Micellar structure and inter-micelle interactions in micellar solutions: Results of small angle neutron scattering studies

Micelles are aggregates of surfactant molecules suspended in water. The structure (shape and size) of a micelle depends both on the architecture of the constituent surfactant molecule and the solution conditions such as temperature, presence of impurities, etc. The inter-particle interaction between micelles also depends on several different parameters. It is of interest to study the structure and intermicellar interactions in micellar solutions both from the point of view of basic research and the applications, It has been found that the technique of Small Angle Neutron Scattering (SANS) is ideally suited for the above studies. This paper gives an introduction to the technique of SANS and discusses the results of typical SANS studies dealing with the micellar structure and the inter-micellar interactions.