Local viscosity analysis of triblock copolymer micelle with cyanine dyes as a fluorescent probe

The local viscosity of Pluronic F127 triblock copolymer micelles in water was determined with cyanine dyes as fluorescent probes. These dyes show very weak fluorescence at a low temperature, but show enhanced fluorescence at a temperature higher than the critical micellization temperature (T(cm)). This is because a viscous environment within the micelle suppresses the formation of a nonradiative twisted intramolecular charge transfer (TICT) excited state of the dyes. The good correlation between the fluorescence quantum yields of the dyes and the viscosity and the temperature of the media allows a determination of local viscosity of micelle based on the fluorescence quantum yields. The local viscosity of both core and corona regions of micelles increases at >T(cm) and shows a maximum at a temperature 7-9 °C higher than T(cm), and decreases at higher temperature due to the increased fluidity. The core viscosity is larger than that of the corona, and the corona viscosity increases toward the micelle center. The polymer concentration has different effects on the core and corona viscosity: the corona viscosity increases with a polymer concentration increase at the entire temperature range, whereas the core viscosity increases only at a low temperature. The corona viscosity increase is due to the condensation of a large number of polyethylene oxide (PEO) blocks. In contrast, the dehydration degree of polypropylene oxide (PPO) blocks in the core scarcely changes, and the core has a similar composition regardless of polymer concentration. The larger polymer concentration promotes a micelle formation at lower temperature where the fluidity increase is very weak, resulting in larger core viscosity.     

Effect of inorganic salts on the micellar behaviour of ethylene oxide-propylene oxide block copolymers in aqueous solution

The aggregation behaviour of two ethylene oxide-propylene oxide block copolymers (PEO-PPO-PEO) in aqueous solution has been investigated in the presence of added salts (KCNS, KI, KBr, KCl and KF) by viscosity, cloud point, light scattering, pulse gradient spin echo NMR, and solubilization measurements. The salts have a strong effect on the cloud points of the pluronics. Both P-85 and L-64 form micelles which increase in size and change into elongated shapes when the cloud point is approached. The changes of size and shape of the micelles, revealed by the intrinsic viscosity and rheological properties, seem to occur at the same temperature relative to the cloud point, independent of the nature of the salt. The onset of micelle formation is also shifted in the same direction as the cloud point by the salts, but by a much smaller amount.     

Concentration, temperature, and salt-induced micellization of a triblock copolymer Pluronic L64 in aqueous media

The effect of copolymer concentration, temperature, and sodium halides (NaI, NaBr, NaCl, and NaF) on micellization and micellar properties of a poly(ethylene oxide)-block-poly(propylene oxide)-block-poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO-PPO-PEO) amphiphilic copolymer (Pluronic L64: EO13PO30EO13), was examined by different methods such as dye spectral change, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), small angle neutron scattering (SANS), dynamic light scattering (DLS), viscosity, and cloud point (CP). Temperature/polymer concentration/salt dependent aggregation behavior of L64 was observed. The data on critical micelle concentration (CMC), critical micelle temperature (CMT), (CP), micelle size, and shape are reported. The Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) showed temperature dependent changes in C-O-C stretching variation band towards higher wave numbers and broadening of band width during the micellization process; this was attributed to increase in proportion of the anhydrous methyl groups, while the proportion of the hydrated methyl groups was decreased. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) provides CMTs and CPs from the same experiment. CMC values derived from dye spectral change, decrease significantly with the addition of salt. The increases in salt/copolymer concentration lower the onset temperature of micellization (CMT). Halide anions influence both CMT and CP in the order of F- > Cl- > Br- > I- when total salt and copolymer concentration kept constant. SANS results show the increase of inter-micellar interaction due to the increase in temperature/salt concentration; this is supported by viscosity data.     

聚氧乙烯-聚氧丙烯嵌段共聚物在水溶液中的胶束化作用

本实验采用表面张力法,苯红紫可见光吸收法测定L64,AE32,AP221等三种不同结构的聚氧乙烯-聚氧丙烯嵌段共聚物的临界胶束形成浓度CMC,发现L64与AE32在低浓度下形成单分子胶束,在高浓度下形成聚集胶束。AP221则只在较低的浓度下形成聚集胶束。不同温度下CMC的测定结果表明温度对L64形成单分子胶束的CMC影响较小,而聚集胶束的浓度则随着温度升高而迅速下降,后者胶束形成热ΔH较高,为140.6kJ/mol。     

Aggregation Behavior of Pluronic-L64 in Presence of Sodium Dodecyl Sulphate in Water

