Interactions in mixed cationic surfactants and dextran sulfate aqueous solutions

The interactions between a hydrophilic anionic polysaccharide, dextran sulfate, and oppositely charged surfactants, n-alkylammonium chlorides (the number of carbon atoms per chain being 10, 12, and 14), were investigated by optical microscopy, X-ray diffraction, microelectrophoretic mobility, conductivity, surface tension, and light-scattering measurements at 303 K. The increase of surfactant alkyl chain length shifts both the critical aggregation (cac) and the critical micelle concentrations (cmc) toward lower surfactant concentration. Light-scattering and microelectrophoretic data revealed the coexistence of differently structured complexes beyond the cac. The presence of giant vesicles indicates that at least one type of species is ordered in bilayers. X-ray analysis of dry n-alkylammonium dextran sulfates exhibited mesomorphous ordering and interplanar spacings typical for lamellar structures; i.e., n-alkylammonium molecules form more or less disordered bilayers interconnected with dextran sulfate chains, thus forming multilamellar stacks. The average basic lamellar thickness increased linearly with the increase of surfactant chain length, whereas the average number of lamellar bilayers in the stack of lamellae decreases.     

Interaction between the water soluble poly{1,4-phenylene-[9,9-bis(4-phenoxy butylsulfonate)]fluorene-2,7-diyl} copolymer and ionic surfactants followed by spectroscopic and conductivity measurements

The interaction has been studied in aqueous solutions between a negatively charged conjugated polyelectrolyte poly{1,4-phenylene-[9,9-bis(4-phenoxybutylsulfonate)]fluorene-2,7-diyl} copolymer (PBS-PFP) and several cationic tetraalkylammonium surfactants with different structures (alkyl chain length, counterion, or double alkyl chain), with tetramethylammonium cations and with the anionic surfactant sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) by electronic absorption and emission spectroscopy and by conductivity measurements. The results are compared with those previously obtained on the interaction of the same polymer with the nonionic surfactant C12E5. The nature of the electrostatic or hydrophobic polymer-surfactant interactions leads to very different behavior. The polymer induces the aggregation with the cationic surfactants at concentrations well below the critical micelle concentration, while this is inhibited with the anionic SDS, as demonstrated from conductivity measurements. The interaction with cationic surfactants only shows a small dependence on alkyl chain length or counterion and is suggested to be dominated by electrostatic interactions. In contrast to previous studies with the nonionic C12E5, both the cationic and the anionic surfactants quench the PBS-PFP emission intensity, leading also to a decrease in the polymer emission lifetime. However, the interaction with these cationic surfactants leads to the appearance of a new emission band (approximately 525 nm), which may be due to energy hopping to defect sites due to the increase of PBS-PFP interchain interaction favored by charge neutralization of the anionic polymer by cationic surfactant and by hydrophobic interactions involving the surfactant alkyl chains, since the same green band is not observed by adding either tetramethylammonium hydroxide or chloride. This effect suggests that the cationic surfactants are changing the nature of PBS-PFP aggregates. The nature of the polymer and surfactant interactions can, thus, be used to control the spectroscopic and conductivity properties of the polymer, which may have implications in its applications.     

Counterion binding behaviour of micelles of sodium dodecyl sulphate and bile salts in the pure state,in mutually mixed states and mixed with a nonionic surfactant

The counterion binding behaviour of micelles of sodium dodecyl sulphate (SDS) and several bile salts in the pure state have been studied, as well as in mutually mixed states, and in a mixed state with polyoxyethylene sorbitan monolaurate (PSML) as a nonionic surfactant. Electrochemical measurements have shown no counterion binding by the pure bile salt micelles and their mixtures with PSML; they can bind counterions when mixed with SDS, whereas the surfactant anions of SDS micelles bind counterions in the pure state and/or in mixed states with PSML. In the SDS-PSML and SDS-bile salts combinations, the counterion association is decreased by the increased proportions of the second component. The extent of counterion binding by the different systems is presented.     

