Dynamic Surface Elasticity of Polyelectrolyte/Surfactant Adsorption Films at the Air/Water Interface: Carboxylmethylchitosan and Cetyltrimethylammonium Bromide

The dynamic surface elasticity of the solution of carboxymethylchitosan (CMCH) and cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (C₁₆TAB) was measured as a function of the surfactant concentration and the surface age by the oscillating drop method. The results showed that the surface layer of the CMCH/C₁₆TAB solution transformed from loose to structured with the increase in the surfactant concentration. The surface elasticity versus the surface pressure curve during the adsorption showed different features at different surfactant concentration ranges, which was connected with the structural transformation of the surface layer. Our results show that the measurement of dynamic surface dilational properties is a powerful tool for studying the surface kinetics, which is helpful for dealing non-equilibrium systems in industry.