Spontaneous film formation from a polymer solution

An unusual continuous film formation process of lateral pentyloxy substituted poly(p-phenylene terephthalate)s (s-PPPT) and poly(carbonate) (PC) is observed. A liquid film of polymer solution creeps over the surface of water dropped into the polymer solution. By vaporization of the solvent a solid polymer film is formed on the water surface and can be removed. The driving force for the film formation mechanism is assumed by the reduction of the surface tension of water. Experiments verify this mechanism by increasing the film formation speed using a gas stream, by reducing the formation speed through lowering the surface tension by rinsing agents, and by lowering the solubility of the polymer. As expected, no effects are found by variation of the pH-value of water. Necessary conditions for the film formation process are: good solubility of the polar polymers in organic solvents having a high vapor pressure, complete phase separation, solution density higher than water density, and a surrounding gas phase unsaturated with solvent vapor.The thickness of the mechanically stable films is less than 0.5 m. The films are amorphous by microscopical, FT-IR, x-ray, and DTA investigations.     

The adsorption process of some acetic acid derivatives at the water/air interface

The adsorption of trifluoro-, trichloro-, tribromo-, and trimethylacetic acid at the water/air interface is discussed on the basis of surface tension measurements. The process of adsorption is described by Henry's and Langmuir's isotherm equations. The obtained results allow calculation of the standard free energy of adsorption of investigated molecules and the contribution to this energy of hydrophobic groups of these molecules.     

An absolute differential maximum bubble pressure surface tensiometer employing displaced capillaries

A modification of the differential maximum bubble pressure method for determining surface tensions is described. In this method, surface tension is calculated from the difference between maximum bubble pressures reached at capillaries of differing internal radii, vertically displaced by an amount calculated from the theory of Cuny and Wolf (1956) Ann Physik 17:57). The density dependence of the technique is eliminated and surface tension becomes a truly linear function of the differential maximum bubble pressure, which is easily measured. The absolute measuring technique is illustrated for equilibrium and dynamic surface tensions of a series of pure liquids and aqueous solutions.For dynamic measurements on surfactant solutions some important experimental considerations and limitations are described. In particular, a previously unrecognized source of error in estimating bubble surface ages is identified. It was found that the maximum bubble pressure for a large capillary does not immediately precede the detachment of the bubble, but occurs at one-third the overall bubble period. Thus, for large capillaries, subsequent to attaining the maximum bubble pressure, there exists a significant decay time in addition to the dead time. In general, surface ages corresponding to maximum pressure at small and large capillaries bubbling with the same period are not equal. This can lead to a large error in dynamic and equilibrium surface tensions of surfactant solutions. With suitable correction the technique is capable of measuring absolute surface tension, even for quite slowly equilibrating surfactant solutions.     

Stability of modified surface CaCO3 in the non-polar medium

The adsorption isotherm of methacrylic acid (MAA) and polymethacrylic acid (PMAA) molecules on CaCO₃ were studied. The isotherm of (MAA) adsorption from cyclohexane was found formed from two steps, while that of (PMAA) from ethanol is formed from one step. The effects of surface modification of CaO₃ with (MAA) and (PMAA) in the sedimentation properties in a non-polar medium (cyclohexane) have been studied. It was found that the most stable suspension formed is concerned with monolayer surface coverage for the two adsorptives. Also, studies were made for the rheological properties of concentrated suspension of CaCO₃ modified with (MAA) and (PMAA) in a paraffin oil. The equilibrium flow curves of CaCO₃ modified with (PMAA) suspensions exhibit pseudoplastic characteristics, accompanied by some degree of complex thixotropy, while that modified with (MAA) exerts a thickening effect with rheopexy characteristics.     

Miscibility of dodecyltrimethylammonium bromide and dodecyltrimethylammonium chloride in surface-adsorbed film and micelle

Surface tension of aqueous solutions of mixtures of dodecyltrimethylammonium bromide (DTAB) and dodecyltrimethylammonium chloride (DTAC) has been measured and analyzed by using thermodynamic relations. The adsorbed film has been found to contain more DTAB molecules than the solution. The shape formed by the curves of the total molality at constant surface tension against the solution and surface compositions indicates the ideal mixing of the DTAB and DTAC molecules in the adsorbed film. Micellar composition has been estimated at the critical micelle concentration (CMC). The micelles have been found to be richer in DTAB than the solution, but poorer in DTAB than the adsorbed film at the CMC. The DTAB and DTAC molecules have been shown to mix ideally in the micelles. From the comparison with the results on the system of decylammonium bromide and decylammonium chloride, it has been concluded that, on the mixing of surfactants differing only in counter ions, the adsorbed film is influenced more significantly by the ionic head group of the surfactant than the micelle.     

Molecular properties of acetone and some of its chloroderivatives adsorbed at the surface of water

The relations between the electric surface potential (V) and the surface tension () of aqueous solutions of acetone, chloroacetone, 1,3-dichloroacetone, and their concentration were investigated. The vertical components of dipole moments of the above mentioned compounds were determined using the Helmholtz equation. The calculations were carried out on the basis of surface excess values, which were obtained from surface tension measurements and surface potential changes. Once the vertical component of dipole moments were found and the orientation of adsorbed molecules was assumed, the local dielectric permittivities of the surface monolayer were estimated.     

Effect of polymerized silicic acid on mixed lipid-protein monolayers used as cell membrane models. I. Hemoglobin-stearoyl erythroceramide films

The effect of polysilicic acid on mixed monolayers of hemoglobin and stearoyl erythroceramide used as cell membrane models has been studied. The presence of the sphingolipid at the interface stabilizes the hemoglobin monolayer, hindering expulsion of its residues from the surface when the collapse pressure (ca. 23 mN/m) is reached. The interaction between the components of the mixed film results in non-additivity of their molecular areas to a degree depending on film composition and substrate pH. The presence of polysilicic acid in the substrate increases the miscibility of the components in the mixed monolayer as a result of ionic interaction between the silicic acid and the protein.     

Behavior of pure and mixed DPPC liposomes spread or adsorbed at the air-water interface

Liposomes from pure dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (DPPC) and mixed DPPC: distearoylphosphatidylcholine (DSPC): soybean lecithin (SL) prepared by the Bangham method with sonication were dispersed into solution or spread at the interface and the kinetics of the surface film formation was studied by measuring and recording the evolution of superficial tension, surface potential, and superficial (¹⁴C labeled) DPPC density.A simple theoretical approach can describe these kinetics by two processes: irreversible diffusion of closed vesicles into or from the bulk phase, and irrevers ible transformation of closed spherical vesicles into destroyed ones which form the surface film. Diffusion controls the phenomenon for small initial amounts of liposomes.Transformation controls the phenomenon for important initial amounts of liposomes. The kinetic constant of the transformation,K, does not depend on the technique used to form the surface film (spreading or adsorption).The equilibrium and rheological properties of surface films formed after liposome spreading are compared to those of monolayers     

Thermodynamic consideration on the interface formation of water and ethylene glycol isobutyl ether mixture

The interfacial tension of the binary two-phase mixture of water and ethylene glycol isobutyl ether (EIB) was measured as a function of temperature in the vicinity of the lower critical solution temperatureT _c under atmospheric pressure. The interfacial tension decreased with decreasing temperature and approached zero atT _c . The thermodynamic quantities of interface formation were evaluated by applying equations developed previously to the interfacial tension vs temperature curves. The results were compared with those of the water and diethylene glycol diethyl ether system examined previously, and the effect of the molecular structure of the ether molecule on its interfacial behavior was discussed. It was suggested that the hydration of the ethylene oxide groups of ether molecules was an important factor in the interface formation as well as in the mixing of component molecules of the systems investigated here.     

The action of indomethacin on neutral and positively charged monolayers

The penetration ability of indomethacin in neutral and positively charged monolayers has been studied. Neutral monolayers of cholesterol and dipalmitoyl phosphatidyl choline present a slight but significant increase of surface pressure. The presence of stearylamine in the films results in an increase of surface pressure due to an electrostatic effect between the carboxylic anion of indomethacin and the polar head group of the stearylamine. These values can afford a reference point to choose the best lipid composition of liposomes encapsulating indomethacin to avoid the drug causing leakage of liposomes.     

