Fading phenomena of azo oil dye in anionic-nonionic surfactant solutions II. Effects of alkyl and/or oxyethylene groups in nonionic surfactant on the fading rate

The effects of alkyl and/or oxyethylene groups in a nonionic surfactant on the fading phenomena of 4-phenylazo-1-naphthol (4-OH), which occur in aqueous solutions of anionic-nonionic surfactant systems, are described; these systems are sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) — alkyl poly(oxyethylene) ethers (C_mPOE_n, m=12,14,16, and 18 at n=20; n=10, 20, 30, and 40 at m=16). The fading phenomenon is observed when 4-OH is added to the anionic-nonionic mixed surfactant solutions at a molar ratio of 11. A singlet oxygen, which is caused by the hydrophilic-hydrophilic interaction between two surfactants, is thought to attack the tautomer of 4-OH. The fading rate of 4-OH accelerates with increasing alkyl chain length or with decreasing oxyethylene chain length in the nonionic surfactant molecule. The effect on the fading behavior of 4-OH would be larger for a system which can easily form a mixed micelle than for a system in which two kinds of micelles coexist.     

Chemical force spectroscopy in heterogeneous systems: intermolecular interactions involving epoxy polymer,mixed monolayers,and polar solvents

We used chemical force microscopy (CFM) to study adhesive forces between surfaces of epoxy resin and self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) capable of hydrogen bonding to different extents. The influence of the liquid medium in which the experiments were carried out was also examined systematically. The molecular character of the tip, polymer, and liquid all influenced the adhesion. Complementary macroscopic contact angle measurements were used to assist in the quantitative interpretation of the CFM data. A direct correlation between surface free energy and adhesion forces was observed in mixed alcohol-water solvents. An increase in surface energy from 2 to 50 mJ/m(2) resulted in an increase in adhesion from 4-8 nN to 150-300 nN for tips with radii of 50-150 nm. The interfacial surface energy for identical nonpolar surface groups of SAMs was found not to exceed 2 mJ/m(2). An analysis of adhesion data suggests that the solvent was fully excluded from the zone of contact between functional groups on the tip and sample. With a nonpolar SAM, the force of adhesion increased monotonically in mixed solvents of higher water content; whereas, with a polar SAM (one having a hydrogen bonding component), higher water content led to decreased adhesion. The intermolecular force components theory was used for the interpretation of adhesion force measurements in polar solvents. Competition between hydrogen bonding within the solvent and hydrogen bonding of surface groups and the solvent was shown to provide the main contribution to adhesion forces. We demonstrate how the trends in the magnitude of the adhesion forces for chemically heterogeneous systems (solvents and surfaces) measured with CFM can be quantitatively rationalized using the surface tension components approach. For epoxy polymer, inelastic deformations also contributed heavily to measured adhesion forces.     

Adhesive Contact Deformation of a Single Microelastomeric Sphere

This paper reports on an experimental study of the adhesive contact of a single microscopic (about 300 μm) elastomer sphere compressed between two smooth parallel glass platens at small imposed deformations. An experimental arrangement that allows the simultaneous measurement of the compressive displacements and the reaction forces is described. A number of interesting phenomena, including the pull-off separation and the “jump” contact phenomena of the microsphere and the moving platen supported by a cantilever, are shown in the experimental force-displacement curve of a loading and unloading cycle. The pull-off forces are demonstrated to not depend upon the applied dimensionless approach (compressive displacement/initial particle diameter), while they increase with the increasing rate at which the interfaces are separated. The predictions of an established contact mechanical adhesive theory, Johnson–Kendall–Roberts (JKR) theory, in which the influence of the surface energy on the contact has been taken into account, are in good agreement with these experimental results. An application of the JKR analysis to the pull-off force provides a reasonable estimate of the interfacial free energy of the contact.     

