Intermolecular packing of sugar-based surfactant and phenol in a micellar phase

Surfactants have been used to enhance the removal of phenol from aqueous system; therefore, the interaction between surfactants and phenol is important for selection of the surfactant and understanding the process. In this work, sugar based surfactant, n-dodecyl-beta-D-maltoside (DM), was utilized to separate phenol from aqueous solution using ultrafiltration. 2-D NMR and Cryo-TEM techniques were employed to obtain information on the orientation of phenol molecules in the micellar phase and the shape transition of the micelles. The flux was found to decrease linearly with the solute concentration and the equilibrium constant was found to be constant. 2-D NMR spectra have shown that phenol molecules reside in the palisade layer of the DM micelles with the benzene ring interacting with the hydrocarbon chain of DM molecules, especially the first methylene group. Cryo-TEM results have shown the shape transition from spherical to worm-like due to the presence of phenol. The results will help understand the interaction between surfactants and phenol and the select the optimum surfactant reagents and operational conditions for micellar enhanced ultrafiltration process.     

Abnormal micellar growth in sugar-based and ethoxylated nonionic surfactants and their mixtures in dilute regimes using analytical ultracentrifugation

To develop structure-property relationships for surfactants that control their adsorption, solubilization, and micellization behavior in mixed systems and to develop predictive models based on such relationships, it is necessary to acquire quantitative information on various species present in these complex systems. The analytical ultracentrifugation technique is selected for the first time to characterize the species present in mixed micellar solutions due to its powerful ability to separate particles on the basis of their size and shape. Two nonionic surfactants, n-dodecyl-beta-D-maltoside (DM) and nonyl phenol ethoxylated decyl ether (NP-10), and their 1:1 molar ratio mixture were investigated in this study. Micelles of the nonionic surfactants and their mixture are asymmetrical in shape at the critical micelle concentration (cmc). Interestingly, unlike ionic surfactants, the micellar growths of the nonionic surfactants were found to occur at concentrations immediately above the cmc. The results from both sedimentation velocity and sedimentation equilibrium experiments suggest coexistence of two types of micelles in nonyl phenol ethoxylated decyl ether solutions and in its mixture with n-dodecyl-beta-D-maltoside, while only one micellar species is present in n-dodecyl-beta-D-maltoside solutions. Type 1 micelles were primary micelles at the cmc, while type 2 micelles were elongated micelles. The differences in the micellar shapes of n-dodecyl-beta-D-maltoside and nonyl phenol ethoxylated decyl ether are attributed to packing parameters detected by their molecular structures.     

Determination of the surfactant density on SWCNTs by analytical ultracentrifugation

We report on the extensive characterization of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) dispersed in a variety of surfactants, such as sodium dodecyl benzene sulfonate (SDBS), sodium cholate (SC), and three synthesized perylene-based surfactants, by using differential sedimentation in H(2)O and D(2)O. Multidimensional evaluation of the absorption profiles over radius, wavelength, and time allows the determination of the anhydrous specific volumes of the SWCNT-surfactant complexes as well as the concentration of the surfactant reservoir in free micelles with very slow sedimentation coefficients (<1 Svedberg). Among the perylene bisimide surfactants, the smallest derivative is densely adsorbed on the nanotube backbone with an anhydrous specific volume significantly above that of SC or SDBS. Bulky Newkome dendritic groups on one or both ends of the perylene moiety gradually reduce the adsorption density, in accord with the absolute adsorption between 0.66 and 1.7 mmol surfactant per gram SWCNTs. Furthermore, hydrodynamic analysis reveals that SDBS favors the "tails-on" configuration. The distribution of sedimentation coefficients of SWCNTs prepared by high-pressure carbon monoxide decomposition (HiPco) is broader and shifted to faster sedimentation than those prepared by using cobalt-molybdenum catalysis (CoMoCAT), which reflects the polydispersity in diameter and length.     

