Self-assembly of micelles and microemulsions

In the period since January 1994, the field of the experimental study of the self-assembly of surfactants to form micelles and microemulsions has advanced in three main directions. Firstly, a diverse range of systems containing surfactants of different structural types has been investigated, commonly with industrial applications in mind. Secondly, advances have been made in relating computer simulations to experimental results for aggregation morphologies. Thirdly, advances in the general understanding of microemulsion self-assembly have continued through the systematic study of homologous series of surfactants. Particular highlights have been the quantitative characterization of the ‘amphiphilic strength’ of a surfactant and the elucidation of the relationship between this characteristic and the observed phase behaviour and degree of microstructure present in microemulsions.