The basic research topic is the formation of ordered micellar solutions. The proposed research is a natural extension of past research. Micellar systems with a Landau point in the isotropic nematic transition line offer a unique opportunity to study critical phenomena which they intend to explore fully. In other experiments curvature elastic and flow properties of the ionic conductivity of micellar nematics will be measured with aim of investigating the effects of co-surfactants over concentration ranges that extend from hexagonal phases to lamellar smectic phases. New additives of special interest are polymeric surfactants. They will affect the dynamics of micellization and influence flow properties. In theoretical research, they will investigate ribbon-like micelles and relate their properties to the formation of different types of nematic phases. A second theoretical effort is directed toward a model for a new type of a cholesteric modification detected in biaxial cholesterics.
