Effect of amidoalkyl group as spacer on aggregation properties of guanidine-type surfactants

Dodecanoyl amidoalkylguanidine hydrochlorides (C(12)A(m)G, m = 2, 3, 4, 6) are cationic surfactants that have an amidoalkyl group (A(m)) as spacer between the cationic guanidine and hydrophobic groups in the molecule. The effect of the A(m) group on the aggregation properties of the surfactants was evaluated through measurements of their critical micelle concentration (cmc) value, Krafft point, phase behavior, area occupied by one molecule at the air/water interface, and micellar aggregation number. Dodecylguanidine hydrochloride (C(12)A(0)G) with no A(m) group is a unique cationic surfactant because it exhibits a strong tendency for self-assembly when compared with common ionic surfactants, due to the hydrogen bonding between its guanidine groups in addition to the hydrophobic interaction between its alkyl chains [M. Miyake, K. Yamada, N. Oyama, Langmuir 24 (2008) 8527-8532]. In contrast, C(12)A(m)G showed a decreasing tendency for self-assembly with increasing alkyl chain length, m, of the A(m) group up to m = 3, above which the tendency increased. Such changes in aggregation tendency of the surfactants were suggested to arise from an increased bulkiness of the hydrophilic part caused by the A(m) group, resulting in a decrease in the hydrogen bonding between the guanidine groups and an increase in micellization through the cooperative hydrophobic interaction between the hydrophilic groups. From the balance of these effects, the area of the hydrophilic part of C(12)A(4)G was the largest and the hydrogen bonding between the guanidine groups in C(12)A(4)G was weakened. It is suggested in guanidine-type surfactant that A(4) gave a similar aggregation tendency to traditional ionic surfactants and a weak effect for skin.     

Synthesis and micellar properties of surface-active ionic liquids: 1-alkyl-3-methylimidazolium chlorides

A series of surface-active ionic liquids, RMeImCl, has been synthesized by the reaction of purified 1-methylimidazole and 1-chloroalkanes, RCl, R=C(10),C(12),C(14), and C(16), respectively. Adsorption and aggregation of these surfactants in water have been studied by surface tension measurement. Additionally, solution conductivity, electromotive force, fluorescence quenching of micelle-solubilized pyrene, and static light scattering have been employed to investigate micelle formation. The following changes resulted from an increase in the length of R: an increase of micelle aggregation number; a decrease of: minimum area/surfactant molecule at solution/air interface; critical micelle concentration, and degree of counter-ion dissociation. Theoretically-calculated aggregation numbers and those based on quenching of pyrene are in good agreement. Gibbs free energies of adsorption at solution/air interface, DeltaG(ads)(0), and micelle formation in water, DeltaG(mic)(0), were calculated, and compared to those of three surfactant series, alkylpyridinium chlorides, RPyCl, alkylbenzyldimethylammonium chlorides, RBzMe(2)Cl, and benzyl(3-acylaminoethyl)dimethylammonium chlorides, R(')AEtBzMe(2)Cl, respectively. Contributions to the above-mentioned Gibbs free energies from surfactant methylene groups (in the hydrophobic tail) and the head-group were calculated. For RMeImCl, the former energy is similar to that of other cationic surfactants. The corresponding free energy contribution of the head-group to DeltaG(mic)(0) showed the following order: RPyCl approximately RBzMe(2)Cl>RMeImCl>R(')AEtBzMe(2)Cl. The head-groups of the first two surfactant series are more hydrophobic than the imidazolium ring of RMeImCl, this should favor their aggregation. Micellization of RMeImCl, however, is driven by a relatively strong hydrogen-bonding between the chloride ion and the hydrogens in the imidazolium ring, in particular the relatively acidic H2. This interaction more than compensates for the relative hydrophilic character of the diazolium ring. As indicated by the corresponding DeltaG(mic)(0), micellization of R(')AEtBzMe(2)Cl is more favorable than that of RMeImCl because the CONH group of the former surfactant series forms hydrogen bonds to both the counter-ion and the neighboring molecules in the micelle.     