Spectrophotometric studies of anionic dye-cationic surfactant interactions in mixture of cationic and nonionic surfactants

The interaction between an anionic dye C.I. Reactive Orange 16 (RO16) and a cationic surfactant dodecylpyridinium chloride (DPC) in mixtures of DPC and nonionic surfactants poly(oxyethylene)ethers (C(m)POE(n); m = 12, 16 and 18, n = 4, 10 and 23) are investigated spectrophotometrically in a certain micellar concentration range. The spectrophotometric measurements of dye-surfactant systems are carried out as function of mole fraction of surfactant at four different temperatures. For this reason, a typical system was occurred at 1.0 x 10(-2) mol l(-1) for surfactants and at 1.0 x 10(-4) mol l(-1) for dye concentrations. The formation of DPC-RO16 complex in the C(m)POE(n) solutions of different mole fractions in its micellar concentration range have been determined and compared to those obtained in the binary mixtures. From the spectrophotometric measurements has been observed that the addition of nonionic surfactant in to the mixture of DPC-RO16, causes a significant increase of the value of absorbance. This increase explains that the stability of DPC-RO16 complex is reduced in the presence of nonionic surfactant micelles. It can be seen from results; in mixed surfactant solutions, there are DPC-C(m)POE(n) and RO16-C(m)POE(n) interactions in addition to DPC-RO16 interaction. Since the solubilizaton of the DPC-RO16 complex has been appeared in the C(m)POE(n) solution, our results support the conclusion that adding C(m)POE(n) influences the hydrophobic-hydrophilic balance of the studied complex. Furthermore effect of the alkyl chain length and the number of poly(oxyethylene) in nonionic surfactant on values of absorbance have been investigated.     

Phase behavior of a mixture of poly(isoprene)-poly(oxyethylene) diblock copolymer and poly(oxyethylene) surfactant in water

The phase behavior of a mixture of poly(isoprene)-poly(oxyethylene) diblock copolymer (PI-PEO or C250EO70) and poly(oxyethylene) surfactant (C12EO3, C12EO5, C12EO6, C12EO7, and C12EO9) in water was investigated by phase study, small-angle X-ray scattering, and dynamic light scattering (DLS). The copolymer is not soluble in surfactant micellar cubic (I1), hexagonal (H1), and lamellar (Lalpha) liquid crystals, whereas an isotropic copolymer fluid phase coexists with these liquid crystals. Although the PI-PEO is relatively lipophilic, it increases the cloud temperatures of C12EO3-9 aqueous solutions at a relatively high PI-PEO content in the mixture. Most probably, in the copolymer-rich region, PI-PEO and C12EOn form a spherical composite micelle in which surfactant molecules are located at the interface and the PI chains form an oil pool inside. In the C12EO5/ and C12EO6/PI-PEO systems, one kind of micelles is produced in the wide range of mixing fraction, although macroscopic phase separation was observed within a few days after the sample preparation. On the other hand, small surfactant micelles coexist with copolymer giant micelles in C12EO7/ and C12EO9/PI-PEO aqueous solutions in the surfactant-rich region. The micellar shape and size are calculated using simple geometrical relations and compared with DLS data. Consequently, a large PI-PEO molecule is not soluble in surfactant bilayers (Lalpha phase), infinitely long rod micelles (H1 phase), and spherical micelles (I1 phase or hydrophilic spherical micelles) as a result of the packing constraint of the large PI chain. However, the copolymer is soluble in surfactant rod micelles (C12EO5 and C12EO6) because a rod-sphere transition of the surfactant micelles takes place and the long PI chains are incorporated inside the large spherical micelles.     

Wetting characteristics of aqueous rhamnolipids solutions

The wetting properties of surfactants on solid surfaces form the basis of many industrial and biological processes. The preferential adsorption of the surfactants from aqueous solutions onto solid surfaces alter the adhesion tension of the surface and this behavior may cause partial to complete wetting of the surfaces by the aqueous surfactant solutions. However, different types of surfactants show different wetting characteristics. To study the wetting properties of biologically produced rhamnolipids (RL), advancing contact angles of the aqueous solutions of the RL mixture of R1 and R2 in a ratio of R2/R1=1.1 were measured as a function of surfactant concentration. For a comparison of the wetting performance, sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) was chosen as the reference surfactant. A hydrophilic glass surface, a hydrophobic polymer, polyethylene terephthalate (PET), and gold surface were used as the solid surfaces to determine the wetting characteristics of rhamnolipids. At low surfactant concentrations (RL concentration <3x10(-5)M, SDS concentration<3x10(-4)M) contact angle (Theta) varied in a certain range depending on the character of the surfactant interactions with the surface. This was followed by a decrease in contact angle. Parallel to this behavior, at low surfactant concentrations the adhesion tension decreased, then remained constant and an increase at higher surfactant concentrations was obtained on hydrophobic surfaces. On hydrophilic surfaces a steady decrease in adhesion tension was observed with both surfactant solutions.     

