Role of electrostatic interactions in particle adsorption

The role of the electrostatic double-layer interactions in adsorption of colloid particles at solid/liquid interface was reviewed. The phenomenological formulation of the governing PB equation was presented with the expressions for the pressure tensor enabling one to calculate forces, torques and interaction energies between particles in electrolyte solutions. Then, the limiting analytical results for an isolated double-layer (both spherical and planar) were discussed in relation to the effective surface potential concept. The range of validity of the approximate expression connecting the surface potential and the effective surface potential with surface charge for various electrolytes was estimated. The results for double-layer systems were next presented including the case of two planar double-layers and two dissimilar spherical particles. Limiting solutions for short and long distances as well as for low potentials (linear HHF model) were discussed. The approximate models for calculating interactions of spheres, i.e., the extended Derjaguin summation method and the linear superposition approach (LSA) were also introduced. The results stemming from these models were compared with the exact numerical solution obtained in bispherical coordinate system. Possibilities of describing interactions of nonspherical particles (e.g., spheroids) in terms of the Derjaguin and the equivalent sphere methods were pointed out. In further part of the review the role of these electrostatic interactions in adsorption of colloid particles was discussed. Theoretical predictions were presented enabling a quantitative determination of both the initial adsorption flux for low surface coverages and the surface blocking effects for larger surface coverages. Possibility of bilayer adsorption for dilute electrolytes was mentioned. The theoretical results concerning both the adsorption kinetics and structure formation were then confronted with experimental evidences obtained in the well-defined systems, e.g., the impinging-jet cells and the packed-bed columns of monodisperse spherical particles. The experiments proved that the initial adsorption flux was considerably increased in dilute electrolytes whereas the monolayer coverages were considerably decreased due to lateral interactions among particles. It was then concluded that the good agreement between experimental and theoretical data confirmed the thesis of an essential role of the electrostatic interactions in adsorption phenomena of colloid particles.     

Probing of polyelectrolyte monolayers by zeta potential and wettability measurements

Detection of the very first step of polyelectrolyte adsorption onto a solid support is of great importance for understanding mechanisms of solid surface modification. It was shown that streaming potential and contact angle measurements can be successfully used for polyelectrolyte (PE) adsorption characterization in a broad range of surface coverage. Cationic polyallylamine hydrochloride (PAH) was used for the formation of the layer. The electrokinetic characteristics of the substrate covered by the PAH layer were compared with contact angles measured under wet (captive air bubble/substrate in water) and dry (sessile water droplet/dried substrate) conditions. It has been demonstrated that contact angle values determined under both conditions are in good agreement. The observed rapid increase in the contact angle from zero for the bare mica surface to the value close to one characteristic of the PAH monolayer appears in the same PAH coverage range as zeta potential value changes due to adsorption. These results show that wettability can be as sensitive to the presence of small amounts of adsorbed species as electrokinetic measurements.     

Structure of poly(acrylic acid) in electrolyte solutions determined from simulations and viscosity measurements

In this work, the structure of poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) molecules in electrolyte solutions obtained from molecular dynamic simulations was compared with experimental data derived from dynamic light scattering (PCS), dynamic viscosity, and electrophoretic measurements. Simulations and measurements were carried out for polymer having a molecular weight of 12 kD for various ionic strengths of the supporting electrolyte (NaCl). The effect of the ionization degree of the polymer, regulated by the change in the pH of the solution in the range 4-9 units, was also studied systematically. It was predicted from theoretical simulations that, for low electrolyte concentration (10(-3) M) and pH = 9 (full nominal ionization of PAA), the molecule assumed the shape of a flexible rod having the effective length L(ef) = 21 nm, compared to the contour length L(ext) = 41 nm predicted for a fully extended polymer chain. For an electrolyte concentration of 0.15 M, it was predicted that L(ef) = 10.5 nm. For a lower ionization degree, a significant folding of the molecule was predicted, which assumed the shape of a sphere having the radius of 2 nm. These theoretical predictions were compared with PCS experimental measurements of the diffusion coefficient of the molecule, which allowed one to calculate its hydrodynamic radius R(H). It was found that R(H) varied between 6.6 nm for low ionic strength (pH = 9) and 5.8 nm for higher ionic strength (pH = 4). The R(H) values for pH = 9 were in a good agreement with theoretical predictions of particle shape, approximated by prolate spheroids, bent to various forms. On the other hand, a significant deviation from the theoretical shape predictions occurring at pH = 4 was interpreted in terms of the chain hydration effect neglected in simulations. To obtain additional shape information, the dynamic viscosity of polyelectrolyte solutions was measured using a capillary viscometer. It was found that, after considering the correction for hydration, the experimental results were in a good agreement with the Brenner's viscosity theory for prolate spheroid suspensions. The effective lengths derived from viscosity measurements using this theory were in good agreement with values predicted from the molecular dynamic simulations.     