十二烷基混合糖苷与其它表面活性剂二元体系表面吸附和胶束形成的顺序研究

摘要绿色表面活性剂烷基糖苷C₁₂G _1.46具有混合糖苷组成, 将其分别与十二烷基三氧乙烯磺酸钠C₁₂E₃S、 十二烷基三甲基氯化铵C₁₂TAC、 三硅氧烷非离子表面活性剂BE-6、 聚醚类表面活性剂 TMN-6复配, 在25 ℃下测定它们在0.1 mol/L NaCl溶液中的表面活性, 通过其混合表面层和混合胶束的分子交换能(ε, ε_m)的计算得出如下结论: (1) C₁₂G_1.46的活性高于C₁₂G₁和C₁₂G₂, 即烷基混合糖苷的活性高于相同烷基的纯糖苷的结论得到了进一步证实. 利用MM2分子力场计算的能量数据可合理地解释这种混合产品活性提高的原因. (2) 在该烷基混合糖苷的二元体系溶液中, 对其表面吸附和胶束化两个过程的顺序问题进行探讨, 一种情况是先建立表面吸附, 再形成胶束(C₁₂G_1.46/BE-6 和 C₁₂G_1.46/TMN-6 体系); 另一种情况是表面吸附和胶束化同时进行(C₁₂G_1.46/C₁₂TAC和C₁₂G_1.46/C₁₂E₃S体系).     

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.     

Molecular dynamics study of salt effects on micellization of N-dodecyl-N,N-dimethyl-3-ammonio-1-propane-sulfonate

In this paper, molecular dynamics simulation methods were used to investigate salt effects on micellization of N-Dodecyl-N,N-Dimethyl-3-Ammonio-1-Propane-sulfonate (SB12-3) in aqueous solution. It is proved that micelle shapes transform from spherical to prolate spherical shape after 30.0?ns simulation with different NaCl and CaCl₂ concentration. By comparison with the eccentricity value without salt addition, SB12-3 shows salt tolerance behaviors due to its unique “inner salt” structure of amphiphilic surfactant. Radial distribution function (RDF), hydrophobic groups solvent accessible surface area (SASA), hydrogen bond, and the deuterium order parameter (S_CD) are to elucidate salt effects on SB12-3 micelle formation. The radius of micelle is achieved by the related RDF value and in accordance with other researches. The addition of NaCl and CaCl₂ didn’t change the structure of micelle significantly and have little effects on the interactions between SB12-3 and water molecule. By comparison with the results without salt system, SASA of hydrophobic groups is almost the same, and SASA of hydrophilic groups and total molecule fluctuates only slightly. This further indicates that the surface of micelles is more hydrophilic due to the strong interactions between SB12-3 and water molecules. The existence of NaCl and CaCl₂ will enhance the hydrophilic interactions.     

Wormlike micelles of polyoxyethylene alkyl ether mixtures C10E5 + C14E5 and C14E5 + C14E7: hydrophobic and hydrophilic chain length dependence of the micellar characteristics

The wormlike micelles formed with the binary mixtures of surfactant polyoxyethylene alkyl ethers (CiEj), C10E5 + C14E5 (Mix1) and C14E5 + C14E7 (Mix2), were characterized by static (SLS) and dynamic light scattering (DLS) experiments. The SLS results have been analyzed with the aid of the light scattering theory for micelle solutions, thereby yielding the molar mass Mw(c) as a function of c along with the cross-sectional diameter d of the micelle. The observed Kc/DeltaR0 as a function of c, the mean-square radius of gyration (S2) and the hydrodynamic radius RH as functions of Mw have been well described by the theories for the wormlike spherocylinder model. It has been found that the micellar length increases with increasing concentration c or with raising temperature T irrespective of the composition of the surfactant mixtures. The length of the Mix1 and Mix2 micelles at fixed c and T steeply increases with increasing weight fraction wt of C14E5 in both of the surfactant mixtures, implying that the micelles greatly grow in length when the surfactant component with longer alkyl group or with shorter oxyethylene group increases in the mixture. The results are in line with the findings for the micelles of the single surfactant systems where the CiEj micelles grow in length to a greater extent for larger i and smaller j. Although the values of d and the spacing s between the adjacent surfactant molecules on the micellar surface do not significantly vary with composition of the surfactant mixture, the stiffness parameter lambda-1 remarkably decreases with wt in both Mix1 and Mix2 micelles, indicating that the stiffness of the micelle is controlled by the relative strength of the repulsive force due to the hydrophilic interactions between oxyethylene groups to the attractive one due to the hydrophobic interactions between alkyl groups among the surfactant molecules.     

