Hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide plus tetradecyltrimethyl-ammonium bromide mixed micelles in aqueous glycol oligomers

The conductances of hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide (HTAB) + tetradecyltrimethylammonium bromide (TTAB) mixtures over the entire mole fraction range of HTAB (alpha(HTAB)) were measured in pure water as well as in the presence of various aqueous ethylene glycol oligomers containing 5, 10 and 20 wt% of each additive in their respective binary mixtures at 30 degrees C. From the conductivity data, the critical micellar concentration (cmc), degree of counter ion association (chi) and the standard free energy of transfer of the surfactant hydrocarbon chain from the medium to the micelle (Delta G(HP)(0)) for HTAB and TTAB were computed. From the conductivity data of mixed surfactants systems, apart from cmc and chi, the regular solution theory parameters were also computed in order to explore the non-ideality in the mixed micelle formation in the presence of additives. The micellar parameters of both kind of surfactants and their mixtures show a significant dependence on the amount as well as on the number of repeating units of glycol oligomers. However, the non-ideality of mixed micelle formation remains unaffected in the presence of additives. These results have been explained on the basis of the medium effects of aqueous additive and it has been concluded that there are no significant interactions of glycol oligomers with the micelles of single and mixed surfactants.