Thermodynamic and kinetic properties of water–oil–surfactant mixtures

We present experimental data on thermodynamic and kinetic properties of the emulsification failure of a droplet-phase microemulsion, and model them by a bending free energy. In contrast to most other models used to describe water–oil–surfactant mixtures no entropic contributions are included in the present description. Still, there is quantitative agreement between theory and measurements, even though there are no free parameters in our model – only experimentally accessible material constants appear.