Interaction between lysozyme and mixtures of cationic-anionic surfactants decyltriethylammonium bromide-sodium decylsulfonate

The interaction of lysozyme with the mixtures of cationic-anionic surfactants decyltriethylammonium bromide-sodium decylsulfonate (C10NE-C10SO3) was investigated by turbidity, circular dichroism (CD) and lysozyme activity assay. At pH 3.0, the mixtures of C10NE-C10SO3 formed precipitates with lysozyme at a wide range around the equal molar ratio of C10NE to C10SO3. Homogeneous solutions were formed when the mixtures of C10NE-C10SO3 were far from equimolar. CD and lysozyme activity assay showed that lysozyme was in different state in the C10SO3-rich and C10NE-rich mixtures of C10NE-C10SO3. Lysozyme structure changed in C10SO3-rich C10NE-C10SO3 mixtures, while was almost kept in native state in C10NE-rich ones.     

Interaction between bovine serum albumin and equimolarly mixed cationic-anionic surfactants decyltriethylammonium bromide-sodium decyl sulfonate

The interactions of bovine serum albumin (BSA) with the anionic surfactant sodium decylsulfonate (C10SO3), the cationic surfactant decyltriethylammonium bromide (C10NE) and equimolarly mixed cationic-anionic surfactants C10NE-C10SO3 were investigated by surface tension, viscosity, dynamic light scattering (DLS) and circular dichroism (CD). It was shown that the single ionic surfactant C10SO3 or C10NE has obvious interaction with BSA. The presence of C10SO3 or C10NE modified BSA structure. However, the equimolarly mixed cationic-anionic surfactants C10NE-C10SO3 showed very weak interactions with BSA. The surface tension-log concentration (gamma-logC) plot for the aqueous solutions of C10NE-C10SO3/BSA mixtures coincided with that of C10NE-C10SO3 solutions. Viscometry showed that there is no significant change in the rheological properties for the C10NE-C10SO3/BSA mixed solutions. DLS showed that BSA monomers and mixed aggregates of C10NE-C10SO3 existed in the C10NE-C10SO3/BSA mixed solutions. From CD spectra no obvious modification of BSA structure in the presence of C10NE-C10SO3 mixtures was observed. The weak interactions between BSA and C10NE-C10SO3 might be explained in terms of the very low critical micelle concentration (cmc) of C10NE-C10SO3 mixtures that made the concentration of ionic surfactant monomers much lower than that needed for inducing the modification of BSA structure. In other words, the very strong synergism between oppositely charged cationic and anionic surfactants makes the formation of cationic-anionic surfactant mixed aggregates in the bulk solution a more favorable process than binding to proteins.     

全氟丁基磺酸钠与辛基三乙基溴化铵的相互作用

通过测定辛基三乙基溴化铵(C8H17N(CH2CH3)3Br,C8NE)与全氟丁基磺酸钠(C4F9SO3Na,C4F)组成的不同混合比的碳氢-碳氟正负离子表面活性剂混合体系的表面张力,得到不同摩尔比时C8NEC4F体系的临界胶束浓度(cmc)、cmc处的表面张力(γcmc)、总饱和吸附量、不同表面张力时表面吸附层的组成,利用Gibbs-Duhem方程求得cmc处的胶团组成。 采用规则溶液理论计算了胶团中分子间相互作用参数(βm),并求得cmc以上的胶团组成。 实验表明,C8NEC4F复配体系的cmc远远小于单体系的cmc,这也体现在该体系的βm负值很大,胶团内分子相互作用很强。 但是C4F与C8NE复配后γcmc较C4F单体系的变化幅度不是特别大(γcmc降低2~4 mN/m),这是由于C8NEC4F碳链的不对称性导致部分C8NE的碳链在溶液表面弯曲而覆盖了C4F端基CF3基团。 表面吸附层中氟表面活性剂相对于本体溶液是富集的,即使对于C8NE大大过量的体系,表面吸附层组成也在等摩尔附近;对于C4F过量的体系,C4F在表面吸附层中的比例比溶液中的略高。 随着表面张力的降低,表面吸附层的组成相对更偏向于氟表面活性剂。 cmc处的胶团组成随着体系中C4F含量的增大偏向于形成显著富含C4F的胶团,对于C8NE大大过量的体系,胶团组成接近等摩尔。 cmc之后的胶团组成接近等摩尔,主要归因于此时静电相互作用占主导,这和溶液配制过程中发现复配体系超过cmc一定浓度后就易生成沉淀的现象是相符的。     

