Aggregation Properties of Triton X-100 in a Mixture of Ordinary and Heavy Water

Abstract

The dynamic and aggregation properties of Triton X-100 in a mixture of ordinary and heavy water in a wide temperature range from room temperature to the cloud point and above were studied. The ratio of ordinary and heavy water was calculated in such a way as to ensure equal densities of Triton X-100 and the water mixture. This made it possible to exclude the effects of sedimentation and study the evolution of Triton X-100 micelles and aggregates, without complication by the effects of spatial phase separation above the cloud point. Self-diffusion coefficients of Triton X-100 molecules were measured by NMR, and the effective hydrodynamic radii of micelles and aggregates were calculated using the Stokes–Einstein relation. The anomalous temperature behavior of the diffusion coefficient of Triton X-100 molecules is explained by changes in the sizes of diffusing objects during their evolution from micelles to dehydrated aggregates below the cloud point and by changes in the sizes of aggregates above the cloud point. The results of the NMR studies are confirmed by data obtained by dynamic light scattering.