Interfacial regidity and intramicellar polymer dynamics in microemulsions
ABSTRACT :
Microemulsions are macroscopically homogeneous dispersions of water and oil stabilized by amphiphilic surfactant molecules. The intricate phase behavior and stability of microemulsions are mostly governed by the elastic bending constants of the interfacial surfactant monolayer. In this thesis, we present the possibility of tuning the elastic bending modulus of microemulsions by using different additives such as polymers and alcohols as well as the determination of experimentally elusive saddle-splay modulus of the spherical droplets of microemulsions. In addition, the effect of soft confinement on the relaxation dynamics of polymers enclosed by the fluctuating surfactant shell of microemulsions is also explored.​