Model development, mixed micelle formation

The lack of certain critical data for these systems, as already discussed, has hampered development of improved theories. Models of mixed micelle formation need to be based on the fundamental forces causing nonidealities of mixing. Some of these have been discussed in Chapter 1. Chapter 2 Schechter is an example of the... 

Model Development. There is vast opportunity for development of fundamentally based models to describe the thermodynamics of mixed micelle formation. As discussed in Chapter 1, regular solution theory has yielded useful relations to describe monomer—mi cel 1e equilibrium. 

Advances in the theory of mixed-micelle formation have made it possible to calculate the composition of mixed micelles formed by two or more surfactants. A thermodynamic treatment of micellar solutions of mixed surfactants is usually based on the pseudophase separation theory [61,71-74]. The pseudophase models developed for binary surfactant solutions assume ideal mixing of the surfactants in the micelle. 

Most of the studies on thermodynamics of mixed micellar systems are based on the variation of the critical micellar concentration (CMC) with the relative concentration of both components of the mixed micelles (1-4). Through this approach It Is possible to obtain the free energies of formation of mixed micelles. However, at best, the sign and magnitude of the enthalpies and entropies can be obtained from the temperature dependences of the CMC. An Investigation of the thermodynamic properties of transfer of one surfactant from water to a solution of another surfactant offers a promising alternative approach ( ), and, recently, mathematical models have been developed to Interpret such properties (6-9). 

In. my opinion, the study o-f monolayer -formation has less practical importance than the study o-f micelles. Yet, the thermodynamics of monolayer formation has seen substantial study. I think that this is largely due to the fact that the monomer—monolayer equilibrium can be unambiguously and relatively easily measured using the Hutchinson method (25), as exploited by Rosen and Hua ( ), while this cannot be said for monomer—micelle equilibrium. Therefore, mixed monolayer formation will be a more fruitful field for model development in the near future than mixed micelles because of the availability of a method of obtaining experimental data for comparison. 

The adsorption of binary mixtures of anionic surfactants of a homologous series (sodium octyl sulfate and sodium dodecyl sulfate) on alpha aluminum oxide was measured. A thermodynamic model was developed to describe ideal mixed admicelle (adsorbed surfactant bilayer) formation, for concentrations between the critical admicelle concentration and the critical micelle concentration. Specific... 

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