To understand the strong viscoelastic response showed by aqueous solutions of erucylbis(hydroxyethyl)methylammonium chloride (EHAC) in the presence of potassium chloride (KCl), steady-state rheology,
small-angle neutron scattering (SANS), and cryogenic transmission electron microscopy (cryo-TEM)
experiments were performed. This cationic surfactant has the ability to self-assemble into giant wormlike
micelles. The effect of surfactant concentration, added salt, and temperature were investigated. The
surfactant solutions have a gellike behavior at room temperature and become Maxwellian as the temperature
is increased. It was found that the low-shear viscosity has a strong dependence on salt concentration and
temperature. Small-angle scattering indicated the formation of wormlike micelles. The high-Q range was
fitted using the Kratky−Porod wormlike chain model, and a cross-sectional radius of gyration (R
g,xs) of
21 Å was obtained. Additionally, cryo-TEM images revealed changes in the structure of the entangled
network with the addition of salt.
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