A contrast variation small-angle scattering study of the microstructure of 2,5-dimethyl-7-hydroxy-2,5-diazaheptadecane-toluene–butanol oil-in-water metallomicroemulsions

DOI: 10.1039/b926812j

Authors: Alison Paul (Cardiff University) , Ian Fallis (Cardiff University) , Catherine Cooper (Cardiff University) , Tim Wess (Cardiff University) , Kate Thomas (Cardiff University) , Richard Heenan (ISIS Facility) , Stephen King (ISIS Facility) , Peter Griffiths (Cardiff University)
Co-authored by industrial partner: No

Type: Journal Paper
Journal: Soft Matter , VOL 6 (11) , PAGES 2552-2556

State: Published (Approved)
Published: April 2010

Abstract: Metallosurfactants comprising copper(II) (Cu(NO3)2) and zinc(II) (Zn(NO3)2) nitrate complexes of 2,5-dimethyl-7-hydroxy-2,5-diazaheptadecane were found to form stable oil-in-water microemulsions—metallomicroemulsions—that could solubilise toluene in the presence of butanol. A detailed contrast-variation scattering analysis, employing both neutrons and X-rays, in conjunction with pulsed-gradient spin-echo NMR and simple phase diagram construction, demonstrated that the system formed is that of a conventional microemulsion—a core comprising toluene, separated from the aqueous phase by the surfactant and co-surfactant/co-solvent. This study further demonstrates the versatility of metallosurfactants and the similarity of their physical chemistry behaviour to that of conventional surfactants.

Subject Areas: Materials, Chemistry


Instruments: I22-Small angle scattering & Diffraction

Added On: 26/09/2011 16:08

Discipline Tags:

Molecular Complexes Soft condensed matter physics Chemistry Materials Science

Technical Tags:

Scattering Small Angle X-ray Scattering (SAXS)