Statics and dynamics of concentration fluctuations in nonionic micellar solutions

Measurements of the angular distribution of light scattered from a nonionic surfactant, C₁₂E₆, are used to obtain the divergence of the static correlation length and isothermal compressibility near the critical point. The dependence of the apparent diffusion coefficient on momentum transfer yields a dynamic correlation length which agrees closely with the static values for the temperature regime (T_c -4°C) < T < T_c. Outside this regime the scattering measurements are consistent with micelle growth. Dynamic scaling holds for this system near T_c but a significant background contribution to the diffusion coefficient is present due to the large micelle size.