“Green” anionic wormlike micelles induced by choline

Abstract

In such application fields as oilwell stimulation, tertiary oil recovery and drug release, environmental-friendly wormlike micelles are largely preferred. The present work reports a “green” wormlike micellar system formed by a bio-based anionic surfactant, sodium erucate (NaOEr), and a biodegradable hydrotrope, choline. The micellar solutions were examined by means of rheology and cryo-TEM observation. Besides possessing lower toxicity, choline exhibits a stronger ability to induce micelle growth than tetramethylammonium, which is commonly used to promote the formation of anionic worms, and the choline–NaOEr system is more thermosensitive with increasing counterion concentration. These notable advantages enable the choline–NaOEr wormlike micellar system to find potential applications in biomedical areas and clean fracturing fluids.