Formation and stability of poly-L-lysine/casein multilayers

The aim of our work was to investigate formation of multilayer films containing biocompatible polycation poly-L-lysine (PLL) and α- or β-casein. Since in the neutral pH casein is negatively charged, it has been used as a polyanionic layer for the film build-up. Casein containing films were formed at surface of Si/SiO₂ wafers and their thickness was measured by ellipsometry. The effect of ionic strength of PLL and casein solutions was investigated. After the multilayer films were formed, they were contacted with solutions having various pH and salts to determine film stability under these conditions. Additionally the response of the thickness of PLL/casein films to the temperature variation in the range of 5–45?°C was also analyzed. Formation and stability of casein containing films was also investigated on surfaces of titanium and stainless steel. We used fluorescently labeled protein to monitor the amount of casein in the film and its change after treatment with solutions containing calcium ions.     

The effect of nature of polyions and treatment after deposition on wetting characteristics of polyelectrolyte multilayers

The sequential adsorption of oppositely charged polyelectrolytes (PE) occurs to be a powerful tool for obtaining various materials of precisely defined properties. The interfacial features of PE multilayer films are governed by the choice of polycation/polyanion pairs and the conditions of film formation. Additionally, the long time exposure to the conditions different than that encountered during formation usually affects polyelectrolyte multilayer structure.The wettability of heterogeneous surfaces produced by ‘layer-by-layer’ (LbL) adsorption of polyelectrolytes was investigated in this work. We focused on the influence of film treatment after deposition on wetting properties of obtained multilayers. The effect of the nature of the first layer was also studied. Apart from simple arrangements: (polyallylamine hydrochloride)/(polysodium 4-styrenesulfonate) (PAH/PSS) and (poly-l-lysine hydrobromide)/(poly-l-glutamic acid sodium salt) (PLL/PGA) more complicated structures were considered having as a first layer two types of polyethylene imines (PEI) of different molecular weight.Wetting properties of such polyelectrolyte films were determined experimentally by contact angle measurements using technique of direct image analysis of the shape of sessile drop.     

Adsorption of multiple ammonium salts at the air/solution interface

The interfacial behavior of aqueous solutions of newly synthesized bis- and tris-ammonium salts (i.e., bis[2-hydroxy-3-(dodecyldimethylammonio)propyl]alkylamine dichlorides and bis[2-hydroxy-3-(dodecyldimethylammonio)propyl]dialkylammmonium trichlorides, respectively) was analyzed, both experimentally and theoretically. The dynamic and equilibrium surface tension of multiple ammonium salt solutions was measured by using a pendant drop shape analysis method. The determined surface tension isotherms indicated the lack of significant differences in surface activity between bis- and tris-ammonium salts, contrary to the expectations for divalent and trivalent surfactant ions. That effect was explained by assuming the formation of multiple surfactant ion-counterion associates. Taking into account the association process, a good correlation between experimental data and theoretical predictions was obtained by means of the "surface quasi two-dimensional electrolyte" (STDE) model of ionic surfactant adsorption. The degree of association necessary to explain the lack of difference in surface activity between bis- and tris-ammonium salts was in quantitative agreement with the results of measurements of the concentration of free chloride anions in the surfactant solution.     

