Tail unsaturation tailors the thermodynamics and rheology of a self-assembled sugar-based surfactant

Topological Dynamics of Micelles Formed by Geometrically Varied Surfactants

“…This distinct behavior is well correlated to the structural features of the micelles: α-C 16 G 2 forms short cylindrical micelles that present translational diffusion; the β-anomers form an entangled network of WLM with the associated cooperative diffusion and self-diffusive motions. 3 , 12 , 15 , 26 All of the relaxation rates show a q 2 dependance, as expected. 23 , 27 …”

“…80 Å, the dynamics are mainly attributed to fluctuations of the micelle cross section, which is similar for the three systems from a structural point of view (see Table 1 ). 12 , 15 Significant differences in S ( q , t )/ S ( q , 0) are only observed at the lowest q -values in the NSE data ( q < 0.0205 Å –1 , t > 200 ns). From the analysis of the data, the relaxation rates (Γ( q )) were calculated using eq 1 .…”

“…This agrees with the SANS characterization as the β-C 16-1 G 2 micelles were previously observed to be more flexible (i.e., shorter persistence length, see Table 1 ) than those of the saturated analogues, thus showing faster dynamics in the segmental domain. 12 , 15 Also, extensional rheology revealed that β-C 16-1 G 2 forms longer capillary columns than the saturated analogue β-C 16 G 2 when a sample is gradually separated between two plates. 12 This elongational flow has also been related to the presence of more flexible 1D macromolecules.…”

“… 15 , 22 In contrast, an increased micelle flexibility can be attributed to the less ordered and more dynamic packing of the unsaturated tails inside the micelle. 12 …”

“… 15 , 16 Also, when comparing the micelles of β-C 16 G 2 to those of ( Z )-hexadec-9-en-1-yl-β- d -maltoside (β-C 16-1 G 2 ), a thermally resilient unsaturated analogue, both show almost identical WLM structures. 12 However, the rheological properties and tensile strength of the unsaturated surfactant solutions are different. As both surfactants form micelles with a very similar structure, we aim to demonstrate that the dynamic behavior of the micelles plays an important role in the response of the system on the macroscopic scale as shown by the rheological behavior.…”