engleski

A Fractal Model for the Molecular Organization in the Alkylbenzenesulphonate / Electrolyte / Water System

Under conditions where individual molecules are no longer soluble, the association of amphiphiles occurs as a sequence of growth and aggregation processes: theformation of dimers, bilayers, multilayer assemblies, culminates with the production of myelin cylinders and chains or spherulitic arrays of focal conic units. We have examined this process using the alkylbenzenesulphonate / electrolyte / water system as a model. The phase diagram was obtained using optical microscopy. The kinetics of the aggregation process were followed by light scattering measurements and the structures of the one- and two-phase regions by optical microscopy, and freeze-fracture electron microscopy. The fractal nature of the aggregation process was investigated using an indirect Fourier transform study of the lightr scattering data. The fractal character of the whole self-assembly process was confirmed and an experimental value of 2.17 was determined for the fractal dimension (in close agreement with the expected theoretical value of 2.16).

fractal model; molecular organization

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