New lyotropic nematics of double chain surfactants

The phase behaviour of N,N-dialkyl-N,N-dimethyl ammonium bromide double chain surfactants was investigated by polarization microscopy, ²H-N.M.R. spectroscopy, and surface and magnetic field alignment in order to find new lyotropic nematic systems. Decanol was utilized to cause a rod to disc transition in the nematic phase. The sign of the anisotropy of the diamagnetic susceptibility Δx was inverted by substituting the bromide counter-ion with the benzenesulphonate ion. The phase behaviour was modified within a wide range by varying the length of the two alkyl chains. Using these tools we were able to prepare any of the four kinds of uniaxial nematic phases: rod-like and disc-like aggregates with both negative and positive anisotropy of the diamagnetic susceptibility. Several new binary, ternary and quaternary systems of these double chain surfactants and some experiments are described to classify the different nematic phases.