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Effects of ethylene glycol (EG) addition on the micellization and on the micellar growth in two aqueous didodecyl dicationic dibromide surfactant, 12-s-12,2Br−(s = 2, 6) solutions, with the weight percentage of EG up to 50%, have been investigated. An increment in the amount of EG makes the aggregation process less spontaneous due to the water−EG mixtures being better solvents for the cationic dimeric surfactant molecules than pure water (solvophobic effect). Results show that C*, the surfactant concentration where the sphere-to-rod transition occurs, increases when EG content in the bulk phase increases. The amount of the organic solvent influences C* principally through the decrease in the hydrocarbon/bulk phase interfacial tension (air/bulk phase surface tension) caused by its presence. Changes in the aggregation number, in the micropolarity, in the microviscosity, and in the rheological behavior accompanying micellar growth were studied in the water−EG micellar solutions. Kinetic studies provide information about the characteristics of the dimeric micelles as microreactors. Kinetic data also show that an increase in the surfactant concentration leads to micellar growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The micellization and micellar growth of cationic dimeric surfactant propanediyl---bis(dodecyldimethylammonium) bromide, 12-3-12,2Br-, have been studied in several water−organic solvent mixtures. The organic solvents were ethylene glycol, glycerol, 1,2-propylene glycol, 1,3-propylene glycol, acetonitrile, dioxane, formamide, and N,N-dimethylformamide. Results showed that the aggregation process was less favored in the binary mixtures than in pure water, which was explained by considering the influence of the solvophobic effect on micellization. The addition of organic solvents was accompanied by a diminution in the average aggregation number, Nagg, of the dimeric micelles. This diminution was due to the decrease in the interfacial Gibbs energy contribution, %@mt;sys@%%@ital@%G%@rsf@%%@sx@%interfacial%@be@%o%@sxx@%%@mx@%, to the Gibbs energy of micellization caused by the decrease in the hydrocarbon/bulk-phase interfacial tension. As a result of the micelle size diminution, the concentration at which the sphere-to-rod transition occurred, C, was higher in the mixtures than in pure water. Micelle size reduction is accompanied by a decrease in the ionic interactions and in the extra packing contribution to the deformation of the surfactants tails, making the formation of cylindrical micelles less favorable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]