High-frequency rheological behaviour of a multiconnected lyotropic phase

Abstract

High-frequency (up to ${\omega} = 6 \, 10^4$ rad/s) rheological measurements combined with light-scattering investigations show that an isotropic and multiconnected phase of surfactant micelles exhibits a terminal relaxation time of a few {\mu}s, much smaller than in solutions of entangled wormlike micelles. This result is explained in terms of the local hexagonal order of the microscopic structure and we discuss its relevance for the understanding of dynamic behaviour in related systems, such as wormlike micelles and sponge phases.