Binary Polymer Mixtures in Selective Solvents: Interfacial Structure

Summary: The interaction of a large polymer droplet (formed by a poorly soluble polymer A) with a soluble polymer additive (polymer B) is investigated in the framework of a mean‐field approach. We found that polymer B may tend to adsorb on the surface of the droplet even when it is immiscible with polymer A in the droplet and is soluble in the solvent surrounding the droplet. We calculated the concentration profiles of both polymers A and B near the interface and established conditions for polymer B accumulation at the interface. The dependencies of the surface tension and the interfacial excess of polymer B on its bulk concentration are also calculated. We found that even a very small amount of homopolymer B additive may result in a significant reduction of the interfacial tension (by a factor of 2). The effect is stronger if the additive is more flexible than the insoluble polymer.

The region of parameters where B from dilute solution is adsorbed at the A/solvent interface (II).     

In situ gamma ray-initiated polymerization to stabilize surface micelles

Surfactant molecules containing hydrophobic long alkyl chains and hydrophilic groups can organize into various micellar structures both in bulk solution and at interface. However, because of the dynamical nature of surfactant micelles, efforts directed at fixing their structures in bulk solution by polymerization have met with limited success. Herein, we report a unique and simple method of stabilizing surface micelles of a low molecular weight surfactant 11-acryloyloxyundecyltriethylammonium bromide (AUTEAB) through in situ intramicellar polymerization on the mica surface. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) observations show that the cylindrical micellar structure formed by AUTEAB monomers at the mica/water interface is preserved after the in situ polymerization, and the stability of the polymerized surface micelles is greatly enhanced compared with that of the unpolymerized ones.     

Effect of boron on the surface tension of molten silicon and its temperature coefficient

The influence of boron concentration (C(B)/mass%) on the surface tension of molten silicon has been investigated with the sessile drop method under oxygen partial pressure P(O(2))=1.62x10(-25)-2.63x10(-22) MPa, and the results can be summarized as follows. The surface tension increases with C(B) in the range below 2.09 mass%, and the maximum increase rate of the surface tension is about 30 mN m(-1)(mass% C(B))(-1). The temperature coefficient of the surface tension, ( partial differential sigma/ partial differential T)C(B), was found to increase with the boron concentration in molten silicon. At the interface between molten silicon and the BN substrate, a discontinuous Si(3)N(4) layer was reckoned to form and the layer might prevent BN from dissolving into the molten silicon. Since dissolved boron from the BN substrate into the molten silicon is below 0.054 mass% and the associated increase in surface tension is below 1.5 mN m(-1), the contamination from the BN substrate on the surface tension can be ignored. The relation between the surface tension and C(B) indicates negative adsorption of boron and can be well described by combining the Gibbs adsorption isotherm with the Langmuir isotherm.     

Effect of electrolytes on surface tension and surface adsorption of 1-hexyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride ionic liquid in aqueous solution

Surface and bulk properties of 1-hexyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride [C₆mim][Cl] as an ionic liquid (IL) have been investigated by surface tension and electrical conductivity techniques at various temperatures. Results reveal that the ionic liquid behaves as surfactant-like and aggregates in aqueous solution. Critical aggregation concentration (cac) values obtained by conductivity and surface tension measurements are in good agreement with values found in the literature. A series of important and useful adsorption parameters including cac, surface excess concentration (Γ), and minimum surface area per molecule (A_min) at the air + water interface were estimated from surface tension in the presence and absence of different electrolytes. Obtained data show that the surface tension as well as the cac of [C₆mim][Cl] is reduced by electrolytes. Also, values of surface excess concentration (Γ) show that the IL ions in the presence of electrolyte have much larger affinity to adsorption at the surface and this affinity increased in aqueous electrolyte solution in the order of I^? > Br^? > Cl^? for counter ion of salts that was explained in terms of a larger repulsion of chloride anions from interface to the bromide and iodide anion as well as difference in their excess polarizability.     

Adsorption, association and precipitation in hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide/sodium dodecyl sulfate mixtures

The phase equilibria of surfactant aqueous mixtures, hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide and sodium dodecyl sulfate, have been studied by polarizing microscopy, quasielastic light scattering, conductivity, potentiometric, electrophoretic, and surface tension measurements. Adsorption at the air/solution interface, association and precipitation in bulk solution strongly depended on the molar ratio and the concentration of surfactants. Catanionic vesicles coexisted with crystalline catanionic salts in a broad concentration range. The relative proportions of crystallites and vesicles varied according to the concentration and the molar ratio of the surfactants. The solid crystalline phase was progressively converted to catanionic vesicles with increasing surfactant molar ratio. At the highest excess of one of the surfactants transition from catanionic vesicles to mixed micelles occurred. The formation and stability of different phases are discussed in terms of surfactant molecular packing constraints and electrostatic interactions in the headgroup region. Surfactant tail-length asymmetry and the change of electrostatic interactions in the headgroup region from attractive to repulsive are governing factors for the transition from planar to curved bilayers. Received: 9 June 1998 Accepted: 18 August 1998     

Adsorption of cetyltrimethylammonium bromide and propanol mixtures with regard to wettability of polytetrafluoroethylene. I. Adsorption at aqueous solution-air interface

Measurements of surface tension of aqueous solutions of cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) and propanol mixtures (gamma(L)) for 1 x1 0(-5), 1 x 10(-4), 6 x 10(-4), and 1 x 10(-3) M concentrations of CTAB as a function of propanol concentration in the range from 0 to 6.67 M at 293 K were carried out. The obtained results indicate that there is first-order exponential relationship between the surface tension and propanol concentration in the solution at constant CTAB concentration. These results were compared with those calculated from the equations derived by von Szyszkowski, Joos, Miller et al. From the comparison it resulted that the values of gamma(L) determined by the Szyszkowski equation are correlated with those measured only in a limited propanol concentration range because of changes of the constant related to the specific capillary activity in this equation as a function of propanol concentration, particularly in the range of its high concentration. In the case of the modified Joos equation there is a correlation between the calculated and measured values of gamma(L) only at a very low concentration of propanol. The values of the surface tension of aqueous solutions of CTAB and propanol mixtures determined by the relationships of Miller et al. at CTAB concentration, corresponding to unsaturated surface layer in the absence of propanol, are close to those measured, but there are bigger differences between the calculated and measured values of the surface tension for solutions at a constant value of CTAB concentration close to CMC. However, the values of the surface tension of aqueous solution of CTAB and propanol mixtures calculated from the modified Miller et al. equation, in which the aggregation process of alcohol molecules at water-air interface was taken into account, are in excellent agreement with those measured. The measured values of the surface tension and the Gibbs equations were used for determination of the surface excess of CTAB and propanol concentration at solution-air interface. The obtained results indicate that at the constant concentration of CTAB equal to 1 x 10(-5) and 1 x 10(-4) M there is a maximum of excess concentration of propanol in the surface region at its bulk concentration close to 1 M. Using the calculated values of the surface excess concentration of propanol and CTAB at solution-air interface and assuming the proper thickness of the interface region, the total values of their concentration in this region were evaluated. Next, the standard surface free energy of CTAB and propanol mixtures adsorption was calculated. The calculated values of this energy indicate that the tendency to adsorb molecules of CTAB and propanol decreases with increasing propanol concentration probably because of entropy of adsorption decrease resulting from water structure destruction by propanol molecules.     

Surface thermodynamics reconsidered. Derivation of the Gokhshtein relations from the Gibbs potential and a new approach to surface stress

The terminology and definition of surface tension are discussed. In particular, the surface tension is defined as the partial derivative of the surface excess Gibbs energy with respect to an infinitesimal increment of surface area at constant temperature and pressure. The surface tension is also formulated as the sum of a stress-free component and a stress-containing component. The stress-containing component is defined as the surface stress. Finally, the case of charged surfaces is analyzed, and the Gokhshtein relations are derived from the Gibbs potential in the special case that the electrode/solution interface is ideally polarizable.     