Aggregation behavior of a series of anionic sulfonate gemini surfactants and their corresponding monomeric surfactant

A series of anionic sulfonate gemini surfactants with the general structure of [(Cn H2n+1)(C3H6SO(-)3) NCsN(C3H6SO(-)3)(CnH2n+1)].2Na+ have been synthesized. While the spacer group Cs represents p-xylyl or (CH2)3, the surfactants are abbreviated as CnCpxCn(SO3)2 (n=8,10,12) or C12C3C12(SO3)2(n=12), respectively. A corresponding monomeric surfactant C12H25N(CH3)(C3H6SO(-)3).Na+(C12NSO3) has also been prepared. The aggregation behavior of these surfactants has been studied at pH 9.2 and ionic strength of 30 mM. The gemini surfactants exhibit stronger aggregation tendencies and much less endothermic enthalpy changes of micellization (DeltaH mic) compared with the monomeric surfactant. The critical micelle concentrations (CMC) of the gemini surfactants decrease with the increase of the hydrophobic chain length from C8CpxC8(SO3)2 to C10CpxC10(SO3)2, but the CMC values of C10CpxC10(SO3)2 and C12CpxC12(SO3)2 are very close. The DeltaH mic values vary from endothermic for C8CpxC8(SO3)2 to almost zero for C12CpxC12(SO3)2. Besides, vesicles are observed above the CMC for all these surfactants. The water-mediated intermolecular hydrogen bonding between the tertiary nitrogen groups may assist C12NSO3 and C12C3C12(SO3)2 in their vesicle formation, while the pi-pi interaction between aromatic rings should be another additional driving force for the vesicle formation of CnCpxCn(SO3)2. Meanwhile, the hydrogen bonding, pi-pi interaction, and strong hydrophobic interaction provide the possibility of a multilayer formation for C12CpxC12(SO3)2 and C12C3C12(SO3)2 at the air/water interface, which is a possible reason for the extremely small minimum area occupied per surfactant molecule at the air/water interface for these two gemini surfactants.     

Salt effect on the complex formation between cationic gemini surfactant and anionic polyelectrolyte in aqueous solution

Salt effect on the interaction of anionic polyelectrolyte sodium carboxymethylcellulose (NaCMC) with cationic gemini surfactant hexamethylene-1,6-bis(dodecyldimethylammonium bromide) [C12H25(CH3)2N(CH2)6N(CH3)2C12H25]Br2 (C12C6C12Br2) has been investigated using turbidimetric titration, steady-state fluorescence, and mobility measurement. It is found that the critical aggregation concentration(cac) for C12C6C12Br2/NaCMC complexes depends little on addition of sodium bromide (NaBr). However, in the presence of nonionic surfactant Triton X-100 (TX100), the critical ionic surfactant mole fraction for the onset of complex formation (Yc) increases markedly with increasing NaBr concentration. These salt effects are supposed as the overall result from competition between the increase of interaction and the screening of interaction. The increase of interaction is referred to as the effect that the larger micelle with higher surface charge density induced by salt has a stronger interaction with oppositely charged polyelectrolyte. The screening of interaction is referred to as the salt screening of electrostatic attraction between the polymer chain and the surfactant. For complex formation between C12C6C12Br2 and NaCMC, the increase of interaction probably compensates the screening of interaction, leading to constant cac values at different salt concentrations. For complex formation between the C12C6C12Br2/TX100 mixed micelle and NaCMC, the screening of interaction probably plays a dominant role, leading to higher suppression of electrostatic binding of micelles to polyelectrolyte.     

