AGGREGATION BEHAVIOR OF AEROSOL OT IN NONAQUEOUS SOLVENTS AND ITS DESORPTION - AN ESR STUDY

ESR technique is used in this study to monitor the aggregation behavior of an anionic surfactant Aerosol OT in nonaqueous solvents by measuring the rotational correlation time, τ, of a nitroxide labeled fatty acid probe (5-doxyl stearic acid) as a function of the surfactant concentration. These studies reveal that while Aerosol OT can form aggregates in low polarity (reverse micelles) and high polarity (regular micelles) solvents, they do not aggregate significantly in solvents of intermediate polarity. Also, water was not found to have any significant effect on the aggregation behavior of this surfactant in nonpolar solvents. A good correlation is obtained between the surfactant aggregation tendency and its desorption from alumina into different solvents. © 1994 by Academic Press, Inc.