Propensity for the air/water interface and ion pairing in magnesium acetate vs magnesium nitrate solutions: molecular dynamics simulations and surface tension measurements

Molecular dynamics simulations in slab geometry and surface tension measurements were performed for aqueous solutions of magnesium acetate and magnesium nitrate at various concentrations. The simulations reveal a strong affinity of acetate anions for the surface, while nitrate exhibits only a very weak surface propensity, and magnesium is per se strongly repelled from the air/water interface. CH3COO- also exhibits a much stronger tendency than NO3- for ion pairing with Mg2+ in the bulk and particularly in the interfacial layer. The different interfacial behavior of the two anions is reflected by the opposite concentration dependence (beyond 0.5 M) of surface tension of the corresponding magnesium salts. Measurements, supported by simulations, show that the surface tension of Mg(NO3)2(aq) increases with concentration as for other inorganic salts. However, in the case of Mg(OAc)2(aq) the surface tension isotherm exhibits a turnover around 0.5 M, after which it starts to decrease, indicating a positive net solute excess in the interfacial layer at higher concentrations.     

The surface tension of aqueous poly(N-isopropylacrylamide-co-acrylamide)

A series of poly(N-isopropylacrylamide-co-acrylamide) copolymers with N-isopropylacrylamide (NIPAM) to acrylamide (AM) ratios varying from 95/05 to 10/90 was synthesized and surface tensions, cloud point temperatures, and enthalpies of phase separation were measured. At 25°C, 1 wt % poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) homopolymer has a surface tension of 41.8 mJ/m². Incorporation of AM moieties in the copolymer increased surface tension approaching the limiting value of 65.3 mJ/m² which was obtained for polyacrylamide solutions. The surface tension values of copolymer solutions were predicted from the surface tensions of the homopolymers applied to a one-parameter model analogous to the Margules model for the excess free energy of mixing. Heats of phase separation for the copolymer were less than expected compared with PNIPAM homopolymer. It was proposed that NIPAM moieties directly bonded to acrylamide did not contribute to the enthalpy of phase separation. Finally, surface tension lowering kinetics were slower above the cloud point temperatures because at high temperatures the copolymers were present as colloidally dispersed particles which had to diffuse to the air/water interface, unwrap, and spread to give an adsorbed monolayer. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 37: 2137–2143, 1999     

Dynamic surface tension analysis of dodecyl sulfate association complexes

First, a novel calibration method is used to expand the current understanding of spherical drop growth and elongation that occurs during on-line measurements of surface pressure using the dynamic surface tension detector (DSTD). Using a novel surface tension calibration method, the drop radius is calculated as a function of time from experimental drop pressure data and compared to the theoretical drop radius calculated from volumetric flow rate. From this comparison, the drop volume at which the drop shape starts to deviate ( approximately 4 mul) from a spherical shape is readily observed and deviates more significantly by approximately 6 mul drop volume (5% deviation in the ideal spherical drop radius) for the capillary sensing tip employed in the DSTD. From this assessment of drop shape, an experimental method for precise drop detachment referred to as pneumatic drop detachment is employed at a drop volume of 2 mul (two second drops at 60 mul/min) in order to provide rapid dynamic surface tension measurements via the novel on-line calibration methodology. Second, the DSTD is used to observe and study kinetic information for surface-active molecules and association complexes adsorbing to an air-liquid drop interface. Dynamic surface tension measurements are made for sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) in the absence and presence of either tetra butyl ammonium (TBA) or chromium (III). Sensitive, indirect detection of chromium and other multiply charged metals at low concentrations is also investigated. The DSTD is utilized in examining the dynamic nature of SDS: cation association at the air-liquid interface of a growing drop. Either TBA or Cr(III) were found to substantially enhance the surface tension lowering of dodecyl sulfate (DS), but the surface tension lowering is accompanied by a considerable kinetic dependence. Essentially, the surface tension lowering of these DS: cation complexes is found to be a fairly slow process in the context of the two second DSTD measurement. The limit of detection for both SDS and chromium (III) is in the 300-400 part-per-billion (by mass) range.     