Mixed micelle formation and solubilization behavior toward polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons of binary and ternary cationic-nonionic surfactant mixtures

Water solubility enhancements of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), viz., naphthalene, anthracene and pyrene, by micellar solutions at 25 degrees C using two series of surfactants, each involving two cationic and one nonionic surfactant in their single as well as equimolar binary and ternary mixed states, were measured and compared. The first series was composed of three surfactants, benzylhexadecyldimethylammonium chloride (C16BzCl), hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide (C16Br), and polyoxyethylene(20)mono-n-hexadecyl ether (Brij-58) with a 16-carbon (C16) hydrophobic chain; the second series consisted of dodecyltrimethylammonium bromide (C12Br), dodecylethyldimethylammonium bromide (C12EBr), and polyoxyethylene(4)mono-n-dodecyl ether (Brij-30) with a 12-carbon (C12) chain. Solubilization capacity has been quantified in terms of the molar solubilization ratio, the micelle-water partition coefficient, the first stepwise association constant between solubilizate monomer and vacant micelle, and the average number of solubilizate molecules per micelle, determined employing spectrophoto-, tensio-, and flourimetric techniques. Cationic surfactants exhibited lesser solubilization capacity than nonionics in each series of surfactants with higher efficiency in the C16 series compared to the C12 series. Increase in hydrophobicity of head groups of cationics by incorporation of ethyl or benzyl groups enhanced their solubilization capacity. The mixing effect of surfactants on mixed micelle formation and solubilization efficiency has been discussed in light of the regular solution approximation (RSA). Cationic-nonionic binary combinations showed better solubilization capacity than pure cationics, nonionics, or cationic-cationic mixtures, which, in general, showed increase with increased hydrophobicity of PAHs. Equimolar cationic-cationic-nonionic ternary surfactant systems showed lower solubilization efficiency than their binary cationic-nonionic counterparts but higher than cationic-cationic ones. In addition, use of RSA has been extended, with fair success, to predict partition coefficients of ternary surfactant systems using data of binary surfactants systems. Mixed surfactants may improve the performance of surfactant-enhanced remediation of soils and sediments by decreasing the applied surfactant level and thus remediation cost.     

Self-assembly of hydrophobin and hydrophobin/surfactant mixtures in aqueous solution

The self-assembly of the protein hydrophobin, HFBII, and its self-assembly with cationic, anionic, and nonionic surfactants hexadecylterimethyl ammonium bromide, CTAB, sodium dodecyl sulfate, SDS, and hexaethylene monododecyl ether, C(12)E(6), in aqueous solution have been studied by small-angle neutron scattering, SANS. HFBII self-assembles in solution as small globular aggregates, consistent with the formation of trimers or tetramers. Its self-assembly is not substantially affected by the pH or electrolytes. In the presence of CTAB, SDS, or C(12)E(6), HFBII/surfactant complexes are formed. The structure of the HFBII/surfactant complexes has been identified using contrast variation and is in the form of HFBII molecules bound to the outer surface of globular surfactant micelles. The binding of HFBII decreases the surfactant micelle aggregation number for increasing HFBII concentration in solution, and the number of hydrophobin molecules bound/micelle increases.     

Application of computer simulation free-energy methods to compute the free energy of micellization as a function of micelle composition. 1. Theory

The widespread use of surfactant mixtures and surfactant/solubilizate mixtures in practical applications motivates the development of predictive theoretical approaches to improve fundamental understanding of the behavior of these complex self-assembling systems and to facilitate the design and optimization of new surfactant and surfactant/solubilizate mixtures. This paper is the first of two articles introducing a new computer simulation-free-energy/molecular thermodynamic (CS-FE/MT) model. The two articles explore the application of computer simulation free-energy methods to quantify the thermodynamics associated with mixed surfactant/cosurfactant and surfactant/solubilizate micelle formation in aqueous solution. In this paper (article 1 of the series), a theoretical approach is introduced to use computer simulation free-energy methods to compute the free-energy change associated with changing micelle composition (referred to as DeltaDeltaGi). In this approach, experimental critical micelle concentration (CMC) data, or a molecular thermodynamic model of micelle formation, is first used to evaluate the free energy associated with single (pure) surfactant micelle formation, g(form,single), in which the single surfactant micelle contains only surfactant A molecules. An iterative approach is proposed to combine the estimated value of gform,single with free-energy estimates of DeltaDeltaGi based on computer simulation to determine the optimal free energy of mixed micelle formation, the optimal micelle aggregation number and composition, and the optimal bulk solution composition. After introducing the CS-FE/MT modeling framework, a variety of free-energy methods are briefly reviewed, and the selection of the thermodynamic integration free-energy method is justified and selected to implement the CS-FE/MT model. An alchemical free-energy pathway is proposed to allow evaluation of the free-energy change associated with exchanging a surfactant A molecule with a surfactant/solubilizate B molecule through thermodynamic integration. In article 2 of this series, the implementation of the CS-FE/MT model to make DeltaDeltaGi free-energy predictions for several surfactant/solubilizate systems is discussed, and the predictions of the CS-FE/MT model are compared with the DeltaDeltaGi predictions of a molecular thermodynamic model fitted to relevant experimental data.     

