A Small Angle Neutron Scattering Study of Cylindrical nanoparticle with Controlled Surface Charge Density

Surfactant molecules in aqueous solution self assemble into various micellar structures such as sphere, rod, vesicle, and lamellar, above critical micelle concentration (CMC). Self-assembled surfactants systems, therefore, have been very popular as templates for preparing various nanostructured materials. Due to their dynamic nature, however, micellar structures are very susceptible to solution conditions such as temperature, concentration, pH and pressure, limiting their applications. In this study, we have developed rigid rod-like nanoparticles with controlled surface charge density by the free radical polymerization of cationic surfactants with polymerizable counterions, cetyltrimethylammonium 4- vinylbenzoate (CTVB), with varying concentration of sodium styrenesulfonate (NaSS). The structure and surface charge density of the nanoparticles were characterized by small angle neutron scattering (SANS) and zeta potential measurements