SANS SPECTRA AND ELASTIC PLATEAU MODULUS IN A CHARGED WORMLIKE MICELLES SOLUTION - EFFECT OF SALT

We present S.A.N.S. and elastic plateau modulus data obtained from semi-dilute wormlike micellar solutions, with small amounts of salt added. The spectra of these solutions are reminiscent of polyelectrolyte semi-dilute solutions. The plateau modulus, which is related to the correlation length of the fluctuations in strain, is increased by the addition of salt. The primary result is that the electrostatic interactions induce short-range correlations in the structure of the semi- flexible rod network, and this leads to a long-range correlation in the strain fluctuations.