Magnetic and Phase Behavior of Magnetic Water-in-Oil Microemulsions

Magnetic water-in-oil microemulsions with anisotropic morphology have been generated by mixing single-chain magnetic surfactants (dodecyltrimethylammonium trichloromonobromoferrate, DTAF) with non-magnetic di-chain analogues (didodecyldimethylammonium bromide, DDAB). Full phase diagrams have been mapped as a function of surfactant composition, water content, and temperature. It was shown that for all surfactant concentrations [Surfactanttotal], on replacing 30 wt% DDAB with DTAF optimum (i.e. wt% of the total surfactant) w ratios (w = [water]/[surfactant]) could be achieved; up to w = 120 for [Surfactanttotal] = 0.050 M. Small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) indicated that microemulsion droplets have a rod-like morphology with a radius commensurate with the surfactant tail length and an aspect ratio between 6 and 35. In the presence of a large magnetic field (6.7 T) no reorientation of the droplets was observed by SANS.