COLLECTIVE MOTIONS OF A NETWORK OF WORMLIKE MICELLES

Abstract Aqueous solutions of non-ionic amphiphile C 16 E 7 (C 16 H 33 (OC 2 H 4 ) 7 OH) are known to form “wormlike micelles”, whose static properties are analogously understood as chain-like polymers. However, their dynamical properties are different from those of polymers because the micelles not only entangle but also fuse each other. In order to clarify collective motions of the wormlike micelles, neutron spin echo measurements were carried out. Observed correlation functions were explained by a stretched exponential function with an index of 3/4. The obtained relaxation rates obeyed Q 8/3 as Zilman and Granek (Phys. Rev. Lett. 77 (1996) 4788) expected for the one-dimensional polymer-like model.