Chain length effect of the counterion on the partial molal volume of alkanesulfonates

The partial molal volumes of two series of homologous surfactants, n-alkylammonium decanesulfonates and a, ?-alkanediammonium nonanesulfonates, were measured below and above their CMC in aqueous solution. Their counterions were n-alkylammonium and a, ?-alkanediammonium. The relationship between the partial molal volume and the chain length of the counterion below the CMC had an inflection point. The relationship between them, above the CMC, was almost linear. In the case of the alkylammonium salts, the values of the volume change of micellization were almost the same when the chain length of the counterions was shorter than the butyl, and increased with an increase in the chain length when it was longer than the propyl. In the case of the alkanediammonium salts, the volume change of micellization showed a small decrease with the chain length when it was shorter than octane, and was very large for the nonane ammonium salt. The large positive increase in the volume change with the increase in the chain length of the counterion can be explained by the hydrophobic interaction between the alkyl chain of the counterion and the hydrophobic core of the micelle.     

Interaction of cationic surfactants with carboxymethylcellulose in aqueous media

We have examined the polymer-surfactant interaction in mixed solutions of the cationic surfactants, i.e., dodecyltrimethylammonium chloride, dodecyltrimethylammonium bromide, tetradecyltrimethylammonium bromide, hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide, tetradecyltriphenylphosphonium bromide, and tetradecylpyridinium bromide and a semiflexible anionic polyelectrolyte carboxymethylcellulose in water and aqueous salt solutions by various techniques: tensiometry, viscosimetry or ion-selective electrode method, and dynamic light scattering. We have investigated the effect of varying surfactant chain length, head group size, counterion, and ionic strength on the critical aggregation concentration (CAC) of mixed polymer surfactant systems and the collapse of the polymer molecule under different solution conditions. The CAC decreases with increasing alkyl chain length. Above a certain surfactant concentration, mixed aggregates start growing until their macroscopic phase separation. The growth is more rapid with greater surfactant tail length and with increasing head group size. This is attributed in both cases to the increasing hydrophobic interaction between polymer and surfactant. Among surfactants with monovalent halide counterions, iodide induces the strongest binding, reflected by the onset of growth of the mixed aggregates at low surfactant concentration. This is perhaps related to the decreasing hydration of the counterion from chloride to iodide. The surfactant concentration at which the viscosity of the solution starts to decrease sharply is smaller than the CAC, and probably reflects polymer chain shrinkage due to noncooperative binding.     

X-ray diffraction study of the structure of carboxymethylcellulose-cationic surfactant complexes.

We have investigated dilute aqueous solutions of an anionic polymer (carboxymethylcellulose) mixed with cationic surfactants of different chain lengths (dodecyl to octadecyl trimethylammonium bromides: DTAB, TTAB, CTAB and OTAB). The structures of the concentrated phases formed above the precipitation threshold were studied by X-ray diffraction. Different body-centred cubic structures with space groups Pm3n were observed in the presence of surfactant with a short aliphatic chain (DTAB), despite the fact that the polymer persistence length is comparable to the repeat distance of the structure (5 nm). For larger surfactant chain lengths (TTAB and CTAB), the structure of the precipitates can be either cubic (Pm3n) or 2D hexagonal depending on the initial surfactant and polymer concentrations. For still larger chain length (OTAB), the structure becomes lamellar. This structural evolution from micellar cubic towards 2D hexagonal and lamellar is attributed to the decrease of the local curvature of the surfactant aggregates, as observed for flexible synthetic polymers and short DNA fragments under similar conditions. Furthermore, the structure of the bulk complexes formed just below the precipitation threshold anticipates the structure seen in the precipitated phases.     

