Rates of Phase Transformations between Mesophases Formed by a Non-Ionic Surfactant in Water: a Time-Resolved X-Ray Diffraction Study

Marianne Clerc , Peter Laggner , Anne-Marie Levelut , Gert Rapp

We studied the hexagonal/cubic and cubic/lamellar phase transitions of the C12EO6/water binary system initiated by a millisecond infrared laser temperature-jump. The temporal evolution of the structural changes were recorded using synchrotron X-ray diffraction with 50 ms time-resolution. The time constants of both phase transitions vary from seconds to less than 100 ms, according to the initial temperature prior to the T-jump and to the power of the IR laser. The intensity of the X-ray reflections is related to the volume fractions of both phases during a phase transformation. An interpretation of the results in the framework of a nucleation and growth mechanism is given.

Domaines: Articles anciens

Marianne Clerc, Peter Laggner, Anne-Marie Levelut, Gert Rapp. Rates of Phase Transformations between Mesophases Formed by a Non-Ionic Surfactant in Water: a Time-Resolved X-Ray Diffraction Study. Journal de Physique II, 1995, 5 (7), pp.901-917. ⟨10.1051/jp2:1995219⟩. ⟨jpa-00248216⟩