The theory of diffusion of both nonionic and ionic surfactants in micellar systems is extended to the case with variable aggregation numbers. General relationships for the mobility and diffusion coefficient of surfactants are derived, and their dependence on the aggregation number variability is analyzed. Theoretical reasoning is supplemented by numerical calculations on the example of the sodium dodecyl sulfate micellar solution. It is shown that the effect of the aggregation number variability can be significant even for spherical micelles when investigating the surfactant diffusion in the vicinity of the critical micelle concentration.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)158-164
Number of pages7
JournalColloids and Surfaces A: Physicochemical and Engineering Aspects
Volume551
DOIs
StatePublished - 20 Aug 2018

    Scopus subject areas

  • Surfaces and Interfaces
  • Physical and Theoretical Chemistry
  • Colloid and Surface Chemistry

    Research areas

  • Aggregation number, Diffusion, Ionics, Micelles, Monomers, Surfactants

ID: 51287980