Pull-off force measurements between rough surfaces by atomic force microscopy

Direct measurements of the pull-off (adhesion) forces between pharmaceutical particles (beclomethasone dipropionate, a peptide-type material, and lactose) with irregular geometry and rough polymeric surfaces (series of polypropylene coatings, polycarbonate, and acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene) were carried out using the atomic force microscope. These measurements showed that roughness of the interacting surfaces is the significant factor affecting experimentally measured pull-off forces. A broad distribution of pull-off force values was noted in the measurements, caused by a varying adhesive contact area for a particle located on rough substrate. The possibility of multiple points of contact between irregularly shaped pharmaceutical particles and substrate surfaces is demonstrated with nanoindentations of the particle in a fluoro-polymer film. Force-distance curves showing the "sawtooth" pattern are additional evidence that particles make contact with substrates at more than one point. Reduced adhesion of 10- to 14-microm-diameter lactose and peptide material particles to the polypropylene coatings with a roughness of 194 nm was found in this study. Similar pull-off force versus roughness relationships are also reported for the model spherical particles, silanized glass particle with a size of 10 microm and polystyrene particle with a diameter of 9 microm, in contact with polypropylene coatings of varying roughness characteristics. It was found that the model recently proposed by Rabinovich et al. (J. Colloid Interface Sci. 232, 1-16 (2000)) closely predicts the pull-off forces for glass and lactose particles. On the other hand, the adhesion of the peptide material and polystyrene particle to polypropylene is underestimated by about an order of magnitude with the theoretical model, in which the interacting substrates are treated as rigid materials. The underestimate is attributed to the deformation of the peptide material and polystyrene particles.     

Effect of concentration of trimethylchlorosilane (TMCS) and hexamethyldisilazane (HMDZ) silylating agents on surface free energy of silica aerogels

The surface free energy of a solid determines its surface and interfacial behavior in processes like wetting and adhesion which is crucial for silica aerogels in case of organic liquid absorption and transportation of chemicals at nano-scale for biotechnological applications. Here, we have demonstrated that the surface free energy of aerogels can be tuned in wide range from 5.5892 to 0.3073 mJ/m(2) by modifying their surface using TMCS and HMDZ silylating reagents. The alcogels were prepared by two step acid-base catalyzed process where the molar ratio of precursors Tetraethoxysilane (TEOS):Methanol (MeOH):Oxalic acid:NH(4)OH:NH(4)F was kept at optimal value of 1:2.7:0.18×10(-4):0.02:0.22×10(-3), respectively. To modify gel surfaces, TMCS and HMDZ concentration have been varied from 3% to 12% and such alcogels were dried at ambient pressure. It is observed from FTIR for aerogels that increase in concentration of silylating reagent resulted increase in hydrophobicity. This leads to increase in contact angle for water from 123° to 155° but leads to decrease in surface free energy from 5.5892 to 0.3073 mJ/m(2). As there is not direct method, we have used Neumann's equation of state to estimate surface energy of aerogels.     

Different defect morphologies in polyethylene crystal induced by surface physicochemical properties

The physicochemical properties of surfaces have a great effect on the micro-morphologies of the crystal structures which are in contact with them.Understanding the interaction mechanism between the internal driving forces of the crystal and external inducing forces of the surfaces is the prerequisite of controlling and obtaining the desirable morphologies.In this work,the dynamic density functional theory was applied to construct the free energy functional expression of polyethylene(PE) lattice,and the micro-dynamic evolution processes of PE lattice morphology near the surfaces with different properties were observed to reveal the interaction mechanism at atomic scale.The results showed that the physical and chemical properties of the external surfaces synergistically affect the morphologies in both the defect shapes and the distribution of the defect regions.In the absence of the contact surfaces,driven by the oriented interactions among different CH2 groups,PE lattices gradually grow and form a defect-free structure.Conversely,the presence of contact surfaces leads to lattice defects in the interfacial regions,and PE lattice shows different self-healing abilities around different surfaces.     