Effect of organic salts on micellar growth and structure studied by rheology

We report a rheological study on the effect of adding organic salts [sodium tosylate (NaTos) and benzoic acid potassium salt (BaPs)] on the micellar growth and structure of aqueous solutions of cethyltrimethylammonium chloride (CTAC) at a constant molar concentration ratio [salt]/[CTAC]. The rheological data show two well-defined domains of growth characterized by scaling laws for the surfactant concentration. The addition of NaTos leads to an unusual maximum in the viscosity-surfactant concentration curve. Before the maximum (domain 1), the analysis of the data (η₀, τ_R and G ₀) suggests the presence of branched micelles (connections). After the maximum (domain 2), however, the exponents of the scaling laws do not reflect either the relaxation of this branched structure or that of an entangled transient network structure. A faster mechanism of relaxation, not yet elucidated governs their dynamics. The exponents of the power laws in the presence of the BaPs are found, however, to be in accordance with the theory of equilibrium polymers. Received: 15 April 1998 Accepted in revised form: 20 October 1998     

Adsorption kinetics of surfactant mixtures from micellar solutions as studied by maximum bubble pressure technique

The adsorption kinetics of micellar solutions of anionic/cationic SDS/DATB mixtures with mixing ratios of 10/1 and 10/2, respectively, are studied experimentally by means of the maximum bubble pressure method. For long adsorption times the adsorption of the highly surface-active anionic/cationic complex leads to a decrease of dynamic surface tension in comparison to the single SDS system. However, the situation is the reverse for short adsorption times where the dynamic surface tension is increased by addition of the cationic surfactant, although the overall concentration is increased. This unexpected behavior is explained by partial solubilization of free SDS molecules into micelles formed by SDS/DTAB complexes. With increasing overall concentration, when eventually the CMC of SDS is reached, the anionic/cationic complex itself is solubilized by SDS micelles. Finally, no complex micelles, which for their part can solubilize an excess of SDS molecules, are present. Hence, the dynamic properties of the solution are no longer influenced by the depletion of SDS molecules and the mixture tends to behave like a pure SDS solution.     

Evidence of solvent-gelator interaction in sugar-based organogel studied by field-cycling NMR relaxometry

The dynamics of bulk toluene and toluene confined in the 1,2-O-(1-ethylpropylidene)-α-D-glucofuranose gel was studied using (1)H field-cycling nuclear magnetic resonance relaxometry. The proton spin-lattice relaxation time T(1) was measured as a function of the magnetic field strength and temperature. The observed dispersion in the frequency range 10(4)-10(6) Hz for the relaxation rate of toluene in the gel system give evidence of the interaction between the toluene and the gelator aggregates. The data were interpreted in terms of the two-fraction fast-exchange model. Additionally it was also shown that a cooling rate during gel preparation process influences the gel microstructure and leads to different gelator-solvent interactions as reflected in a different behavior of the proton spin-lattice relaxation rate of toluene within the gel observed at the low frequency range.     

Interactions in binary mixed systems involving a sugar-based surfactant and different n-alkyltrimethylammonium bromides

In this paper, mixtures of sugar-based decanoyl-N-methylglucamide with three different n-alkyltrimethylammonium bromides (n=12 (DTAB), 14 (TTAB), and 16 (CTAB)) have been studied using conductance and fluorescence spectroscopic techniques. The critical micelle concentration values of pure and mixed systems were determined by both the conductance and the pyrene 1:3 ratio methods. The experimental results were interpreted using thermodynamic mixing approaches based on the pseudophase separation model. These analyses allowed us to determine the interaction parameters and the composition of the mixed micelles through the whole composition range. Since all the ionic surfactants used in this study have the same headgroup, the differences observed between the three mixed systems were attributed to the lengths of their hydrocarbon chains. It was established that, besides interactions of electrostatic character, additional short-range interactions must be considered. By using the static quenching method, the mean micellar aggregation numbers of mixed micelles were obtained. In the cases of the mixed systems with DTAB and TTAB it was observed that the aggregation number is initially reduced with the participation of the ionic component, remaining almost constant and close to the aggregation number of the pure ionic micelle. However, in the systems involving CTAB it is observed that the size of micelles initially increases and then decreases slightly for mixtures with a high content of the ionic component. The hydrophobic index pyrene 1:3 ratio was used to examine possible changes in the micellar micropolarity; however, no definitive conclusions could be derived from these experiments. In order to study the evolution of the local viscosity of the mixed micelles upon addition of the ionic surfactant, fluorescence polarization measurements were carried out with two different probes, fluorescein and coumarin 6. It was found that the participation of the ionic component in the mixed micelle induces the formation of less ordered structure than that of pure nonionic micelles. An attempt was made to correlate these effects with the interaction parameters obtained from the theoretical mixing model and, consequently, with the alkyl chain length of the ionic components.     

