Novel intermediate phases in an ionic fluorocarbon surfactant/water system

This small angle X-ray scattering study of the lyotropic phases in the binary tetramethylammonium perfluorodecanoate/water system shows that there are no classical lyotropic mesophases present. Much of the liquid crystal region is taken up with a random mesh intermediate phase, Mh1(0) and a phase with rhombohedral symmetry which is probably a rhombohedral mesh intermediate phase, Mh1(R3m). This behaviour is unusual since previously these mesh phases have been associated with hydrocarbon surfactants or diblock copolymer melts. All the mesophases found have non-uniform interfacial curvature and a sufficiently strong inter-layer interaction to ensure the long range correlation of structures in some phases.