Effect of protein content on the surface activity and viscosity of emulsan

Emulsan, produced byAcinetobacter calcoaceticus RAG-1, consists of a lipoheteropolysaccharide-protein complex. The amount of protein in the complex depends on the purification procedure. Maximum hexadecane-in-water emulsifying activity of emulsan was obtained with preparations containing 8–16 % protein. Neither deproteinized preparations (apoemulsan) nor protein-rich preparations emulsified hexadecane-in-water; however, mixtures of these preparations (containing 10–15 % total protein) were potent emulsifiers.Emulsifying activity was also obtained with a mixture of apoemulsan and polysaccharide-free emulsan protein. The stimulatory role of protein in the activity of emulsan was also demonstrated by pronase treatment of the complex. The presence of protein in the complex was important for lowering interfacial tension between hexadecane and water. Apoemulsan solutions showed _i values of 30 mN/m whereas, emulsan containing more than 6% protein showed values of 13–15 mN/m. Viscosity studies showed that: (i) The higher the protein content in the complex, the lower its intrinsic viscosity, indicating that association of protein with the polysaccharide backbone results in less extended conformation; (ii) the complex appears to be stable between 30 ° and 80 °C; and (iii) mixtures of apoemulsan and emulsan had intrinsic viscosities close to the value predicted from addition of the weight-fraction contribution of the individual components. The synergistic emulsifying activity of emulsan mixtures is explained in terms of surface tension lowering by the protein component and formation of stable interfacial films by the high molecular weight polysaccharide component.Preliminary results of this work were presented at the 5th International Conference on Surface and Colloid Science, Potsdam, N.Y., June 1985.     

Reactivity of singlet oxygen generated by the photosensitization of tetraphenylporphyrin in liposomes

A hydrophobic porphyrin derivative, tetraphenylporphyrin (TPP), was used as a sensitizer, and an anionic dye, methyl orange (MO), was employed as a substrate of photooxidation. TPP was incorporated into the hydrophobic environment of phosphatidylcholine (PC) bilayer membranes, liposomes. When oxygen was purged out of the liposome suspension by nitrogen bubbling, the degradation of MO was completely inhibited. A specific superoxide scavenger, superoxide dismutase, had no effect on the MO degradation. The replacement of H₂O by D₂O resulted in a 10 times enhancement in the photodegradation of MO. These results suggested that singlet oxygen was generated by the TPP photosensitization and worked as the mediator of the photoreaction from TPP. Trisulphonated TPP,-phenyl-,, -tri(p-sulphonyl)porphyrin (TPPS), is soluble in aqueous solution. The light irradiation to an aqueous solution of TPPS gave rise to the rapid bleaching (decomposition) of the sensitizer itself. On the other hand, TPP in the hydrophobic environment of liposomes was stable during light irradiation and worked as a sensitizer for the continuous photoreaction. Maximum reactivity was observed at the PC/TPP mole ratio of 50. When TPP molecules were incorporated into liposomes at larger concentrations (PC/TPP<50), a part of the excitation energy of the sensitizer molecules was nonradiatively converted into the lattice energy by the resonance between the closely located TPP molecules. This led to lower efficiency for the photoactivation of oxygen. On the other hand, the increase in liposome concentration resulted in the enhancement of the MO binding to lipid membranes and the retardation of MO degradation. Also, the electrostatic attraction and repulsion between the membrane and the substrate influenced the reaction rate greatly. The oxidative degradations of the substrate by singlet oxygen were considered to be much faster in the polar environment than in the less polar environment. The charge transfer or the polarized transition complex of singulet oxygen and MO are presumed to be stabilized in the polar environment. The distribution of substrate between the less polar membrane surface and the polar bulk aqueous solution was another important factor in the photooxidation.     

Steric fitting of the spherical micelle size

A model was developed to explain the size of spherical micelles on the basis of steric effects. Here the electrostatic repulsion within polar heads is considered as a steric effect. The predictions of this model concerning micelle size; water penetration into the hydrocarbon micelle core; and the dependence of the aggregation number on temperature, electrolyte addition, hydrocarbon chain length, head group size, and counterion size agreed quite well with literature data.     

