Clouding and Hydrodynamic Behavior of Pluronic-Surfactant Interaction in Aqueous Salt Solutions

Clouding behavior of PEO-PPO-PEO and PPO-PEO-PPO block copolymers were studied in presence of sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) and NaCl. Extensive study of Pluronic P84 (EO₁₉PO₄₃EO₁₉) with different salts and ionic surfactants, were carried out using cloud point, viscosity and dynamic light scattering (DLS) measurements. The change in cloud point, as well as the size of P84 micelles in aqueous salt solution obeys the Hofmeister lyotropic series. Results on P84-ionic surfactant mixture indicate stronger interaction in case of SDS compared to those in presence of dodecyl trimethylammonium chloride (DTAC); here interaction seems to diminish in the presence of salts.     

Thermal Aggregation of Methyl Cellulose in Aqueous Solution: A Thermodynamic Study and Protein Partitioning Behaviour

The formation of a biphasic system from aqueous solutions of methyl cellulose induced by temperature was studied through heating curves of the polymer solution measured by absorbance spectroscopy, differential scanning calorimetry and solution viscosimetry. The treatment of the heating curve data according to a reversible two-state transition model allows us to calculate the middle point temperature (T_m) of the formation of the two phases and the thermodynamic functions associated to the polymer aggregation. The middle point temperature was found within the range 50–70 °C. It decreased significantly in a Na₂SO₄ 0.3 M medium when the polymer concentration increased. The heat associated to the two-phase formation was positive and it increased with increases in temperature. Cosolutes that affect the water structure induced changes in the T_m values, which suggests the presence of a hydrophobic effect in the two-phase formation from the polymer solution. Hydrophilic proteins were partitioned in favour of the methyl cellulose rich phase according to their surface hydrophobicity. The partition was also influenced by the presence of salts that modify the protein hydrophobicity such as sodium sulphate.     

Cloud points and phase separation of aqueous poly(N-vinylacetamide) solutions in the presence of salts

Aqueous poly(N-vinylacetamide) (PNVA) solution was found to exhibit the cloud point in the presence of salt. This cloud point was shown to correspond to a liquid-liquid phase separation, as confirmed when the PNVA-salt solutions were maintained at a temperature above the cloud point. The upper layer had a higher polymer concentration and a lower salt concentration than those in the lower layer. Thus interaction between PNVA and salts are repulsive. The lower critical solution temperatures were estimated to be 18±1°C for 1.25 molal (NH₄)₂SO₄ and 25±1°C for 0.76 molal Na₂SO₄. Divalent anions such as SO _2– ⁴ , SO _2– ³ , HPO _2– ⁴ and CO _2– ³ were effective in causing turbidity when examined at 25°C. Dependence of the effect on the cationic species was similar to but significantly different from that for acetyltetraglycine ethylester. The cloud points of PNVA decreased linearly with the increase of the polymer concentration at a fixed salt concentration or with the increase of the salt concentration at a fixed polymer concentration. A parameter analogous to the salting-out constant was empirically derived from the dependencies of the cloud points on the concentrations of polymer and salt.     

Study on the Salting-out Effect using Silica Species by FAB-MS

The salting-out effect has been characterized on the basis of the relative peak intensity of silica species, observed by FAB-MS (fast atom-bombardment mass spectrometry) in solutions of sodium chloride, sodium nitrate, sodium sulfate, calcium chloride, lithium chloride and magnesium chloride. A critical change in the peak intensity ratios of the linear and cyclic tetramers of silica against the sodium ion (Na⁺) concentrations was observed at Na⁺ concentration between 0.1 and 1 mol⋅dm⁻³. The degrees of the changes of these peak intensity ratios increased in the order NaNO₃ < Na₂SO₄ < NaCl. In CaCl₂ solutions, these peak intensity ratios changed significantly at Ca²⁺ concentrations between 0.05 and 0.5 mol⋅dm⁻³. The salting-out effect observed is the total change in the concentration of silica brought about by complex factors, such as the changing solubility of silicate complexes, the increases in the concentrations of different kinds of soluble silicate complexes induced by changes in the hydrophobicity and hydrophilicity of the solution, and the contribution of hydrolysis.     