The wettability of polytetrafluoroethylene by aqueous solutions of sodium dodecyl sulfate and propanol mixtures

Advancing contact-angle (theta) measurements were carried out with aqueous solutions of propanol and four series of aqueous solutions of dodecyl sulfate (SDDS) and propanol mixtures at constant dodecyl sulfate concentrations equal to 1 x 10(-5), 6 x 10(-4), 1 x 10(-3), and 1 x 10(-2)M, respectively. The obtained results indicate that in the range of propanol concentrations studied there were considerable contact-angle changes, with exception of the solution series at a constant concentration value of SDDS higher than its critical micelle concentration. From the results of contact-angle measurements and application of the Gibbs and Young equations the ratio of the excess concentration of surfactant and propanol at the solid-aqueous solution interface to the excess of their concentration at the aqueous solution-air interface was calculated. From the calculations it appears that there is a straight linear dependence between the adhesion tension and surface tension of aqueous solutions of SDDS and propanol mixtures, and the slope of the line is equal to -1, which suggests that the surface excess of the SDDS and propanol mixture at the polytetrafluoroethylene-solution interface is the same as the at the solution-air interface. The extrapolation of the straight line to the point corresponding to the surface tension of the aqueous solution, which completely spreads over the polytetrafluoroethylene surface, gives a critical surface tension of wetting equal to 23.7 mN/m. On the basis of the critical surface tension and the Young and modified Szyszkowski equations it was found that in a polytetrafluoroethylene-aqueous solution of the SDDS and propanol mixture, the interface tension can be predicted by the modified Szyszkowski equation.     

Effect of flexibility on surface tension and coexisting densities of water

Molecular dynamics simulations of pure water at the liquid-vapor interface are performed using direct simulation of interfaces in a liquid slab geometry. The effect of intramolecular flexibility on coexisting densities and surface tension is analyzed. The dipole moment profile across the liquid-vapor interface shows different values for the liquid and vapor phases. The flexible model is a polarizable model. This effect is minor for liquid densities and is large for surface tension. The liquid densities increase from 2% at 300 K to 9% at 550 K when the force field is changed from a fully rigid simple point charge extended (SPCE) model to that of a fully flexible model with the same intermolecular interaction parameters. The increases in surface tension at both temperatures are around 11% and 36%, respectively. The calculated properties of the flexible models are closer to the experimental data than those of the rigid SPCE. The effect of the maximum number of reciprocal vectors (h(z) (max)) and the surface area on the calculated properties at 300 K is also analyzed. The coexiting densities are not sensitive to those variables. The surface tension fluctuates with h(z) (max) with an amplitude larger than 10 mN m(-1). The effect of using small interfacial areas is slightly larger than the error in the simulations.     

Wettability of a glass surface in the presence of two nonionic surfactant mixtures

Measurements of the advancing contact angle (theta) were carried out for aqueous solution of p-(1,1,3,3-tetramethylbutyl)phenoxypoly(ethylene glycol), Triton X-100 (TX100), and Triton X-165 (TX165) mixtures on glass. The obtained results indicate that the wettability of glass depends on the concentration and composition of the surfactant mixture. The relationship between the contact angle and concentration suggests that the lowest wettability corresponds to the concentration of TX100 and TX165 and their mixture near the critical micelle concentration (CMC). The minimum of the dependence between the contact angle and composition of the mixtures for each concentration at a monomer mole fraction of TX100, alpha, equals 0.2 and 0.4 points to synergism in the wettability of the glass surface. In contrast to the results of Zisman ( Zisman, W. A. In Contact Angle, Wettability and Adhesion; Gould, R. F., Ed.; Advances in Chemistry Series 43; American Chemical Society Washington, DC, 1964; p 1 ) there was no linear dependence between cos theta and the surface tension of aqueous solutions of TX100 and TX165 mixtures for all studied systems, but a linear dependence exists between the adhesional tension and surface tension for glass, practically, in the whole concentration range of surfactants studied, the slopes of which are positive in the range of 0.43-0.67. These positive slopes indicate that the interactions between the water molecules and glass surface might be stronger than those between the surface and surfactant molecules. So, the surface excess of surfactant concentration at the glass-water interface is probably negative, and the possibility for surfactant to adsorb at the glass/water film-water interface is higher than that at the glass-water interface. This conclusion is confirmed by the values of the work of adhesion of "pure" surfactants, aqueous solutions of surfactants, and aqueous solutions of their mixtures to the glass surface and by the negative values of glass-water interfacial tension determined from the Young equation in the range of surfactant concentrations corresponding to their unsaturated monolayer at the water-air interface.     

