We have performed direct numerical calculations of the kinetics of relaxation in the system of surfac- tant spherical micelles under joint action of the molecular mechanism with capture and emission of individual surfactant molecules by molecular aggregates and the mechanism of fusion and fission of the aggregates. As a basis, we have taken the difference equations of aggregation and fragmentation in the form of the generalized kinetic Smoluchowski equations for aggregate concentrations. The calculations have been made with using the droplet model of molecular surfactant aggregates and two modified Smoluchowski models for the coefficients of aggregate-monomer and aggregate-aggregate fusions which take into account the effects of the aggregate size and presence of hydrophobic spots on the aggregate surface. A full set of relaxation times and corresponding relaxation modes for nonequilibrium aggregate distribution in the aggregation number has been found. The dependencies of these relaxation times and modes on
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)124902
JournalJournal of Chemical Physics
Volume143
Issue number12
DOIs
StatePublished - 2015

    Research areas

  • micelle aggregation kinetics

ID: 3969529