Lyotropic liquid-crystalline mesophases of [Zn(H2O)6](NO3)2-C12EO10-CTAB-H2O and [Zn(H2O)6](NO3)2-C12EO10-SDS-H2O systems

The mixture of two surfactants (C12EO10-CTAB and C 12EO10-SDS) forms lyotropic liquid-crystalline (LLC) mesophases with Zn(H2O)62 in the presence of a minimum concentration of 1.75 H2O per C 12EO10. The metal ion/C12EO10 mole ratio can be increased up to 8.0, which is a record high metal ion density in an LLC mesophase. The metal ion concentration can be increased in the medium by increasing the CTAB/C12EO10 or SDS/C12EO 10 mole ratio at the expense of the stability of the LLC mesophase. The structure and some thermal properties of the new mesophase have been investigated using XRD, POM, FTIR, and Raman techniques. © 2008 American Chemical Society.