Iridescent surfactants

Therefore, the stability and lifetime of such thin films will be dependent on these different characteristics. This is evident from the fact that, as an air bubble is blown under the surface of a soap or detergent solution, it will rise up to the surface. It may remain at the surface if the speed is slow, or it may escape into the air as a soap bubble. Experiments show that a soap bubble consists of a very thin liquid him with an iridescent surface. But, as the huid drains away and the thickness decreases, the bubble approaches the equivalent of barely two surfactant molecules plus a few molecules of water. It is worth noting that the limiting thickness is of the order of two or more surfactant molecules. This means that one can see with the naked eye the molecular-size structures of thin liquid hlms (TLFs) (if curved). 

The organized structures give to the aqueous phases new macroscopic properties like iridescent colors, viscoelasticity, gel character, a yield stress, and, between crossed polarizers, beautifully colored patterns that make the order in the samples visible. The self-organization of the surfactant molecules is simply a result of the hydrophobic and electrostatic interaction between the individual molecules and the micellar structures. The size of the micellar structures, as in the case of small imUamellar vesicles, can be extremely monodisperse, even though one vesicle consists of hrmdreds of surfactant molecules. 

Thunig C, Hoffmann H, Platz G (1989) Iridescent colors in surfactant solutions. Progr Colloid Polym Sci 79 297-307... 

Thunig, C., Hoffmann, H. and Platz, G. (1998) Iridescent colors in surfactant solutions. Prog. Colloid Polym. Scl, 79, 297-307. 

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