Effect of cationic surfactants on the interaction between sodium perfluorooctanoate and beta-lactoglobulin

The interaction between the fluorocarbon surfactant, sodium perfluorooctanoate (SPFO), and beta-lactoglobulin (BLG) was studied. In particular, the effects of cationic surfactants, such as alkyltriethylammonium bromide (C(n)NE, n=8, 10, 12), on SPFO-BLG interaction were examined. It was shown that the anionic fluorocarbon surfactant, SPFO, was a strong denaturant of BLG. The ability of SPFO to denature BLG could be weakened by the addition of C(n)NE. The effect of C(n)NE on SPFO-BLG interaction was related to the hydrocarbon chain length of C(n)NE, and also the molar ratio of the added C(n)NE to the SPFO in SPFO-BLG solutions ([C(n)NE]/[SPFO]). Our findings might provide a way to design surfactant systems that are less denaturing to proteins or tailor the ability of surfactant to denature proteins through the appropriate mixing with other surfactants.     

聚氧乙烯与非等摩尔正负离子表面活性剂混合体系的相互作用

通过黏度、动态光散射和透射电镜方法研究了聚氧乙烯(PEO)对正负离子混合表面活性剂癸基磺酸钠(C₁₀SO₃)-癸基三乙基溴化铵(C₁₀NE)聚集体的影响. 实验结果表明, 加入PEO后, 非等摩尔C₁₀SO₃-C₁₀NE混合物的聚集体大小没有明显改变, 只有等摩尔混合物的聚集体发生了明显的长大, 且仍为囊泡, 说明PEO只对囊泡体系有显著的影响, 对胶团体系则没有明显的影响. 在接近等摩尔混合时, 混合体系中C₁₀SO₃与C₁₀NE过量程度相同的情况下, PEO对C₁₀NE过量的体系影响更大. PEO对囊泡体系的影响主要表现为PEO通过对囊泡的“空缺絮凝”作用(Depletion interaction)使囊泡长大, 而对于非等摩尔混合的胶团溶液, 由于胶团之间存在较强的静电排斥作用而无法发生聚集. PEO对C₁₀NE过量的体系影响更大, 主要是由于C10NE过量体系中的聚集体比C10SO3过量体系中的更接近于等摩尔组成.     

全氟壬烯氧基苯磺酸钠与烷基季铵盐的相互作用

通过六氟丙烯三聚体(全氟壬烯)氧基苯磺酸钠(C₉F₁₇OC₆H₄SO₃Na, OBS)与阳离子碳氢表面活性剂C_nNR[C_nH_2n+1N(CH₃)₃Br, C_nNM, n=8, 10和C_nH_2n+1N(CH₂CH₃)₃Br, C_nNE, n=8, 10, 12]复配, 研究了OBS与C_nNR的摩尔比、 C_nNR疏水链长及C_nNR亲水基团大小对此类阴、 阳离子碳氟-碳氢表面活性剂混合体系的临界胶束浓度(cmc)、 最低表面张力(γ_cmc)、 总饱和吸附量(Γ_tm)及极限分子面积(A_min)的影响. 结果表明, 通过与C_nNR复配, OBS的cmc和γ_cmc均大幅下降, 达到了全面增效的结果. 不同摩尔比的OBS-C₈NE混合体系中, 摩尔比为1:1时表面活性最好, cmc和γ_cmc均最小; 偏离等摩尔比时, OBS过量时混合体系的cmc小于C₈NE过量时混合体系的cmc, 但γ_cmc相差不大. 与单体系相比, OBS-C₈NE混合体系的Γ_tm明显增大、 A_min明显变小. OBS与不同疏水链长的C_nNE复配时, cmc的变化规律为C₈NE>C₁₀NE>C₁₂NE, 表明C_nNE疏水链长的增加能降低混合体系的cmc. 通过比较C_nNM和C_nNE(n=8, 10)的表面活性发现, 改变混合体系中C_nNR的亲水基团大小对混合体系的表面活性无明显影响.     

