A disjoining pressure study of foam films stabilized by mixtures of nonionic and ionic surfactants

Studying the disjoining pressure Pi as a function of the film thickness h (Pi-h curves) of foam films stabilized by ionic and nonionic surfactants, one finds that the surface charge density q0 of films stabilized by ionic surfactants increases with increasing surfactant concentration, while the opposite holds true for nonionic surfactants. Thus, it should be possible to tune the surface charge density with mixtures of nonionic and ionic surfactants. To address this question, we studied foam films stabilized by aqueous solutions of surfactant mixtures. The mixtures consisted of the nonionic beta-dodecylmaltoside (beta-C12G2) and the cationic dodecyl trimethylammonium bromide (C12TAB) with mixing ratios of beta-C12G2/C12TAB = 1:0, 50:1, 1:1, 1:50, 0:1. The addition of small amounts of C12TAB to beta-C12G2 first neutralizes the negative surface charge of the beta-C12G2 films and finally leads to a charge reversal from negatively to positively charged surfaces. On the other hand, by adding small amounts of beta-C12G2 to C12TAB, one observes the formation of stable CBFs which was also observed for the pure C12TAB. However, in contrast to the pure C12TAB, the resulting Pi-h curves for the mixtures cannot be described with the Derjaguin-Landau-Verwey-Overbeek (DLVO) theory; the slope of the curves is too steep, and it barely changes with changing electrolyte concentration. A possible explanation for this observation will be given and discussed.     

Foam films stabilized with dodecyl maltoside. 2. Film stability and gas permeability

The gas permeability and stability of foam films stabilized by n-dodecyl-beta-D-maltoside (beta-C(12)G(2)) were determined. The permeability coefficient (K, cm/s) and the mean film lifetime were measured as a function of the surfactant concentration. The films are less permeable than those stabilized by other surfactants at comparable conditions. The permeability coefficient decreases with increasing surfactant concentration. It does not show a remarkable dependence on the salt concentration. Stable Newton black foam films (NBFs) are formed above a surfactant concentration of 3.9 x 10(-)(6) M beta-C(12)G(2) in the presence of 0.2 M NaCl. The theory of nucleation hole formation in NBFs was applied to describe the observed dependencies of the permeability and film stability on the surfactant concentration. The theory gave satisfactory relation to the experiment.     

Interactions between nonpolar surfaces coated with the nonionic surfactant n-dodecyl-beta-D-maltoside

The forces acting between nonpolar surfaces coated with the nonionic surfactant n-dodecyl-beta-D-maltoside (beta-C(12)G(2)) were investigated at concentrations below and above the critical micelle concentration. The long-range and adhesive forces were measured with a bimorph surface force apparatus (MASIF). It was found that the effect of hydrodynamic interactions had to be taken into account for an accurate determination of the short-range static interactions. The results were compared with disjoining pressure versus thickness curves that were obtained earlier with a thin film pressure balance (TFPB). This comparison led to the conclusion that the charges observed at the air-water interface are not due to charged species present in the surfactant sample. In addition, it was observed that the stability of thin liquid films crucially depends on the surfactant's bulk concentration (c) and thus on the packing density in the adsorbed layer. The force barrier preventing removal of the surfactant layer from between two solid-liquid interfaces increases with increasing c, while for foam films it is the stability of the Newton black film that increases with c. Finally, the results obtained for beta-C(12)G(2) were compared with those obtained for the homologue n-decyl-beta-d-maltoside (beta-C(10)G(2)) as well as with those obtained for nonionic surfactants with polyoxyethylene moieties as polar groups.     

Stability of foam films and surface rheology: an oscillating bubble study at low frequencies

The dilational surface elasticity epsilon and the dilational surface viscosity eta of the two nonionic surfactants n-dodecyl-beta-d-maltoside (beta-C12G2) and tetraethyleneglycol-monodecyl ether (C10E4) were studied using the oscillating drop method. The experiments were carried out at different concentrations and frequencies with an accessible frequency range of 0.005-0.2 Hz. The results are discussed in the light of previous disjoining pressure measurements that demonstrated that the stability of thin liquid films cannot be explained solely by the magnitude of the surface forces. Indeed, a comparison of the results obtained for beta-C12G2 with those obtained for C10E4 reveals a correlation between the stability of the films and the surface dilational elasticity of the respective monolayers.     