Nonideal mixing of 16-(9-anthroyloxy) palmitic acid and fatty acid in monolayer

The surface pressure-molecular area curve of the mixed monolayer of 16-(9-anthroyloxy) palmitic acid (16AP) and fatty acid (palmitic or stearic acids) showed various kink points which indicated the phase transitions of the monolayer. On the basis of the surface phase rule, the phase diagrams of the mixed monolayer were elucidated. The bifunctional molecule, 16AP, takes two orientations in a monolayer state, that is, horizontal and vertical ones. Horizontally oriented 16AP and vertically oriented fatty acid form a mixed monolayer but this exhibits deviation from the ideal mixing, which was interpreted in terms of the surface regular solution theory. On the other hand, the 16AP molecule in the vertical state was found to be immiscible with the fatty acid molecule in a monolayer de spite both molecules being vertical to the surface and parallel to each other. This was caused by the participation of the 9-anthroyloxy moiety of 16AP in the interaction of 16AP and fatty acid in the hydrophobic region of the monolayer.     

The dynamic contact angle I. Dependence of the receding contact angle on velocity in the surfactant-containing three-phase system

Spontaneous three-phase contact (tpc) motion is investigated in order to determine the dependence of the static contact angle on tpc velocity in surfactant-containing systems after recession. To interpret the experimental results, the molecular-kinetic sitechanging theory and the hydrodynamic theory were considered. It is shown that, especially at very high tpc velocities, the experimental results are not thoroughly described by these theories. The deviations are explained as a surfactant transfer from the liquid/gas to the solid/gas interface which, under insufficient afterdiffusion, leads to an increase in surface tension and to a changed surface rheology. This mechanism could be governed by a model.     

Estimation of surface free energies and hamaker constants for fibrous solids by wetting force measurements

Wetting force at three-phase line was measured by the Wilhelmy technique using fibrous solids/liquid/liquid systems. Advancing and receding contact angles were calculated from the wetting forces during fiber immersion and emersion. The obtained results showed that contact angle hysteresis was due to the heterogeneity of the fiber surfaces. The dispersive and polar components of surface free energies of the fibers were determined from the advancing and receding contact angles, respectively. The Hamaker constants of the fibers were estimated from the dispersive components of their surface free energies.     

The structure of adsorbed films of some aliphatic compounds at the water/air interface

Electric surface potential (V) and surface tension measurements of aqueous solutions of some aliphatic compounds were used to determine the surface activity, orientation of molecules at the water/air interface, effective dipole moments (connected with water molecules, hydrophilic and hydrophobic groups), and local dielectric permittivities of the surface layer.     

Conformational changes of polyglutamic acid adsorbed on cationic polystyrene as characterized by microelectrophoresis technique

Polypeptides (polyglutamic acid in sodium form) of three different polymerization degrees have been adsorbed on cationic polystyrene latex. The electrokinetic behavior of the complex PG/PS has been studied by microelectrophoretic mobility. The effect of ionic strength and pH on electrokinetic properties of the complex PG/PS have also been studied. It has been found that the appearance of maximum inu _e -logc curves is related to coverage degree of polystyrene surface and the polymerization degree of polypeptides chains. Likewise, the form of such curves depends markedly on pH. An attempt has been made to explain the data in terms of conformational changes of the adsorbed polypeptides chains.Presented at the NATO Advanced Study Institut on Polymer Colloid, Strasbourg (France), July 1988.     

The influence of nicotinamide on the adsorption equilibrium of aspirin at the aqueous solution-air interface

The coadsorption of aspirin and nicotinamide at the free water surface was investigated. The adsorption properties of investigated compounds are discussed on the basis of Gibb's equation and Temkin's isotherm.The effective dipole moment of aspirin and nicotinamide has been determined by the Helmholtz equation on the basis of surface excess values obtained from surface tension measurements, and surface potential changes. From the effective dipole moments the surface orientation of molecules in the adsorbed film was determined.