Microstructures of Aqueous Two‐Phase Systems Formed by Mixture of Polymer and Cationic‐Anionic Surfactants

Microstructure and phase behavior of decyltriethylammonium bromide (C₁₀NE)/sodium decylsulfonate (C₁₀SO₃)/poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO)/water quaternary systems were studied by freeze‐fracture transmission electron microscopy, small angle X‐ray diffraction, and dynamic light scattering methods. Aqueous two‐phase systems (ATPS) could be prepared by properly mixing the aqueous solution of PEO and equimolar mixed C₁₀NE and C₁₀SO₃. It was shown that the top phase of the ATPS was surfactant‐enriched and mainly composed of multi‐lamellar structure, while the bottom phase of the ATPS was polymer‐enriched in which some vesicles were observed.     

Surfactant diffusion through bicontinuous micellar networks: a case study of the C9G1/C10G1/H2O mixed surfactant system

Self-diffusion coefficients were obtained by means of NMR diffusometry for differing ratios of n-decyl-beta-D-glucopyranoside (C10G1) and n-nonyl-beta-D-glucopyranoside (C9G1) surfactant mixtures, along dilution lines through the micellar region of the ternary C9G1/C10G1/H2O phase diagram. Networks of bicontinuous micelles have been suggested to exist throughout the micellar regions of the phase diagram. A phase separation into two coexisting liquid solutions is observed in the dilute, C10G1-rich regions of the phase diagram. The fact that the dilution curves follow scaling relations pertaining to surfactant diffusion in a network for mixtures rich in C10G1 indicates that the phase separation is due to differences in the networks in different micellar regions of the phase diagram; networks remain largely intact despite dilution down to the phase separation in the C10G1-rich region, whereas networks with scissions are predicted to exist in the C9G1-rich regions of the micellar phase.     

NMR studies on selectivity of beta-cyclodextrin to fluorinated/hydrogenated surfactant mixtures

The interactions between beta-cyclodextrin (beta-CD) and the equimolar/nonequimolar mixtures of sodium perfluorooctanoate (C(7)F(15)COONa, SPFO) and sodium alkyl sulfate (C(n)H(2n+1)SO(4)Na, C(n)SO(4), n = 8, 10, 12) were investigated by 1H and 19F NMR. It showed that beta-CD preferentially included the fluorinated surfactant when exposed to mixtures of hydrogenated (C(n)SO(4)) and fluorinated (SPFO) surfactants, notwithstanding whether the hydrogenated surfactant C(n)SO(4) was more or less hydrophobic than the SPFO. Such preferential inclusion of the fluorinated surfactant continued to a certain concentration of beta-CD at which time the C(n)SO(4) was then observed to be included. The longer the hydrocarbon chain of C(n)SO(4) the lower the concentration of beta-CD at which the hydrogenated surfactants began to show inclusion. The inclusion process can be qualitatively divided into three stages: first, formation of 1:1 beta-CD/SPFO complexes; second, formation of 1:1 beta-CD/C(n)SO(4) complexes; and finally, formation of 2:1 beta-CD/SPFO complexes upon further increase of beta-CD concentration. In the concentration range studied, during the last stage of inclusion both 2:1 beta-CD/C(12)SO(4) and 2:1 beta-CD/SPFO complexes appear to be simultaneously formed in the system of beta-CD/SPFO/C(12)SO(4) but not in either the systems of beta-CD/SPFO/C(8)SO(4) or beta-CD/SPFO/C(10)SO(4). The selective inclusion of the shorter fluorocarbon chain surfactant might be attributed to the greater rigidity and size of the fluorocarbon chains, compared to those of the hydrocarbon chains, which provide for a tighter fit and better interaction between the host and guest. This latter effect appears to dominate the increase in hydrophobic character as the carbon chain length increases in the hydrogenated series.     

