Quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation (QCM-D), attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR), and total organic carbon detection (TOC) are employed to examine the cause of the differences in the partitioning of silica-coated nanoparticles in an aqueous micellar two-phase system based on nonionic surfactant Eumulgin ES. The particles partition into the micelle-rich phase at pH 3 and into the micelle-poor phase at pH 7. Our results clearly show that the nonionic surfactants are adsorbed to the silica surface at pH 3. Above the critical temperature, a stable surfactant bilayer forms on the silica surface. At pH 7, the surfactants do not adsorb to the particle surface; a surfactant loaded particle is therefore drawn to the micelle rich phase but otherwise repelled from it These results suggest that the partitioning in aqueous micellar two phase systems is mainly driven by hydrogen bonds formed between the surfactants and the component to be partitioned.