Mixed micelles of series of monomeric and dimeric cationic, zwitterionic, and unequal twin-tail cationic surfactants with sugar surfactants: a fluorescence study

Steady state fluorescence measurements have been carried out for binary mixtures of a series of monomeric cationic (MC), zwitterionic (ZI), dimeric cationic (DC), and twin-tail cationic (TC) surfactants with sugar (beta-C8G and beta-C12G) over the whole mole fraction range using pyrene as fluorescence probe. The cmc values thus determined for all the binary mixtures have been further evaluated using the regular solution theory. The various micellar parameters, such as micelle mole fraction (X1), regular solution interaction parameter (beta), micropolarity, and mean micelle aggregation number (Nagg), have been determined for all these series of mixtures. Variation in all these micellar parameters demonstrates that mixed micelles of these surfactants with beta-C8G are mostly synergistic in nature and the synergism increases with the increase in hydrophobicity of the cosurfactant in each case. The mixtures of beta-C12G with various cosurfactants do not show this behavior and instead of it, they show an increase in antagonism with the increase in hydrophobicity of cosurfactants. This discrepancy has been attributed to a large difference in hydrophobicity between beta-C8G and beta-C12G, and the chain folding of the latter is considered to be the reason for the antagonism.     

Electrostatic effects in films stabilised by non-ionic surfactants

The disjoining pressure Pi of films of aqueous octyl-beta-glucoside (beta-C(8)G(1)) solutions with and without salt was measured as a function of the film thickness by means of a thin film pressure balance. The analysis of the experiments confirms the presence of an electrostatic double layer which dominates the long-range interactions as found in previous experiments with other non-ionic surfactants in the presence of added salt. In the absence of salt, we find a local ion concentration much higher than that of the residual ionic impurities present in the bulk solution.     

Immobilized pH gradients (IPG) simulator--an additional step in pH gradient engineering: II. Nonlinear pH gradients

While in the companion paper (Tonani, C. & Righetti, P. G., Electrophoresis 1991, 12, 1011-1021) we gave the general outline of our new computer program, immobilized pH gradients (IPG) simulator, able to simulate and optimize linear pH gradients for isoelectric focusing in immobilized pH gradients, in the present report we extend the application of such a program to: (i) convex exponential gradients, (ii) logarithmic and (iii) polynomial gradients. Such gradients are meant to give equal space to protein spots in complex protein mixtures (e.g., cell lysates, biological fluids) and follow the statistical distribution of protein pI values along the pH axis. They will prove of fundamental importance in two-dimensional maps, both because they optimize the spreading of spots in the two-dimensional plane and because of the excellent reproducibility of immobilized pH gradients. The following concave exponential recipes are given: pH 3-8, pH 3-9, pH 3-10, pH 3-11, pH 4-7, pH 4-8, pH 4-9, pH 4-10, pH 4-11, pH 5-8, pH 5-9, and pH 5-10, as well as the most extended pH 2.5-11 interval. Two interesting logarithmic gradients are described: pH 3-6 and pH 3-7 and one sigmoidal (derived with a polynomial of 5th degree): pH 3-11.     

Synthesis and characterization of a new gemini surfactant derived from 3alpha,12alpha-dihydroxy-5beta-cholan-24-amine (steroid residue) and ethylenediamintetraacetic acid (spacer)

A new gemini steroid surfactant derived from 3alpha,12alpha-dihydroxy-5beta-cholan-24-amine (steroid residue) and ethylenediamintetraacetic acid (spacer) was synthesized and characterized in aqueous solution by surface tension, fluorescence intensity of pyrene, and light scattering (static and dynamic) measurements. These techniques evidence the existence of a threshold concentration (cac), below which a three layers film is formed at the air-water interface. Above the cac, two types of aggregates--micelles and vesicle-like aggregates--coexist in a metastable state. Filtration of a solution with a starting concentration of 2.6 mM (buffer 150 mM, pH 10) allows isolation of the micelles, which have an average aggregation number of 12, their density being 0.28 g cm(-3). Under conditions where only the vesicle-like aggregates are detected by dynamic light scattering, a value of 5.5 x 10(4) was obtained for their aggregation number at 30 microM, their density being 6.8 x 10(-4) g cm(-3). At high concentrations, the intensity ratio of the vibronic peaks of pyrene, I1/I3, (=0.68) is very close to published values for deoxycholate micelles, indicating that the probe is located in a region with a very low polarity and far from water. A hypothesis to explain the observed aggregation behavior (small aggregates are favored with increasing gemini concentration) is outlined.     

