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Updated: Jul 17, 2026

Extraction and Characterization of Surfactants from Atmospheric Aerosols
Published on: April 21, 2017
The sponge phase of a mixed surfactant system
A Maldonado1, R Ober, T Gulik-Krzywicki
1Departamento de Física, Universidad de Sonora, Apdo. Postal 1626, 83000 Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico. maldona@fisica.uson.mx
Abstract:
We study the sponge phase of the mixed non-ionic/ionic surfactant system C14DMAO-TTAB-hexanol-brine. Our aim is to determine if this phase exists in this mixed system and if it preserves or changes its structure when the relative amount of the charged surfactant is increased in the mixture. SAXS, FFEM, and conductivity results show that for the same bilayer volume fraction the sponge phase preserves its global structure. We propose a method to determine the geometrical obstruction factor from electrical conductivity measurements in ionic sponge phases. Analysis of lamellar phases in the same system shows that the bilayer thickness increases when the ionic surfactant concentration is increased.
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