STRUCTURE OF SECONDARY MICELLES OF CATIONIC SURFACE-ACTIVE MONOMERS IN WATER

The structure of micelles of cationic surface-active monomers, formed in the region of the critical micelle concentration CMC-2 in water, was investigated using a broad spectrum of physico-chemical methods. It was found that anisotropic micelles, the monomer molecules in which are packed in layers, with an interplanar distance close to two lengths of the aliphatic portion of the molecule, are formed in this region. In comparison with the primary micelles, the secondary micelles are characterized by greater ordering of the microstructure, a greater degree of binding of the counterion, and less molecular mobility. This, together with a definite mutual arrangement of the latter, prevents radical polymerization of the monomer in secondary micelles.