Measuring mesoscopic scales in complex fluids embedded with giant cylindrical micelles with diffusing wave spectroscopy micro-rheology

Abstract

This review paper presents a procedure for measuring the mesoscopic scales in micellar solutions embedded with giant cylindrical micelles using the mean square displacement determined with a quasi-elastic multiple light scattering method (Diffusing Wave Spectroscopy) and theory. The mesoscopic scales of interest are the micelles' total contour length, persistence and entanglement lengths, and the mesh size of the entangled micellar network. All of them depend on the physicochemical parameters of the solutions and determine the rheological behavior. We present an assessment of the whole procedure, the scattering experiments performance, the recovery of optical parameters, which includes dealing with the light absorption and its treatment, and how to develop the micro-rheology for obtaining the mesoscopic scales in these complex fluids.