The effect of sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) on the micellization and aggregation behavior of a poly(ethylene oxide)-block-poly(propylene oxide)-block-poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO-PPO-PEO) amphiphilic copolymer (Pluronic L64: EO₁₃ PO₃₀ EO₁₃) have been investigated by various techniques like, cloud point, viscosity, isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), fluorescence spectroscopy, room temperature phosphorescence (RTP), and small angle neutron scattering (SANS). Addition of SDS in L64 solutions shows mark alteration of different properties. We observed synergistic interaction between SDS and Pluronic L64. The changes in the critical micelle concentration (CMC), critical micelle temperature (CMT), cloud point (CP), micelle size, and shape has been correlated and reported in terms of structure dynamics and mechanics. The ITC titrations have been used to explore the different stages of binding and interactions of SDS with L64. The enthalpies of aggregation for copolymer-SDS aggregates binding, organizational change of bound aggregates, and the threshold concentrations of SDS in the presence of copolymer were estimated directly from ITC titration curves. The effect of temperature on enthalpy values has been reported in terms of different aggregation state. Fluorescence and RTP for L64 were used to investigate the change in micellar environment on the addition of SDS at different temperature. Appearance and shifting of SANS peaks have been used to monitor the size and inter micellar interaction on addition of SDS in L64 solution. Cloud point and viscosity elaborate the penetration of SDS molecule in L64 micelle and hence changing the micellar architect.     

Mixed micelles of binary triblock polymer mixtures in pure water at 30 °C

This is the first report on the mixed micelles of binary triblock polymer (TBP) mixtures. The steady-state fluorescence and viscosity measurements have been carried out for the various binary combinations of TBP (i.e., P103 + F127/P84/L64/P104/P123) in pure water at 30 °C. All the TBP components selected for the study show clear micelle formation process. The pyrene fluorescence has been used to determine the critical micelle concentration. As micelle-forming TBP can also be termed as nonionic surfactants; therefore, their mixed micelle formation has been evaluated by applying the regular solution theory. It has been observed that this theory very well predicts the nature of mixed micelles. The P103 + F127/P84/L64 binary mixtures undergo mixed micelle formation due to the synergistic interactions while P103 + P104/P123 show antagonistic behavior. The results clearly show that the mixtures with greater number of poly(ethylene oxide) units undergo favorable mixing.     

Conductance of aqueous sodium decyl sulfate solutions and the nature of hydration of the decyl sulfate anion

A study is made of the temperature and concentration dependences for conductance of aqueous sodium decyl sulfate solutions. The nature of hydration of the decyl sulfate anion is discussed within the theories proposed by Samoilov, Gurikov, and Krestov. An analysis is performed of the influence of the hydration type on the critical micelle concentration. The analysis suggests that an increase in temperature stimulates micelle formation given that hydration is negative.     

阳离子碳氟表面活性剂研究I: 水溶液中的胶束特性及生长

利用动态光散射(Dynamic Light Scattering, DLS)、瞬态电双折射(Transient Electric Birefringence, TEB)和粘度测定方法研究了部分氟代阳离子表面活性剂氟代-2-羟基十一烷基二乙羟基甲基氯化铵(diethanolheptadecafluoro-2-undecanol methylammonium chloride, C₈F₁₇CH₂CH(OH)CH₂NCH₃(C₂H₄OH)₂Cl, DEFUMACl)水溶液的胶束化特性. 结果表明: DEFUMACl的临界胶束浓度cmc为3.8 mmol•L^－1. 稀溶液中随着DEFUMACl浓度的增加或者无机盐NaCl的加入, DEFUMACl胶束由球形向棒状转变, 其转变浓度, 即第二临界胶束浓度(cmc_II)为0.2 mol•L^－1; 电导测定的反离子(Cl^－)结合度为0.72. 利用球形和棒状胶束模型确定的DEFUMACl胶束聚集数分别为45和335.     

