On microemulsion phase behavior and the monomeric solubility of surfactant

Abstract

In this paper we highlight the advantageous features of both short- and long-chain surfactant systems in determining the most important properties of three-phase bodies and genuine microemulsions. To this end first the phase behavior of the simple system H₂O–n-dodecane–C₄E₁ (n-butyl monoglycol ether) is discussed. From temperature–concentration sections through the phase prism at various water-to-oil ratios, a number of isothermal Gibbs triangles are constructed, which can quantitatively be compared with theories. Furthermore, the critical tie-lines of the three-phase body have been precisely determined. From these measurements it is evident that there is a non-negligible monomeric solubility of the surfactant in the excess phases. For long-chain surfactant systems, the more efficient the surfactant, the larger is the size of the microstructure of the microemulsion. We report a striking correlation between the efficiency of a surfactant and its monomeric solubility in the excess phases for 23 systems of the type H₂O–n-alkane–C_iE_j. These findings suggest that the monomeric solubility of the surfactant in oil and water might be the key to describing the main features of these microemulsion systems.