Interconnection of microemulsion droplets with block-copolymers.

Static and dynamic light-scattering measurements were performed on water/AOT(sodium di-2-ethylhexylsulfosuccinate)/i-octane(2,2,4-trimethylpentane) w/o-microemulsions with various amounts of block-copoly(oxyethylene/isoprene/oxyethylene). We could show that the blockpolymer causes an aggregation of the microemulsion droplets. The mean size and polydispersity of the aggregates increase as the number of copolymer molecules per nanodroplet is increased. When the formal ratio of nanodroplets and copolymer molecules equals one, the mean aggregation number is three. The relative steepness of the increase of molar mass and hydrodynamic radius with increasing copolymer concentration suggests that the aggregates formed have an elongated shape. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]