Towards higher resolution: two-dimensional electrophoresis of Saccharomyces cerevisiae proteins using overlapping narrow immobilized pH gradients

The rising number of proteome projects leads to new challenges for two-dimensional electrophoresis with immobilized pH gradients and different applications of this technique. Not only wide pH gradients such as 4-12 or 3-12 (G?rg et al., Electrophoresis 1999, 20, 712-717) which can give an overview of the total protein expressions of cells are in demand but also overlapping narrow immobilized pH gradients are to be used for more specialized and detailed research and micropreparative separations. The advantage of overlapping narrow pH gradients is the gain in higher resolution by stretching the protein pattern in the first dimension. This simplifies computer-aided image analysis and protein identification (e.g., by mass spectrometry). In this study the protein patterns of yeast cells in pH gradients 4-5, 4.5-5.5, 5-6, 5.5-6.7 and 6-9 are presented and compared to the pH 4-7 and 3-10 gradients. This combination allowed us to reveal a total of 2286 yeast protein spots compared to 755 protein spots in the pH 3-10 gradient.     

Influence of sodium dodecyl sulfate on the physicochemical properties of whey protein-stabilized emulsions

The influence of sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) on the flocculation of droplets in 20 wt.% soybean oil-in-water emulsions stabilized by whey protein isolate (WPI) was investigated by light scattering, rheology and creaming measurements. The SDS concentrations used were low enough to prevent depletion flocculation by surfactant micelles and extensive protein displacement. In the absence of SDS, emulsions were prone to droplet flocculation near the isoelectric point of the proteins (4<pH<6), but were stable at a higher and lower pH. Flocculation led to an increase in emulsion viscosity, pronounced shear thinning behavior and accelerated creaming. When the surfactant-to-protein molar ratio was increased from 0 to 10, the emulsion instability range shifted to lower pH values due to binding of the negatively charged SDS molecules to the droplets. Our results indicate that the physicochemical properties of protein-stabilized emulsions can be modified by utilizing surfactant–protein interactions.     

TPPS和Gemini表面活性剂的复合膜及其手性的研究

研究了一种新的gemini表面活性剂(C12H24-α,ω-(C12H25N＋(CH3)2Br－)2, （简写为C12-C12-C12）和TPPS在气液界面上形成的复合膜及其手性.实验发现,单独C12-C12-C12不能在纯水表面形成稳定的单分子膜，但当亚相中存在TPPS时，可形成稳定的单分子膜.通过水平提拉法将复合膜转移到固体基板上，发现在适当的pH值条件下，TPPS可在复合膜中形成J-聚集体，并且发现，尽管Gemini表面活性剂和TPPS 都 是非手性的，TPPS的J-聚集体表现出强烈的Cotton效应.另外，gemini表面活性剂的两个正电荷中心对TPPS的J-聚集体的手性并不能表现出协同效应.     

Early steps in layer-by-layer construction of polyelectrolyte films: the transition from surface/polymer to polymer/polymer determining interactions

The layer-by-layer deposition of two polyelectrolytes, quaternized poly(dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate chloride) (MADQUAT) and poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) on a silica substrate was investigated using optical reflectometry, as a function of pH (pH 4, 5.5 and 9), ionic strength (10(-3) to 10(-1) M) and type of salt. Attention was given to the successive deposited weights and to the corresponding deposited charge densities within the ten first deposited layers. Results show a change of growth regime between an early stage where the substrate had a dominating influence in the build-up and a second stage where the polymer uptake was ruled essentially by polymer-polymer interactions. The pH was seen to influence the growth via the charge densities of silica (first stage) and PAA (first and second stages). The increase of NaCl concentration induced an increase of the film weight between 10(-3) and 10(-2) M, but the trend was more sophisticated between 10(-2) and 10(-1) M where the polymer uptake increased in the first stage of the growth and decreased in subsequent layers. The film weight increased in accordance with the rank of ions in the Hofmeister series. AFM images revealed a heterogeneous film morphology with bumps and valleys, which was explained by a growth mechanism made of the successive formation and growth of polymer complexes.     