Self-diffusion study of micelles in poly(oxyethylene)-polydimethylsiloxane diblock copolymer and poly(oxyethylene) alkyl ether systems

Self-diffusion constants of amphiphilic molecules in D(2)O solutions of mixed poly(oxyethylene)-polydimethylsiloxane diblock copolymer (POE-PDMS, Si(m)C(3)EO(n)) and poly(oxyethylene) dodecyl ether (C(12)EO(n)) were measured by pulsed-field-gradient NMR method. In the D(2)O/Si(25)C(3)EO(51.6)/C(12)EO(8) or D(2)O/Si(52)C(3)EO(51.6)/C(12)EO(8) systems, small and large micelles coexist in a wide range of Si(m)C(3)EO(51.6) fraction in total amphiphiles, whereas such a coexisting phenomenon does not take place in the D(2)O/Si(5.8)C(3)EO(51.6)/C(12)EO(8) system. The coexisting phenomenon also takes place in the D(2)O/Si(25)C(3)EO(51.6)/C(12)EO(5) system although the range of mixing fraction is limited. By obtaining each contribution of surfactant and copolymer molecules to the attenuation decay of the echo signal from the proton of the poly(oxyethylene) chain, we could evaluate the composition of the mixed micelles in the D(2)O/Si(25)C(3)EO(51.6)/C(12)EO(8) system. The copolymer content in the mixed micelle increases proportionally to the copolymer mole fraction in the aqueous solution. From the series of self-diffusion measurements, we can conclude that the miscibility of Si(m)C(3)EO(n) and C(12)EO(n) in aqueous micelles becomes poor and the coexisting phenomenon takes place when the PDMS chain becomes much longer than the dodecyl chain of C(12)EO(n) or the POE chain of C(12)EO(n) becomes long. Furthermore it is also revealed that very few silicone copolymer molecules can be incorporated in small surfactant micelles.     

Solubilization of polyelectrolytic hairy-rod polyfluorene in aqueous solutions of nonionic surfactant

We report on the solubilization, phase behavior, and self-organized colloidal structure of a ternary water-polyfluorene-surfactant (amphiphile) system comprised of polyelectrolytic poly{1,4-phenylene[9,9-bis(4-phenoxybutylsulfonate)]fluorene-2,7-diyl} (PBS-PFP) in nonionic pentaethylene glycol monododecyl ether (C12E5) at 20 degrees C. We show in particular how a high amount (milligrams per milliliter) of polyfluorene can be solubilized by aqueous C12E5 via aggregate formation. The PBS-PFP and C12E5 concentrations of 0.31 x 10(-4)-5 x 10(-4) M and 2.5 x 10(-4)-75 x 10(-4) M, respectively, were used. Under the studied conditions, the photoluminescence (PL), surface tension, static contact angle, and (pi-A) isotherm measurements imply that D2O-PBS-PFP(C12E5)x realizes three phase regimes with an increasing molar ratio of surfactant over monomer unit (x). First, for x < or = 0.5, the mixture is cloudy. In this regime polymer is only partially dissolved. Second, for 1 < or = x < or = 2, the solution is homogeneous. In this regime polymer is dissolved down to the colloidal level. Small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) patterns indicate rigid elongated (polymer-surfactant) aggregates with a diameter of 30 A and mean length of approximately 900 A. The ratio between contour length and persistence length is less than 3. Third, for x > or = 4, the solution is homogeneous and there is cooperative binding between polymer and surfactant. Surface tension, contact angle, and surface pressure remain essentially constant with increasing x. A PL spectrum characteristic of single separated polyfluorene molecules is observed. SANS curves show an interference maximum at q approximately 0.015 A(-1), indicating an ordered phase. This ordering is suggested to be due to the electrostatic repulsion between polymer molecules adsorbed on or incorporated into the C12E5 aggregates (micelles). On dilution the distance between micelles increases via 3-dimensional packing. In this regime the polymer is potentially dissolved down to the molecular level. We show further that the aggregates (x = 2) form a floating layer at the air-water interface and can be transferred onto hydrophilic substrates.     

