Effect of temperature on critical micelle concentration and thermodynamic behavior of dodecyldimethylethylammonium bromide and dodecyltrimethylammonium chloride in aqueous media

Micellar behavior of cationic surfactants, dodecyldimethylethylammonium bromide (DDAB) and dodecyltrimethylammonium chloride (DTAC) in aqueous media has been investigated over the temperature range 288.15–308.15 K. The critical micelle concentration (cmc) and degree of ionization (β) of the micelles were determined from the conductivity measurements at different temperatures. The cmc behavior of DDAB and DTAC was analyzed in comparison with the results of DTAB in terms of effect of counter ion and increase in alkyl chain. Thermodynamic parameters ( Δ G m ° , Δ H m ° and Δ S m ° ) for the micelle system were estimated by applying the charged pseudo-phase separation model. At lower temperatures, the micellization in case of DDAB was found to be entropy-driven while at higher temperatures it was enthalpy-driven. In case of DTAC only entropic effect dominates over the entire temperature range.