Effects of hydrophilic chain length on the characteristics of the micelles of pentaoxyethylene n-decyl C10E5 and hexaoxyethylene n-decyl C10E6 ethers.

Wormlike micelles of nonionic surfactants pentaoxyethylene decyl ether C(10)E(5) and hexaoxyethylene decyl ether C(10)E(6) in dilute aqueous solutions were characterized by static (SLS) and dynamic light scattering (DLS) experiments at several temperatures T below the critical points. The SLS results were analyzed with the aid of the molecular thermodynamic theory for SLS from micelle solutions formulated with the wormlike spherocylinder model, thereby yielding the molar mass M(w) of the micelles as a function of c and the cross-sectional diameter d of 2.6 nm for both C(10)E(5) and C(10)E(6) micelles. It has been found that the micelles grow in size with increasing c and T, following the relation M(w) proportional, variant c(1/2) in conformity with the theoretical prediction for highly extended polymerlike micelles. The hydrodynamic radius R(H) of the micelles as a function of M(w) was found to be also well described by the corresponding theories for the wormlike spherocylinder model. The results of the stiffness parameter lambda(-1) show that both micelles are rather stiff compared with those formed with other polyoxyethylene alkyl ethers C(i)E(j) but far from rigid rods. The values of the spacing s between two adjacent hexaoxyethylene chains on the micellar surface were found to be substantially the same for both micelles.