Langevin dynamics of semiflexible polyelectrolytes: rod-toroid-globule-coil structures and counterion distribution

We have investigated the nature of counterion condensation on uniformly charged semiflexible polyelectrolyte chains and the concomitant configurations by monitoring the role of chain stiffness, chain length, counterion valency, and the strength of electrostatic interaction. The counterion condensation is seen to follow the adsorption process and the effective polymer charge increases with chain stiffness. Size and shape, as calculated through the radius of gyration, effective persistence length, and hydrodynamic radius, are studied. Stable coil-like, globular, folded-chain, toroidal, and rodlike configurations are possible at suitable combinations of values of chain stiffness, chain length, electrostatic interaction strength, and the valency of counterion. For high strengths of electrostatic interactions, sufficiently stiff polyelectrolytes form toroids in the presence of multivalent counterions, whereas flexible polyelectrolytes form disordered globules. The kinetic features of the nucleation and growth of toroids are monitored. Several metastable structures are found to frustrate the formation of toroids. The generic pathway involves the nucleation of one primary loop somewhere along the chain contour, followed by a growth process where the rest of the chain is folded continuously on top of the primary loop. The dependence of the average radii of toroids on the chain length is found to be roughly linear, in disagreement with existing scaling arguments.     

Small-angle neutron scattering of ionic perfluoropolyether micellar solutions: role of counterions and temperature

This paper reports a small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) characterization of perfluoropolyether (PFPE) aqueous micellar solutions with lithium, sodium, cesium and diethanol ammonium salts obtained from a chlorine terminated carboxylic acid and with two perfluoroisopropoxy units in the tail (n(2)). The counterion and temperature effects on the micelle formation and micellar growth extend our previous work on ammonium and potassium salts n(2) micellar solutions. Lithium, sodium, cesium and diethanol ammonium salts are studied at 0.1 and 0.2 M surfactant concentration in the temperature interval 28-67 degrees C. SANS spectra have been analyzed by a two-shell model for the micellar form factor and a screened Coulombic plus steric repulsion potential for the structure factor in the frame of the mean spherical approximation of a multicomponent system reduced to a generalized one component macroions system (GOCM). At 28 degrees C, for all the salts, the micelles are ellipsoidal with an axial ratio that increases from 1.6 to 4.2 as the counterion volume increases. The micellar core short axis is 13 A and the shell thickness 4.0 A for the alkali micelles, and 14 and 5.1 A for the diethanol ammonium micelles. Therefore, the core short axis mainly depends on the surfactant tail length and the shell thickness on the carboxylate polar head. The bulky diethanol ammonium counterion solely influences the shell thickness. Micellar charge and average aggregation number depend on concentration, temperature and counterion. At 28 degrees C, the fractional ionization decreases vs the counterion volume (or molecular weight) increase at constant concentration for both C = 0.1 M and C = 0.2 M. The increase of the counterion volume leads also to more ellipsoidal shapes. At C = 0.2 M, at 67 degrees C, for sodium and cesium micelles the axial ratio changes significantly, leading to spherical micelles with a core radius of 15 A, lower average aggregation number, and larger fractional ionization.     

Atomistic structure of a micelle in solution determined by wide Q-range neutron diffraction

The accepted picture of the structure of a micelle in solution arises from the idea that the surfactant molecules self-assemble into a spherical aggregate, driven by the conflicting affinity of their head and tail groups with the solvent. It is also assumed that the micelle's size and shape can be explained by simple arguments involving volumetric packing parameters and electrostatic interactions. By using wide Q-range neutron diffraction measurements of H/D isotopically substituted solutions of decyltrimethylammonimum bromide (C(10)TAB) surfactants, we are able to determine the complete, atomistic structure of a micelle and its surroundings in solution. The properties of the micelle we extract are in agreement with previous experimental studies. We find that ~45 surfactant molecules aggregate to form a spherical micelle with a radius of gyration of 14.2 ? and that the larger micelles are more ellipsoidal. The surfactant tail groups are hidden away from the solvent to form a central dry hydrophobic core. This is surrounded by a disordered corona containing the surfactant headgroups, counterions, water, and some alkyl groups from the hydrophobic tails. We find a Stern layer of 0.7 bromide counterion per surfactant molecule, in which the bromide counterions maintain their hydration shells. The atomistic resolution of this technique provides us with unprecedented detail of the physicochemical properties of the micelle in its solvent.     

