Effect of polyelectrolytes and polyelectrolyte mixtures on the electrokinetic potential of dispersed particles. 1. Electrokinetic potential of polystyrene particles in solutions of surfactants, polyelectrolytes and their mixtures

The effect of cationic and anionic surfactants, as well as cationic and anionic polyelectrolytes (PE), their binary mixtures on the electrokinetic potential of monodisperse carboxylated polystyrene (PS) particles as a function of the reagents dose, pH, the charge density (CD) of polymers, the surfactant/PE and binary PE mixture composition, and sequence of components addition to the suspension has been studied. It has been shown that addition of increasing amount of anionic surfactant/polyelectrolytes increases the absolute value of the negative zeta-potential of PS particles; this increase is stronger the CD of the PE and pH of the system are higher. Adsorption of cationic surfactant/polyelectrolytes leads to a significant decrease in the negative ζ-potential and to overcharging the particles; changes in the ζ-potential are more pronounced for PE samples with higher CD and for suspensions with lower pH values. In mixtures of cationic and anionic PE, in a wide range of mixture composition, the ζ-potential of particles is determined by the adsorbed amount of the anionic polymer independently of the CD of PEs and the sequence of addition of the mixture components. The isoelectric point of the surface is reached at the adsorbed amount of positive charges of PE that is approximately equal to the surface CD of particles. The laws observed were explained by features of macromolecules conformation in adsorbed mixed PE layers. Considerations about the role of coulombic and non-coulombic forces in the mechanism of anionic/cationic PE adsorption are presented.     

Electrokinetic potential of bentonite and kaolin particles in the presence of polymer mixtures

In order to elucidate the mechanisms of flocculation by polymer mixtures, the effect of adsorption of non-ionic poly(ethylene oxide) — PEO, two samples of strongly (SNF FO 4800) and medium charged (SNF FO 4350) cationic and two samples of medium (SNF AN 935) and weakly charged (SNF AN 905) anionic polyelectrolytes (PE) as well as their binary mixtures on the electrokinetic potential of bentonite and kaolin particles has been studied. It is shown that in the presence of PEO-anionic/cationic polymer mixture, the electrokinetic potential of particles is determined by the adsorption of the polyelectrolyte; neither cationic nor anionic segments can be displaced by the non-ionic polymer. In mixtures of cationic and anionic polyelectrolytes, the ζ-potential of particles is determined by the adsorbed amount of anionic polymer independently of the charge density of PE and way of addition of the mixture components to the suspension, i.e. (1) first adding the cationic polymer, then the anionic one, or (2) first adding the anionic polymer then the cationic one, or (3) adding an increasing amount of pre-prepared 1: 1 mixture. The highest absolute ζ-potential values are observed for pH 7.5 when the surface of bentonite or kaolin particles is “purely” negatively charged and the anionic PE layer is most extended because of few contacts to the surface. With decreasing the pH, the (negative) ζ-potential of particles decreases due to appearance of a small amount of positive charges on the surface that bond an increasing amount of negative segments and results in shrinking of the adsorbed layer of the anionic PE. It is shown also that the electrokinetic potential of particles in anionic and cationic PE mixtures at all studied pH (4, 5, and 7.5) depends on the spatial distribution of negatively charged segments near the surface. The regularities observed are explained by formation of long loops and tails of anionic segments on the surface because of the small number of contacts to the surface; the cationic polyelectrolyte forms on the surface a thin layer with a big number of contacts and which is hidden behind the more extended anionic polymer layer.     

