Competition between DPPC and SDS at the air-aqueous interface

Vibrational sum frequency generation spectroscopy is used to study the interactions of the charged soluble organic surfactant sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) with an insoluble 1,2-dipalmitoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DPPC) monolayer at the air-aqueous interface. Results indicate that the surfactant species compete for surface sites in the mixed system, with a lower monolayer number density of DPPC molecules being observed in the presence of dodecyl sulfate anions at the interface. Spectroscopic results also indicate that fewer dodecyl sulfate chains reside at the interface when the insoluble DPPC film is present. Increased conformational ordering of the acyl chains of both the DPPC molecules and the interfacial dodecyl sulfate anions is observed in the mixed system. Additionally, charged surfactant SDS promotes the alignment of the interfacial water molecules even in the presence of a DPPC monolayer.