure ripening can have a significant influence on the final morphology of the superstructures and the aggregate transition pathways.

Viscoelastic properties of supramolecular gemini-like surfactant solutions in the absence of inorganic salts

A bola-type cation and a newly synthesized anionic surfactant together generate a supramolecular gemini-like structureviaelectrostatic interactions, which facilitates the formation of wormlike micelles.

A completely controlled sphere-to-bilayer micellar transition: the molecular mechanism and application on the growth of nanosheets

The combination of a simple modification of the sample addition method to generate a sort of continuously accumulated external stimulation with only minute increments in amplitude and the introduction of probe molecules (herein aniline) within the micelle allow the direct continuous in situ spectroscopic monitoring of possible micellar transitions. In this way, a sphere-to-ellipsoid and further an ellipsoid-to-bilayer micellar transition of sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) induced by camphor sulfuric acid (CSA) is observed to experience four stages in the time sequence: (i) the accumulated protons released from CSA in the hydration layer of the micelle stimulate the rearrangement of SDS micelles; (ii) the micelles transform into ellipsoidal shapes as evidenced by the characteristic chemical shift anisotropy and the corresponding molecular dynamic properties from probe molecules; (iii) further protonation of aniline induces the micelle to turn into lamellar structures; (iv) aniline is freed from the micelle while leaving the SDS bilayers undistorted. Moreover, polyaniline nanosheets incorporating SDS bilayers in sandwich structures, which can display excellent capacitive behavior at relatively high current densities for the fabricated supercapacitors, are prepared from the aniline oriented by the bending energy of the SDS bilayers.

Temperature-Induced Aggregate Transitions in Mixtures of Cationic Ammonium Gemini Surfactant with Anionic Glutamic Acid Surfactant in Aqueous Solution

The aggregation behaviors of the mixtures of cationic gemini surfactant 1,4-bis(dodecyl-N,N-dimethylammonium bromide)-2,3-butanediol (C12C4(OH)2C12Br2) and anionic amino acid surfactant N-dodecanoylglutamic acid (C12Glu) in aqueous solution of pH = 10.0 have been studied. The mixture forms spherical micelles, vesicles, and wormlike micelles at 25 °C by changing mixing ratios and/or total surfactant concentration. Then these aggregates undergo a series of transitions upon increasing the temperature. Smaller spherical micelles transfer into larger vesicles, vesicles transfer into solid spherical aggregates and then into larger irregular aggregates, and entangled wormlike micelles transfer into branched wormlike micelles. Moreover, the larger irregular aggregates and branched micelles finally lead to precipitation and clouding phenomenon, respectively. All these transitions are thermally reversible, and the transition temperatures can be tuned by varying the mixing ratios and/or total concentration. These temperature-dependent aggregate transitions can be elucidated on the basis of the temperature-induced variations in the dehydration, electrostatic interaction, and hydrogen bonds of the headgroup area and in the hydrophobic interaction between the hydrocarbon chains. The results suggest that the surfactants carrying multiple binding sites will greatly improve the regulation ability and temperature sensitivity.

Self-Assembly, Supramolecular Organization, and Phase Behavior of L-Alanine Alkyl Esters (n = 9-18) and Characterization of Equimolar L-Alanine Lauryl Ester/Lauryl Sulfate Catanionic Complex

A homologous series of l-alanine alkyl ester hydrochlorides (AEs) bearing 9-18 C atoms in the alkyl chain have been synthesized and characterized with respect to self-assembly, supramolecular structure, and phase transitions. The CMCs of AEs bearing 11-18 C atoms were found to range between 0.1 and 10 mM. Differential scanning calorimetric (DSC) studies showed that the transition temperatures (Tt), enthalpies (ΔHt) and entropies (ΔSt) of AEs in the dry state exhibit odd-even alternation, with the odd-chain-length compounds having higher Tt values, but the even-chain-length homologues showing higher values of ΔHt and ΔSt. In DSC measurements on hydrated samples, carried out at pH 5.0 and pH 10.0 (where they exist in cationic and neutral forms, respectively), compounds with 13-18 C atoms in the alkyl chain showed sharp gel-to-liquid crystalline phase transitions, and odd-even alternation was not seen in the thermodynamic parameters. The molecular structure, packing properties, and intermolecular interactions of AEs with 9 and 10 C atoms in the alkyl chain were determined by single crystal X-ray diffraction, which showed that the alkyl chains are packed in a tilted interdigitated bilayer format. d-Spacings obtained from powder X-ray diffraction studies exhibited a linear dependence on the alkyl chain length, suggesting that the other AEs also adopt an interdigitated bilayer structure. Turbidimetric, fluorescence spectroscopic, and isothermal titration calorimetric (ITC) studies established that in aqueous dispersions l-alanine lauryl ester hydrochloride (ALE·HCl) and sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) form an equimolar complex. Transmission electron microscopic and DSC studies indicate that the complex exists as unilamellar liposomes, which exhibit a sharp phase transition at ∼39 °C. The aggregates were disrupted at high pH, suggesting that the catanionic complex would be useful to develop a base-labile drug delivery system. ITC studies indicated that ALE·HCl forms a strong complex with DNA, suggesting that the AEs may find use in DNA therapeutics as well.