Force measurements between Teflon AF and colloidal silica particles in electrolyte solutions

The interaction force between a very hydrophobic polymer surface and colloidal silica particles with a roughness of 10–15 nm has been measured in aqueous solutions of KOH and KCl using an atomic force microscope. The interaction can be described according to the DLVO theory by an electrical double-layer force that is repulsive at long distances and attractive at short distances and an attractive van der Waals force. The electrical double-layer potentials are compared to the zeta potentials of Teflon AF and the silica spheres. The roughness of the silica particles leads to an underestimation of the short-range attraction and the surface potential. Both KCl and KOH solutions affect the potential of the interacting surfaces. OH⁻ ions that adsorb preferentially to the Teflon AF surface create higher potentials than Cl⁻ ions. Range and strength of the attractive interaction are not affected by KCl solutions but reduced by addition of KOH. This can be explained by decreasing potential differences between the silica sphere and Teflon AF with increasing KOH concentration. In addition, the preferential adsorption of OH⁻ ions may lead to a reduction of the van der Waals interaction. The presence of nanobubbles, too, might play a role.     

Effect of nonionogenic water-soluble polymers on the electrokinetic potential of colloid particles

Theoretical and Experimental Chemistry -     

Infrared study of the interaction of charged silica particles with TiO2 particles containing adsorbed cationic and anionic polyelectrolytes

Attenuated total reflection-Fourier transform infrared (ATR-FTIR) spectroscopy was used to study the adsorption of charged silica particles onto TiO(2) particles coated with anionic sodium polyacrylate (NaPA) or cationic poly(diallyldimethylammonium) chloride (PDADMAC). To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time that IR spectroscopy has been used to study the interaction of a polymer layer on one particle with a second different particle. The results show that, once adsorbed on the TiO(2) particle, the PDADMAC or the NaPA does not transfer to the silica particles. In the case of NaPA coated TiO(2), positively charged silica particles deposit on the TiO(2) and this is accompanied by a change in the relative intensities of the bands due to COOH and COO(-) groups. From this change in band intensity, it is calculated that only approximately 6% of the COO(-) groups located in the loops and tails bind to the silica particle. This shows that the polymer bridges the two particles through an electrostatic interaction with the outer COO(-) groups. Similarly, in the case of the TiO(2) particles coated with PDADMAC, negatively charged silica deposits on the TiO(2) and this is accompanied by an increase in intensity of the symmetric bending mode of the (+)N(CH(3))(3) group. This change in band intensity arises from the binding of these cationic sites of the polymer to the negative surface sites on the silica.     

Effect of electrolyte in silicone oil-in-water emulsions stabilised by fumed silica particles

Partially hydrophobised fumed silica particles are used to make silicone oil-in-water emulsions at natural pH of the aqueous phase. The stability and rheological properties of the emulsions and suspensions are studied at NaCl concentrations in the range 0-100 mM. It is found that all emulsions are very stable to coalescence irrespective of the NaCl concentration. However, a strong effect of electrolyte on the creaming and rheological properties is observed and linked to the particle interactions in aqueous suspensions. The creaming rate and extent are large at low electrolyte concentrations but both abruptly decrease at salt concentrations exceeding the critical flocculation concentration of the suspension (approximately 1 mM NaCl). The drastic improvement of the stability to creaming is attributed to the formation of a visco-elastic three-dimensional network of interconnected particles and emulsion droplets.     

Determination of the electrokinetic potential of dispersed and macromolecular colloids by means of streaming potential measurements. II.

A principle for determining the electrokinetic potential, based on the measurement of the streaming potential has been developed for the investigation of dispersions of low concentration (10–100 ppm) and ultrafiltrable macromolecular solutions. An ultrafiltration apparatus operating with a permanent pressure difference was constructed, in which the streaming potential E produced on the filter layer and the filtration rate W were measured simultaneously on an XY recorder. The so-called apparent electrokinetic potential was calculated from the axial intercept E_∞ obtained by the extrapolation of the E vs. W curves. It was pointed out that the filtration mechanism which depended on the relation between the pore size of the filter and the dispersity of the colloid played a basic role in the e.k.p. measurement mentioned above.Simultaneously with our method comparative measurements were carried out on Nabentonite by electrophoresis. The difference between the electrokinetic potential data obtained by the two different methods was considered to be a consequence of the surface conductivity of the particles. On the basis of our investigations performed on agar solutions it is expected that the electrokinetic potential measuring method based on ultrafiltration is suitable for the investigation of macromolecular colloid solutions.     