Influence of various series of additives on the clouding behavior of aqueous solutions of triblock copolymers

The cloud point (CP) studies on aqueous solutions of two ethylene oxide-propylene oxide triblock copolymers (EO)_2.5(PO)₃₁(EO)_2.5 and (EO)₁₃(PO)₃₀(EO)₁₃ with varying number of ethylene oxide (EO) units were carried out in the presence of series of additives, such as alkali, acids, ionic surfactants, alcohols, salts, and hydrotropes. The results of this study show that sodium hydroxide decreases the CP of the two copolymers. Acids increase the CP in the order hydrochloric acid > acetic acid > formic acid for both the triblock copolymers. Hydrotropes increase the CP, whereas salts decrease or increase the CP based on their salting-out/salting-in nature. Alcohols, which are polar organic additives, affect the CP of the two copolymers differently. The change in the CP of the triblock copolymers depends upon the structure and concentration of the additives and on the number of EO units of the two triblock copolymers.     

Effects of salts and copolymer composition on the lower critical solution temperature of poly(methyl 2‐acetamidoacrylate‐co‐methyl methacrylate) solutions

Copolymerizations of methyl 2‐acetamidoacrylate (MAA) with methyl methacrylate (MMA) were carried out at 60 °C in chloroform. Copolymers containing MAA units in the range of 83–90 mol % exhibited a lower critical solution temperature (LCST), although homopolymers of MAA and MMA did not. The LCST of polymer solutions decreased with (1) an increase in the concentration of the copolymer, (2) a decrease in the MAA content in the copolymer, and (3) an increase in the concentration of salts added. The effectiveness of anionic species for reducing the LCST is NO < Cl^? < SO < SO. Divalent anion is more effective for lowering the LCST than monovalent anion. However, there is no difference between cationic species in the salting‐out effect. Sodium carbonate and sodium phosphate had a salting‐in effect. Salting‐out coefficients were evaluated from the relationship between the logarithm of solubility of the copolymers and the salt concentration. Salting‐out coefficients of the copolymer depended not on the composition of the copolymers but on the salt added. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 40: 1945–1951, 2002     

Salt effect on polymer solutions

The salt effect was investigated by measurements of viscosity, cloud point, and solubility of aqueous solutions of poly(vinyl alcohol—acetate) copolymers, as these copolymers in water are sensitive in various ways to addition of various electrolytes. The major role in the salt effect is played by the anions, and water-structure breaking anions produce salting-in of the copolymers. Tetraalkylammonium halides (bromides and iodides) cause salting-in of the copolymers more effectively with increase of size of the hydrophobic cations. The Setschenow equation does not hold for the polymers except for very dilute polymer concentration. In salts of monoalkyl-substituted anions (R? COONa and R? SO₄Na) and cations (R? NH₃Cl and Br), so long as the alkyl chain is short, the salt effect is also dominated by the anions. With increase of the alkyl chain length, sodium salts of the monoalkyl-substituted anions exert a stronger salting-in effect upon the polymers than chlorides of similar long-chain cations. The significance of the counteranions is suggested for the interaction of nonionic polymers and the long-chain cations. The action of the salts on the copolymers is discussed in terms of medium effects (change of the water structure) and of the binding effect of the single ions to the polymers.     

Influence of multiple stimuli on the lower critical solution temperature of new cationic poly(N‐acryloyl‐N′‐ethylpiperazine‐co‐N‐isopropylacrylamide) solutions

New multi‐stimuli responsive cationic copolymers based on N‐acryloyl‐N′‐ethyl piperazine (AcrNEP) and N‐isopropylacrylamide (NIPAM) were prepared by thermal free‐radical solution polymerization in dioxane at 75 °C. The chemical composition of the copolymers was determined by ¹H NMR spectroscopy and was found that the copolymers were slightly rich in NIPAM content than that of AcrNEP. The reactivity of the two monomers for the copolymerization reaction was evaluated by the extended Kelen‐Tüdös method. The distribution of monomer sequence in the copolymer chain was estimated using the terminal copolymerization model. The maximum tendency to alternation (～ 70%) was at 60 mol % of AcrNEP in the monomer feed. The copolymers were readily soluble in water at room temperature at all compositions and exhibited well‐defined lower critical solution temperature (LCST) phenomenon. The influence of various stimuli such as pH, temperature, simple inorganic salts, and surfactants on the LCST of the copolymers was studied in detail. Simple inorganic salts such as sodium chloride, sodium bromide, and sodium sulfate showed a salting‐out effect while sodium iodide showed a salting‐in effect. The salting‐out coefficient of the salts were calculated using the Sestchenow method, and the salting trend followed the order SO₄^2? > Cl^? > Br^? > I^?. The divalent salt was more effective in lowering the LCST than the monovalent salts. The cationic surfactant hexadecyl trimethylammonium bromide at concentrations above the critical micelle concentration caused a gradual increase in the LCST of the copolymer solutions. The intrinsic viscosity and light scattering behavior of the copolymers in water and in sodium chloride solutions were studied in detail. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part B: Polym. Phys. 2013, 51, 1175–1183     

