https://doi.org/10.1140/epje/e2007-00021-2
Regular Articles
Hydrodynamic effects in bicontinuous microemulsions measured by inelastic neutron scattering
1
Institut für Festkörperforschung, Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, 52425, Jülich, Germany
2
Institut Laue Langevin, BP 156, Grenoble, 38042, Grenoble Cedex 9, France
* e-mail: o.holderer@fz-juelich.de
Received:
22
November
2006
Published online:
14
March
2007
The dynamical properties of bicontinuous microemulsions have been studied with neutron spin echo spectroscopy around length scales corresponding to the correlation peak q0. Comparison of samples with different contrasts for neutrons shed light on the two modes dominated either by variation of the oil/water difference or surfactant concentration in the hydrodynamic regime. The results have been compared to theoretical predictions of the relaxation rates of bicontinuous microemulsions by Nonomura and Ohta [M. Nonomura, T. Ohta, J. Chem. Phys. 110, 7516 (1999)]. The influence of modification of the surfactant layer bending constants in the microemulsion by addition of homopolymers (polyethylenepropylene: PEPX and polyethyleneoxide: PEOX, X=5 kg/mol), dissolved in the oil phase and water, has been investigated.
PACS: 61.12.Ex Neutron scattering (including small-angle scattering) – / 68.05.Gh Interfacial properties of microemulsions – / 61.20.Lc Time-dependent properties; relaxation –
© EDP Sciences/Società Italiana di Fisica/Springer-Verlag, 2007