Surface and aggregation behavior of aqueous solutions of Ru(II) metallosurfactants:: 1.: Micellization of [Ru(bipy)2(bipy′)][Cl]2 complexes

Small-angle neutron scattering has been used to determine the structure of micelles formed in aqueous solutions of [Ru(bipy)(2)(bipy')][Cl](2) complexes where (bipy') = 5,5'-dialkyl-2,2'-bipyridine. Surfactants with alkyl chains with carbon numbers of n = 12, 15, and 19 have been studied for which both alkyl chains on each molecule have the same chain length. For n = 12 the micelle shape is all oblate ellipsoid with the ratio of the minor-to-major axis radii being X similar to 0.5, for reasonably low concentrations (c less than or equal to 10cmc), For surfactants with n = 15 and n = 19, at concentrations c :s 10cmc, the micelle shape, is approximately spherical with X similar to 1.