Effects of Pentanol on the Rheology of Lecithin/LiCl Oranogel

Abstract

Lecithin, a zwitterionic phospholipid, forms spherical reverse micelles in nonpolar organic solvents such as decane. The addition of monovalent ions like lithium chloride (LiCl) to lecithin organosols induces the transformation of organosols into organogels due to the entanglement of reverse cylindrical micelles. In this study, we investigate the effect of pentanol acting as co-surfactant on rheological properties of lecithin/LiCl mixtures. From rheological studies, we find that the viscosity and elastic property of organogels decreased upon the addition of pentanol to organogels. The decrease in viscosity and elastic property can be attributed to the shortening of reverse cylindrical micelles confirmed by small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS).