The effect of poly(ethylene oxide) on the characteristics of Triton X-100/1-butanol/n-octane/water reverse micelles

Nonionic poly(oxyethylene) surfactant with about ten ethylene oxide units a nd 1-butanol have been studied in reverse micelles with one nonpolar solven t(n-octane) at different water contents in the presence and in the absence of poly (ethylene oxide) (PEO) using two absorption probes, methyl orange a nd methyl blue MB and one spin probe, 5-doxylstearic acid. The study has fo cused attention on the effect of the addition of PEO on the phase behavior of the system, the state of water in the reverse micelles, and the locus of PEO solubilized in reverse micelles. In the presence of PEG, some PEO segm ents may penetrate into the interface close to the palisade layer of the re verse micelles and then replace some water molecules, which results in a le ss close arrangement between the chains of surfactants as well as between a lcohol molecules.