Multi-lamellar vesicle formation in a long-chain nonionic surfactant: C16E4/D2O system.

ABSTRACT

The temperature dependent rheological and structural behavior of a long-chain C(16)E(4) (tetraethylene glycol monohexadecyl ether) surfactant in D(2)O has been studied within the regime of low shear range. In the absence of shear flow, the system forms a lamellar liquid crystalline phase at relatively high temperatures. The present paper reports on the shear-induced multi-lamellar vesicle (MLV) formation in C(16)E(4)/D(2)O at 40 wt.% of surfactant in the temperature range of 40-55 °C. The transition from planar lamellar structure to multi-lamellar vesicles has been investigated by time-resolved experiments combining rheology and nuclear magnetic resonance (rheo-NMR), rheo small-angle neutron scattering (rheo-SANS) and rheometry. The typical transient viscosity behavior of MLV formation has been discovered at low shear rate value of 0.5s(-1).