Viscoelastic behavior of aqueous surfactant micellar solutions

A cationic surfactant, cetyltrimethylammonium $\rho$-toluenesufonate (CTA$\rho$TS), forms long threadlike micelles in aqueous solution. The threadlike micelles make concentrated entanglement networks, so that the solution shows pronounced viscoelastic behavior as concentrated polymer systems do. However, a mechanism for a process responsible for the longest relaxation time of the threadlike micellar system is different from that of semi-dilute to concentrated polymer systems. The threadlike micellar system exhibits unique viscoelasticity described by a Maxwell model. The longest relaxation time of the threadlike micellar system is not a function of the concentration of CTA$\rho$TS, but changes with that of $\rho$-toluenesufonate ($\rho$$TS^{-}$) ions in the bulk aqueous phase supplied by adding sodium $\rho$-toluenesulfonate (NapTS). The rates of molecular motions in the threadlike micelles are not influenced by the concentration of $\rho$$TS^{-}$ anions, therefore, molecular motions in the threadlike micelles (micro-dynamics) are independent of the longest relaxation mechanism (macro-dynamics). A nonionic surfactant, oleyldimethylamineoxide (ODAO), forms long threadlike micelles in aqueous solution without any additives. The aqueous threadlike micellar system of ODAO also shows Maxwell type viscoelastic behavior. However, the relaxation mechanism for the longest relaxation process in the system should be different from that in the threadlike micellar systems of CTA$\rho$TS, since the system of ODAO does not contain additive anions. Because increase in the average degree of protonation of head groups of ODAO molecules in micelles due to adding hydrogen bromide causes the relaxation time remarkably longer, changes in micro-structure and micro-dynamics in the threadlike micelle are closely related to macro-dynamics in contrast with the threadlike micellar system of CTA$\rho$TS.