Line tension and wetting behavior of an air/hexadecane/aqueous surfactant system.

The line tension of an air/hexadecane/aqueous solution of an dodecyltrimethylammonium bromide (DTAB) system was measured as a function of the molality of DTAB at 298.15 K by means of a newly constructed apparatus. It was estimated to be on the order of 10(-10)-10(-12) N, which is comparable to the theoretical estimation. Furthermore, its sign was reversed from positive to negative in the vicinity of the wetting transition concentration. The reversal of the sign was examined on the basis of our experimental findings on the wetting transition and the theory of Indekeu.