Libraries of methacrylic acid and oligo(ethylene glycol) methacrylate copolymers with LCST behavior

Homopolymers of methacrylic acid (MAA), monoethyleneglycol methyl ether methacrylate (MEOMA), diethyleneglycol methyl ether methacrylate (MEO₂MA), oligo(ethyleneglycol) methyl ether methacrylate (OEGMA₄₇₅ and OEGMA₁₁₀₀) and oligo(ethyleneglycol) ethyl ether methacrylate (OEGEMA₂₄₆) were synthesized with various chain lengths via reversible addition fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization. The homopolymers of MAA, MEOMA and OEGMA₁₁₀₀ did not show any cloud point (CP) in the range of 0–100 °C, whereas at a pH value of 7, the CPs were found to be 20.6, 93.7, and 20.0 °C for p(MEO₂MA), p(OEGMA₄₇₅) and p(OEGEMA₂₄₆), respectively, with an initial monomer to initiator ratio of 50. Furthermore, statistical copolymer libraries of MAA with OEGMA₄₇₅ and OEGMA₁₁₀₀ were prepared. The cloud points of the random copolymers of MAA and OEGMA₄₇₅ were found to be in the range of 20–90 °C; surprisingly, even though the homopolymers of MAA and OEGMA₁₁₀₀ did not exhibit any LCST behavior, the copolymers of these monomers at certain molar ratios (up to 40% OEGMA₁₁₀₀) revealed a double responsive behavior for both temperature and pH. Finally, the cloud points were found to be in the range of 22–98 °C, measured at pH values of 2, 4, and 7, while no cloud point was detected at pH 10. © Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 46: 7138–7147, 2008     

Cloud Point Studies of Tween and Glycol in the Presence of Salts

This article deals with the cloud point studies of ethoxylated sorbitan ester, Tween in the presence of glycols, and salts. Cloud point temperature of Tween 20 (5 mol dm^?3) and Tween 80 (1 mol dm^?3) has been determined in the presence of various salts in addition to glycols. The glycols chosen for these studies were triethylene glycol (TEG), and ethylene glycol mono butylether (EGMBE). At concentration below 0.02 M these salts have no significant effect on cloud point temperature in all cases. The cloud point temperature of Tween+TEG and Tween+EGMBE found to decrease in the presence of sodium chloride (NaCl) and potassium chloride (KCl). The cloud point temperature of Tween 20 + TEG and Tween 20 + EGMBE found to increase in the presence of urea and nicotinamide. The change in cloud point was found to be more in case of nicotinamide as compare to urea. The influence of an additive on the cloud point depends on how it affects the intermicellar interactions. An effort has been made to understand the interaction between solvent and additives leading to a change in solubility of Tween.     

Effect of the Charge and the Nature of Both Cations and Anions on the Solubility of Zwitterionic Amino Acids,Measurements and Modeling

The effect of the charge and the nature of both the cations and the anions of some electrolytic salts: sodium fluoride (NaF), potassium fluoride (KF), sodium bromide (NaBr), potassium bromide (KBr), sodium iodide (NaI), potassium iodide (KI), sodium sulfate (Na₂SO₄), potassium sulfate (K₂SO₄), calcium chloride (CaCl₂), and barium chloride (BaCl₂), on the solubility of zwitterionic amino acids (glycine, DL-alanine, DL-valine, and DL-serine) in aqueous solutions at 298.15 K are studied and discussed. A salting-in effect is observed for all amino acids under investigation with all electrolytes used in the present study, except for DL-alanine and DL-valine in aqueous solutions containing sodium fluoride where a salting-out effect was observed. The orders of the effect of the nature and the charge of both the anions and the cations are: F^- < Cl^- < Br^- < I^- < NO₃^- < SO₄^2-\mathrm{F}^{-}<{}\mathrm{Cl}^{-}<{}\mathrm{Br}^{-}<{}\mathrm{I}^{-}<\mathrm{NO}_{3}^{-}<{}\mathrm{SO}_{4}^{2-} with both sodium and potassium cations; Na⁺<K⁺<Ca²⁺<Ba²⁺ with chloride anion.     

Potential of magnesium salt–monoalkylpolyethylene glycol–water systems for use in micellar extraction

Solubilities in MgCl₂ (MgSO₄, Mg(NO₃)₂)–syntanol DS-10 (syntanol ALM-10)–water systems have been studied by the visual-polythermal method and the isothermal section method. The liquid–liquid phase separation region was shown to change its topology depending on temperature and the salting-out agent. The salting-out agent anion was shown to influence the cloud point of syntanol solutions. The effect of structure on the ability of syntanol to be salted out by magnesium salts was studied. Optimal temperature and concentration parameters of boron extraction in the studied systems were determined.     

Characterization of Silicate Complexes in Aqueous Sodium Sulfate Solutions by FAB-MS

When the sodium ion (Na⁺) concentration is increased above 0.5 mol-dm⁻³ (M), the concentrations of dissolved silica in aqueous sodium chloride (NaCl) and sodium nitrate (NaNO₃) solutions decrease because of the salting out effect. On the other hand, the concentration of the dissolved silica in aqueous sodium sulfate (Na₂SO₄) solutions increases monotonously as the concentration of Na⁺ is increased above 0.5 M. The purpose of this study is to determine the reasons why the salting-out effect is not observed in Na₂SO₄ solutions. FAB-MS (Fast Atom Bombardment Mass Spectrometry) was used to sample directly the silica species dissolved in aqueous Na₂SO₄, NaCl, and NaNO₃ solutions. In the FAB-MS spectra of these solutions, the peak intensity ratios of the linear tetramer to the cyclic tetramer largely increased for Na⁺ concentrations between (0.1 and 1) M. This shows that some characteristics of the Na₂SO₄ solutions are similar to those of the NaCl and NaNO₃ solutions. In Na₂SO₄ solutions, however, when the concentration of Na⁺ is higher than 1 M, the peak intensity of the dimer is much higher than those of the other silicate complexes. In Na₂SO₄ solutions, the SO₄²⁻ ion undergoes partial hydrolysis to form HSO⁻₄ and OH⁻ is produced. In particular, in the range where the concentration of SO₄²⁻ is high, the pH of the solution increases slightly. This higher pH yields more dimers from the hydrolysis of silicate complexes. This increase in dimer production agrees with the observation that silica dissolves in sodium hydroxide (NaOH) solutions mainly as a dimer when the concentration of NaOH is less than 0.1 M. In Na₂SO₄ solutions at high concentrations, a salting-out effect is not observed for silica. This is due to the increase in the concentration of OH⁻, which accelerates the hydrolysis of silica and results in dimer formation.     

Temperature and pH sensitive ionic hydrogels based on new crosslinkers

New crosslinkers were synthesized from reaction of melamine with acryloyl and methacryloyl chloride in the presence of 1‐methyl‐2‐pyrrolidone as a solvent and triethyl amine as acid acceptor. The chemical structures of the prepared crosslinkers were elucidated from FT‐IR, ¹H‐NMR and ¹³C‐NMR analyses. Linear 2‐acrylamido‐2‐methyl‐1‐propane sulfonic acid and methacrylic acid (AMPS/MAA) copolymers were prepared and their viscometric properties in aqueous solution were investigated. Different weight percentages of the prepared crosslinkers were used as crosslinking agent (AMPS/MAA) to prepare ionic copolymers using ammonium persulfate as initiator. The percentage of crosslinkers was varied from 0.5 to 4 wt%. The swelling behaviors of crosslinked AMPS/MAA gels in deionized water were measured at different pH and temperatures. All AMPS/MAA copolymers exhibit faster deswelling rate at 50°C except for the copolymer containing 0.9 (mol ratio) AMPS. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Amphiphilic maleic acid-containing alternating copolymers—2. Dilute solution characterization by light scattering,intrinsic viscosity,and PGSE NMR spectroscopy

