title: Extension to the charge fluctuation model for the prediction of the conductivity of apolar, reverse micellar systems.
abstract: This paper presents an extension to current theory regarding charging behavior in apolar, micellar systems. Electrical conductivity in such systems accompanying the formation of neutral reverse micelles is commonly explained by the possibility of intermicellar collisions resulting in a pair of oppositely charged micelles. The sequestration of the resulting charges within the micelles prevents their immediate recombination. The current theory underlying the charging process has thus far been applied in only approximate form, and is only used to validate experimental trends and to abstract values for the fraction of charged micelles. The extended theory proposed here uses knowledge of the solvent and surfactant characteristics, together with water content, to predict solution conductivity in absolute terms. It is verified in experiments with the solvent Isopar-L and surfactants Aerosol OT, OLOA 11000, and Span 80, in which significant differences from the approximate theory are observed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195-1750, United States.
authors.forename: Edward L
authors.initials: EL
authors.lastname: Michor
authors.forename: John C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Berg