Lytropic liquid crystalline structures of a sulfonic acid-containing gemini surfactant

The lytropic liquid crystalline structures of a novel sulfonic Gemini surfactant 6,6'-(butane-1,4-diylbis(oxy))bis(3-nonylbenzenesulfonic acid)(9BA-4-9BA) were investigated using polarizing microscope and X-ray diffraction device. It was found that 9BA-4-9BA presented special lytropic liquid crystal patterns in different solvents, and the phase behaviors were closely related to the concentration and types of used solvents. With the increase of surfactant 9BA-4-9BA concentration in solvent, the phase patterns of 9BA-4-9BA in water transformed from cubic liquid crystal via cubic lamellar phase to lamellar liquid crystal phase, while 9BA-4-9BA in ethyl acetate mainly presented lamellar liquid crystal patterns.