Characteristics of polyelectrolyte multilayers: effect of PEI anchoring layer and posttreatment after deposition

The influence of a first (anchoring) layer and film treatment on the structure and properties of polyelectrolyte multilayer (PEM) films obtained from polyallylamine hydrochloride (PAH) and polysodium 4-styrenesulfonate (PSS) was studied. Branched polyethyleneimine (PEI) was used as an anchoring layer. The film thickness was measured by ellipsometry. Complementary X-ray reflectometry and AFM experiments were performed to study the change in the interfacial roughness. We found that the thickness of the PEM films increased linearly with the number of layers and depended on the presence of an anchoring PEI layer. Thicker films were obtained for multilayers having PEI as the first layer comparing to films having the same number of layers but consisting of PAH/PSS only. We investigated the wettability of PEM surfaces using direct image analysis of the shape of sessile water drops. Periodic oscillations in contact angle were observed. PAH-terminated films were more hydrophobic than films with PSS as the outermost layer. The effect of long time conditioning of PEM films in solutions of various pH's or salt (NaCl) concentrations was also examined. Salt or base solutions induced modification in wetting properties of the polyelectrolyte multilayers but had a negligible effect on the film thickness.     

The effect of support material and conditioning on wettability of PAH/PSS multilayer films

An efficient method for characterizing wetting properties of heterogeneous surfaces produced by sequential adsorption of polyelectrolytes was developed. Three types of polyelectrolytes were used: polyallylamine hydrochloride (PAH), polyethyleneimine (PEI), both of a cationic type, and polysodium 4-styrenesulfonate (PSS), of an anionic type. Multilayer films were prepared by 'layer-by-layer' (LbL) deposition technique. Natural ruby mica, glass, titanium foil and silicon wafers were used as the support material for PE films. Wetting of polyelectrolyte films was determined experimentally by contact angle measurements, using technique of direct image analysis of shape of sessile drops. Periodic oscillations in contact angle values were observed for multilayers terminated by polycation and polyanion, respectively, and the variations in contact angle values strongly depended on the conditions of adsorption and multilayer treatment after deposition. Therefore, the influence of ionic strength of polyelectrolyte solution used for deposition on wetting of multilayer films was considered and also the effect of conditioning in different environments was investigated. It is usually assumed that film properties and stability strongly depend on the first layer which is used to anchor a multilayer at the surface of support material. To investigate influence of the first layer, PAH/PSS films were compared with more complex ones having PEI as the first layer with a sequence of PSS/PAH deposited on top of it.     

Characterization of polyelectrolyte multilayers by the streaming potential method

Polyelectrolyte multilayer adsorption on mica was studied by the streaming potential method in the parallel-plate channel setup. The technique was calibrated by performing model measurements of streaming potential by using monodisperse latex particles. Two types of polyelectrolytes were used in our studies: poly(allylamine) hydrochloride (PAH), of a cationic type, and poly(sodium 4-styrenesulfonate) (PSS) of an anionic type, both having molecular weight of 70,000. The bulk characteristics of polymers were determined by measuring the specific density, diffusion coefficient for various ionic strengths, and zeta potential. These measurements as well as molecular dynamic simulations of chain shape and configurations suggested that the molecules assume an extended, wormlike shape in the bulk. Accordingly, the diffusion coefficient was interpreted in terms of a simple hydrodynamic model pertinent to flexible rods. These data allowed a proper interpretation of polyelectrolyte multilayer adsorption from NaCl solutions of various concentrations or from 10(-3) M Tris buffer. After completing a bilayer, periodic variations in the apparent zeta potential between positive and negative values were observed for multilayers terminated by PAH and PSS, respectively. These limiting zeta potential values correlated quite well with the zeta potential of the polymers in the bulk. The stability of polyelectrolyte films against prolonged washing (reaching 26 h) also was determined using the streaming potential method. It was demonstrated that the PSS layer was considerably more resistant to washing, compared to the PAH layer. It was concluded that the experimental data were consistent with the model postulating particle-like adsorption of polyelectrolytes with little chain interpenetration. It also was concluded that due to high sensitivity, the electrokinetic method applied can be effectively used for quantitative studies of polyelectrolyte adsorption, desorption, and reconformation.