Effective interaction of charged particles in electrolyte solutions. III. Influence of the ionic subsystem of the electrolyte on potential of the mean force of interaction

Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Academy of Sciences of the USSR, Siberian Branch. Translated from Zhurnal Strukturnoi Khimii, Vol. 29, No. 5, pp. 95–101, September–October, 1988.     

Formation of surfactant and polyelectrolyte gel particles in aqueous solutions

Mixing of oppositely charged surfactants and polyelectrolytes in aqueous solutions can lead to associative phase separation, where the concentrated phase assumes the form of a viscous liquid, gel, or precipitate. This phenomenon can lead to the formation of gel-like particles whose size and polydispersity can be controlled. Here we present phase behavior and structural studies of gel-like particles formed by mixing drops of N,N,N-trimethylammonium derivatized hydroxyethyl cellulose (JR-400) polyelectrolyte solution with oppositely charged anionic and catanionic surfactant solutions composed of sodium perfluorooctanoate (FC₇) and cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB). Gel formation apparently occurs due to the collapse of the polyelectrolyte chains upon the adsorption of surfactant. This process results in the release of simple ions and water, and yields dense gel-like beads. The diameter of these beads ranges approximately from 200 to 4000 μm. Both the effects of solution composition and the method of preparation are studied by optical and confocal microscopy, and are linked to the structure and stability of the bead. Our observations suggest that the structure of the resulting particles is governed by the solution composition and the method of preparation, while the particle stability is governed by phase behavior alone.     

Investigation of the electrokinetic properties of paraffin suspension. 1. In inorganic electrolyte solutions

Although electrical properties of nonionogenic hydrophobic surface (solid or liquid) in water and/or electrolyte solutions have been studied for many decades, they are still not well recognized, especially as for the nature of the charge and potential origin. Similarly, water structure at such a surface is still extensively studied. One such system is paraffin wax/water (electrolyte). The zeta potentials and the particle diameters of this system were investigated in this paper. To obtain the suspension of paraffin in water or electrolyte solution (NaCl or LaCl3), the mixture was heated to ca. 70 degrees C and then stirred during cooling. For thus obtained suspensions, the zeta potential was determined as a function of time at 20 degrees C. Also the pH effect on the zeta potentials was investigated. The zeta potentials were calculated from Henry's equation. The results obtained by us are in agreement with those obtained earlier by others. They confirm that although H+/OH- are not surface charge creating ions, OH- ions to some extent are zeta potential determining for the paraffin surface. By use of the potentials and diameters, the electric charge for a spherical particle in the shear plane was calculated. These values are small in the range of 10(-3) C/m2. On the basis of the findings of water structure near hydrophobic surface and the calculated charges, it is concluded that in fact the potential may be created by immobilized and oriented water dipoles.     

Electrophoresis of progesterone particles dispersed in carbohydrate and nonelectrolyte solutions

Electrophoretic mobilities of progesterone particles dispersed in aqueous solutions of D-glucose and urea (concentration range 0.1 to 1 mM) have been measured in order to investigate the electrical properties of the interface. Zeta potentials have been determined for this purpose. The dependence of Zeta potentials on concentration has also been examined. Theory of the electrical double layer has been used to explain the results.     

Electrokinetic effect of the bottom surface of a vessel on pearl-chain formation of silica particles

We have tackled in situ electric conductance measurements under microscopic observations for alignments of silica particles that are induced by ionic polarization of the electrical double layer (EDL) around the particles. Using the in situ conductance measurements, we have presented evidence that electro-osmotic flow at a vessel bottom/water interface would be coupled with the ionic polarization in the EDL of spherical silica particles settling at the bottom (Langmuir 2007, 23, 8797). In this study, we followed this phenomenon further. We altered the zeta potential of a platform of a glass plate on which a pearl chain of silica particles was formed under an ac electric field to control the mobility of electro-osmotic flow at the macroscopic interface of the platform/water. As the magnitude of the zeta potential of the platform increased, the surface distance between neighboring particles in the pearl chains decreased and the in situ conductance totally increased due to the enhancement of the dipole moments induced by the ionic polarizations of the particles. These results could be explained by considering that the electro-osmotic contribution to the surface conduction around the particles would be coupled with that occurring at the platform/water interface.     