Gemini表面活性剂/C12En混合体系的界面吸附、扩张粘弹与泡沫稳定性

用表面张力法研究了阳离子gemini表面活性剂乙基-1, 2-双(十二烷基二甲基溴化铵)(简写为12-2-12)和非离子表面活性剂十二烷基聚氧乙烯醚(C₁₂E_n,其中n = 4, 10, 23)混合体系在气液界面上的吸附行为;用扩张流变技术研究了吸附膜的扩张粘弹行为,实验数据用Lucassen-van den Tempel (LVT)模型进行拟合并根据模型得到了极限弹性值.最后研究了混合体系的泡沫行为,用泡沫塌陷到初始高度一半所对应的时间(t_1/2)来表征泡沫的稳定性.结果表明,所有的非离子表面活性剂C₁₂E_n均与12-2-12产生了吸引作用.在12-2-12浓度相同的情况下,混合吸附层中吸附分子的最小分子占据面积的顺序为12-2-12/C₁₂E₂₃ > 12-2-12/C₁₂E₁₀ > 12-2-12/C₁₂E₄,而极限弹性的顺序为ε_{0, fit}(12-2-12/C₁₂E₄) > ε_{0, fit}(12-2-12/C₁₂E₁₀) > ε_{0, fit}(12-2-12/C₁₂E₂₃).与单组分12-2-12形成的吸附膜相比,只有12-2-12/C₁₂E₄形成更加紧密的结构.具有较小亲水头基的非离子表面活性剂C₁₂E₄的加入,可增强12-2-12吸附膜的弹性,进而增强了对应体系泡沫的稳定性.     

Effects of surfactants and pH of medium on zeta potential and aggregation stability of titanium dioxide suspensions

The effects of benzethonium chloride, sodium dodecylbenzenesulfonate, and 4-(1,1,3,3-(tetramethylbutyl)phenyl poly(ethylene glycol) on the zeta potential and aggregation stability of aqueous rutile-form titanium dioxide suspensions are studied in the pH range of 2–12. It is shown that the nonionic surfactant does not affect significantly the zeta potential and aggregation stability of the suspensions. The influence of ionic surfactants on the aggregation stability of the suspensions considerably depends on the pH of a medium. At pH values above the isoelectric point of titanium dioxide suspensions (pH₀ = 6.2), the suspensions demonstrate a high aggregation stability in the presence of the anionic surfactant, sodium dodecylbenzene-sulfonate (irrespective of its content), while, at pH < pH₀, the aggregation stability of the suspensions markedly increases with the surfactant concentration. In the presence of the cationic surfactant, benzethonium chloride, the aggregation stability of the suspensions is independent of the surfactant concentration at pH < pH₀, whereas, at pH > pH₀, it increases with the surfactant concentration.     

Immobilized pH gradients (IPG) simulator--an additional step in pH gradient engineering: I. Linear pH gradients.

A new computer program, called immobilized pH gradients (IPG) simulator, is proposed for calculating and optimizing any recipe for use in isoelectric focusing in immobilized pH gradients. Unlike our previous monoprotic electrolyte gradient simulation (MGS) and polyelectrolyte gradient simulation (PGS) programs, based on minimizing CV(beta), the present program has a target function the minimization of the quadratic moment around zero of the residuals (mu 2). With this algorithm it is possible to formulate IPG recipes which have deviations from linearity well below 1% of the given pH interval (a limit set with the previous MGS and PGS programs), in fact, as small as 0.1-0.2% (in pH units). The new simulator performs 2-3 times better than the previous ones in the pH 4-10 range, and is absolutely necessary when working outside this range, at extreme pH values, where CV(beta) cannot work against the buffering power of bulk water, thus generating pH recipes with huge deviations from linearity. In the latter cases, mu 2 performs 10 times better than CV(beta). When utilizing strong titrants for extended pH intervals, the "all or none" rule has been discovered: such titrants should always be used in tandem, since omission of one of the two at either the acidic or basic extremes produces strongly distorted pH profiles. Our new, most powerful simulator also contains equations for creating nonlinear gradients, notably: concave and convex exponentials and sigmoidal (see the companion paper: Righetti, P. G. and Tonani, C., Electrophoresis 1991, 12, 1021-1027).     

Small-angle X-ray scattering on solutions of carboxymethylcellulose and bovine serum albumin

The existence of attractive interaction between CMC and BSA was evidenced in solution at pH higher than the protein isoelectric point by means of SAXS. Mixtures of BSA at 10 x 10(-3) g . mL(-1) and CMC at the concentration range of 1 x 10(-3) g . mL(-1) to 10 x 10(-3) g . mL(-1) were investigated. Upturns in the very low q range revealed the presence of aggregates when the CMC concentration was higher than 2 x 10(-3) g . mL(-1). The comparison between the calculated form factor with the experimental curves at intermediate and long q values indicated that the BSA molecules keep their native form in mixtures with CMC concentrations lower than 5 x 10(-3) g . mL(-1). Therefore, for CMC concentrations higher than 2 x 10(-3) g . mL(-1) the mixtures start to present aggregates and free BSA molecules coexisting in solution.     

高效离子交换液相色谱法分离绿脓杆菌外膜蛋白

 利用高效ＤＥＡＥ离子交换液相色谱法分离纯化了绿脓杆菌标准菌株ＰＡＯ１外膜蛋白。流动相为ｐＨ８．０Ｔｒｉｓ－ＨＣｌ缓冲液,色谱柱为ＴＳＫｇｅｌ－ＤＥＡＥ－５ＰＷ（０．７５ｃｍ×７．５ｃｍｉ．ｄ．）。通过纯化外膜蛋白,可以为研究绿脓杆菌外膜通透性与抗生素耐药性之间的关系及缩短研究周期提供有效的方法。     

The impact of electrolyte on the adsorption of sodium dodecyl sulfate/polyethyleneimine complexes at the air-solution interface

The addition of electrolyte (0.1 M NaCl) is shown to have a significant impact upon the surfactant concentration and solution pH dependence of the adsorption of sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS)/polyethyleneimine (PEI) complexes at the air-solution interface. Substantial adsorption is observed over a wide surfactant concentration range (from 10(-6) to 10(-)2 M), and over much of that range of concentrations the adsorption is characterized by the formation of surface multilayers. The surface multilayer formation is most pronounced at high pH and for PEI with a lower molecular weight of 2K, compared to the higher molecular weight of 25K. These results, obtained from a combination of neutron reflectivity and surface tension, highlight the substantial enhancement in surfactant adsorption achieved by the addition of a combination of the polyelectrolyte, PEI, and a simple electrolyte. Furthermore the effect of electrolyte on the pH dependence of the adsorption further highlights the importance of the hydrophobic interaction in surface surfactant/polyelectrolyte complex formation.     

Extension of separation range in capillary isoelectric focusing for resolving highly basic biomolecules

The non-availability of commercial carrier ampholytes in the pH range greater than 11 has contributed to difficulties in focusing and resolving highly basic proteins/peptides using capillary isoelectric focusing (cIEF). Two different approaches, involving the use of N,N,N',N'-tetramethylethylenediamine (TEMED) and ampholyte 9-11, are investigated for their effects on the extension of separation range in cIEF. The addition of TEMED into pharmalyte 3-10 not only prevents the peptides/proteins from focusing in sections of the capillary beyond the detection point, but also extends the separation range to at least isoelectric point (pI) 12. The combination of ampholyte 9-11 with pharmalyte 3-10 surprisingly provides baseline resolution between bradykinin (pI 12) and cytochrome c (pI 10.3). The sample mixture, containing bradykinin, the high-pI protein calibration kit (pI 5.2-10.3), and cytochrome c digest, is employed to demonstrate the cIEF separation of proteins and peptides over a wide pH range of 3.7-12.     

Physicochemical characterization of an anatase TiO2 surface and the adsorption of a nonionic surfactant: an atomic force microscopy study

Atomic force microscopy was used to characterize an anatase TiO2 surface, prepared by the helical vapor preparation method. The forces between two bare TiO2 surfaces were measured in the presence of water at various pH values. This TiO2 isoelectric point (iep) was characterized by the presence of only a van der Waals attraction and was measured at pH 5.8; this value is similar to that for a rutile TiO2 surface. The adsorption mechanism of a nonionic surfactant molecule to this anatase TiO2 surface was investigated by measuring the forces between two such TiO2 surfaces at their iep pH in the presence of linear dodecanol tetraethoxylate (C12E4), a poly(ethoxylene oxide) n-alkyl ether. C12E4 was seen by the presence of steric forces to adsorb to the uncharged TiO2 surface. For low surfactant concentrations, C12E4 adsorbed with its hydrophobic tail facing the TiO2 substrate, to reduce its entropically unfavorable contacts with water. Additional surfactant adsorption occurred at higher surfactant concentrations by the hydrophobic and hydrophilic interactions between the surfactant tails and heads, respectively, and gave sub-bilayers. A two-step adsorption isotherm was subsequently proposed with four regions: (1) submonolayer, (2) complete monolayer, (3) sub-bilayer, and (4) bilayer. The absence of a long-range repulsive force between the two TiO2 surfaces in the presence of the C12E4 surface aggregates indicated that a C12E4 nonionic surfactant aggregate did not possess charge.