Shear rheology and porous media flow of wormlike micelle solutions formed by mixtures of surfactants of opposite charge

The rheology of solutions of wormlike micelles formed by oppositely charged surfactant mixtures (cationic cetyl trimethylammonium p-toluene sulfonate, CTAT, and anionic sodium dodecyl sulfate, SDS), in the dilute and semi-dilute regimes, were studied under simple shear and porous media flows. Aqueous mixtures of CTAT and SDS formed homogeneous solutions for SDS/CTAT molar ratios below 0.12. Solutions of mixtures exhibited a strong synergistic effect in shear viscosity, especially in the semi-dilute regime with respect to wormlike micelles, reaching a four order of magnitude increase in the zero-shear rate viscosity for solutions with 20 mM CTAT. Oscillatory shear results demonstrated that the microstructure of CTAT wormlike micelles is sensitive to SDS addition. The cross-over relaxation times of wormlike micelles of 20 mM CTAT solutions increased by three orders of magnitude with the addition of up to 2 mM of SDS, and the solutions became increasingly elastic. The shear thickening process observed in shear rheology became more pronounced in porous media flow due to the formation of stronger cooperative structures induced by the extensional component of the flow.     

Effect of the flow field on the rheological behavior of aqueous cetyltrimethylammonium p-toluenesulfonate solutions

It is well-known that solutions of cetyltrimethylammonium p-toluenesulfonate in water exhibit a pronounced shear-thickening phenomenon in a specific concentration range (0.1-0.8%) when they are subjected to simple-shear flows, as a consequence of flow-induced self-assembly of wormlike micelles. This work shows that a strong elongational flow field (opposed-jets flow), applied to the same solutions, does not lead to extension thickening because the extensional flow prevents or destroys micellar association. In flow through a porous medium, a substantial increase in apparent viscosity is observed beyond a critical apparent shear rate, which surpasses increases observed in simple-shear flows. This is explained as the result of a synergistic effect of shear and relatively weak elongation on the solution microstructure.     

Synergistic effects in flows of mixtures of wormlike micelles and hydroxyethyl celluloses with or without hydrophobic modifications

This work presents experimental results on simple shear and porous media flow of aqueous solutions of two hydroxyethyl celluloses (HEC) and two hydrophobically modified hydroxyethyl celluloses (HMHEC) with different molecular weights. Mixtures of these polymers with a cationic surfactant, cetyltrimethylammonium p-toluenesulfonate (CTAT) were also studied. Emphasis was given to the range of surfactant concentrations in which wormlike micelles are formed. The presence of hydrophobic groups, the effect of the molecular weight of the polymers, the surfactant and polymer concentrations, and the effect of the flow field type (simple shear versus porous media flow) were the most important variables studied. The results show that the shear viscosity of HEC/CTAT solutions is higher than the viscosities of surfactant and polymer solutions at the same concentrations, but surface tension measurements indicate that no complex formation occurs between CTAT and HEC. On the other hand, a complex driven by hydrophobic interactions was detected by surface tension measurements between CTAT and HMHEC. In this case, the viscosity of the mixture increases significantly more (up to four orders of magnitude at high CTAT concentrations) in comparison with HEC/CTAT aqueous solutions. Increments in the molecular weight of the polymers increase the interaction with CTAT and the shear viscosity of the solution, but make phase separation more feasible. In porous media flow, the polymer/CTAT mixtures exhibited higher apparent viscosities than in simple shear flows. This result suggests that the extensional component of the flow field in porous media flows leads to a stronger interaction between the polymer and the wormlike micelles, probably as a consequence of change of conformation and growth of the micelles.     