Preferential adsorption of cationic surfactant mixture studied by bromide ion selective total-reflection XAFS measurement

The total-reflection XAFS measurement possessing bromide ion selectivity at the interfacial region was applied to the adsorbed film of hexadecyltrimethylammonium chloride (HTAC) and dodecyltrimethylammonium bromide (DTAB) mixture. The surface compositions XjH of individual ions j ( j = HTA+, Cl(-), DTA+, and Br (-)) were evaluated by combining the surface excess concentration of Br(-) estimated from the XAFS with the surface composition of the respective surfactants from the surface tension results. It is clearly shown that HTA+ and Br(-) are preferentially adsorbed to DTA+ and Cl(-) at the air/water interface. The preferential adsorption was estimated numerically in terms of activity coefficient fi+/-(H,p) of component i and excess Gibbs energy of adsorption ?prH,E. Then, the magnitude of ?prH,E was compared with that of ?prH,E attributable to intrinsic interaction between ions.     

Ionic and micellar effects in supramolecular self-organizing surfactant media on an example of analytical systems amines-carbonyl compounds

The influence of supramolecular self-organizing surfactant-based media on the condensation reactions of some carbonyl compounds with arylamines (formation of Schiff bases, hydrazones and naphthoquinones) was studied by conductometry, light-scattering spectroscopy, molecular spectroscopy, and tensiometry. The function of surfactants was proved to differ, depending on its concentration: below the critical micelle concentration (CMC) they acted as a reagent, while at higher concentrations, they demonstrated properties of reaction media. The effects observed were analyzed, regarding their potency to govern indicatory reactions in the systems specified, reduce limits of detection for the determination of carbonyl and amino-compounds, refine analytical parameters of the condensation reactions, and broaden the area of their application.     

Structure and dynamics of surfactin studied by NMR in micellar media

The NMR structure of the cyclic lipopeptide surfactin from Bacillus subtilis was determined in sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) micellar solution. The two negatively charged side chains of surfactin form a polar head opposite to most hydrophobic side chains, accounting for its amphiphilic nature and its strong surfactant properties. Disorder was observed around the fatty acid chain, and 15N relaxation studies were performed to investigate whether it originates from a dynamic phenomenon. A very large exchange contribution to transverse relaxation rate R(2) was effectively observed in this region, indicating slow conformational exchange. Temperature variation and Carr-Purcell-Meiboom-Gill (CPMG) delay variation relaxation studies provided an estimation of the apparent activation energy around 35-43 kJ x mol(-1) and an exchange rate of about 200 ms(-1) for this conformational exchange. 15N relaxation parameters were also recorded in dodecylphosphocholine (DPC) micelles and DMSO. Similar chemical exchange around the fatty acid was found in DPC but not in DMSO, which demonstrates that this phenomenon only occurs in micellar media. Consequently, it may either reflect the disorder observed in our structures determined in SDS or originate from an interaction of the lipopeptide with the detergent, which would be qualitatively similar with an anionic (SDS) or a zwitterionic (DPC) detergent. These structural and dynamics results on surfactin are the first NMR characterization of a lipopeptide incorporated in micelles. Moreover, they provide a model of surfactin determined in a more biomimetic environment than an organic solvent, which could be useful for understanding the molecular mechanism of its biological activity.     

Structure of single and double stranded dna solutions as studied by ultracentrifugation

The osmotic pressure of dense solutions of DNA fragments in aqueous 0.2-2 M salt (NaCl, etc.) solutions were easily obtained from equilibrium ultracentrifugation data. Short, helical double stranded DNA fragment solutions showed a well defined ordering transition. The osmotic pressure of these helical solutions could be explained by the scaled particle theory of rigid sphero-cylinders. On the other hand, dense solutions of (single stranded) etheno-DNA derivatives (of about 100 nucleotides) showed no ordering phase transition. The osmotic pressure as a function of the ε-DNA concentration verifies a scaling prediction for random coils in the semi-dilute regime. Good fits to the reduced osmotic pressure are obtained by using the Kleintjens and Koningsveld modified mean field lattice gas equations of state. As inferred from the Zimm clustering function, essentially all intermolecular interactions at high ionic strength are purely repulsive.     

