A novel method for determining size distributions in polydisperse micelle systems based on the recovery of fluorescence lifetime distributions

A method based on fluorescence lifetime distribution analysis is proposed for the determination of micellar size distributions in polydisperse systems. The exponential series method is employed to determine the lifetime distribution for a probe in the presence of quencher. This distribution is then analyzed by the maximum entropy method in order to recover the size distribution function. The method has been tested on sodium dodecyl sulfate and cetyltrimethylammonium chloride micellar systems in the presence and absence of added salt. Excellent agreement is obtained with other methods of size determination in cases where it is reasonable to make such comparisons