Wormlike micelles mediated by polyelectrolyte

Aqueous solutions of the anionic surfactant potassium oleate (K-oleate) were studied using small-angle neutron scattering (SANS), steady-state rheology, and cryogenic transmission electron microscopy (cryo-TEM). The micellar structural changes induced by the addition of potassium chloride (KCl) and sodium polystyrenesulfonate (PSS) of different molecular weights were investigated. Upon addition of KCl, a transition from spherical to wormlike micelles was detected from the SANS data and confirmed by the cryo-TEM pictures. The rheological measurements revealed a strong dependence of the low-shear viscosity on the concentration of salt: a broad maximum in the viscosity curve was observed upon addition of KCl, characteristic of the growth of micelles into long worms, followed by branching. The addition of PSS to salt-free solutions of K-oleate had a significant effect on the scattering patterns, revealing partial growth of the spherical micelles into rodlike micelles. In contrast, in the presence of high salt concentrations, addition of PSS to solutions of wormlike micelles did not bring any noticeable modifications in the scattering. However, in the same salt conditions, a clear effect was observed on the low shear viscosity upon addition of PSS, which was found to depend significantly on molecular weight. This suggests a novel way of impacting the viscosity of solutions of wormlike micelles.     

Microfluidic flows of wormlike micellar solutions

The widespread use of wormlike micellar solutions is commonly found in household items such as cosmetic products, industrial fluids used in enhanced oil recovery and as drag reducing agents, and in biological applications such as drug delivery and biosensors. Despite their extensive use, there are still many details about the microscopic micellar structure and the mechanisms by which wormlike micelles form under flow that are not clearly understood. Microfluidic devices provide a versatile platform to study wormlike micellar solutions under various flow conditions and confined geometries. A review of recent investigations using microfluidics to study the flow of wormlike micelles is presented here with an emphasis on three different flow types: shear, elongation, and complex flow fields. In particular, we focus on the use of shear flows to study shear banding, elastic instabilities of wormlike micellar solutions in extensional flow (including stagnation and contraction flow field), and the use of contraction geometries to measure the elongational viscosity of wormlike micellar solutions. Finally, we showcase the use of complex flow fields in microfluidics to generate a stable and nanoporous flow-induced structured phase (FISP) from wormlike micellar solutions. This review shows that the influence of spatial confinement and moderate hydrodynamic forces present in the microfluidic device can give rise to a host of possibilities of microstructural rearrangements and interesting flow phenomena.     

Effects of electrolyte concentration and counterion valence on the microstructural flow regimes in dilute cetyltrimethylammonium tosylate micellar solutions

The shear thickening behavior and the transition to shear thinning are examined in dilute cetyltrimethylammonium tosylate (CTAT) micellar solutions as a function of surfactant concentration and ionic strength using electrolytes with different counterion valence. Newtonian behavior at low shear rates, followed by shear thickening and shear thinning at higher shear rates, are observed at low and intermediate surfactant and electrolyte concentrations. Shear thickening diminishes with increasing surfactant concentration and ionic strength. At higher surfactant or electrolyte concentration, only a Newtonian region followed by shear thinning is detected. A generalized flow diagram indicates two controlling regimes: one in which electrostatic screening dominates and induces micellar growth, and another, at higher electrolyte and surfactant concentrations, where chemical equilibrium among electrolyte and surfactant counterions controls the rheological behavior by modifying micellar breaking and reforming. Analysis of the shear thickening behavior reveals that not only a critical shear rate is required for shear thickening, but also a critical deformation, which appears to be unique for all systems examined, within experimental error. Moreover, a superposition of the critical shear rate for shear thickening with surfactant and electrolyte concentration is reported.     

Rheological Properties of Anionic Surfactant Solutions in the Presence of Al3+ Counterion

Aqueous solutions of ionic surfactants with strongly binding counterions exhibit wormlike or network properties. The properties of anionic micelles of sodium dodecyltrioxyethylene sulfate (AES) in the presence of multivalent counterion Al³⁺ were investigated by dynamic rheological methods. The steady-shear viscosity and stress, the zero-shear viscosity, the complex viscosity, and the dynamic shear modulus have been determined as a function of the surfactant and salt concentrations. Some interesting and noticeable results have been obtained, which can express the micellar growth and structure. The formation of wormlike micelles or network structure in surfactant solutions becomes much easier with increasing surfactant and salt concentrations. The Cox-Merz rule and the Cole-Cole plot are not applicable perfectly to the systems studied. The nonlinear viscoelasticity and non-Newtonian behavior can be found in all solutions according to the comparison with the simple Maxwell model. The technique of freeze-fracture transmission electron microscopy (FF-TEM) was also applied to confirm the formation of these interesting structures.     

