ABSTRACT
This chapter introduces the concept of chain length compatibility effect observed in the reaction kinetics of microemulsions, in which the interfacial rigidity is maximized by matching the chain length of the surfactant, oil, and cosurfactant alcohol, causing a minimum reaction rate. It investigates the effect of long chain alcohols on the micellar stability, which showed similar results to short chain alcohols for all but dodecanol, which showed a significant increase in micellar stability over micelles containing only sodium dodecyl sulfate due to the chain length compatibility effect. In addition to hydrolysis reactions, the enzymatic synthesis in monolayers was also studied. In this case, a stearic acid monolayer was formed on an aqueous solution containing glycerol. The nanoparticles physically agglomerated due to interaction of the adsorbed surfactant upon centrifugation of the samples after the particles were precipitated.