In situ AFM studies on self-assembled monolayers of adsorbed surfactant molecules on well-defined H-terminated Si(111) surfaces in aqueous solutions

The formation of self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) of adsorbed cationic or anionic surfactant molecules on atomically flat H-terminated Si(111) surfaces in aqueous solutions was investigated by in situ AFM measurements, using octyl trimethylammonium chloride (C8TAC), dodecyl trimethylammonium chloride (C12TAC), octadecyl trimethylammonium chloride (C18TAC)) sodium dodecyl sulfate (STS), and sodium tetradecyl sulfate (SDS). The adsorbed surfactant layer with well-ordered molecular arrangement was formed when the Si(111) surface was in contact with 1.0x10(-4) M C18TAC, whereas a slightly roughened layer was formed for 1.0x10(-4) M C8TAC and C12TAC. On the other hand, the addition of alcohols to solutions of 1.0x10(-4) M C8TAC, C12TAC, or SDS improved the molecular arrangement in the adsorbed surfactant layer. Similarly, the addition of a salt, KCl, also improved the molecular arrangement for both the cationic and anionic surfactant layers. Moreover, the adsorbed surfactant layer with a well-ordered structure was formed in a solution of mixed cationic (C12TAC) and anionic (SDS) surfactants, though each surfactant alone did not form the well-ordered layer. These results were all explained by taking into account electrostatic repulsion between ionic head groups of adsorbed surfactant molecules as well as hydrophobic interaction between their alkyl chains, which increases with the increasing chain length, together with the increase in the hydrophobic interaction or the decrease in the electrostatic repulsion by incorporating alcohol molecules into the adsorbed surfactant layer, the decrease in the electrostatic repulsion by increasing the concentration of counterions, and the decrease in the electrostatic repulsion by alternate arrangement of cationic and anionic surfactant molecules. The present results have revealed various factors to form the well-ordered adsorbed surfactant layers on the H-Si(111) surface, which have a possibility of realizing the third generation surfaces with flexible structures and functions easily adaptable to circumstances.     

Hydration of short-chain poly(oxyethylene) in carbon tetrachloride: an infrared spectroscopic study

Hydration of short-chain poly(oxyethylene)s, CH(3)(OCH(2)CH(2))(m)OCH(3) (abbreviated as C(1)E(m)()C(1)) (m = 1-3), in carbon tetrachloride has been studied by infrared spectroscopy. The O-H stretching vibrations of water in ternary solutions with H(2)O:C(1)E(m)C(1):CCl(4) mole ratios of 0.000418:0.005:0.995 to 0.000403:0.04:0.96 were analyzed. Two types of hydrogen bonds are formed in the interaction between water and C(1)E(m)C(1) in carbon tetrachloride; one is a monodentate hydrogen bond, in which only one of the O-H bonds of a water molecule participates in hydrogen bonding, and the other is a bidentate hydrogen bond, in which both of the O-H bonds of a water molecule participate in hydrogen bonding by bridging oxygen atoms separated by two or more monomer units on the polymer chain. An important finding is that the bidentate hydrogen-bond bridge is not formed between the nearest-neighbor oxygen atoms. This experimental observation supports the results of previous molecular dynamics simulations. The shortest oligomer of poly(oxyethylene), i.e., CH(3)OCH(2)CH(2)OCH(3) (1,2-dimethoxyethane) with a single monomer unit, is suggested not to be an adequate model for this polymer with respect to hydrogen bonding to water. The hydrogen bonding in a 1:1 C(1)E(m)C(1)-water adduct in carbon tetrachloride represents primitive incipient hydration of poly(oxyethylene). The present results indicate that both monodentate and bidentate hydrogen bonds are important and the latter is destabilized more rapidly than the former with increasing temperature. This dehydration process can be a potential mechanism of the poly(oxyethylene)-water phase separation.     