Salt-induced viscoelastic wormlike micelles formed in surface active ionic liquid aqueous solution

The growth and structure of the aqueous micellar solutions of a surface active ionic liquid, 1-hexadecyl-3-methylimidazolium bromide (C16mimBr), in the presence of an organic salt sodium tosylate (NaTos), were investigated by rheological measurements and freeze-fracture transmission electron microscopy at room temperature (298 K). As in some conventional ionic surfactant/salt aqueous systems, wormlike micelles and network structures could be formed in the C16mimBr/NaTos aqueous solutions, according to measurements of the zero-shear viscosity, the entanglement length, the average contour length, as well as application of the Cox-Merz empirical rule and Cole-Cole plots. FF-TEM images further confirmed that wormlike micelles were formed in these aqueous solutions. The wormlike micelles presented here would expand potential applications of ionic liquids in home care products, oilfield stimulation fluids, and nanobiotechnology.     

Shear rheology of anionic and zwitterionic modified polyacrylamides

Two groups of copolymers were synthesized from high molecular weight polyacrylamides. One group of copolymers consisted of sulfonated, anionic copolymers (PAM-S) of acrylamide with the sodium salt of 2-acryloamido-2-methyl-1-propane sulfonic acid, and the other consisted of zwitterionic copolymers (PAM-Z) of acrylamide with a sulfobetaine methacrylate monomer. The shear rheology of aqueous solutions of the copolymers and their mixtures was studied experimentally. Solutions of both copolymers exhibit shear thinning behavior in the range of concentrations explored. Solutions of mixtures of two copolymers (PAM-Z and PAM-S) exhibited a slight viscosity synergy at high relative contents of PAM-S. Addition of a relatively high concentration of an electrolyte (0.3 M NaCl) induces decreases in viscosity due to coil contraction and eliminates the synergy of the mixtures. Mixtures of the zwitterionic copolymer and a cationic surfactant, cetyl trimethylammonium p-toluene sulfonate (CTAT), were also studied. These solutions exhibit a strong synergistic effect at low-shear rates when the surfactant forms wormlike micelles. In addition, oscillatory shear measurements demonstrate that PAM-Z/CTAT mixtures are significantly more elastic than CTAT solutions, which indicates that PAM-Z is effective in promoting micelle entanglements, as reflected by the increase in relaxation time with PAM-Z content.     

Effect of silica colloids on the rheology of viscoelastic gels formed by the surfactant cetyl trimethylammonium tosylate

The effects of the addition of submicrometer-sized colloidal silica spheres on the linear and nonlinear rheology of semidilute solutions of a viscoelastic gel are studied. For a 1.4 wt% solution of the surfactant CTAT, a peak in the zero-shear rate viscosity eta(0) is observed at approximately equal weight percents of silica and CTAT. This peak shifts to lower silica concentrations on increasing either the CTAT concentration or the surface charge on silica and disappears when the CTAT concentration is increased to 2.6 wt%. The increases in eta(0) and the high frequency plateau modulus G(0) on the introduction of SiO(2) are explained by considering the increasingly entangled wormlike micelles that are formed due to the enhanced screening of the electrostatic interactions. The observed decrease in the values of G(0) and eta(0) at higher concentrations of silica particles is explained in terms of the formation of surfactant bilayers due to the adsorption of the positively charged cetyl trimethylammonium to the negatively charged silica.     