The protonation state of small carboxylic acids at the water surface from photoelectron spectroscopy

We report highly surface sensitive core-level photoelectron spectra of small carboxylic acids (formic, acetic and butyric acid) and their respective carboxylate conjugate base forms (formate, acetate and butyrate) in aqueous solution. The relative surface propensity of the carboxylic acids and carboxylates is obtained by monitoring their respective C1s signal intensities from a solution in which their bulk concentrations are equal. All the acids are found to be enriched at the surface relative to the corresponding carboxylates. By monitoring the PE signals of acetic acid and acetate as a function of total concentration, we find that the protonation of acetic acid is nearly complete in the interface layer. This is in agreement with literature surface tension data, from which it is inferred that the acids are enriched at the surface while (sodium) formate and acetate, but not butyrate, are depleted. For butyric acid, we conclude that the carboxylate form co-exists with the acid in the interface layer. The free energy cost of replacing an adsorbed butyric acid molecule with a butyrate ion at 1.0 M concentration is estimated to be >5 kJ mol(-1). By comparing concentration dependent surface excess data with the evolution of the corresponding photoemission signals it is furthermore possible to draw conclusions about how the distribution of molecules that contribute to the excess is altered with bulk concentration.     

Surface tensions and surface potentials of acid solutions

A theory is presented which allows us to quantitatively calculate the excess surface tension of acid solutions. The H(+), in the form of hydronium ion, is found to be strongly adsorbed to the solution-air interface. To account for the electrostatic potential difference measured experimentally, it is necessary to assume that the hydronium ion is oriented with its hydrogens pointing into the bulk water. The theory is quantitatively accurate for surface tensions and is qualitative for electrostatic potential difference across the air-water interface.     

Surface adsorption and micelle formation of surface active ionic liquids in aqueous solution

Aqueous solutions of three kinds of surface active ionic liquids composed of the 1-alkyl-3-methylimidazolium cation have been investigated by means of surface tension and electrical conductivity measurements at room temperature (298 K). The surface tension measurements provided a series of parameters, including critical micelle concentration (cmc), surface tension at the cmc (gammacmc), adsorption efficiency (pC20), and effectiveness of surface tension reduction (Picmc). In addition, with application of the Gibbs adsorption isotherm, maximum surface excess concentration (Gammamax) and minimum surface area/molecule (Amin) at the air-water interface were estimated. The effect of sodium halides, NaCl, NaBr, and NaI, on the surface activity was also investigated. It was found that both the pC20 and the Picmc were rather larger than those reported for traditional ionic surfactants and the cmc values were somewhat lower than those for typical cationic surfactants, alkyltrimethylammonium bromides, and comparable to typical anionic surfactants, sodium alkyl sulfates. These results demonstrate that the surface activity of long-chained imidazolium IL is somewhat superior to that of conventional ionic surfactants.     

Wettability of a polytetrafluoroethylene surface by an aqueous solution of two nonionic surfactant mixtures