NMR data on surface solvation of dispersed silica particles in frozen aqueous suspension

Liquid phase freezing-out combination with relaxation measurements was used for studying the surface solvation of dispersed silica particles. The structure of water-dimethyl sulfoxide complexes near the surface was obtained by measuring the temperature-dependent cross relaxation time of water protons.     

Surface interactions during polyelectrolyte multilayer buildup. 1. Interactions and layer structure in dilute electrolyte solutions

We report the investigation of surface forces between polyelectrolyte multilayers of poly(allylamine hydrochloride) (PAH) and poly(styrenesulfonate sodium salt) (PSS) assembled on mica surfaces during film buildup using a surface force apparatus. Up to four polyelectrolyte layers were prepared on each surface ex situ, and the surface interactions were measured in 10(-4) M KBr solutions. The film thickness under high compressive loads (above 2000 microN/m) increased linearly with the number of deposited layers. In all cases, the interaction between identical surfaces at large separations (>100 A from contact) was dominated by electrostatic double-layer repulsion. By fitting DLVO theory to the experimental force curves, the apparent double-layer potential of the interacting surfaces was calculated. At shorter separations, an additional non-DLVO repulsion was present due to polyelectrolyte chains extending some distance from the surface into solution, thus generating an electrosteric type of repulsion. Forces between dissimilar multilayers (i.e., one of the multilayers terminated with PSS and the other with PAH) were attractive at large separations (30-400 A) owing to a combination of electrostatic attraction and polyelectrolyte bridging.     

Counterion localization in solutions of starlike polyelectrolytes and colloidal polyelectrolyte brushes: a self-consistent field theory

A quantitative analysis of the distribution of counterions in salt-free solutions of colloidal polyelectrolyte brushes and starlike polyelectrolytes is performed on the level of the Poisson-Boltzmann approximation. Exact numerical solutions are obtained for starlike polyelectrolyte molecules composed of f = 20, . . ., 50 arms with a fixed fractional charge alpha per segment by applying the self-consistent field method of Scheutjens and Fleer (SF-SCF). The Wigner-Seitz cell dimension defines the concentration of polyelectrolyte stars in the system. The numerical results are compared to predictions of an analytical mean field theory and related to experimental observations on the osmotic pressure in solutions of starlike polyelectrolytes and colloidal polyelectrolyte brushes.     

Electrokinetic studies on testosterone/aqueous electrolyte interface : Part 1. Electro-osmosis,electrophoresis, streaming potential and streaming current

The electrical properties of testosterone interfaces were investigated. For this purpose, measurements of electro-osmosis, hydrodynamic permeation, streaming potential and streaming currents of metabolically important solutions of the electrolytes NaCl, KCl and MgCl₂ (in the concentration range 10^?4?10^?3 mol/l) across a testosterone plug were carried out. Electrophoretic mobility of testosterone particles suspended in these electrolyte solutions was also studied. The data were analysed from the viewpoint of nonequilibrium thermodynamics. Phenomenological coefficients were evaluated from the linear transport equations and Saxen's relationship was verified. Dependence of phenomenological coefficients on electrolyte concentration was examined. Electro-osmotic and electrophoretic transport coefficients were found to vary linearly with concentration, whereas hydrodynamic permeation and membrane conductance coefficients show non-linear variation. The results are explained on the basis of structural modifications occurring during the passage of the permeating species through the membrane. The nature of the electrical double layer formed at the testosterone/solution interface was ascertained on the basis of the direction of electro-osmotic permeation and electrophoretic migration of testosterone particles.Zeta potentials were estimated in order to obtain a plausible picture of the electrical double layer at the testosterone/solution interfaces. Dependence of zeta potentials on concentration was examined and membrane parameters calculated. The double layer thickness was estimated, which reveals that the diffuse double layer is more compact in the case of MgCl₂ than in that of KCl.     

