ELECTRON-SPIN ECHO MODULATION STUDY OF AOT REVERSE MICELLES

Electron spin echo deuterium modulation studies have been carried out for x-doxylstearic acid spin probes in frozen reversed micellar solutions of sodium bis(2-ethyl-1-hexyl) sulfosuccinate (AOT)/isooctane as a function of the water pool size with deuterium located in the isooctane or in the water. The results determine the probe location and conformation in the reverse micelle and the amount of water and isooctane penetration into the AOT interface. Modulation effects due to the interaction of the unpaired electron with deuterated isooctane or deuterated water show that the probes are in an extended conformation and are located at the interface of the reverse micelle. The results obtained are in good agreement with the current view of the structure of AOT reversed micelles in liquids and demonstrate at a molecular level that the micellar structure is retained upon fast freezing.