The dilute solution behavior of several alternating copolymers of maleic acid has been characterized by static and dynamic light scattering, intrinsic viscosity, and pulsed-gradient spin-echo NMR spectroscopy. The copolymer of maleic acid–sodium salt and isobutylene (IBMA-Na, M_w ∼350 kg/mol) dissolves readily in concentrated aqueous salt solutions. Changes in chain dimensions with ionic strength and pH are similar to those of the lesser salt solution-soluble poly(acrylic acid-sodium salt). The hydrophobically modified (with n-butyl, n-hexyl, n-octyl, and phenethyl amines) copolymers of maleic acid–sodium salts and isobutylene (IBMA-NHR-Na) show no sign of large intermolecular aggregation in 0.1 N sodium acetate (NaAc). However, the sizes of the copolymers are relatively small compared to that of the ionized parent copolymer (IBMA-Na, M_w ∼350 kg/mol), suggesting intramolecular aggregation of the alkyl side-chain groups along the polymer backbone. The copolymer modified with the longer chain n-decyl, on the other hand, forms stable large intermolecular aggregates containing 33 chains/aggregate. The copolymers of maleic acid–sodium salt and styrene (SMA-Na) appear to have no signs of aggregation, despite being a hydrophobic polyelectrolyte. The copolymer of maleic acid–sodium salt and di-isobutylene (DIBMA-Na) has a similar salting-out concentration as SMA-Na. The radius of gyration measurements by static light scattering suggest that at least some fraction of the DIBMA-Na chains form large intermolecular aggregates. The copolymers of maleic acid–sodium salt with n-alkenes (n-C_mMA-Na) in 0.1 N NaAc form small intermolecular aggregates (three to five chains/aggregate). In contrast to these static light scattering results, PGSE NMR diffusion measurements for the above aggregated systems indicate only one diffusion coefficient consistent with the motion of single isolated chains. A plausible explanation for this discrepancy is that the population of the aggregates is too small to be sufficiently detected in the PGSE NMR experiment. Furthermore, it is likely that the aggregate has a larger relaxation rate than the nonaggregate, and therefore has a comparatively reduced signal in the PGSE NMR experiment. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 42: 3584–3597, 2004     

Spectrometric studies on the cloud points of Triton X-405

The effect of various chemicals on the cloud point (CP) of nonionic surfactant Triton X-405 (TX-405) in aqueous solutions has been investigated. In the measurements of cloud point temperatures, UV–visible spectrophotometer was used instead of visual observation. The values of CP for Triton X-405 could not be measured directly because TX-405 had an average number of oxyethylene units per molecule, p ≈ 35 and a CP > 100 °C. To avoid additional measurements under pressure, TX-405 had their CP lowered below the normal boiling point of their solutions by adding the salting-out, CP-lowering salts at various concentrations, measuring the depressed CP values and extrapolating them to zero salt concentration. The CP values decrease linearly with increasing concentration of salts at studied concentrations. The results showed that the addition of the simple salts and nonionic surfactant Triton X-114 (TX-114) which are infinitely miscible with water decreased the cloud point of the TX-405. In this study, the real CP values of TX-405 which are merely listed as >100 °C in the literature was found as 116 ± 1 °C in various samples. In the lyotropic series, it is expected that the effect of F⁻ > Cl⁻ > Br⁻ will be on the decrease in CP, because the ionic sizes increase along the group consequently decreasing the formal charge density on anion, thus lowering the attraction on anion and thereby lowering the attraction of water. The order of CP depression for the other anions is as follows: PO₄³⁻ > SO₄²⁻ > NO₃⁻ > Br⁻. This means that electrolyte containing trivalent anions is more effective at salting-out the PEO chain than those containing divalent anions and monovalent anions. Cations effectiveness is present in the following order for change: Na⁺ > K⁺ > NH₄⁺ because of their effect on water structure and their hydrophilicity. Overall the electrolytes and nonelectrolytes have a large amount of effect on CP of nonionic surfactant, because of their effect on water structure and their hydrophilicity.     

