Polymer-like Wormlike Micelles of Ionic Surfactants: Structure and Rheological Properties

Modern concepts regarding wormlike micelles of surfactants as polymer-like objects that undergo reversible scission and recombination in solution are presented in the current review. The viscoelastic properties of semidilute solutions of surfactant wormlike micelles and the techniques of their analysis, including the case of branched micelles, are described. The main features of elongation and branching in wormlike micelles of ionic surfactants in the presence of inorganic and organic (hydrotropic) salts are described. The role of a charge of salt ions in the formation of micron-length micelles is revealed. Prospects for the practical application and development of fundamental studies in the field of polymer-like surfactant wormlike micelles are highlighted.