Indirect detection of structural changes in micellar solutions by rheological measurements

At higher concentration levels the inner structure of micellar solutions cannot be detected directly by optical means. Nevertheless the flow behavior of the micellar solutions reflect their micellar structures. Hence, in this study the material behavior of micellar surfactant solutions was investigated by rheometrical means in steady and oscillatory shear flows with and without thermal preload. The rheological behavior of the solutions was found to be strongly dependent on the concentration. The complex material structure is modeled according to the flow behavior by discrete and continuous relaxation time spectra depending on the concentration. It is found that the material possesses besides the memory for mechanical preload also a strong memory for thermal preload which depends on the strength of preload.