Molecular conformation and melting behavior of alkyl/oligo(oxyethylene)/alkyl triblock position isomers: effect of the position of an oligo(oxyethylene) block

The molecular conformation and melting behavior of triblock position isomers H(CH(2))(k)(OCH(2)CH(2))(4)O(CH(2))(12)(-)(k)H (abbreviated as C(k)E(4)C(12)(-)(k)) with k = 6-11 have been studied by infrared spectroscopy and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), with focus on the effect of the position of an oligo(oxyethylene) block in the molecule. The analysis of infrared spectra has revealed that the stable molecular form changes from a fully planar structure (gamma form) to a planar/helical/planar structure (beta form) with a change of the position of the tetrakis(oxyethylene) block from the center to the end of the molecule. The DSC measurements have shown that the melting points of the gamma-form solid decrease and the melting points of the beta-form solid increase with a shift of the tetrakis(oxyethylene) block toward the terminal of the molecule. The stabilities of the two molecular forms change over between k = 8 and 9. C(8)E(4)C(4) and C(9)E(4)C(3) exhibit contrasting conformational behavior with temperature; when the temperature is increased, the metastable beta form of C(8)E(4)C(4) transforms into the stable gamma form, while the metastable gamma form of C(9)E(4)C(3) transforms into the stable beta form. The metastable gamma form with a planar oligo(oxyethylene) block is a new finding in the present work. The experimental results of the stabilities of molecular forms are explained by the relative stabilities of partial crystal lattices formed by the alkyl and oligo(oxyethylene) blocks.     

Direct detection by atomic force microscopy of single bond forces associated with the rupture of discrete charge-transfer complexes

Atomic force microscopy (AFM) was used to measure the chemical binding force of discrete electron donor-acceptor complexes formed at the interface between proximal self-assembled monolayers (SAMs). Derivatives of the well-known electron donor N,N,N',N'-tetramethylphenylenediamine (TMPD) and the electron acceptor 7,7,8,8-tetracyanoquinodimethane (TCNQ) were immobilized on Au-coated AFM tips and substrates by formation of SAMs of N,N,N'-trimethyl-N'-(10-thiodecyl)-1,4-phenylenediamine (I) and bis(10-(2-((2,5-cyclohexadiene-1,4-diylidene)dimalonitrile))decyl) disulfide (II), respectively. Pull-off forces between modified tips and substrates were measured under CHCl(3) solvent. The mean pull-off forces associated with TMPD/TCNQ microcontacts were more than an order of magnitude larger than the pull-off forces for TMPD/TMPD and TCNQ/TCNQ microcontacts, consistent with the presence of specific charge-transfer interactions between proximal TMPD donors and TCNQ acceptors. Furthermore, histograms of pull-off forces for TMPD/TCNQ contacts displayed 70 +/- 15 pN periodicity, assigned to the rupture of individual TMPD-TCNQ donor-acceptor (charge-transfer) complexes. Both the mean pull-off force and the 70 pN force quantum compare favorably with a contact mechanics model that incorporates the effects of discrete chemical bonds, solvent surface tensions, and random contact area variations in consecutive pull-offs. From the 70 pN force quantum, we estimate the single bond energy to be approximately 4-5 kJ/mol, in reasonable agreement with thermodynamic data. These experiments establish that binding forces due to discrete chemical bonds can be detected directly in AFM pull-off measurements employing SAM modified probes and substrates. Because SAMs can be prepared with a wide range of exposed functional groups, pull-off measurements between SAM-coated tips and substrates may provide a general strategy for directly measuring binding forces associated with a variety of simple, discrete chemical bonds, e.g., single hydrogen bonds.     

The effect of amino acids on the surface and thermodynamic properties of poly[oxyethylene(10)] lauryl ether in aqueous solution

The interfacial and thermodynamic properties of a non-ionic surfactant, poly[oxyethylene(10)] lauryl ether, [C₁₂H₂₅(OCH₂CH₂)₁₀OH], in aqueous solution in the presence of amino acids have been investigated. Critical micelle concentrations (cmcs) were determined by surface tension measurements at different additive concentrations and temperatures using a du Nouy tensiometer. From the surface tension data, the surface excess concentration (F), the minimum area per molecule (A_min), and the surface pressure at the cmc(?_cmc) were evaluated. Thermodynamic parameters of adsorption and micellization were evaluated and discussed. The other solution properties of this surfactant like the cloud point viscosity, and foaming have been determined in the presence of different concentrations of alanine and glycine.     

