Change in Viscoelastic Behaviors Due to Phase Transition of the Assembly Comprising Cetyltrimethylammonium Chloride/Cetyl Alcohol/Water

The phase transition process of molecular assembly comprising cetyltrimethylammonium chloride (C16CA), cetyl alcohol (C16OH), and water was analyzed on the basis of dynamic viscoelasticity, mainly by using Cole−Cole plots. The assembly prepared at 75 °C showed onionlike multilamellar vesicles (0.2−5 μm in diameter) immediately after preparation but transformed on aging into a rosary network of vesicles and finally fused into lamellae via polyhedra. The dynamic modulus (G') of the assembly monotonically increased with frequency, while the loss modulus (G' ') showed 2 peaks. The change in the angle parameters (αL, αS) calculated from Cole−Cole plots indicate the long and short time relaxation mechanisms, corresponding to the network of coagulated vesicles and lamellae, respectively.