Solubilization properties of aqueous solutions of alkyltrimethylammonium halides toward a water-insoluble dye

The solubility of a water-insoluble dye, Sudan Red B, in aqueous sodium halide solutions of tetradecyl-, cetyl-, and stearyltrimethylammonium halides has been measured at different surfactant and salt concentrations, and the dependence of solubilization properties on alkyl chain length has been discussed with reference to the micelle size and shape. At low ionic strengths where only spherical micelles exist, the solubilization power of micellar surfactant slightly increases with increasing the ionic strength, but it sharply increases at high ionic strengths above the threshold value of sphere-rod transition. However, the solubilization power becomes independent of the ionic strength, if their rodlike micelles are sufficiently long. The solubilization capacity increases linearly with increasing the molecular weight, almost independent of counterion species, but the rod-like micelle has a higher solubilization capacity than the spherical micelle. The solubilization capacity is larger for a surfactant with longer alkyl chain, indicating that the dye is solubilized more readily in a larger hydrophobic core. The solubilized dye is situated in a rodlike micelle of alkyltrimethylammonium halides, on average, 4.5–7.5 nm apart from each other.     

Small-angle neutron scattering of mixed ionic perfluoropolyether micellar solutions

Aqueous mixed micellar solutions of perfluoropolyether carboxylic salts with ammonium counterions have been studied by small-angle neutron scattering. Two surfactants differing in the tail length were mixed in proportions n2/n3 = 60/40 w/w, where n2 and n3 are the surfactants with two and three perfluoroisopropoxy units in the tail, respectively. The tails are chlorine-terminated. The mixed micellar solutions, in the concentration range 0.1-0.2 M and thermal interval 20-40 degrees C, show structural characteristics of the interfacial shell that are very similar to ammonium n2 micellar solutions previously investigated; thus, the physics of the interfacial region is dominated by the polar head and counterion. The shape and dimensions of the micelles are influenced by the presence of the n3 surfactant, whose chain length in the micelle is 2 A longer than that of the n2 surfactant. The n3 surfactant favors the ellipsoidal shape in the concentration range 0.1-0.2 M with a 1/2 ionization degree of n2 micelles. The very low surface charge of the mixed micelles is attributed to the increase in hydrophobic interactions between the surfactant tails, due to the longer n3 surfactant molecules in micelles. The closer packing of the tails decreases the micellar curvature and the repulsions between the polar heads, by surface charge neutralization of counterions migrating from the Gouy-Chapman diffuse layer, leading to micellar growth in ellipsoids with greater axial ratios.     

Aggregation behavior of imidazolium-based chiral surfactant in aqueous solution

A novel imidazolium-based chiral surfactant with a Y-type hydrophobic chain, (S)-(+)-1-(2,3-bis(octanoyloxy)propyl)-3-methylimidazolium chloride ([Bopmim]Cl), was synthesized. The aggregation behavior of [Bopmim]Cl in aqueous solution was then investigated by surface tension, electrical conductivity, ¹H NMR, and fluorescence measurements. Compared with [C₁₂mim]Cl, the critical micelle concentration for [Bopmim]Cl is lower, indicating that the novel chiral surfactant has superior capacity to form micelles. A larger value of pC ₂₀, a greater minimum area per surfactant molecule (A _min), a smaller degree of counterion binding (β), and a looser aggregate are caused by the relatively larger Y-type hydrophobic chain of [Bopmim]Cl. Furthermore, analysis of the ¹H NMR spectra revealed that the introduced Y-type hydrophobic chain may prevent the hydrophobic group from forming an extended chain configuration and cause a changeover from trans to gauche conformations upon micellization. The micelles of the novel chiral surfactant may provide some potential applications in the stereochemical recognition of surfaces or of biological structures.     