Structure and dynamics of poly(oxyethylene) cholesteryl ether wormlike micelles: rheometry, SAXS, and cryo-TEM studies

In this article, we provide direct evidence for 1-D micellar growth and the formation of a network structure in an aqueous system of poly(oxyethylene) cholesteryl ether (ChEO(20)) and lauryl diethanolamide (L-02) by rheometry, small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS), and cryo-transmission electron microscopy (cryo-TEM). The ChEO(20) self-assembles into spheroid micelles above the critical micelle concentration and undergoes a 1-D microstructural transition upon the incorporation of L-02, which because of its lipophilic nature tends to be solubilized into the micellar palisade layer and reduces the micellar curvature. The elongated micelles entangle with each other, forming network structures of wormlike micelles, and the system shows viscoelastic properties, which could be described by the Maxwell model. A peak observed in the zero-shear viscosity (η(0)) versus L-02 concentration curve shifted toward higher L-02 concentrations and the value of maximum viscosity (η(0?max)) increased with the increasing ChEO(20) mixing fraction with water. We observed that η(0?max) increased by 2 to 4 orders of magnitude as a function of the ChEO(20) concentration. The Maxwell relaxation time (τ(R)) shows a maximum value at a concentration corresponding to η(0?max) (i.e., τ(R) increases with L-02 concentration and then decreases after attaining a maximum value, whereas the plateau modulus (G(0)) shows monotonous growth). These observations demonstrate microstructural transitions in two different modes: L-02 first induces 1-D micellar growth and as a result the viscosity increases, and finally after the system attains its maximum viscosity, L-02 causes branching in the network structures. The microstructure transitions are confirmed by SAXS and cryo-TEM techniques.     

Rheological properties of the aqueous mixtures of cationic-anionic surfactants

The rheological properties of the aqueous mixtures of cationic-anionic surfactants, both in single-phase systems and in aqueous two-phase systems, have been studied. Bizarre rheological properties —negative thixotropy, viscoelasticity and hihg viscosity of shear rate dependent at relatively low concentration — have been observed. An unusual viscosity change, that is, viscosity lowering with increasing concentration, was obtained. The negative thixotropy might be due to the existence of lamellar or sheet-like micelles, viscoelasticity might be induced by rodlike and lamellar or sheet-like micelles, the high viscosity might be a consequence of the formation of network by long rodlike micelles and the concentration-induced viscosity lowering could be interpreted in terms of the decrease of micellar dimensions with concentration.     

Self-assembly control of a pyridine-containing diblock copolymer by perfluorinated counter anions during salt-induced micellization

The micelle formation of poly[(4-pyridinemethoxymethyl)styrene]-block-polystyrene (PPySt-b-PSt) was studied in the nonselective solvent using perfluoroalkyl carboxylic acids. PPySt-b-PSt showed no self-assembly into micelles in THF, because this solvent was nonselective for the copolymer. Dynamic light scattering demonstrated that the diblock copolymer formed the micelles in the solvent in the presence of perfluoroalkyl carboxylic acids in which the number of carbons in the perfluoroalkyl chains was over eight. ¹H NMR revealed that the micellization proceeded through the salt formation of the pyridinium perfluoroalkyl carboxylate and through the aggregation of the perfluoroalkyl chains in the counter anions. The hydrodynamic radius and the aggregation number of the micelles increased with an increase in the length of the perfluoroalkyl chain. The copolymer needed less carboxylic acid with longer perfluoroalkyl chain to form the micelles. The copolymer produced the micelles with lower aggregation number and higher critical micelle concentration at higher temperature, although the micellar size was almost independent of the temperature. The micelles were unstable with respect to the variation in the temperature, and were dissociated into the unimers with the increase in the temperature. The micelles, however, were reconstructed by decreasing the temperature. This dissociation–reconstruction of the micelles was controlled reversibly not only by the temperature but also by the concentration of the perfluoroalkyl carboxylic acid. An increase in the acid concentration suppressed the dissociation into the unimers, while promoting the reconstruction of the micelles.     

全钒液流电池高浓度下V(IV)/V(V)的电极过程研究

采用循环伏安、低速线性扫描和阻抗技术, 以石墨为电极, 研究了V(IV)/V(V)在较高浓度下的电极过程. 结果表明, 采用2.0 mol•L-1 的V(IV)溶液时, H2SO4浓度低于2 mol•L-1, V(IV)/V(V)反应极化大, 可逆性差, 表现为电化学和扩散混合控制; H2SO4浓度增至2 mol•L-1以上, V(IV)/V(V)反应的可逆性提高, 转为扩散控制, 且增加H2SO4浓度有利于阻抗的降低; 但H2SO4浓度超过3 mol•L-1, 溶液的粘度和传质阻力大, 阻抗反而增大. 在3 mol•L-1的H2SO4中, 随着V(IV)浓度的增加, 体系的可逆性和动力学改善, 阻抗减小; 但V(IV)浓度超过2.0 mol•L-1, 较高的溶液粘度导致溶液的传质阻力迅速增加, V(IV)/ V(V)的电化学性能衰减, 阻抗增大. 因此, 综合考虑电极反应动力学和电池的能量密度两因素, V(IV)溶液的最佳浓度为1.5～2.0 mol•L-1, H2SO4浓度为3 mol•L-1.     

