Small-Angle Neutron Scattering and Fluorescence Studies of Mixed Surfactants with Dodecyl Tails

Abstract

The mixed micelles formed in solutions of the anionic surfactant sodium dodecylsulfate (SDS) and the nonionic surfactant dodecylmalono-bis-N-methylglucamide (DBNMG) were studied by surface tension, fluorescence, and small-angle neutron scattering. Measurements of the critical micelle concentration (CMC) by surface tension and fluorescence show that these two surfactants mix nonideally. The experimental values of the CMCs for surfactant mixtures for all compositions are less than the ideal prediction proposed by Clint (J. Chem. Soc. 71, 1327 (1975)). Regular solution theory (for example, Penfold et al., Langmuir 11, 2498 (1995)) can be used to calculate the composition of the micelle at the CMC. The micellar composition thus calculated differs significantly from that at higher total surfactant concentrations, the latter being much closer to the stoichiometric composition. The polarity of the micellar environment, as perceived by a solubilized fluorescence probe, is identical for both the single-component and the mixed micelles. The scattering data show that the mixed micelles are comparable in size to the pure nonionic micelle and slightly larger than the anionic micelle. Parallel studies with deuterated SDS showed no evidence of segregation or local ordering within the mixed micelle. The effective charge on the mixed micelle is determined by the amount of ionic surfactant within the micelle. Addition of 0.1 M NaCl to these systems has no effect on the CMC, micelle ellipticity, and aggregation number—a behavior very different from that observed for simple SDS solutions.