CO2-responsive smart wormlike micelles based on monomer and pseudo gemini surfactant

CO2-responsive wormlike micelles based on monomer erucic acid 3-(N,N-dimethylamino)propylamide (EADP) with or without sodium salicylate (NaSal) in aqueous solution were studied and compared with pseudo gemini system. The pseudo gemini system were formed by a mixture of EADP and maleic acid (MA) with molar ratio between 2:1-1:1. Different morphological transformations of microstructures in response to EADP concentrations, additives and CO2 stimuli were further investigated in these systems, the wormlike micelle or vesicles can be obtained. The mechanism of these transitions were further investigated by rheology, cryo-TEM and DFT calculation, the results showed that the mechanism behind this transition involved reversible reaction of CO2 with EADP. The mechanism in this research may give further evidence to the self-assembly of CO2-responsive surfactants. (C) 2017 The Korean Society of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.