Mechanisms of micellization and rheology of PEO-PPO-PEO triblock copolymers with various architectures

Micelle formation was followed by micro-DSC and rheology for aqueous solutions of two copolymers of PEO-PPO-PEO, the Pluronic F127 (from BASF) and the EG56 (from PolymerExpert), a branched copolymer built with three chains of F127 type. It is shown that micellization is endothermic and that, for both polymers, the enthalpy of formation/melting is proportional to total concentration. The rheology of the solutions was carefully analyzed, before gelation for F127, and it reveals firstly the progressive changes of solubility of the unimers (decease of relative solution viscosity), followed by micelle formation over a 10 degrees C range. In this range, the micelle concentration dependence on temperature was deduced from enthalpy measurements and the corresponding volume fractions were derived. Viscosity was interpreted within the framework of well-known theories for hard sphere suspensions (Krieger-Dougherty or Quemada) based on an analogy between micelles and nanosized hairy grain suspensions. The gel state is achieved due to formation of the colloidal crystal. For EG56, the rheology is quite different; as the aggregation increases with temperature, a progression is observed from Newtonian to visco-elastic liquid. The characteristic frequency, defined by the relation G(') = G('), for EG56 varies with temperature and the corresponding times increase by two orders of magnitude according to an Arrhenius law. The frequency dependence of G(') and G(') at different temperatures can be superposed with a horizontal shift factor and a small amplitude adjustment. There is no elastic solid formation in this case. The "gelation" of these two copolymers is compared to the physical gelation of cold-set gels (gelatin).     

表面活性剂胶束化物理化学性质研究

通过电导法考查温度和盐浓度对十二烷基硫酸钠(SDS)临界胶束浓度(CMC)的影响,研究表面活性剂形成胶束过程的物理化学性质。根据拟相分离模型求得胶束化热力学函数,并讨论体系电导活化能随温度和SDS浓度变化关系。结果表明:SDS的CMC随温度升高而增加,随氯化钠浓度增大而减小。在热力学上SDS在水溶液中形成胶束是一个自发、放热、熵增的过程;在动力学上,SDS溶液电导率与温度关系符合Arrhenius公式,通过电导活化能信息可揭示离子型表面活性剂形成胶束的机理特征。     

Micellisation thermodynamics of sodium lauroylsarcosinate in water–alcohol binary mixtures

Aggregation of sodium lauroylsarcosinate (SLS) in aqueous solutions of methanol, ethanol, propanol and ethylene glycol at 288–313 K has been determined from conductivity measurement in the range 0–20% v/v of additives. The precise values of the critical micelle concentration (CMC) and the degree of counter-ion dissociation of micelles were obtained at each temperature by fitting the specific conductivity-surfactant concentration curve to the integrated form of the Boltzmann-sigmoid equation. The CMC was found to increase with increase in additive concentrations in the case of methanol and ethylene glycol, while it decreases with increase in ethanol and propanol concentration. The equilibrium model of micelle formation was applied to obtain the thermodynamic parameters of micellisation. The Gibbs free energies were observed to vary only slightly with temperature and additive concentrations. Enthalpy–entropy compensation was observed for all the systems with a constant compensation temperature of ≈300 K and negative compensation enthalpy.     

Effect of Short Chain Alcohols upon Viscosity of TTAB Solution

The effect of ethanol (C2H5OH), propanol (C3H7OH), and butanol (C4H9OH) upon the viscosity of tetradecyltrimethylammonium bromide (TTAB) solution in the presence or absence of KBr at 30 o C was investigated, where the surfactant concentration CS is kept constant. In the absence of KBr, the relative viscosity ηr of TTAB solution increases linearly with the alcohol concentration CA, indicating that the alcohols do not promote micelle formation of TTAB. In the presence of KBr, ′r linearly decreases with CA for C2H5OH, but it exhibits a maximum with increasing CA for C3H7OH or C4H9OH. The facts reveal that C2H5OH or C4H9OH promotes the micelle formation of TTAB. A possible explanation is that the hydrophobicity of the micellar interior is enhanced by KBr, so that C2H5OH or C4H9OH can dissolve in micelle and promotes micelle formation. In the presence of KCl, which is less efficient in promoting the micelle formation of cationic surfactant, both C3H7OH and C4H9OH have only a slight effect on the micelle formation. In contrast, due to the hydrophilicity, C2H5OH cannot dissolve in micelles in the presence of KBr or KCl.     

