Kinetics of surfactant dissolution

While the equilibrium phase behaviour of surfactants has received much attention, kinetic phenomena such as those associated with surfactant dissolution have been relatively neglected. We review recent work which is relevant to this field, which includes experiments and simulation of nucleation and growth in surfactant systems, information on self and collective diffusion processes, and work on interfacial instabilities such as myelins. Kinetic maps and the concept of the free energy landscape provide a useful approach to rationalise some of the more complex behaviour sometimes observed.