SANS studies of liquid crystalline microemulsion gels

We have investigated by small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) the
ternary system containing water, alkane and the surfactant mixture
benzyltetradecyldimethylammonium chloride and
tetradecyltrimethylammonium bromide, which we have found to form a
cubic liquid crystalline phase. A contrast variation experiment
with equal volume fractions of water and oil showed three Bragg
reflections varying in agreement with theoretically calculated
scattering amplitudes for an infinite periodic minimal surface
(IPMS) with cubic symmetry. We have, in addition, studied the
“ringing” gel phases of the system
water/octane/didodecyldimethylammonium bromide by SANS and electron
microscopy.