The Physicochemical Behavior of Phytosterol Ethoxylates

In this work the physicochemical behavior of a series of phytosterol ethoxylates in water is presented. The influence of the length of the polyoxyethylene chain is studied. The surfactant solutions have been examined by means of birefringent microscopy, surface tension, self-diffusion 1H NMR, dynamic and static light scattering, and rheology. The surfactants with a hydrophilic chain of 10 oxyethylene units or more gave a micellar region. The CMC values were generally very low and a reverse relationship between the CMC value and the polyoxyethylene chain length was obtained. The time required to reach equilibrium surface tension was very long, more than 150 min. For the hydrophobic surfactants large lamellar regions appeared while for the more hydrophilic surfactants cubic and hexagonal structures were present which remained stable up to temperatures of 100 degrees C. In the micellar region prolate aggregates were formed which showed "ghostlike" behavior, consisting of cross-linked micelles with very fast relaxation times. Copyright 1999 Academic Press.     

Structure of DNA-cationic surfactant complexes at hydrophobically modified and hydrophilic silica surfaces as revealed by neutron reflectometry

In this article, we discuss the structure and composition of mixed DNA-cationic surfactant adsorption layers on both hydrophobic and hydrophilic solid surfaces. We have focused on the effects of the bulk concentrations, the surfactant chain length, and the type of solid surface on the interfacial layer structure (the location, coverage, and conformation of the DNA and surfactant molecules). Neutron reflectometry is the technique of choice for revealing the surface layer structure by means of selective deuteration. We start by studying the interfacial complexation of DNA with dodecyltrimethylammonium bromide (DTAB) and hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) on hydrophobic surfaces, where we show that DNA molecules are located on top of a self-assembled surfactant monolayer, with the thickness of the DNA layer and the surfactant-DNA ratio determined by the surface coverage of the underlying cationic layer. The surface coverages of surfactant and DNA are determined by the bulk concentration of the surfactant relative to its critical micelle concentration (cmc). The structure of the interfacial layer is not affected by the choice of cationic surfactant studied. However, to obtain similar interfacial structures, a higher concentration in relation to its cmc is required for the more soluble DTAB surfactant with a shorter alkyl chain than for CTAB. Our results suggest that the DNA molecules will spontaneously form a relatively dense, thin layer on top of a surfactant monolayer (hydrophobic surface) or a layer of admicelles (hydrophilic surface) as long as the surface concentration of surfactant is great enough to ensure a high interfacial charge density. These findings have implications for bioanalytical and nanotechnology applications, which require the deposition of DNA layers with well-controlled structure and composition.     

Vesicles prepared with the complex salts dioctadecyldimethylammonium polyacrylates

The effect of a polymeric counterion on the thermotropic behavior of sonicated vesicles formed by complex salts in aqueous solution and with decanol (C(10)OH) and tetradecanol (C(14)OH) was investigated. The complex salts were prepared with dioctadecyldimethylammonium bromide (DODAB) and polyacrylic acids (PAA, containing 30 or 6000 repeating units), being referred to as DODAPA(30) and DODAPA(6000). Vesicles containing polymeric counterions presented higher contents of multilamellar vesicles that were dependent on the complex salt concentration and on the counterion chain length. For comparison, studies were performed with DODAAc, with the counterion acetate, resulting in the formation of mostly unilamellar vesicles, as expected due greater dissociation, leading to greater electrical repulsion between bilayers. Mixtures of these complex salts and DODAX (where X=acetate or bromide) were also investigated with respect to their vesicles thermotropic behavior and size. This study opens the possibility of applying the methodology of direct complex salt preparation (as opposed to mixing the surfactant and polymeric components) to produce vesicles with controlled composition and properties.     

Adsorption of aromatic counterions at the surfactant/water interface: a neutron reflectivity study of hydroxybenzoate and chlorobenzoate counterions at the hexadecyl trimethylammonium surfactant/water interface

Specular neutron reflectivity has been used to investigate the adsorption of the aromatic counterions hydroxybenzoate and chlorobenzoate at the hexadecyl trimethylammonium bromide surfactant monolayer/water interface. The degree of counterion binding and the location of the counterions at the interface are shown to depend on the isomeric form of the counterion. For hydroxybenzoate, the para-substituted counterion is located within the headgroup region of the surfactant monolayer, and there is of order one counterion for every two surfactant ions. For the ortho-substituted counterion, the degree of counterion binding is higher. There is of order 0.85 counterions for each surfactant ion, and the counterion is located within the hydrophobic region of the monolayer, some 5 A from the center of the headgroup distribution. Similar results were found for the chlorobenzoate counterion, but in that case it was the para-substituted counterion that was more tightly bound and located within the hydrophobic region of the surfactant monolayer. The results for the ortho-substituted hydroxybenzoate and for the para-substituted chlorobenzoate are consistent with those previously reported for the para-tosylate. The results are discussed in the context of the ability of the specific aromatic counterion isomer to promote massive micellar growth, and the results shed light on that mechanism.     