低碳醇对季铵盐二聚表面活性剂C_(12)-2-C_(12)·2Br胶团化行为的影响

随着丙、丁、戊、已醇的加入，与季铵盐二聚表面活性剂C_(12)-2-C_(12)· 2Br组成了混合胶团，醇分子以烷烃链插入胶团中，羟基则位于胶团栅栏层处。这 减弱了表面活性剂离子头基间的静电排斥力，使临界胶团浓度(cmc)降低，同时使 胶团表面反离子解离度增大。随着醇分子的烷烃链增长，这种影响更为显著。     

pH reversible micelle transition of a tertiary amine-based gemini surfactant in aqueous solution

In this work, we prepared a tertiary amide-based gemini surfactant (DSTAPA), which contained two pH-sensitive tertiary amide head groups. Then the molecule state distribution and self-assembly transition of the surfactant in aqueous solution were investigated under different pH conditions. The DSTAPA molecules were on the states of double cationic (DSTAPAH²⁺), single cationic (DSTAPAH⁺), and double tertiary amine groups (DSTAPA) under acidic, neutral, and basic conditions, respectively. With the variation of the molecule states, the sample was water-like below pH of 6.8 and immediately transformed to gel-like fluid between pH of 6.8 and 7.8, then changed to white precipitate with the further increase of pH value. Furthermore, the microstructure and regulation mechanism were investigated by rheological measurements, dynamic light scattering, and cryogenic transmission electron microscopy. The appearance and micelle transitions of the DSTAPA aqueous solution are actually owing to the spherical–worm-like micelle transition, leading to dramatic viscosity increase and hydrogel formation. This transition was completely reversible and repeated for at least three cycles. Finally, a reasonable mechanism of the transition was proposed based on the viewpoints of the molecular states and micelle structures. The DSTAPA aqueous system with pH-reversible property has a great potential application in oil and gas production.     

Molecular interaction in binary surfactant mixtures containing alkyl polyglycoside

Surface tensions were measured for several binary mixtures of a multidegree polymerized alkyl polyglycoside, C12G1.46' with different types of surfactants in 0.1 M NaCl at 25 degrees C. Based on regular solution theory, using a dimensional crystal model and a phase separation model, the molecule exchange energy in mixed monolayer formation (epsilon) and mixed micellization (epsilon(m)) were determined. Surfactants used in the mixtures with C12G1.46 in this study are C12E3S (trioxyethylenated dodecyl sulfonate), C12TAC (dodecyl trimethylammonium chloride), BE-6 (hexaoxyethylenated trisiloxane surfactant), and TMN-6 (hexaoxyethylenated-2,6,8-trimethylnonanol). The mixtures show exchange energy in mixed monolayer formation (epsilon) and mixed micellization (epsilon(m)) ranging from -660 to -1410 J/mol, indicating a decrease in surface energy upon mixing. The decreases in surface energy are in the order C12G1.46/C12E3S > C12G1.46/C12TAC, C12G1.46/C12TAC > C12G2/C12TAC and C12G1.46/BE-6 > C12G1.46/TMN-6. The ability of the mixed monolayer formation relative to the mixed micelle formation of the same binary mixture, measured by the (epsilon-epsilon(m)) values, is in the order C12G1.46/BE-6 > C12G1.46/TMN-6 > C12G1.46/C12E3S-->0 > C12G1.46/C12TAC.     