Separation of phenols from aqueous micellar solutions by cloud point extraction

The cloud point technique was used to recover phenol, 4-methylphenol, and 4-nitrophenol from aqueous solutions using oxyethylated methyl dodecanoates as nonionic surfactants. Oxyethylated methyl dodecanoates are convenient nonionic surfactants for such separations. Their cloud points can be easily modified by a change in surfactant hydrophilicity or by the addition of a second nonionic surfactant and/or an electrolyte. The use of the hydrophile lipophile balance is preferred to model the cloud point of oxyethylated methyl dodecanoates and their mixtures with other surfactants. The composition of the surfactant-rich phase depends on electrolyte type and the overheating. The phase can contain only 5-15% of water. Recovery of phenols changes in the order 4-nitrophenol >4-methylphenol > phenol and is increased in the presence of sodium chloride. The presence of salting-out electrolytes is preferred both to decrease the cloud point and to increase the efficiency of extraction.     

Complexes of polyelectrolyte hydrogels with organic dyes: Effect of charge density on the complex stability and intragel dye aggregation

The swelling behavior of polyelectrolyte gels based on poly(diallyldimethylammonium chloride) (copolymers of diallyldimethylammonium chloride and acrylamide with the variable composition) and poly(methacrylic acid, sodium salt) in the presence of organic water soluble dyes (alizarin, naphthol blue black, rhodamine) was studied. The collapse of the polyelectrolyte gels in the presence of oppositely charged dyes together with the effective absorption of dyes was observed. The shrinking degree and the dye absorption by the gel depend on the charges of the polymer network and the dye, and also on the dye concentration. Stability of the gel–dye complexes in a salt solution of NaCl and Al₂(SO₄)₃ was studied. It was shown that the complex stability in the salt solution depends on the charge density of the polymer chains forming the gel. The increase of charge density of polymer generally leads to the enhancement of the complex stability. For the systems with the fraction of charged poly(diallyldimethylammonium chloride) monomer units above 0.5 the release of alizarin to the external solution of Al₂(SO₄)₃ reservoir is practically completely suppressed. The obtained results show that oppositely charged dyes are generally from stable complexes with polyelectrolyte gels. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci B: Polym Phys 37: 1209–1217, 1999     

Studies on the Effects of Salt and Surfactant in Wet Phase Separation of Polysulfone

This study investigates the effect of additives in the nonsolvent water in terms of cloud point during the phase inversion of Polysulfone (PS) in dimethyl formamide (DMF). The exponential pattern is observed with PS concentration (0.2 to 0.6% (w/w)). It needs a low amount of water to get the cloud point at low temperature. The cloud point varied with the nature of water matrix and depended on the amount of salt, as well as the PS amount. The presence of salts (sodium chloride and sodium sulfate) lowers the cloud point of the solution. The network distribution of the particles at the cloud point is disturbed in the presence of salt. The requirement is more for Sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS) added water to reach the cloud point in the low range of PS solution up to 0.3% PS (w/w). The morphological and distribution pattern of PS particles are very different compared to PS particles produced from pure water. XRD study of PS particles produced from the mixed water system reflects relatively more amorphous character with respect to PS particles from pure water. The presence of both surfactant and salts in water systems also influences the cloud point in synergistic manner.     

Interaction of sodium dodecyl sulfate with methacrylate-PEG comb copolymers

A series of sodium methacrylate and poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) comb copolymers (MAA/PEG) with approximate PEG chain lengths of 7, 11, and 22 ethylene oxide units were synthesized by free radical polymerization. Their weight-average molecular mass was found to be approximately 66 000. A commercial sample of a PEG comb polymer with an acrylic backbone was also used in the studies (Sokalan HP 80). The interaction of the MAA/PEG comb polymers and pure sodium methacrylate (SPMA) with sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) was studied by ESR spectroscopy using 5-doxyl stearic acid (5-DSA) spin probe and by conductivity measurements. Surfactant aggregation in water occurred at SDS concentrations lower than the surfactant critical micelle concentration (cmc) and depended on the polymer concentration. The observations have been attributed to changes in the effective ionic strength of the systems due to the polymer itself, and it has been concluded that there is no interaction between the MAA/PEG comb copolymers or SPMA and SDS. This has been confirmed by the fact that the decrease in surfactant aggregation concentration is similar in magnitude to the decrease observed on adding NaCl when counterion ion condensation effects are taken into account. It is apparent that the electrostatic repulsions between the surfactant molecules and the methacrylate backbone of the MAA/PEG comb copolymers inhibit association of SDS with the PEG side chains.