Dielectric response in dilute lyotropic lamellar and sponge phases of a nonionic surfactant

We study the dielectric response in lyotropic lamellar and sponge phases made up of a binary mixture of a nonionic surfactant and water. A single relaxation is observed in both phases within the measured frequency range of 10-10(7) Hz. This relaxation originates from the obstruction of electric current by insulating membranes. In the sponge phase, it depends on surfactant concentration and conductivity of solvent. The observed dependence is well-described quantitatively by the equivalent electric circuit of the sponge structure, including the effect of accumulation of ions at the interface between water and membrane. In the lamellar phase, there is little dependence of dielectric relaxation on surfactant concentration. This is presumably due to the fact that submicrometer-sized defects play a more important role in the electrical property in this phase than the lamellar structure in smaller length scales does. Our results offer some basic information to study more complicated systems composed of charged membranes in aqueous solution.