FORMATION OF NOVEL ORGANOGELS BY THE ADDITION OF PHENOLS TO AOT MICELLES IN ISOOCTANE

We report the formation of novel organogels through the addition of stoichiometric amounts of specific phenols to the anionic surfactant, AOT, dispersed in isooctane. The gel is formed at concentrations of the surfactant and the phenolic constituent as low as 0.1 M. FTIR data indicate hydrogen bonding between the surfactant and the phenolic species and also show evidence of conformational changes in AOT subsequent to gel formation. A novel aspect is the transition from the gel to the liquid state upon exposure to trace amounts of moisture.