外加盐作用形成的正负离子表面活性剂双水相

癸基三乙基溴化铵-癸基磺酸钠（C10NE-C10SO3）等摩尔混合均相体系（即使在表面活性剂总浓度高达0.2 mol•L－1时仍然可形成稳定的均相溶液）在外加盐NaF、Na2SO4和Na3PO4的作用下可自发分离成两个水相（双水相）.研究了该类双水相体系的形成、相行为及其对牛血清蛋白（BSA）的分配，并与普通的正负离子表面活性剂混合双水相体系进行了比较.结果表明，该类双水相体系克服了普通的正负离子表面活性剂混合双水相体系的一些不足，具有一些独特的优点.该类双水相体系的相行为可以通过外加盐进行调控,通过外加盐的种类来调控和优化BSA的分配行为.图1表2参8     

Spectroscopic and Calorimetric Study of 2,2′-Dibipyridin Cu(II) Chloride Binding to Bovine β-Lactoglobulin

The interaction between β-lactoglobulin (BLG) and a newly synthesized Cu(II) complex (2,2′-dibipyridin Cu(II) chloride) was investigated by fluorescence spectroscopy, circular dichroism (CD) and isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC) at temperatures of 27 and 37 °C. The measured heat values of the BLG–Cu(II) complex interaction are reported and analyzed in terms of our previous extended solvation theory for calculating the binding and thermodynamic parameters for the interaction. The Cu(II) complex has a strong ability to quench the intrinsic fluorescence of BLG, to change the microenvironment of tryptophan residues, and to alter the tertiary structure of the protein. Far UV–CD results showed that the complex does not induce any significant changes in the secondary structure of BLG. However, binding of the Cu(II) complex to BLG leads to a significant change in the tertiary structure of BLG, increasing its hydrophobicity and inducing a partial unfolding. This agrees well with ITC data suggesting destabilization of the protein. This finding opens up a way to predict protein destabilization caused by ligand binding, using the extended solvation theory previously proposed.     

Dynamics of solvent and rotational relaxation of Coumarin 153 in a room temperature ionic liquid, 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium octyl sulfate, forming micellar structure

The solvent and rotational relaxation of Coumarin 153 (C-153) was investigated by picosecond time-resolved fluorescence spectroscopy in a room temperature ionic liquid (RTIL), 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium octyl sulfate ([C4mim][C8SO4]). This is a typical RTIL, which form micellar structure above certain concentration of the RTIL (0.031 M). Dynamic light scattering (DLS) measurements show that the average hydrodynamic diameter ( Dh) of a [C4mim][C8SO4]-water micelle is 2.8 (+/-0.2) nm. Both the solvent and rotational relaxation of C-153 are retarded in this micelle compared to the solvation time of a similar type of dye in neat water. However, the solvent relaxation in this ionic liquid surfactant is different from that of a conventional ionic surfactant. The slow component of the solvation dynamics in C8H17SO4Na or TX-100 micelle is on the nanoseconds time scale, whereas in [C4mim][C8SO4] micelle the same component is on the subnanoseconds time scale. The different molecular motions with different time scale is the main reason behind this difference in the solvation time in micelles composed of RTIL with other conventional micelles.     

Aggregation behavior of a series of anionic sulfonate gemini surfactants and their corresponding monomeric surfactant

A series of anionic sulfonate gemini surfactants with the general structure of [(Cn H2n+1)(C3H6SO(-)3) NCsN(C3H6SO(-)3)(CnH2n+1)].2Na+ have been synthesized. While the spacer group Cs represents p-xylyl or (CH2)3, the surfactants are abbreviated as CnCpxCn(SO3)2 (n=8,10,12) or C12C3C12(SO3)2(n=12), respectively. A corresponding monomeric surfactant C12H25N(CH3)(C3H6SO(-)3).Na+(C12NSO3) has also been prepared. The aggregation behavior of these surfactants has been studied at pH 9.2 and ionic strength of 30 mM. The gemini surfactants exhibit stronger aggregation tendencies and much less endothermic enthalpy changes of micellization (DeltaH mic) compared with the monomeric surfactant. The critical micelle concentrations (CMC) of the gemini surfactants decrease with the increase of the hydrophobic chain length from C8CpxC8(SO3)2 to C10CpxC10(SO3)2, but the CMC values of C10CpxC10(SO3)2 and C12CpxC12(SO3)2 are very close. The DeltaH mic values vary from endothermic for C8CpxC8(SO3)2 to almost zero for C12CpxC12(SO3)2. Besides, vesicles are observed above the CMC for all these surfactants. The water-mediated intermolecular hydrogen bonding between the tertiary nitrogen groups may assist C12NSO3 and C12C3C12(SO3)2 in their vesicle formation, while the pi-pi interaction between aromatic rings should be another additional driving force for the vesicle formation of CnCpxCn(SO3)2. Meanwhile, the hydrogen bonding, pi-pi interaction, and strong hydrophobic interaction provide the possibility of a multilayer formation for C12CpxC12(SO3)2 and C12C3C12(SO3)2 at the air/water interface, which is a possible reason for the extremely small minimum area occupied per surfactant molecule at the air/water interface for these two gemini surfactants.     

