Can I read Bicontinuous microemulsions revisited: a new approach to freeze fracture electron microscopy (FFEM) on EtoBox?

Bicontinuous microemulsions revisited: a new approach to freeze fracture electron microscopy (FFEM) by S Burauer; L Belkoura; C Stubenrauch; R Strey is a Materials Science article available to read on EtoBox.

What is Bicontinuous microemulsions revisited: a new approach to freeze fracture electron microscopy (FFEM) about?

New images by freeze fracture electron microscopy (FFEM) are obtained for microemulsions in the ternary system water-noctane-C 12 E 5 as function of varying water-to-oil ratio. The surfactant concentration is chosen such that the composition of the sample is close to the X-point, i.e. the point of highest efficiency, where the three-and the one-phase regions meet. As the phase behavior and thus the microstructure of these particular nonionic microemulsions are extremely sensitive to temperature, a precise temperature control of the sample was necessary prior to rapid freezing in liquid ethane. The images presented are the first FFEM images along the trajectory of the middle-phase in phase space. Of particular interest is the structure of the microemulsion on the water-rich side not visualized so far. The images give strong evidence that even at the highest water and oil contents, respectively, elements of a bicontinuous microstructure are visible, which confirms results obtained by means of various other techniques.

Who reads Bicontinuous microemulsions revisited: a new approach to freeze fracture electron microscopy (FFEM)?

Author

S Burauer; L Belkoura; C Stubenrauch; R Strey

Publisher

Elsevier Science; Elsevier ; Elsevier BV (ISSN 0927-7757)

Published

2003

Language

EN

Field

Materials Science (Physical Sciences)