Influence of the presence of ions on the dielectric properties of reverse micelle systems

AOT/isooctane/water reverse micelle solution was doped with ionic salts solutions: sodium chloride, potassium chloride, tetramethylammonium chloride, tetramethylammonium bromide, sodium butyrate and sodium benzoate. Each system was investigated for the influence of ionic additives on dielectric properties: electric permittivity, conductivity and nonlinear dielectric effect (NDE). Studies showed that addition of salts noticeably changes the dielectric parameters. Based on the salts used in this research, the most common effect is a decrease of electric permittivity, conductivity and NDE effect. However, addition of some ions can lead to their increase, which was proved in the case of sodium benzoate. The registered changes were explained based on the percolation effect and changes in rigidity of the micellar surfactant shell due to the incorporation of the dissolved ions into the micellar structure.