Effect of aging time and salt on the viscosity behaviour of a Gemini cationic surfactant

Rheological properties of micellar solutions of a cationic Gemini surfactant, 2-hydroxypropyl-1,3-bis (dodecyldimethylammonium chloride), are studied as a function of aging time and salt addition. The results show that the self-aggregating behaviour in solution changes as a factor of time, probably due to intermolecular hydrogen bonds. The viscosity of the solution undergoes a series of visible changes so that the solution changes from a flow state to highly viscoelastic state, and finally, to a transparent solid, with a corresponding 4–6-fold increase in zero shear state viscosity. Rheology and freeze fracture transmission electron microscopy (FF-TEM) measurements show rod-like micelles at the beginning, which then change to wormlike micelles, and eventually to a quasi-gel-like network. Addition of an inorganic salt (NaCl) induces salting out, while the addition of an organic salt (NaSal) promotes micellar growth. At a fixed NaSal-to-surfactant molar ratio of 3:5, all solutions show Maxwell fluid behaviour and maximum zero-shear-rate viscosity; these trends can be attributed to the formation of a network structure between the cationic ions of the surfactant and Sal^– as the surfactant concentration increases. Crystal analysis further confirms the presence of structures linked by intermolecular hydrogen bonds.     

A new reverse wormlike micellar system: mixtures of bile salt and lecithin in organic liquids

We report a new route for forming reverse wormlike micelles (i.e., long, flexible micellar chains) in nonpolar organic liquids such as cyclohexane and n-decane. This route involves the addition of a bile salt (e.g., sodium deoxycholate) in trace amounts to solutions of the phospholipid lecithin. Previous recipes for reverse wormlike micelles have usually required the addition of water to induce reverse micellar growth; here, we show that bile salts, due to their unique "facially amphiphilic" structure, can play a role analogous to that of water and promote the longitudinal aggregation of lecithin molecules into reverse micellar chains. The formation of transient entangled networks of these reverse micelles transforms low-viscosity lecithin organosols into strongly viscoelastic fluids. The zero-shear viscosity increases by more than 5 orders of magnitude, and it is the molar ratio of bile salt to lecithin that controls the viscosity enhancement. The growth of reverse wormlike micelles is also confirmed by small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) experiments on these fluids.     

Rheology of branched wormlike micelles

The topology of self-assembled surfactant solutions includes varying degrees of micellar branching, ranging from linear wormlike micelles to a micellar network. Micellar branching acts as an effective attraction between micelles such that network condensation can lead to phase separation. Unlike chemical branching in polymers, micellar branches are labile. Movement of branches along a micelle contour has therefore been proposed as a mechanism of stress relaxation that leads to a reduction in the structural relaxation time and thus, the zero-shear viscosity. Branching is also thought to suppress flow alignment, and for lower levels of branching, may also suppress instabilities such as shear banding. The suppression of shear banding can lead to a lesser degree of shear-thinning in the apparent viscosity at higher shear rates, as well as a reduction in extensional thickening. However, for higher levels of branching, shear can induce branching for samples in proximity to such a phase transition, which can result in shear banding due to shear-induced phase separation. Recent modeling and simulations of the energetics of branching, as well as experiments on model systems, show that the reduction in zero-shear viscosity is due to micelle branching. Current research includes efforts to develop a more mechanistic, quantitative understanding of micellar branching and more generally, its effects on micellar solution rheology.     

Giant micellar worms under shear: a rheological study using SANS

Flow-SANS experiments were performed on viscoelastic aqueous solutions of erucyl bis(hydroxyethyl) methylammonium chloride in the presence of potassium chloride. This cationic surfactant has the ability to form very long and flexible wormlike micelles upon addition of salt. The effects of the key-parameters-shear rate, temperature, surfactant and salt concentration-on the ability of the micelles to align in the flow-field were investigated. The scattering data were analyzed in terms of an anisotropy factor (Af). It was found that the wormlike micelles aligned in the direction of the applied shear rate and that the anisotropy factor increased with shear rate. In addition, an increase in temperature caused a decrease of the anisotropy factor (Af) due to the formation of shorter worms. Furthermore, the branching of the micelles at high ionic strength caused the anisotropy factor to decrease in comparison with the values obtained from linear wormlike micelles, hence revealing that the formation of 3-way junctions restricts the alignment of the micelles in the shear-flow. Furthermore, the total surfactant concentration was found to affect the shear-induced patterns significantly, and different behaviors were observed depending on the ionic strength.     