Synergistic stabilization of emulsions by a mixture of surface-active nanoparticles and surfactant

The stability and rheology of tricaprylin oil-in-water emulsions containing a mixture of surface-active hydrophilic silica nanoparticles and pure nonionic surfactant molecules are reported and compared with those of emulsions stabilized by each emulsifier alone. The importance of the preparation protocol is highlighted. Addition of particles to a surfactant-stabilized emulsion results in the appearance of a small population of large drops due to coalescence, possibly by bridging of adsorbed particles. Addition of surfactant to a particle-stabilized emulsion surprisingly led to increased coalescence too, although the resistance to creaming increased mainly due to an increase in viscosity. Simultaneous emulsification of particles and surfactant led to synergistic stabilization at intermediate concentrations of surfactant; emulsions completely stable to both creaming and coalescence exist at low overall emulsifier concentration. Using the adsorption isotherm of surfactant on particles and the viscosity and optical density of aqueous particle dispersions, we show that the most stable emulsions are formed from dispersions of flocculated, partially hydrophobic particles. From equilibrium contact angle and oil-water interfacial tension measurements, the calculated free energy of adsorption E of a silica particle to the oil-water interface passes through a maximum with respect to surfactant concentration, in line with the emulsion stability optimum. This results from a competition between the influence of particle hydrophobicity and interfacial tension on the magnitude of E.     

Synergistic interaction in emulsions stabilized by a mixture of silica nanoparticles and cationic surfactant

Using a range of complementary experiments, a detailed investigation into the behavior of dodecane-water emulsions stabilized by a mixture of silica nanoparticles and pure cationic surfactant has been made. Both emulsifiers prefer to stabilize o/w emulsions. At high pH, particles are ineffective emulsifiers, whereas surfactant-stabilized emulsions become increasingly stable to coalescence with concentration. In mixtures, no emulsion phase inversion occurs although synergism between the emulsifiers leads to enhanced stability at either fixed surfactant concentration or fixed particle concentration. Emulsions are most stable under conditions where particles have negligible charge and are most flocculated. Freeze fracture scanning electron microscopy confirms the presence of particle flocs at drop interfaces. At low pH, particles and surfactant are good emulsifiers alone. Synergism is also displayed in these mixtures, with the extent of creaming being minimum when particles are most flocculated. Experiments have been undertaken in order to offer an explanation for the latter synergy. By determining the adsorption isotherm of surfactant on particles in water, we show that surfactant addition initially leads to particle flocculation followed by re-dispersion. Using suitable contact angle measurements at oil-water-solid interfaces, we show that silica surfaces initially become increasingly hydrophobic upon surfactant addition, as well as surfactant adsorption lowering the oil-water interfacial tension. A competition exists between the influence of surfactant on the contact angle and the tension in the attachment energy of a particle to the interface.     

Distribution of metal chelates between aqueous and surfactant phases separated from a micellar solution of a nonionic surfactant

A dilute micellar solution of poly(oxyethylene) 4-nonylphenyl ether with oxyethylene units 7.5 (PONPE-7.5) was separated into two phases (aqueous and surfactant phases) at room temperature. The partition constants of several chelating reagents and their metal chelates between the two phases were determined at 293 K and ionic strength 0.1 (NaClO₄). The partition constants of the neutral metal chelates depend on the kind of metal ions and were considerably smaller than those expected from the regular solution theory. These facts suggested that the chelates were incorporated into a hydrocarbon environment in the surfactant phase, whereas the chelating reagents were distributed in the poly(oxyethylene) part of PONPE-7.5. A brief review was also presented on the analytical applications to the extraction of metal ions and organic compounds.     

Characterization of mixed solutions of hyperbranched and linear polystyrenes by a combination of size-exclusion chromatography and analytical ultracentrifugation

Separation and characterization on mixed solutions of hyperbranched and linear polystyrenes was achieved using size-exclusion chromatography (SEC) as the first dimension and analytical ultracentrifugation (AUC) as the second dimension. The results show that linear and hyperbranched polystyrenes with similar hydrodynamic sizes (one fraction from SEC) can be separated by AUC according to the molar mass, and the separation efficiency decreases with the increasing of the retention volume in SEC. Moreover, the molar masses determined by AUC are consistent with the values measured by SEC-refractive index (RI) and SEC-multi-angle light scattering (MALS) detection. Furthermore, the result shows that the separation efficiency decreases with the increasing of the subchain length of hyperbranched polystyrenes. Our study lays a solid foundation for future studies to separate polymers with different topologies by a combination of SEC and AUC.     

