Polymer length scale on modification of a reverse microemulsion

Abstract

We study water-in-oil microemulsions, in certain the diffusion of water droplets covered with a monolayer of the anionic surfactant docusate sodium in a phase of n-decane mixed with the polyethylene glycol dimethacrylate (PEGD). At constant droplet size we vary the polymer concentration and from structural investigations with small-angle X-ray scattering there was clear evidence for penetration in the droplets. We apply this technique to monitor the size and morphology of the mixture system (docusate sodium microemulsion/PEGD). The structural study of our samples shows spherical-to-cylindrical change in nanodroplets with increase in polymer concentration. The dynamics of system consists of the translation diffusion of the nanodroplets was studied with dynamic light scattering.