Wormlike micelles in mixed amino acid-based anionic/nonionic surfactant systems

We present the formation of viscoelastic wormlike micelles in mixed amino acid-based anionic and nonionic surfactants in aqueous systems in the absence of salt. N-Dodecylglutamic acid (designated as LAD) has a higher Krafft temperature; however, on neutralization with alkaline amino acid l-lysine, it forms micelles and the solution behaves like a Newtonian fluid at 25 degrees C. Addition of tri(oxyethylene) monododecyl ether (C(12)EO(3)) and tri(oxyethylene) monotetradecyl ether (C(14)EO(3)) to the dilute aqueous solution of the LAD-lysine induces one-dimensional micellar growth. With increasing C(12)EO(3) or C(14)EO(3) concentration, the solution viscosity increases gradually, but after a certain concentration, the elongated micelles entangle forming a rigid network of wormlike micelles and the solution viscosity increases tremendously. Thus formed wormlike micelles show a viscoelastic character and follow the Maxwell model. Tri(oxyethylene) monohexadecyl ether (C(16)EO(3)), on the other hand, could not form wormlike micelles, although the solution viscosity increases too. The micelles become elongated; however, they do not appear to form a rigid network of wormlike micelles in the case of C(16)EO(3). Rheological measurements have shown that zero shear viscosity (eta(0)) increases with the C(12)EO(3) concentration gradually at first and then sharply, and finally decreases before phase separation. However, no such maximum in the eta(0) plot is observed with the C(14)EO(3). The eta(0) increases monotonously with the C(14)EO(3) concentration till phase separation. In studies of the effect of temperature on the wormlike micellar behavior it has been found that the eta(0) decays exponentially with temperature, following an Arrehenius behavior and at sufficiently higher temperatures the solutions follow a Newtonian behavior. The flow activation energy calculated from the slope of log eta(0) versus 1/T plot is very close to the value reported for typical wormlike micelles. Finally, we also present the effect of neutralization degree of lysine on the rheology and phase behavior. The formation of wormlike micelles is confirmed by the Maxwell model fit to the experimental rheological data and by Cole-Cole plots.     

Rheology of wormlike micelles in aqueous systems of a mixed amino acid-based anionic surfactant and cationic surfactant

Amino acid-based anionic surfactant, N-dodecanoylglutamic acid, after neutralizing by 2, 2′, 2″-nitrilotriethanol forms micellar solution at 25 °C. Addition of cationic cosurfactants hexadecyltrimethylammonium chloride (CTAC), hexadecylpyridinium chloride (CPC), and hexadecylpyridinium bromide (CPB) to the semi-dilute solution of anionic surfactant micellar solutions favor the micellar growth and after a certain concentration, entangled rigid network of wormlike micelles are formed. Viscosity increases enormously ～4th order of magnitude compared with water. With further addition of the cosurfactants, viscosity declines and phase separation to liquid crystal occurs. The wormlike micelles showed a viscoelastic behavior and described by Maxwell model with a single stress-relaxation mode. The position of viscosity maximum in the zero-shear viscosity curve shifts towards lower concentration upon changing cosurfactant from CPB to CTAC via CPC; however, the maximum viscosity is highest in the CPB system showing the formation of highly rigid network structure of wormlike micelles. In all the systems, viscosity decays exponentially with temperature following Arrhenius type behavior.     

