Rheology of wormlike micelles in aqueous systems of a mixed amino acid-based anionic surfactant and cationic surfactant

Amino acid-based anionic surfactant, N-dodecanoylglutamic acid, after neutralizing by 2, 2′, 2″-nitrilotriethanol forms micellar solution at 25 °C. Addition of cationic cosurfactants hexadecyltrimethylammonium chloride (CTAC), hexadecylpyridinium chloride (CPC), and hexadecylpyridinium bromide (CPB) to the semi-dilute solution of anionic surfactant micellar solutions favor the micellar growth and after a certain concentration, entangled rigid network of wormlike micelles are formed. Viscosity increases enormously ∼4th order of magnitude compared with water. With further addition of the cosurfactants, viscosity declines and phase separation to liquid crystal occurs. The wormlike micelles showed a viscoelastic behavior and described by Maxwell model with a single stress-relaxation mode. The position of viscosity maximum in the zero-shear viscosity curve shifts towards lower concentration upon changing cosurfactant from CPB to CTAC via CPC; however, the maximum viscosity is highest in the CPB system showing the formation of highly rigid network structure of wormlike micelles. In all the systems, viscosity decays exponentially with temperature following Arrhenius type behavior.