PHOTOLUMINESCENT PROPERTIES OF OCTADECYLRHODAMINE B IN MICELLES OF LOW-MOLECULAR-WEIGHT DETERGENTS AND WATER-SOLUBLE TRIBLOCK COPOLYMERS

The fluorescence intensity, lifetime and degree of polarization of octadecylrhodamine B (ORB) have been measured in order to examine the usefulness of this molecule as a probe of micelle properties for low-molecular-weight detergents and water-soluble triblock copolymers. The surfactants examined are hexadecyltrimethylammonium chloride (HTAC), Triton X-100 (TX-100), sodium dode-cylsulfate (SDS), sodium tetradecylsulfate (STS), and Pluronic L64 (ethylene oxide [EO]₁₃ propylene oxide₃₀ EO₁₃, L64). The fluorescence intensity and degree of polarization of ORB show drastic increases at the critical micelle concentrations (CMC) of HTAC, TX-100 and L64, indicating that ORB is cooperatively incorporated into the micelles upon micellization. This feature demonstrates the validity of ORB as a probe for detecting micelle formation of these surfactants. However, in the case of SDS and STS, the fluorescence intensity starts to rise at concentrations far below the CMC, and the degree of polarization does not show significant changes at the CMC. The details of the interactions between ORB and the anionic surfactants have been unclear. These facts imply that some caution is needed for the applications of ORB to the systems containing anionic surfactants. The local viscosity of L64 micelles has been determined by polarization and lifetime measurements. The structure of the block copolymer micelles and the locations of the probe in the micelles are discussed in terms of the viscosity data.     

Mixed micelle behavior of Pluronic L64 and Triton X-100 with conventional and dimeric cationic surfactants

The mixed micellar properties of a triblock copolymer, Pluronic L64, (EO)13(PO)30(EO)13, and a nonionic surfactant, Triton X-100, in aqueous solution with conventional alkyl ammonium bromides and their dimeric homologues were investigated with the help of fluorescence and cloud point measurements. The composition of mixed micelles and the interaction parameter, beta, evaluated from the critical micelle concentration (cmc) data for different mixtures using Rubingh's and Motomura's theories are discussed. It has been observed that the mixed micelle formation between monomeric/dimeric alkyl ammonium bromides and L64 was due to synergistic interactions which increase with the increase in hydrophobicity of the cationic component. On the other hand, synergistic mixing was observed in the mixed micelles of Triton X-100 and monomeric cationic surfactants, the magnitude of which decreases slightly with the increase in hydrophobicity of the cationic component. Antagonistic interactions were observed in the case of Triton X-100 and dimeric cationic surfactants.     

Zeta-potentials of self-assembled surface micelles of ionic surfactants adsorbed at hydrophobic graphite surfaces

The zeta-potentials of the self-assembled surface ionic surfactants (sodium dodecyl sulfate—SDS and hexadecyltrimethyl ammonium bromide—CTAB) on graphite surfaces were determined both from streaming potential and electrophoretic mobility measurements. The adsorption of the surfactants at graphite–liquid interfaces has been studied using atomic force microscopy (AFM) soft-contact imaging which shows the formation of linear, parallel hemicylinders with headgroups oriented towards the solution. The magnitude of the zeta-potential increased with an increase in surfactant concentration, reaching a constant value at a concentration corresponding to the point of surface micelle formation as confirmed from AFM imaging. The streaming potential and electrophoretic mobility measurements showed that the zeta-potentials of SDS and CTAB surface micelles adsorbed at the graphite surface were about −75 and +70 mV, respectively, well in agreement with the values reported for bulk phase micelles in the literature.     

Dielectric Analysis on the Microscopic Characteristics of the Cloudy Silwet L-77 Solution

Dielectric relaxation spectra of the cloudy Silwet L-77 solutions were investigated from 40 Hz to 110 MHz. A striking Maxwell-Wagner relaxation was observed at about 10⁶ Hz, which was assigned to the interfacial polarization between the micelle particle (L₁) and the continuous water (W). Based on the concentration and the temperature dependence of the dielectric increment and the low-frequency conductivity (σ _l ), the critical data and the corresponding micellar structures of the Silwet L-77 solutions under cloudy state were clarified. Furthermore, the viscosity evolution in the W-L₁ region was confirmed according to an anomalous lower temperature dependence of σ _l .