Microemulsion systems studied by positron annihilation techniques

The formation of thermalized positronium atoms is greatly reduced if increasing amounts of water become solubilized in reversed micelles formed by sodium bis(2-ethylhexyl) sulfosuccinate in apolar solvents. Similar observations have been made if the surfactant is Triton X-100. The application of the positron annihilation technique to the study of microemulsions consisting of potassium oleate-alcohol-oil-water mixtures indicates, consistent with previous results, that microemulsion formation requires a certain water/oil ratio if the oil is a long-chain aliphatic hydrocarbon such as hexadecane. This ratio is 0.4 in the case of a 1-pentanol- and 0.2 for a 1-hexanol-containing mixture. This minimum water content is strongly reduced if the oil is an aromatic hydrocarbon. The positron annihilation data also sensitively reflect structural rearrangements in these solutions occurring upon further addition of water, such as the transition of spherical aggregates to a disk-like lamellae structure