Cylindrical microemulsions: a polymer-like phase ?

Cylindrical microemulsions: a polymer-like phase ?

2014 The regions of stability of spherical, cylindrical, and lamellar phases of microemulsions are calculated within mean-field theory. In the cylindrical phase, thermal fluctuations determine a temperature dependent persistence length below which the cylinders are rigid (rod-like) and above which the cylinders are flexible (polymer-like). The length of the polymer-like chains depends on concen...

Polymer-Induced Structural Transitions in Microemulsions

We predict, qualitatively, the structural transitions in microemulsion systems induced by nonionic polymers, by virtue of their ability to associate with the surfactant assemblies. The predictions are made possible by linking (a) theoretical calculations of the domains of existence of oil-in-water (O/W) and water-in-oil (W/O) droplet microemulsions with (b) the experimental observation that on ...

Phase separation induced by ladder-like polymer-polymer complexation.

Polymer-polymer complexation in solvent is studied using an extension of the self-consistent field theory. The model polymers are capable of forming ladder-like duplex structures. The duplex formation occurs with an abrupt change of entropy, resulting in a first-order transition. Moreover, the complexation can be stabilized by solvent-polymer interactions, instead of the usual specific binding ...

Mesostructured Polymer Materials Based on Bicontinuous Microemulsions

Reentrant Phase Separation in Microemulsions.

We propose a mechanism for reentrant phase separation in globular microemulsions based on the combined effects of a shape transition and attractive interactions. Long cylindrical globules can phase separate at relatively low interglobular attractions. A transformation from elongated globules to compact spherical drops alters the balance between the entropy and effective interglobule interaction...