Structural features of a cationic gemini surfactant at full hydration investigated by energy dispersive X-ray diffraction

Energy dispersive X-ray diffraction (EDXD) measurements were conducted on fully hydrated samples of the cationic gemini surfactant (2S,3S)-2,3-dimethoxy-1,4-bis(N-hexadecyl-N,N-dimethylammonium)butane dibromide, SS, as a function of temperature. The surfactant molecules self-assemble into multilamellar vesicles with a well-defined d-spacing which decreases as temperature increases. The derived structural parameters, such as bilayer thickness, size of the water region interbilayer, number of water molecules per surfactant molecule reveal reduced bilayer fluctuations, as a function of increasing temperature, consistent with the observed reduction of the water layer.