Structural Parameters of Mixed Nonionic Surfactants Microemulsions

Abstract

In this study, we estimated the structural parameters of water/mixed nonionic surfactants/R (+)-limonene microemulsions. The mixed surfactants are sucrose laurate and ethoxylated mono-di-glyceride. U-type microemulsion region was observed in these systems. It was found that changes in the surfactants mixing ratio, surfactants contents and oil/water weight ratio in the microemulsions incite a considerable change in the aggregation number, core radius and interfacial area per mixed surfactants head groups in the formed microemulsions. The interfacial area per mixed surfactant head groups increases while the aggregation number decreases with the increase in the ethoxylated mono-di-glyceride mass fraction in the mixed surfactants. The For an oil/water weight content equals unity, the interfacial area per mixed surfactants head groups is constant for mixed surfactants contents below 35 wt%. For mixed surfactants contents above 35 wt% the interfacial area per mixed surfactants head groups decrease and stabilizes at the lower value. The aggregation number decreases with the increase in the mixed surfactants contents. The aggregation number decreases also with the increase in the oil/water weight ratio at fixed mixed surfactants content.

Keywords:

• Aggregation number
• core radius
• interfacial area per head group
• molar concentration ratio
• surface number density