Adsorption of DNA and dodecyl trimethylammonium bromide mixtures at the air/water interface: a neutron reflectometry study

The interactions between dodecyl trimethylammonium bromide (C12TAB) and two samples of DNA with widely differing molecular weights have been studied using surface tension and neutron reflectometry. Neutron reflection data show that the surfactant and polymer are adsorbed together in a highly cooperative fashion over a 1000-fold change in surfactant concentration. Furthermore, the shorter DNA fragments adsorb with C12TAB as trilayers at higher surfactant concentrations, with overall layer thicknesses of 65-70 A. The high molecular weight DNA, however, shows only approximate monolayer adsorption with thicknesses varying from 19 to 26 A over the entire range of C12TAB concentrations. The difference in behavior between the different samples is believed to be a result of the rigid double helical structure of DNA which makes the formation of bulk phase polymer/micelle aggregates much less favorable for the short fragments. The resulting increase in the critical aggregation concentration (CAC) then leads to the adsorption of additional surfactant/polymer complex to the underside of the initial stable surface active DNA/C12TAB complex. Comparison with previous results obtained for synthetic polyelectrolytes shows that DNA/C12TAB complexes are not capable of reducing the surface tensions to the extent that other mixtures such as the poly(styrene sulfonate)/C12TAB mixtures do. A possible reason for this is the high rigidity of DNA combined with the fact that its hydrophobic moieties are positioned within the double helix so that the external molecule is largely hydrophilic.     

NMR Study of Micelles Formed by Monoalkylphosphoryl Nucleosides

An NMR investigation of aqueous micelles obtained from surfactants bearing a nucleotide head attached to a linear hexadecyl hydrocarbon chain is presented. In particular, hexadecylphosphoryl‐adenosine (C16‐AMP) and hexadecylphosphoryl‐uridine (C16‐UMP) are studied by a combination of ¹H‐NMR techniques such as NOESY, ROESY, and spin‐lattice relaxation times. Both the intramolecular (i.e., within one surfactant monomer) and the intermolecular interactions (i.e., between neighboring surfactant molecules) are investigated. Relaxation measurements show that different groups of the surfactant molecule have distinct dynamic properties, the internal mobility decreases starting from the head group towards the Me terminal, while protons belonging to the base (which should be exposed to water) enjoy considerable freedom. The large upfield shift of the resonance of the terminal Me groups is evidence of a collective property of the micelle, an effect that, to the best of our knowledge, has not been reported so far. The micelles are studied both in water and salt solution, and the noticeable difference between the two cases is interpreted as a salt‐induced stiffening effect. By mixing C16‐AMP with C16‐UMP, mixed micelles are obtained, i.e., micelles that contain both surfactant monomers in each aggregate; our analysis shows that a significant interaction between the two complementary aromatic bases is present. All these results allow us to draw a picture of the surfactant in the micelle in which the plane of the aromatic ring lies parallel to the surface of the micelle and towards the aqueous medium. There are no basic structural differences between C16‐AMP and C16‐UMP micelles or C16‐AMP/C16‐UMP mixed micelles.     

Adsorption of fluorescent R6G dye into organophilic C12TMA laponite films

The absorption and fluorescence properties of rhodamine 6G (R6G) in organophilic laponite (Lap) clay films are studied. For this purpose, organo-Lap clays are synthesized by the incorporation of dodecyltrimethylammonium (C12TMA) as surfactant into the interlayer space of Lap clays. Two organo-Lap clays are prepared: one with moderate surfactant content (around 70% of the total cation-exchange capacity (CEC) of the clay) and a second with a high surfactant loading (about 130% CEC). Supported films are elaborated by the spin-coating technique and characterized by several techniques such as atomic force microscopy, elemental CHN analysis, X-ray diffraction, and thermogravimetry. IR spectroscopy reveals that the intercalation of R6G into organo-Lap films takes place at the detriment of the adsorbed C12TMA molecules. The photophysical properties of R6G monomers in the interlayer space of Lap films are improved by the presence of surfactant molecules. Moreover, organophilic environments can reduce the dye aggregation and favor the formation of fluorescent J-type aggregates, enhancing the fluorescence ability of dye/clay films with high dye contents. This improvement depends on the surfactant content.     

