Steric interactions in cellular structures formed in a water/oil/surfactant/cosurfactant mixture.
Dynamics of dense microemulsion droplets forming ordered cellular phases as temperature increases are investigated by neutron spin echo spectroscopy (NSE). The shape fluctuations of droplets are shown using a specific contrast. Their relaxation time tau(f) is obtained by analysis of the NSE curves, which also reveals the short-range Brownian motion (diffusion constant D0) of the "caged" droplets. The thermal dependence of D0 and tau(f) supports the notion of entropically driven interdroplet steric repulsion stabilizing the cellular phases.
Molle
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B
UMR 5819, CEA-CNRS-Université J. Fourier, Département de Recherche Fondamentale sur la Matière Condensée, 17 rue des Martyrs, 38054 Grenoble Cedex 9, France.
de Geyer
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Guillermo
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A
Farago
B
B