Determination of poly(oxyethylene) non-ionic surfactants by two-phase titration

The solvent extraction of non-ionic surfactants with sodium hydroxide and tetraphenylborate has been studied, and a method developed for the determination of non-ionic surfactants by two-phase titration. A hydrophobic indicator system was used. The method is valid only when the concentration of anionic surfactant in the sample solution is lower than 1 x 10(-4)M.     

Thermotropic behavior of poly(oxyethylene) cholesterol ethers

The thermotropic behavior of poly(oxyethylene) cholesterol ether surfactants was studied by differential scanning calorimetry and small-angle X-ray scattering. Contrary to what is usually observed in conventional poly(oxyethylene)-type surfactant systems, poly(oxyethylene) cholesterol ether surfactants show a change of the fusion mechanism as the chain length is varied. For long chain lengths (n > or = 15) the usual solid-liquid transition is found, but for short chain lengths (n < or = 10) the transition goes through a birefringent lamellar phase. The appearance of this liquid crystal (LC) phase seems to be related with the predominance of the cholesterol part in the short chain polyoxyethylene surfactants. On the contrary, for long polyexyethylene chains the polymer gains in importance and only a solid crystalline structure is observed at low temperatures. An antiparallel packing structure with totally overlapped chains is found for both, the solid and the LC phase. The chains seem to be in a zigzag configuration, and only for the longest surfactant here studied (n = 30) a change of the chain configuration to a much shorter meander configuration is observed.     

Amphiphilic comb-like polymers based on poly(oxyethylene)s as drug-delivery carriers

Comb-like polymers with biocompatible oxyethylene backbones and amphiphilic side groups were synthesized via polymer-analogous reactions. Using these polymers, indomethacin-loaded polymeric micelles were fabricated with various drug-to-polymer weight ratios using the oil-in-water emulsion technique. In addition, the size, size distribution, CMC, drug-loading content, and entrapment efficiency of the polymeric micelles were analyzed. The volume-weighted diameters of polymeric micelles ranged from 10 to 140 nm and were narrowly distributed for passive targeting drug delivery. The CMCs were lower (approximately 10(-8) M) than for conventional surfactants and block copolymers.     

Interaction energy and surface reconstruction between sheets of layered silicates

Interactions between two layered silicate sheets, as found in various nanoscale materials, are investigated as a function of sheet separation using molecular dynamics simulation. The model systems are periodic in the xy plane, open in the z direction, and subjected to stepwise separation of the two silicate sheets starting at equilibrium. Computed cleavage energies are 383 mJ /m(2) for K-mica, 133 mJ /m(2) for K-montmorillonite (cation exchange capacity=91), 45 mJ /m(2) for octadecylammonium (C(18))-mica, and 40 mJ /m(2) for C(18)-montmorillonite. These values are in quantitative agreement with experimental data and aid in the molecular-level interpretation. When alkali ions are present at the interface between the silicate sheets, partitioning of the cations between the surfaces is observed at 0.25 nm separation (mica) and 0.30 nm separation (montmorillonite). Originally strong electrostatic attraction between the two silicate sheets is then reduced to 5% (mica) and 15% (montmorillonite). Weaker van der Waals interactions decay within 1.0 nm separation. The total interaction energy between sheets of alkali clay is less than 1 mJ /m(2) after 1.5 nm separation. When C(18) surfactants are present on the surfaces, the organic layer (>0.8 nm) acts as a spacer between the silicate sheets so that positively charged ammonium head groups remain essentially in the same position on the surfaces of the two sheets at any separation. As a result, electrostatic interactions are efficiently shielded and dispersive interactions account for the interfacial energy. The flexibility of the hydrocarbon chains leads to stretching, disorder, and occasional rearrangements of ammonium head groups to neighbor cavities on the silicate surface at medium separation (1.0-2.0 nm). The total interaction energy amounts to less than 1 mJ /m(2) after 3 nm separation.