Defects and curvatures of the interfaces in the « birefringent microemulsions »

Abstract

The local state in the interfacial film of new phases resembling microemulsions was studied by spin-labelling techniques. These systems are lamellar phases with unusual characteristics which might be correlated to the mechanisms of microemulsion formation. These are : 1) the presence of highly curved local defects which may be a necessary step for the rupture of the interfacial film, and 2) large scale undulations of the lamellae, the amplitudes of which increase with the swelling of the phase, which indicate the interfacial flexibility theoretically predicted