ABSTRACT
Cationic micelles are aggregates of cationic surfactant monomers (Fig. 1). Surfactants are schizophrenic molecules typically composed of linear hydrocarbon chains affixed to water-soluble head groups. In addition to cationic surfactants (with anionic counterions), micelles may be composed of surfactants with anionic (with cationic counterions), zwitterionic, or nonionic head groups. Micelles, like microemulsions, are association colloids and their solutions may also contain salts, polar organic molecules such as medium-chain-length alcohols, and oils such as benzene, octane, or chloroform. The
aggregate structures formed in association colloids, e.g., spheroidal, rod, disk, cubic, or lamellar, depend on both the structures and concentrations of the components [1].