Measurements of the advancing contact angle (theta) were carried out for an aqueous solution of p-(1,1,3,3-tetramethylbutyl)phenoxypoly(ethylene glycol)s (Triton X-100 (TX100) and Triton X-165 (TX165) mixtures) on polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE). The obtained results indicate that the wettability of PTFE depends on the concentration and composition of the surfactant mixture. The minimum of the dependence between the contact angle and composition of the mixtures for PTFE for each concentration at a monomer mole fraction of TX100, alpha = 0.8, points to synergism in the wettability of PTFE. This effect was confirmed by the negative values of interaction parameters calculated on the basis of the contact angle and by the Rosen approach. In contrast to Zisman, there was no linear dependence between cos theta and the surface tension of an aqueous solution of TX100 and TX165 mixtures for all studied systems, but a linear dependence existed between the adhesional tension and surface tension for PTFE over the whole concentration range, the slope of which was -1, indicating that the surface excess of the surfactant concentration at the PTFE-solution interface was the same as that at the solution-air interface for a given bulk concentration. Similar values of monomer mole fractions of the surfactants at water-air and PTFE-water interfaces calculated on the basis of the surface tension and contact angles showed that adsorption at these two interfaces was the same. It was also found that the work of adhesion of an aqueous solution of surfactants to the PTFE surface did not depend on the type of surfactant and its concentration. This means that for the studied systems the interaction across the PTFE-solution interface was constant and was largely of Lifshitz-van der Waals type. On the basis of the surface tension of PTFE, the Young equation, and the thermodynamic analysis of the adhesion work of an aqueous solution of surfactant to the polymer surface, it was found that in the case of PTFE the changes in the contact angle as a function of the mixture concentration of two nonionic surfactants resulted only from changes in the polar component of the solution surface tension.     

Pressure–volume–temperature data and surface tension of blends of poly(ethylene oxide) and poly(methyl acrylate) in the melt

The pressure–volume–temperature behavior of miscible blends of poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) and poly(methyl acrylate) (PMA) was studied over extended ranges of temperature and pressure. From pressure–volume–temperature data, the reduction parameters for the Flory‐Orwoll‐Vrij equation‐of‐state were determined. It was found that reduction parameters as well as density, thermal expansion coefficient, and isothermal compressibility vary with composition in a nonlinear manner. The surface tension of the blends in the molten state was measured over the whole composition range using the sessile drop method. The surface tension was found to display negative deviation from additivity pointing toward a remarkable surface excess of PMA. Moreover, surface tension displays a minimum in the range of low PEO content at weight fraction of ～0.19. In addition, the temperature coefficient of surface tension shows negative deviation from linearity. It stays constant when PMA is in excess. Results are discussed in terms of equation‐of‐state thermodynamics. The minimum of surface tension can be well explained by weak self‐association of PEO in the bulk. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 48: 1893–1900, 2010     

Calculation of the surface tension of oxygen using molecular-dynamics simulations

The surface tension of oxygen at the liquid-vapor interface is calculated for the temperature range of 60-90 K using molecular-dynamics simulations and is shown to be within 1.0% error of experimental values for most of the temperatures studied. The potential used here is the same as in our previous study on liquid oxygen alone [S. D. Bembenek and B. M. Rice, J. Chem. Phys. 113, 2354 (2000)] and was optimized with an innovative statistical-mechanical method. The potential does not use a long-range cutoff nor a tail correction, which are usually considered necessary to obtain accurate values for the surface tension. We reason that the accuracy in surface tension is directly related to our parametrization method for the potential.     

Analysis of the subcritical carbon dioxide-water interface

We follow the evolution of the H(2)O/CO(2) interface at 300 K from the low pressure limit to near-critical pressures in molecular dynamics simulations using the SPC water and EPM2 carbon dioxide models. The intrinsic structure of the interface is elucidated by accumulating density profiles relative to the fluctuating capillary wave surface. Our main finding is that a carbon dioxide film of increasing density and thickness grows in two stages at the interface while the structure of the water surface barely changes. At low density, the entire film density profile grows linearly with the bulk CO(2) density. This regime continues up to a bulk CO(2) density of roughly 0.00095 ?(-3). At pressures above this point, we observe a distinct second peak in the CO(2) density, along with a tail of excess density that decays exponentially with distance from the interface. The decay length of the exponential tail diverges with increasing CO(2) pressure according to an inverse power law decay. Over the entire range of pressures, the CO(2) film had no detectable effect on the orientational order of the water surface. As expected, when the film of excess CO(2) at the interface grows, we find that the surface tension drops with increasing pressure. This is in qualitative accord with existing measurements, although the rate at which the surface tension falls with increasing pressure according to the SPC and EPM2 models is too small, indicating that the surface excess of CO(2) is underestimated by these models.