High-frequency rheological behaviour of a multiconnected lyotropic phase

TL;DR

This study investigates the high-frequency rheological properties of a multiconnected lyotropic phase, revealing rapid relaxation times linked to local structural order, which enhances understanding of micellar dynamics.

Contribution

It provides new insights into the high-frequency rheology of multiconnected micellar phases, highlighting the role of local hexagonal order in relaxation behavior.

Findings

Terminal relaxation time is a few microseconds.

Relaxation time is much smaller than in entangled wormlike micelles.

Local hexagonal order influences dynamic behavior.

Abstract

High-frequency (up to ${\omega} = 6 \, 10^4$ rad/s) rheological measurements combined with light-scattering investigations show that an isotropic and multiconnected phase of surfactant micelles exhibits a terminal relaxation time of a few {\mu}s, much smaller than in solutions of entangled wormlike micelles. This result is explained in terms of the local hexagonal order of the microscopic structure and we discuss its relevance for the understanding of dynamic behaviour in related systems, such as wormlike micelles and sponge phases.