Critical phenomena and aggregate structure in an oil-in-water microemulsion: A small-angle neutron scattering study

Small-angle neutron scattering measurements were performed on a five component oil-in-water microemulsion under conditions of composition and temperature close to a coexistence curve. The microemulsion aggregate population displays a modest polydispersity; the mean aggregate size is only weakly dependent on the coexistence curve's proximity. Close to the coexistence curve, the scattering at low angle is dominated by critical fluctuations of correlation length xi, consistent with the inferences drawn previously by Nicoli and co-workers from their light scattering measurements