Effect of solvent and temperature on the micellization and thermophysical properties of cetyltrimethylammonium bromide

Abstract

The Micellization is the fundamental phenomenon in colloid and surface chemistry which plays a pivotal role in a multitude of industrial processes, biological systems, and everyday applications. In this study, we investigate the micellization behavior of the cationic surfactant, cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) within aqueous and ethanol–water mixtures across a temperature range. The electrical conductivity measurements unveil insights into the critical micelle concentration (CMC) and the degree of counterion dissociation (β) at each temperature. Notably, as ethanol content increases in the solvent, both CMC and β values exhibit a corresponding uptick. These findings enable the assessment of standard Gibbs free energy (ΔGmic0). Furthermore, our investigation extends to find out the thermophysical properties (viz., density, dynamic viscosity, and kinematic viscosity) assessments across varying ethanol compositions and temperatures. These metrics facilitate the calculation of activation energy for mixed systems. The implications of these results (data) could be useful for both the fundamental as well applied research, and promise valuable insights for future endeavors.