混合胶束中Gemini阳离子表面活性剂14-s-14与常规表面活性剂的协同作用:连接臂及反离子效应(英文)

The mixed micelle formation of binary cationic 14-s-14 gemini with conventional single chain surfactants was studied by conductivity measurements.The critical micelle concentration(cmc) and the degree of counterion binding values(g) of the binary systems were determined.The results were analyzed by applying regular solution theory(RST) to calculate micellar compositions(X),activity coefficients(f1,f2),and the interaction parameters(β).The synergistic interactions of all the investigated cationic gemini+conventional surfactant combinations were found to be dependent upon the length of hydrophobic spacer of the gemini surfactant.The excess Gibbs free energy of mixing was evaluated,and it indicated relatively more stable mixed micelles for the binary combinations.     

Self-assembly and influence of the organic counterion in the ternary systems dodecylamine/acrylic acid/water and dodecylamine/methacrylic acid/water

Due to complete proton transfer from the acid to the amine, a reaction between an equimolar mixture of dodecylamine and (meth)acrylic acid leads to the formation of dodecylammonium (meth)acrylate. The latter can be considered as a surfactant with a polymerizable organic counterion. The ternary phase diagrams of the two systems dodecylamine/acrylic acid/water and dodecylamine/methacrylic acid/water are described. Both systems can form isotropic solutions and lyotropic liquid crystalline lamellar phases. Moreover, the system with the methacrylate counterion can also form a cubic phase in the water-rich part of the phase diagram. The difference in the self-organization observed for the two systems is explained by the greater bulkiness and hydrophobicity of the methacrylate. Whereas the acrylate counterion behaves rather like a classic inorganic counterion, the methacrylate counterion resides in the outermost part of the aggregates, giving rise to a change in the surface curvature.     

Survey of the long spacing of polyamides crystallized from solution

A series of linear, aliphatic polyamides in which the number of carbon atoms in the repeat unit ranged from three to twenty-four was crystallized from solution. All gave lath-shaped crystallization products (usually aggregated in the form of sheaves) that were unmistakable lamellar. Sedimented mats of the crystals were examined by lowangle and wide-angle x-ray diffraction. Each polyamide had a characteristic layer thickness (fold length) which was determined by the length of the repeat unit and the number of hydrogen bonds in the lamella. The thickness was independent of other variables examined including crystallization conditions. The polyamides studied cover a wide range: they border on polypeptides at the one extreme and approach polyethylene at the other. For all these materials there emerged a unifying pattern which relates chemical structure directly to chain folding.     

Clouding behavior of nonionic–cationic and nonionic–anionic mixed surfactant systems in presence of carboxylic acids and their sodium salts

The study is focused on evaluation of clouding phenomena of the aqueous single nonionic surfactant system Triton X-100 (TX-100) and its mixed systems with anionic aerosol-OT (AOT) and cationic dodecylpyridinium chloride (DPC) in presence of hydrophobic ions furnished by sodium salts of carboxylic acids, viz., sodium ethanoate, sodium propanoate, sodium butanoate, and sodium hexanoate and the respective carboxylic acids [ethanoic acid, propanoic acid, butanoic acid, and hexanoic acid]. The influence of salts on the cloud point (CP) has been explained on the basis of salt effect as well as the solubilization of higher alkyl chain hydrophobic ions furnished by these salts. Moreover, the co- and counterion effect has been taken into account to explain the variation of the CP in the mixed systems. However, the effect of acids on CP has been explained in the light of their aqueous solubility and their partitioning ability between octanol and water as reflected by their K _OW values.