Micelle form and stability

Abstract

Calculations of the elastic bending energy (Ebend) of several equilibrium forms of micelles belonging to a binary water-surfactant system (O/W) have been performed in a wide range of micelle volumes by using the surfactant parameter model proposed by Hyde (see ref.[4]). The micelle forms, differently from the vesicle forms, obey restrictive requirements concerning the structure of their bulk, so the micelle forms are, to a large extent, predictablea priori. Each form shows a distinctiveEbend/micelle volume curve which depends on the value of the surfactant parameterP0 characteristic of the amphiphilic molecule in absence of external stresses. Transitions between different forms can occur —in principle — when and where two of these curves intersect each other.