Dynamical Properties of Self-Assembled Surfactant-Based Mixtures: Triggering of One-Dimensional Anomalous Diffusion in Bis(2-ethylhexyl)phosphoric Acid/n-Octylamine Systems

The dynamic features of bis(2-ethylhexyl)phosphoric acid (HDEHP)/n-octylamine (NOA) mixtures have been investigated as a function of the NOA mole fraction and temperature by H-1 NMR spectroscopy and rheometry. All data consistently suggest a composition-induced glass-forming behavior. The microscopic factors responsible for this behavior have been highlighted and have been explained in terms of driving forces given by HDEHP-to-NOA proton transfer, the tendency of the resulting species to establish H bonds and to spatially segregate the alkyl chains. The study sheds light on the molecular mechanism responsible for the peculiar behavior of transport properties in such systems and furnishes basic knowledge to be used to design novel materials with planned physicochemical properties.