Ultrathin dynamic networks formed by the surfactant SPAN 65 at the air–water and oil–water interface

Some surfactants tend to form ultrathin films at the surface of water or at the interface between oil and water. A representative of these surface-active compounds is SPAN 65 (trioctadecanyl ester of sorbic acid). Induced by attractive interactions these molecules can self-associate to form temporary networks. At the planar surface we measured the two-dimensional relaxation modulus, the storage modulus, the loss modulus and the relaxation spectrum. In addition to these measurements, we have also investigated the molecular structure of these networks with “Brewster-angle-microscopy”. The results indicate that temporary cross-linking points, which have lifetimes of the order of a few seconds, tend to stabilize these films. This dynamic network formation is also interesting for numerous technical applications, and it might be used for the preparation of emulsions, foams or microcapsules.