Investigation of Novel Triple-Responsive Wormlike Micelles

Smart wormlike micelles with stimuli-tunable rheological properties may be useful in a variety of applications, such as in molecular devices and sensors. The formation of triplestimuli-responsive systems so far has been a challenging and important issue. In this work, a novel triplestimuli (photo-, pH-, and thermoresponsive) wormlike micelle is constructed with N-cetyl-N-methylmorpholinium bromide and trans-cinnamic acid (CA). The corresponding multiresponsive behaviors of wormlike micellar system were revealed using cryogenic transmission electron microscopy, a rheometer, and ¹H NMR. The rheological properties of wormlike micellar system under different temperatures, pH conditions, and UV irradiation times are measured. As confirmed by ¹H NMR, chemical structure of a CA molecule can be altered by the multiple stimulation from an exotic environment. We expect it to be a good model for triple-responsive wormlike micelles, which is helpful to understand the mechanism of triple-responsiveness and widen their applications.