Interaction of fatty acid-containing 9-aminoacridine derivative with surfactants and bio-surfactants: Synthesis and photophysical studies

•The two new fluorescent, 9-aminoacridine derivatives (AC-PA and AC-ACYL) have been synthesized and structurally characterized by various spectroscopic techniques.•Steady-state and time-resolved fluorescence properties of saturated fatty acid containing 9-aminoacridine derivative (AC-PA) were used to understand the micellization process of two bile salts (NaDC and NaC).•Further, the saturated fatty acid containing 9-aminoacridine derivative (AC-PA) has been used as a fluorophore to understand the micellization process of cationic, anionic and neutral surfactants such as CTAB, SDS and TritonX-100.•The study state and time-resolved fluorescence of the short hydrophobic tail containing 9-aminoacridine derivative were not sensitive toward the micellization process of bile salts as well as surfactants.