Sodium triflate decreases interaggregate repulsion and induces phase separation in cationic micelles

Dodecyltrimethylammonium triflate (DTATf) micelles possess lower degree of counterion dissociation (α), lower hydration, and higher packing of monomers than other micelles of similar structure. Addition of sodium triflate ([NaTf] > 0.05 M) to DTATf solutions promotes phase separation. This phenomenon is commonly observed in oppositely charged surfactant mixtures, but it is rare for ionic surfactants and relatively simple counterions. While the properties of DTATf have already been reported, the driving forces for the observed phase separation with added salt remain unclear. Thus, we propose an interpretation for the observed phase separation in cationic surfactant solutions. Addition of up to 0.03 M NaTf to micellar DTATf solutions led to a limited increase of the aggregation number, to interface dehydration, and to a progressive decrease in α. The viscosity of DTATf solutions of higher concentration ([DTATf] ≥ 0.06 M) reached a maximum with increasing [NaTf], though the aggregation number slightly increased, and no shape change occurred. We hypothesize that this maximum results from a decrease in interaggregate repulsion, as a consequence of increased ion binding. This reduction in micellar repulsion without simultaneous infinite micellar growth is, probably, the major driving force for phase separation at higher [NaTf].

Self-assembly of fatty acids in the presence of amines and cationic components

Fatty acids can self-assemble under various shapes in the presence of amines or cationic components. We assemble and compare these types of self-assembly leading toward a catanionic system either with a cationic surfactant or with an amine component playing the role of counter-ion. First, we focus on the molar ratio as a key driving parameter. Known and yet un-known values from other quantities governing the colloidal properties of these systems such as structural surface charge, osmotic pressure, molecular segregation, rigidity, in plane colloidal interactions and melting transition are discussed. We include also recent results obtained on the interfacial and foaming properties of these systems. We will highlight the specificity of these self-assemblies leading to unusual macroscopic properties rich of robust applications.

Structural and rheological studies on growth of salt-free wormlike micelles formed by star-type trimeric surfactants

We investigated the growth mechanisms of wormlike micelles formed by star-type trimeric surfactant (3C(12)trisQ) with a hydrocarbon chain length of 12 in an aqueous solution. A 3C(n)trisQ molecule consists of three hydrocarbon chains and three hydrophilic groups connected by spacer chains, where n is the carbon number in the hydrocarbon chain. Our recent studies showed that the aggregates formed by 3C(12)trisQ exhibited sphere-to-rod transition and the growth of wormlike micelles in an aqueous solution in the absence of salt. We performed small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) and rheological measurements and investigated the aggregation behavior of 3C(12)trisQ with various surfactant volume fractions. All SANS profiles for the 3C(12)trisQ indicated peak-profiles in the q range of 0.02 Å(-1) < q < 0.05 Å(-1), where the magnitude of the scattering vector q is defined by q = 4π sin(θ/2)/λ (λ and θ represent the wavelength and scattering angle, respectively). These peaks were attributed to repulsive interparticle interactions between the micelles. The volume fraction dependence of the SANS peak-position was in agreement with the rheological behavior. These results suggest that 3C(12)trisQ shows sphere-to-rod transition and can produce wormlike micelles in the absence of salt. To determine the structural parameters quantitatively, model-fitting analysis was performed using a charged cylindrical or charged ellipsoidal particle scattering function. The radius, length, and number of water molecules per surfactant molecule (n(w)) inside the micelles were evaluated. The length increased and the n(w) value decreased with increasing φ, indicating that the growth of a wormlike micelle accompanies the extrusion of water from the micelle. The end-cap energies of star-type trimeric, gemini, and monomeric surfactants were evaluated from φ dependence of zero-shear viscosity. We found that wormlike micelles formed by 3C(12)trisQ exhibited a higher end-cap energy than gemini surfactant.

Self-assembly in the mixtures of surfactant and dye molecule controlled via temperature and β-cyclodextrin recognition

A new ternary system of tetradecyldimethylamine oxide (C(14)DMAO)/4-phenylazo benzoic acid (AzoH)/H(2)O was first investigated, and it was found that the self-assembly can be regulated via temperature and β-cyclodextrin (β-CD) recognition. In the temperature regulated self-assembly, the self-assembled phase structural transition between wormlike micelles and multilamellar vesicles (onions) were determined by cryogenic-transmission electron microscopy (cryo-TEM) images and (2)H nuclear magnetic resonance ((2)H NMR) spectra. The phase structural transition temperatures (PSTT) controlled by changing the amount of AzoH were measured by differential scanning calorimetry analysis. The self-assembled phase structural transition mechanism was discussed. It is argued that the self-assembled phase structural transition is the synergetic balance among the hydrophilic headgroup, steric structures of the hydrophobic chain, and membrane charge. β-CD molecules were used as controlling hands to modulate the phase structural transition of self-assembly of the C(14)DMAO/AzoH/H(2)O system in solution via snatching C(14)DMAO molecules. The phase structural transitions from the threadlike micellar phase to the lamellar phase and from the lamellar phase to the vesicular phase can each be controlled because of the β-CD molecular recognition. The phase structural transitions were confirmed by cryo-TEM observations and (2)H NMR measurements. The rheological properties were also investigated to display the importance in the phase structural transition. It was found that the dye molecule, AzoH, is harder to enclose by β-CD than by C(14)DMAO because of the lower complex stability constant (i.e., K(C(14)DMAO@β-CD) ≫ K(AzoH@β-CD). Therefore, the phase structural transition is mainly controlled by the inclusion of C(14)DMAO into the hydrophobic cavity of β-CD molecules. The phase structural transition controlled via temperature and β-CD may find potential applications such as in actuators, shape memories, drug delivery systems, and drag-reducing fluids, etc.

