Dynamics of amphiphilic systems studied using NMR relaxation and pulsed field gradient experiments

NMR continues to be of importance in experimental studies of surfactant systems. NMR-based diffusion studies play a central role as a routine tool in the investigation of the solution structure of microemulsions and related systems. Recently, we have also seen that the scope of the method has widened, as it is now being applied to liquid crystals, vesicles and emulsions, as well as to the question of the rheological properties of surfactant solutions. NMR relaxation studies—which over the years have been applied, and continue to be applied, to isotropic surfactant systems -are now also increasingly applied to anisotropic liquid crystalline systems. Finally, during the past couple of years, we have seen the first applications of modern multi-dimensional NMR techniques to surfactant systems.