A small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) study is made on a three-component isometric
(equal volume fractions of water and oil) ionic microemulsion system, composed
of AOT/brine/decane. SANS measurements are made as a function of volume fraction
of surfactant within the one-phase channel next to the three-phase region at the
hydrophile-lipophile balance (HLB) salinity and at a constant temperature. A previous
SANS contrast variation experiment indicated that the microstructure of this type of
isometric microemulsion at and around the HLB temperature is bicontinuous in water
and oil, with a mono-layer of surfactant film situated at the oil-water interface, having
zero mean curvature. We analyze SANS data taken with an oil-water contrast in terms
of a modified Berk random wave model. We choose a spectral function which is an
inverse 8-th order polynomial in wave number k, containing three length scales l/a,
l/b, and l/c. The spectral function has finite second and fourth moments. This threeparameter
spectral function is then used in conjunction with Cahn¡¯s clipping scheme
to obtain the Debye correlation function for the micro-phase-separated microemulsions.
The model shows good agreement with the intensity data in an absolute scale. We then
use the three parameters so obtained to calculate the average square mean curvature
and the average Gaussian curvature of the interface. We determine the variation of
these curvatures and the underlying spectral functions as a function of the surfactant
volume fraction and discuss their implication on the degree of local order of the bicontinuous
structure. We also show 3-d morphologies of two of the microemulsions
generated by this model.