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The properties and behavior of mixed surfactant systems are discussed in the context of experimental techniques and modeling. The overview begins with a general description of mixed surfactant solutions, followed by a more detailed examination of mixed micelles, surfactant mixtures at interfaces, and the phase behavior of mixed systems. Topics include experimental measurements, approaches to modeling, nonideality, unusual surfactant types, micellar demixing, adsorption at various interfaces, chemical reactions in micelles, precipitation, cloud point phenomena and perspectives on the direction of future research on mixed surfactant systems.Mixed surfactant systems are encountered in nearly all practical applications of surfactants. These mixtures arise from several sources. First is the natural polydispersity of commercial surfactants which results from impurities in starting materials and variability in reaction products during their manufacture. These are less expensive to produce than isomerically pure surfactants and often provide better performance. Second is the deliberate formulation of mixtures of different surfactant types to exploit synergistic behavior in mixed systems or to provide qualitatively different types of performance in a single formulation (e.g. cleaning plus fabric softening). Finally, practical formulations often require the addition of surfactant additives to help control the physical properties of the product or improve its stability.

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