title: Structural evolution in cationic micelles upon incorporation of a polar organic dopant.
abstract: Micelles of cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB), when doped with increasing levels of 4-ethylphenol, show microstructural transitions from spherical micelles to elongated wormlike micelles, disks, and subsequently to globular and then to tubular vesicles. Wormlike micelles are observed at a dopant-to-CTAB molar ratio of 1:3. At higher dopant ratios (1:1), globular vesicles are observed which transition to tubular vesicles when the dopant becomes the predominant species at a ratio of 3:1. These transitions are reflected in small-angle neutron scattering analysis and, interestingly, can be directly observed through cryo-transmission electron microscopy. The para-substituted phenol is interfacially active and modulates interfacial curvature of the micelles. The observations of microstructure modifications have relevance to the synthesis of mesoporous materials using CTAB as the template.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Tulane University, New Orleans, Louisiana 70118, USA.
authors.forename: Mohit
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Singh
authors.forename: Christy
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ford
authors.forename: Vivek
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Agarwal
authors.forename: Gerhard
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Fritz
authors.forename: Arijit
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bose
authors.forename: Vijay T
authors.initials: VT
authors.lastname: John
authors.forename: Gary L
authors.initials: GL
authors.lastname: McPherson