Lamellar Gel Network

α-Gel (α-Form Hydrated Crystal) Prepared by Eco-Friendly Cationic Surfactant

“…perature from the α-phase to the liquid phase. This suggests that C 18 OH separated in the gel samples at the mole ratios from 1:6 to 1:8 10 . Furthermore, the gel samples prepared at the mole ratios from 1:3 to 1:5 yielded a small peak at approximately 20 Fig.…”

“…An apparent endothermic peak was observed at approximately 74 in the gel samples prepared at the mole ratios from 1:3 to 1:8. The temperature of this peak corresponds to the melting point of the gel samples 5,10 . In the gel samples prepared at the mole ratios from 1:6 to 1:8, additional smaller peaks were observed at approximately 42 and 58 .…”

“…The lamellar d-spacing estimates the percentage of water incorporated between the lamellar bilayers within the α-gel structure W inside , according to the following equations 10 :…”

“…This suggests the formation of a β-gel phase at 5 , despite the disordering of the lamellar structure. In the β-gel structure, the crystalline hydrocarbon chains of surfactants and longchain alcohols are packed with orthorhombic arrangement 10,17,18 . When considering the β-gel formation at 5 , the endothermic peak detected at ca.…”

“…There was a prominent difference in viscosity behavior post dilution, despite the lack of such differences prior to dilution. Consequently, we hypothesize that dilution alters the size and/or shape of the α-gel domains 10,19 . To further clarify this hypothesis, direct observation of the domain structure e.g.…”