Application of cationic-nonionic surfactant based nanostructured dye carriers: Mixed micellar solubilization

Abstract Most of organic compounds being hydrophobic in nature are insoluble or sparingly soluble in water. The improvement in solubility is one of the major challenges in their industrial applications. Said issue can be addressed using micellar solutions of surfactants. Surfactants, owing to their inherent amphiphilic nature, have invited the interest of many researchers. It has, however, been observed that the stability and solubilizing capability of a single surfactant-based colloidal system is not up to the mark. To overcome this problem, we have formulated and applied composite micelles of CTAB/TX-100 and CPC/TX-100 as carriers of direct red 28 molecules to aid dispersion, solubility and stability of the dye in aqueous medium. Herein, thermodynamics of micellization and degree of the dye partitioning have been quantified conductometrically and spectroscopically. Results suggest that blend of different surfactants act synergistically to augment the dye partitioning. Furthermore, it has also been noted that micellization of surfactants, counterion binding and the dye partitioning are spontaneous processes.