Application of thermodynamic models to study micellar properties of sodium perfluoroalkyl carboxylates in aqueous solutions

Sodium perfluoroalkyl carboxylates (CnFONa) with n = 6, 9, 10 have been studied by conductivity measurements at different temperatures. The Krafft point was determined for C9FONa and C10FONa at the highest concentration studied by measuring the temperature dependence of the specific conductivity. The critical micelle concentration (cmc) and the ionization degree of the micelle (beta) were estimated from conductivity vs. molality plots at different temperatures. Using these data and previous results on temperature dependence of cmc and beta of sodium perfluoroheptanoate and perfluorooctanoate, different models were applied to obtain the thermodynamic properties of micellization. The results are discussed in terms of alkyl chain length. (c) 2005 Elsevier B.V.. All rights reserved.