Comparative studies on the crystalline to fluid phase transitions of two equimolar cationic/anionic surfactant mixtures containing dodecylsulfonate and dodecylsulfate

In this work, a cationic surfactant, dodecyltrimethylammonium bromide (DTAB), and an anionic surfactant, sodium dodecylsulfonate (SDSO(3)) or sodium dodecylsulfate (SDSO(4)), were mixed in an equimolar ratio to prepare SDSO(3)-DTAB and SDSO(4)-DTAB binary mixtures. The phase behavior, structure, and morphology of these two surfactant mixtures were investigated by differential scanning calorimetry, synchrotron X-ray scattering, freeze-fracture electron microscopy, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. It was found that upon heating, both of the two systems transform from multilamellar crystalline phase to liquid crystalline (or fluid) phase. It is interesting to find that, although SDSO(3) has a lower molecular weight, the crystalline phase of SDSO(3)-DTAB shows much higher thermostability as compared with that of SDSO(4)-DTAB. Other than this, we observed a large difference in the repeat distances of the two crystalline phases. More interestingly, at 60 °C in the fluid phases, cylindrical micelles formed in the SDSO(3)-DTAB system, while spherical micelles were observed in the SDSO(4)-DTAB system. Our present work demonstrates that a subtle difference in the headgroup structure of the anionic component markedly affects the thermostability, packing structure, and morphology of the surfactant mixtures, which suggests the importance of the match of the head-head and tail-tail interactions between the cationic and anionic surfactants.

Reverse vesicles from a salt-free catanionic surfactant system: a confocal fluorescence microscopy study

We give a detailed confocal fluorescence microscopy study on reverse vesicles from a salt-free catanionic surfactant system. When tetradecyltrimethylammonium laurate (TTAL) and lauric acid (LA) are mixed in cyclohexane at the presence of a small amount of water, stable reverse vesicular phases form spontaneously. The reverse vesicular phases can be easily labeled with dyes of varying molecular size and hydrophobicity while the dyes are nearly insoluble in cyclohexane without reverse vesicles. This indicates the reverse vesicular phases can be good candidates to host guest molecules. With the help of a fluorescence microscope combined a confocal method, the features of these interesting reverse supramolecular self-assemblies were revealed for the first time. Because of the absence of electrostatic repulsions and hydration forces between adjacent vesicles, the reverse vesicles have a strong propensity to aggregate with each other and form three-dimensional clusters. The size distributions of both individual reverse vesicles and clusters are polydisperse. Huge multilamellar reverse vesicles with closely stacked thick walls (giant reverse onions) were observed. Besides the spherical reverse vesicles and onions, other supramolecular structures such as tubes have also been detected and structural evolutions between different structures were noticed. These interesting supramolecular self-assemblies form in a nonpolar organic solvent may serve as ideal micro- or nanoreaction centers for biological reactions and synthesis of inorganic nanomaterials.

Single-walled carbon nanotube/lyotropic liquid crystal hybrid materials fabricated by a phase separation method in the presence of polyelectrolyte

We present a detailed study on the incorporation of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) into lyotropic liquid crystals (LLC) by phase separation in the presence of polyelectrolytes. Two cases were studied in this work: (i) incorporation of SWNTs into the LLC phase formed by an anionic surfactant sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) in the presence of an anionic polyelectrolyte poly(sodium styrenesulfonate) (PSS); (ii) incorporation of SWNTs into the LLC phase formed by a cationic surfactant cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) in the presence of a cationic polyelectrolyte poly(diallydimethylammonium chloride) (PDADMAC). The SWNTs/LLC composites were characterized by polarized optical microscopy (POM) observations and small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) measurements. In both systems, the surfactant phase was condensed into a hexagonal lattice by the polyelectrolyte within the investigated concentration range. Several factors that can influence the property of SWNTs/LLC composite were examined, including concentration of surfactants and polyelectrolytes and temperature. Aggregated SWNTs were not observed, indicating that SWNTs were well dispersed in the LLC phases. SAXS measurements showed the lattice parameter of the host LLC phase changed upon varying the mixing ratio of polyelectrolyte to ionic surfactant. The SWNTs/LLC hybrids showed considerable stability against temperature rise in both systems, and desorption of surfactant from SWNTs was not observed at higher temperature.