Microstructure of bicontinuous surfactant aggregates

Abstract

It is known that many bicontinuous periodic minimal surfaces (and related constant average curvature surfaces) exist for any space group symmetry. These surfaces are distinguishable by their topology, characterized by the genus per unit cell of the surface. Structure assignation to bicontinuous ordered liquid crystalline phases (e.g., cubic phases) on the basis of symmetry alone is thus inadequate. The authors analyze constraints on the microstructure of cubic phases due to the surfactant molecular dimensions (which fix the local geometry of the aggregate) and the same composition (which determines global characteristics) and derive general equations relating the microstructural topology to these data. Show more