Journal of Colloid and Interface Science, Vol.239, No.2, 543-554, 2001
Influence of surfactant concentration and counterion to surfactant ratio on rheology of wormlike micelles
The influence of concentration on rheological properties, including shear viscosity, sheer instability, transient stress start-up and relaxation, apparent extensional viscosity, viscoelastic behavior, and microstructure by cryo-TEM, were studied with surfactant Ethoquad O/12, commercialized oleyl methyl bishydroxyethyl chloride, with counterion sodium salicylate. Counterion to surfactant molar ratios, xi, were 1.0 and 2.5. Concentrations for the xi = 1 series are 5 mM/5 mM, 10 mM/10 mM, 50 mM/50 mM, 100 mM/100 mM, and 200 mM/200 mM (surfactant/counterion); those for the I = 2.5 series are 5 mM/12.5 mM, 10 mM/25 mM, 50 mM/125 mM, 100 mM/250 mM, and 200 mM/500 mM, The experimental results showed complicated rheological behavior with concentration changes. Shear viscosity decreases with increases in concentration for the xi = 1 series. At xi = 2.5 apparent viscosity increases with concentration above 10 mM. Viscoelasticity of the solutions also decreases with increases in surfactant concentration. At high concentration, a high shear rate is needed to induce viscoelasticity. A high extensional rate induces supermicellar structures, Gelation was observed during shear for the 100 mM/250 mM and 200 mM/500 mM solution in the cone-and-plate geometry. Cryo-TEM results revealed that all of the solutions examined had wormlike network micelle microstructures.