Study of the micellization and micellar growth in pure alkanediyl-alpha-omega-bis(dodecyldimethylammonium) bromide and MEGA10 surfactant solutions and their mixtures. Influence of the spacer on the enthalpy change accompanying sphere-to-rod transitions

The micellization and micellar growth in pure aqueous alkanediyl-alpha-omega-bis(dodecyldimethylammonium) bromide, 12-s-12,2Br(-) (with s = 2,5,6,8,10,12), and N-decanoyl-N-methylglucamide MEGA10 solutions and their mixtures are investigated at 303 K. Application of different theoretical approaches to the binary mixtures shows a nonideal behavior. It also shows that the spacer length does not play an important role in the attractive interactions shown by the mixed systems. The sphere-to-rod morphological transition in the pure dimeric micellar solutions is studied at 303 K. From comparison of these results with those at 298 K the key role played by the spacer in the micellar growth is shown. The spacer length controls not only the surfactant concentration at which the morphological transition happens but also the sign of the enthalpy change accompanying the sphere-to-rod equilibrium. Spacers with an even number of methylenes show smaller C* values than those with an odd number of -CH(2)- units. An endothermic enthalpy change is found for even spacers whereas an exothermic enthalpy change is found for odd spacers. To the authors knowledge, this is the first time this experimental trend has been shown. Addition of MEGA10 diminishes the tendency of the aggregates to grow. An increment in the solution mole fraction of MEGA10 makes the formation of elongated micelles difficult. Microviscosity measurements provide additional information about the influence of the MEGA10 content on the sphere-to-rod transition.