Langmuir, Vol.18, No.16, 6266-6273, 2002
Bipolar interface formation of cationic surfactant on the surface of a cation-exchange membrane: Current-voltage characteristics in aqueous electrolyte solution
The current-voltage characteristics of a novel dynamic bipolar interface, which consists of a cationic surfactant and cation-exchange membrane, are presented in this study and show a rectification behavior in the absence of the water-splitting phenomenon. The adsorbed micelles of the surfactant molecules are assumed to form a thin layer structure which forms a bipolar interface with the membrane surface through the counter-charge interaction between the surfactant polar headgroups and the membrane fixed charged groups. Moreover, the rectification behavior of this system is compared to that of the simple model of the surfactant molecules' movable layer which is based on the rectification equation of bipolar membranes by Mafe et al. (Mafe, S.; Manzanares, J. A.; Ramirez, P. Phys. Rev. A 1990, 42, 6245) and the probability density function of surfactant molecules near the membrane surface. A comparison of this model to our experimental results provides information about the actual behavior of the system, which suggests a nonsimultaneous interaction in the bipolar interface formation during salt ion transport in the electric field.