Adsorption of a cationic surfactant, miramistin, from aqueous solutions on the surface of highly dispersed silica

The adsorption of a universal antiseptic agent, the cationic surfactant miramistin, on the surface of highly dispersed silica has been studied. It has been shown that, when miramistin is adsorbed from acidic premicellar solutions, the main contribution to miramistin binding with the surface is made by hydrogen bonding between amide groups of surfactant molecules and silanol groups of silica, which is, at higher pH values, accompanied by ionic interaction between positively charged quaternary nitrogen atoms of miramistin and negatively charged dissociated silanol groups. In the case of adsorption from a micellar solution, an increase in the surface concentration of miramistin is almost independent of solution pH, because the second layer is predominantly formed due to hydrophobic interactions.     

Effects of trace water on charging of silica particles dispersed in a nonpolar medium

This paper presents an investigation of the effects of trace water on the charging of silica (SiO(2)) particles dispersed in a nonpolar medium. There are a growing number of applications that seek to use electrostatic effects in apolar media to control particle movement and aggregation stability in such systems. One factor that is often overlooked in the preparation of nonpolar colloidal dispersions is the amount of water that is introduced to the system by hygroscopic particles and surfactants. The amount and location of this water can have significant effects on the electrical properties of these systems. For nonpolar surfactant solutions it has been shown that water can affect the conductivity, and it has been speculated that this is due to swelling of the polar cores of inverse micelles, increasing the fraction of them that are charged. Some studies have suggested that particle surface charging may also be sensitive to water content, but a clear mechanism for the process has not been fully developed. The situation with particles is further complicated by the fact that it is often unclear whether the water resides on the particle surfaces or in the polar cores of inverse micelles. The current work explores not only the effect of water content on reverse micelle and particle charging but seeks to differentiate between water bound to the particles and water located in the micelles. This is accomplished by measuring the solution conductivity and the electrophoretic mobility of silicon dioxide particles dispersed in solutions of Isopar-L and OLOA 11000. The water content is determined for both the dispersion and the supernatant after centrifuging the particles out. It is found that at equilibrium the majority of the water in the system adsorbs to the surface of the hygroscopic silica particles. In addition, the effect of water on particle electrophoretic mobility is found to be dependent on surfactant concentration. At small OLOA concentrations, additional water results in an increase in particle mobility due to increased particle charging. However, at large OLOA concentrations, additional water leads to a decrease in particle mobility, presumably as a result of increased electrostatic screening or neutralization. Thus, particle charging and electrophoretic mobility in an apolar surfactant solution are found to be highly sensitive to both the total water content in the system and to its concentration relative to the amount of surfactant present.     

Adsorption of atrazine from aqueous electrolyte solutions on humic acid and silica

The adsorption of, the still widely used, herbicide atrazine on model soil components, such as humic acid and humic acid-silica gel mixtures, was investigated in a series of batch experiments, under different experimental conditions (ionic strength, temperature, and pH). The investigation aimed at obtaining an estimate of the contribution of each of the soil components on the adsorption of atrazine from aqueous solutions. The kinetics of atrazine adsorption on humic acid showed two steps: a fast step, of a few hours duration, and a second slow step, which continued for weeks. The kinetics of adsorption data gave a satisfactory fit to the Elovich equation. Τhe adsorption of atrazine on the test substrates was found to be reversible in all cases. The atrazine uptake data on the test substrates were fitted best with the Freundlich adsorption isotherm. The ionic strength of the atrazine aqueous solutions did affect the amount of the atrazine adsorbed on the test substrates, suggesting that electrostatic forces between atrazine molecules and soil play a significant role in the adsorption process. An increase of temperature resulted in a decrease of atrazine adsorption on humic acid at low atrazine equilibrium concentrations. However, for higher levels of equilibrium concentrations (≥3 mg/L) the amount of atrazine adsorbed onto the test substrate increased as temperature increased. The calculated isosteric enthalpies of adsorption ranged between slightly exothermic at low atrazine uptake and slightly endothermic at high atrazine uptake, all values being in the range of physisorption.