CROSS-SECTION STRUCTURE OF CYLINDRICAL AND POLYMER-LIKE MICELLES FROMSMALL-ANGLE SCATTERING DATA .2. EXPERIMENTAL RESULTS

We report a small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) study of the cross-s ection structure of polymer-like lecithin reverse micelles in deuterat ed cyclohexane. We demonstrate that the application of the indirect Fo urier transformation and square-root deconvolution methods to data fro m SANS measurements with cylindrical polymer-like micelles allows for a direct verification of the previously postulated geometrical model o f flexible tubular structures with a well defined water core and a sur factant shell. By combining contrast variation experiments and data an alysis performed on an absolute scale, we quantitatively deduce inform ation on properties such as the extension of the aqueous core and the degree of water penetration into the headgroup and solvent penetration into the tail region.