Structure and dynamic properties of decylammonium chloride micelles in water and in glycerol

Abstract

A time-resolved fluorescence method has been used to determine the aggregation numbers of decylammonium chloride (DAC) micelles in water and in glycerol. In water, the aggregation number increases from 40 at low DAC concentrations to 300 at 1.2 mol dm^–3. Increasing the concentration of inert electrolyte or decreasing the temperature each leads to an increase in aggregation number. In glycerol, the aggregation number is ca. 50 and is independent of concentration and temperature. The diffusional mobility of the fluorescent and quenching probe molecules within the micelles is reduced by approximately ten-fold when water is substituted for glycerol. The rate of transfer of probe species between the micelles is similar in water and glycerol.