Abstract
We carried out neutron spin echo (NSE) and small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) experiments on a ternary microemulsion involving an ionic surfactant AOT, water, anddecane. Thermal fluctuations of the AOT monolayers have been investigated as afunction of temperature and pressure. The monolayers become more flexible withincreasing temperature, while they become more rigid with increasing pressure. Theseresults are consistent with the microscopic pictures that the head-head repulsion of the AOT molecules is enhanced at high temperature, while an attractive interaction betweenthe hydrophobic tails of the AOT molecules increases at high pressure.
