Adsorption kinetics in micellar solutions of nonionic surfactants

Standard models of the adsorption kinetics of surfactants at the air-water surface assume that micelles break down into monomers in the bulk solution and that only monomers adsorb. We show here that micelles of the nonionic surfactant C14E8 adsorb to the surface of a liquid jet at a diffusion-controlled rate. Micellar adsorption can be switched off by incorporation of a small amount of ionic surfactant into the micelle and switched on again by addition of salt. More sophisticated models of adsorption processes in micellar solutions are required that permit a kinetic flux of micelles to the air-water interface.