A Statistical Mechanical Model for Microemulsions

Abstract

A microscopic statistical mechanical lattice model for microemulsions is presented whose energy parameters represent interactions among oil, water and surfactant molecules. Solving the model in the mean-field approximation allows phase diagrams and critical loci to be calculated. Features important in microemulsions are found in the model as well. These include ordinary critical, critical double point, critical endpoint, and tricritical loci, as well as three-phase equilibrium. The homogeneity assumption is checked against the possibility of a stable lamellar phase.