Synergism and polymorphism in mixed surfactant systems

Mixed surfactant systems have been, for a long time, one of the favorite ar eas for experimental studies on interfacial and bulk properties of surfacta nts. Beyond the well-known synergistic properties, with relevance to techni cal applications, recent studies increasingly focus on the bulk aggregation behavior. As moro systematic and detailed experimental data is collected ( for example, by use of scattering and direct imaging techniques), increasin gly refined theoretical models are developed. Most references reviewed here clearly show both the trends. Topics such as micellar growth, micelle-to-v esicle transition and equilibrium vesicle formation in dilute systems tin p articular in catanionic systems) continue to expand and sometimes pose chal lenges to conventional notions of surfactant self-organization. As the rich polymorphism of mixed aggregates is unraveled, the possibilities of using them for broader goals also increase (e.g. mesoporous materials and polymer -aggregate gels). (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.