title: Surfactant-induced surface freezing at the alkane-water interface.
abstract: Long-chain alkanes exhibit surface freezing at the alkane-air but not the alkane-water interface. Ellipsometry and surface tensiometry are used to show that a simple cationic surfactant, hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB), can induce surface freezing at the tetradecane-water interface even when present in mole fractions as low as 0.1. The surface-freezing temperature T(s) is a linear function of the interfacial excess of CTAB. The excess surface entropy below T(s), S(sigma)=-0.76+/-0.02 mJ K-1 m(-2), is consistent with a rotator phase. Ellipsometry provides strong evidence for a frozen monolayer in which the chains are oriented near the surface normal.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, University of Oxford, Chemistry Research Laboratory, Mansfield Road, Oxford OX1 3TA, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Qunfang
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Lei
authors.forename: Colin D
authors.initials: CD
authors.lastname: Bain