ENERGY TRANSFER FROM MICELLAR SODIUM PHENYLUNDECANOATE TO SOLUBILIZED NAPHTHALENE

Abstract— Excitation energy transfer from the phenyl groups of surface active phenylundecanoate ions to naphthalene molecules has been studied under conditions such that the naphthalene molecules have been solubilized by micelles of phenylundecanoate. From measurements of the naphthalene fluorescence intensity in solutions of varying surfactant concentration the critical micelle concentration has been determined as 0·0091 M. The product of the micellar aggregation number and the efficiency of energy transfer has been obtained as 75 from measurements of both the sensitized naphthalene fluorescence and the quenching of the phenylgroup fluorescence. In the evaluation of the experimental data it has been assumed that the partition of naphthalene between the micelles and the aqueous phase may be treated as a distribution equilibrium, and that the solubilized naphthalene molecules are partitioned among the micelles according to a Poisson distribution. With this model, the naphthalene fluorescence intensities may be accounted for over the whole range of surfactant concentrations.
At high naphthalene concentrations, emission from naphthalene excimers has been observed. The possibility of self-quenching via excimer formation is considered.
The experimental results point to a quantum efficiency near unity for the transfer of excitation energy from the phenyl groups of the surfactant ions that form a micelle to a single solubilized naphthalene molecule. The high efficiency suggests that the naphthalene molecule and the phenyl groups are present inside the micelles.     

Characterization of the aggregates of N-alkyl-N-methylpyrrolidinium bromide surfactants in aqueous solution

We have characterized a new class of surfactant molecules using fluorescence spectroscopic and light-scattering techniques. Our results suggest that this homologous series of N-alkyl-N-methlypyrrolidinium bromide (CnMPB) surfactants with n = 10, 12, 14, 16, and 18 represents a bridge between the well-characterized alkyltrimethylammonium bromide (CnTAB) and dialkyldimethylammonium bromide (di-CnDAB) surfactant series. For the smaller members of the CnMPB series with n = 10, 12, and 14, our results are consistent with the formation of spherical micelles as the surfactant concentration is increased. With increasing alkyl chain length, we observe that the critical micelle concentration decreases and the aggregation number increases, typical of single-tail surfactants. For C16MPB, the formation of micelles at dilute concentrations (0.10 mM) is likely, followed by the coexistence of micelles and small unilamellar vesicles at higher concentrations up to 0.82 mM where only vesicles are present. For C18MPB, our data are consistent with the formation of vesicles only. We demonstrate in this study that the combination of spectroscopic and light-scattering methods is a powerful approach to reveal aspects of aggregate structure and morphology in aqueous CnMPB surfactant systems. In particular, the sensitivity of the fluorescence probe prodan to the polarity of its microenvironment enables the rich complexity of surfactant aggregates exhibited by this series of amphiphilic molecules to be detected.     

Analysis of interfacial and micellar behavior of sodium dioctyl sulphosuccinate salt (AOT) with zwitterionic surfactants in aqueous media

The interfacial and bulk properties of mixtures of the anionic surfactant (dioctyl sulphosuccinate sodium salt, AOT) with zwitterionic surfactants 3-(N,N-dimethyldodecylammonio) propane sulfonate (DPS), 3-(N,N-dimethyltetradecylammonio) propane sulfonate (TPS), 3-(N,N-dimethylhexadecylammonio) propane sulfonate (HPS) have been studied employing surface tension, fluorescence, and viscometric techniques in aqueous media at 25 °C. It is observed that these mixtures exhibit synergism and these synergistic interactions increase with the enhancement of the hydrocarbon chain of the zwitterionic surfactant. The various physicochemical properties such as critical micelle concentration (cmc), surface excess concentration (Г(max)), minimum area per molecule (A(min)), aggregation number (N(agg)), interaction parameters (β(σ), β(m)), and thermodynamic parameters such as standard Gibbs free energy of adsorption (ΔG(ads)(o)), excess free energy of micellization (ΔG(ex)), and standard Gibbs free energy of micellization (ΔG(m)(o)) have been evaluated. The negative values of ΔG(m)(o) and ΔG(ads)(o) show that the micelle formation and adsorption of surfactant at the air/solution interface is energetically favorable, while a negative value of ΔG(ex) ensures stability of the mixed micelles formed. The Regular Solution Approximation, Motomura and Rosen's approaches have been used to explain and compare the results. The packing parameter (p) ensures the formation of vesicles or bilayers for AOT+DPS/TPS mixtures, which can potentially be used as delivery agents for industrial applications.