Confined Microemulsions: Pore Diameter Induced Change of the Phase Behavior

In the present work, the temperature-dependent phase behavior of a C10E4 based microemulsion is studied in different meso-macroporous glasses, as a function of their pore diameter. The phase behavior in these pores is investigated by small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS). The crucial parameter we discuss based on the SAXS results is the domain size of the bicontinuous phase. Using a simplified model to fit the scattering data, we can observe the microemulsion inside the pores. These experiments reveal a temperature-dependent change in domain sizes of the bicontinuous microemulsion only for large pores.