In situ SAXS study on cationic and non-ionic surfactant liquid crystals using synchrotron radiation

In situ synchrotron small-angle X-ray scattering was used to investigate various surfactant/water systems with hexagonal and lamellar structures regarding their structural behaviour upon heating and cooling. Measurements of the non-ionic surfactant Triton X-45 (polyethylene glycol 4-tert-octylphenyl ether) at different surfactant concentrations show an alignment of the lamellar liquid-crystalline structure close to the wall of the glass capillaries and also a decrease in d-spacing following subsequent heating/cooling cycles. Additionally, samples were subjected to a weak magnetic field (0.3–0.7 T) during heating and cooling, but no influence of the magnetic field was observed.