Viscosity increase with temperature in cationic surfactant solutions due to the growth of wormlike micelles

Wormlike micellar solutions based on ionic surfactants typically show an exponential decrease in viscosity upon heating. Here, we report the unusual observation of an increasing viscosity with temperature in certain cationic wormlike micellar solutions. The solutions contain a cationic surfactant with an erucyl (C22, mono-unsaturated) tail and an organic salt, sodium hydroxynaphthalene carboxylate (SHNC). When these solutions are heated, their zero-shear viscosity increases over a range of temperatures. In some cases, the viscosity reaches a peak at a certain temperature and then decreases with further heating. The magnitude of the viscosity increase, the onset of this increase, and the peak temperature can all be tuned by varying the SHNC concentration. Small-angle neutron scattering is used to study the origin of this unusual rheological behavior. The data reveal that the contour length of the micelles increases with temperature, in tandem with the rise in viscosity. A possible explanation for the contour length increase, based on a temperature-dependent counterion binding, is discussed.     

Molecular simulation of structure formation and rheological properties of mixtures of telechelic and monofunctional associating polymer

We study the phase behavior, the characteristic times, and the rheological properties under the steady shear flow of the mixtures consisting of telechelic and monofunctional associating polymers by a coarse‐grained molecular dynamics simulation. The mixtures form the transient networks, the closely packed spherical micelles, and the wormlike micelles. We confirm the molecular origins of the several characteristic times of the mixtures. The dependencies of the characteristic times on the composition ratio between telechelic and monofunctional associating polymers show good agreement with reported experimental results. Under the steady shear flow, the mixtures show the shear thinning induced by the change of the spatial configuration of the micelles. The telechelic associating polymers especially play an important role in connecting the micelles at the shear thinning regime and enhance the steady shear viscosity. Furthermore, at the wormlike micellar region, the mixtures show the second shear thinning initiated by the transformation of the association conformation of the telechelic associating polymers.     

Phase and rheological behavior of the polymerizable surfactant CTAVB and water

The phase and rheological behaviors of the polymerizable surfactant, cetyltrimethylammonium benzoate (CTAVB), and water as a function of surfactant concentration and temperature are investigated here. The critical micelle concentration (cmc) and the (cmc(2)), as well as the Krafft temperature (T(K)), are reported. A large highly viscous micellar solution region and hexagonal- and lamellar-phase regions were identified. The micellar solutions exhibit shear thickening in the dilute regime, below the overlapping or entanglement concentration. At higher concentrations, wormlike micelles form and the solutions show strong viscoelasticity and Maxwell behavior in the linear regime and shear banding flow in the nonlinear regime. The linear viscoelastic regime is analyzed with the Granek-Cates model, showing that the relaxation is controlled by the kinetics of reformation and scission of the micelles. The steady and unsteady responses in the nonlinear regime are compared with the predictions of the Bautista-Manero-Puig (BMP) model. Model predictions follow the experimental data closely.     

A dually effective inorganic salt at inducing obvious viscoelastic behavior of both cationic and anionic surfactant solutions

Hydrazine nitrate (HN), an inorganic salt, was first found to have dual effects on inducing obvious viscoelasticity of both cationic and anionic surfactant solutions. It was interesting that the surfactant solutions exhibited characteristic wormlike micelle features with strong viscoelastic properties upon the addition of this inorganic salt. The rheological properties of the surfactant solutions have been measured and discussed. The apparent viscosity of the solutions showed a volcano change with an increase of the HN concentration. Correspondingly, the microstructures of the micelles in the solutions changed with the apparent viscosity. First, wormlike micelles began to form and grew with an increase of the HN concentration. Subsequently, the systems exhibited linear viscoelasticity with characteristics of a Maxwell fluid in the intermediate mass fraction range, which originated from a 3D entangled network of wormlike micelles. Finally, a transition from linear micelles to branched ones probably took place at higher HN contents. In addition, the origin of the dual effects brought by HN addition on inducing viscoelasticity in both cationic and anionic surfactant solutions was investigated.