MODELING MIXED SURFACTANT SYSTEMS - BASIC INTRODUCTION

A basic introduction to theory for modeling mixed surfactant systeMS is presented. This includes a demonstration of how equilibrium thermodynamic models can be developed to describe the behavior of mixed micellar solutions. The reader is provided with some simple tools for analysis and prediction in both multicomponent ideal and binary nonideal mixed micellar systems. Nonideal mixing is discussed in the context of activity coefficients and the regular solution approximation. Modeling of nonideal behavior in binary mixed micellar systems is compared with experimental results, and a tabulation of nonideal interaction parameters from a wide range of different binary mixed surfactant systems is provided.