Phase behavior of a phospholipid/fatty acid/water mixture studied in atomic detail

Molecular dynamics simulations have been used to study the phase behavior of a dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (DPPC)/palmitic acid (PA)/water 1:2:20 mixture in atomic detail. Starting from a random solution of DPPC and PA in water, the system adopts either a gel phase at temperatures below approximately 330 K or an inverted hexagonal phase above approximately 330 K in good agreement with experiment. It has also been possible to observe the direct transformation from a gel to an inverted hexagonal phase at elevated temperature (approximately 390 K). During this transformation, a metastable fluid lamellar intermediate is observed. Interlamellar connections or stalks form spontaneously on a nanosecond time scale and subsequently elongate, leading to the formation of an inverted hexagonal phase. This work opens the possibility of studying in detail how the formation of nonlamellar phases is affected by lipid composition and (fusion) peptides and, thus, is an important step toward understanding related biological processes, such as membrane fusion.     

Correlation between colloidal stability and surfactant adsorption/association phenomena studied by light scattering

The stability of a colloidal system composed of styrene-acrylate copolymer particles and potassium stearate (KS) anionic surfactant molecules has been determined in terms of the Fuchs stability ratio, W, as a function of the surfactant concentration, by measuring the initial aggregation kinetics using the small-angle light scattering (SALS) technique. The structure of the particle surface is peculiar, being irregularly patterned, and thus represents a model system to investigate colloidal stability of nonsmooth colloidal particles. From the SALS kinetic experiments, it is found that the stability increases dramatically with KS concentration until the saturation of the available surface occurs. At concentrations higher than the saturation concentration, the W value decreases markedly with KS, as a consequence of attractive depletion forces induced by formation of micelles in the water phase. The adsorption isotherm, determined through the surface tension technique, agrees with the W vs KS behavior, with respect to the onset of saturation and the surface-per-molecule value, and it can be described by the two-step Langmuir isotherm. Static light scattering spectra of the particles at different adsorbed amounts of KS have been fitted by means of the Lorenz-Mie theory and accounting for the experimentally determined particle size distribution. The increase in the particle diameter imputable to KS adsorption is sizable. Stability data measured under high fluid shear in a turbulent capillary (in the absence of any screening salt) fit well into this scenario. However, depletion forces are shown to be noncooperative with turbulent shear in the absence of screening electrolytes.     

Disassembly of amyloid fibrils by premicellar and micellar aggregates of a tetrameric cationic surfactant in aqueous solution

We report a finding that not only the micelles but also the premicellar aggregates of a star-like tetrameric quaternary ammonium surfactant PATC can disassemble and clear mature β-amyloid Aβ(1-40) fibrils in aqueous solution. Different from other surfactants, PATC self-assembles into network-like aggregates below its critical micelle concentration (CMC). The strong self-assembly ability of PATC even below its CMC enables PATC to disaggregate the Aβ(1-40) fibrils far below the charge neutralization point of the Aβ(1-40) with PATC. There may be two key features of the fibril disassembly induced by the surfactant. First, the positively charged surfactant molecules bind with the negatively charged Aβ(1-40) fibrils through electrostatic interaction. Second, the self-assembly of the surfactant molecules bound onto the Aβ(1-40) fibrils disaggregate the fibrils, and the surfactant molecules form mixed aggregates with the Aβ(1-40) molecules. The result reveals a structural approach of constructing efficient disassembly agents to mature β-amyloid fibrils.     

Aqueous two-phase system of an anionic gemini surfactant and a cationic conventional surfactant mixture

The aqueous two-phase system formed by the mixture of dodecyltrimethylammonium bromide (DTAB) with a gemini surfactant O,O′-bis(sodium 2-lauricate)-p-benzenediol (C₁₁pPHCNa) has been studied. Two two-phase regions were observed, one was a wide region in the cationic surfactant-rich side and the other in the vicinity of R = 1:1, where R is the mixing mole ratio of DTAB to C₁₁pPHCNa in global solution. Multi-lamellar vesicles are formed in the concentrated upper phase of cationic surfactant-rich systems and spherical aggregates in the concentrated bottom phase at R = 1:1. The microstructure of the solution and the phase behavior of the aqueous two-phase system strongly depended on the total concentration and the composition of the system.