Cytotoxic and spectroscopic studies on binding of a new synthesized bipyridine ethyl dithiocarbamate Pt(II) nitrate complex to the milk carrier protein of BLG

In the present investigation, we have decided to study the interaction between the bovine whey carrier protein of β-lactoglobulin (BLG) with a newly synthesized Pt(II) complex (bipyridine ethyl dithiocarbamate Pt(II) nitrate), as an anti-cancer compound using fluorescence and circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopic methods at two different temperatures of 25 and 37 °C. Also, cytotoxicity and apoptotic activity of this complex have studied against cancer model cell line of K562. Results of intrinsic fluorescence of BLG represent that Pt(II) complex has strong ability to quench the intrinsic fluorescence of protein through dynamic quenching procedure. The values of binding constant (0.21 and 0.27 μM^?1 at 25 and 37 °C, respectively) and number of binding site calculated according to the quenching methods at different temperatures. Also, thermodynamic parameters data suggested that hydrophobic interaction plays a major role in the interaction of complex with BLG. In addition, far-UV-CD results show that Pt(II) complex did not induce any significant changes in the secondary structure of BLG. Cytotoxicity and apoptotic effects of the complex toward the cancer cell line of K562 were measured using 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide assay and 4,6-diamidino-2-phenylindole staining methods. From above results, it can be concluded that the bovine whey carrier protein of BLG could bind to be a suitable transfer for this new anti-cancer compound and may be suggested that the anti-tumor activity of this complex reveals typical morphological features of apoptotic death.     

Comparative studies on the crystalline to fluid phase transitions of two equimolar cationic/anionic surfactant mixtures containing dodecylsulfonate and dodecylsulfate

In this work, a cationic surfactant, dodecyltrimethylammonium bromide (DTAB), and an anionic surfactant, sodium dodecylsulfonate (SDSO(3)) or sodium dodecylsulfate (SDSO(4)), were mixed in an equimolar ratio to prepare SDSO(3)-DTAB and SDSO(4)-DTAB binary mixtures. The phase behavior, structure, and morphology of these two surfactant mixtures were investigated by differential scanning calorimetry, synchrotron X-ray scattering, freeze-fracture electron microscopy, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. It was found that upon heating, both of the two systems transform from multilamellar crystalline phase to liquid crystalline (or fluid) phase. It is interesting to find that, although SDSO(3) has a lower molecular weight, the crystalline phase of SDSO(3)-DTAB shows much higher thermostability as compared with that of SDSO(4)-DTAB. Other than this, we observed a large difference in the repeat distances of the two crystalline phases. More interestingly, at 60 °C in the fluid phases, cylindrical micelles formed in the SDSO(3)-DTAB system, while spherical micelles were observed in the SDSO(4)-DTAB system. Our present work demonstrates that a subtle difference in the headgroup structure of the anionic component markedly affects the thermostability, packing structure, and morphology of the surfactant mixtures, which suggests the importance of the match of the head-head and tail-tail interactions between the cationic and anionic surfactants.     

新型阴离子Gemini表面活性剂与非离子表面活性剂C10E6混合溶液的胶团化的研究

研究了烷基苯磺酸盐Gemini表面活性剂Ia与非离子表面活性剂C10E6溶液混合胶团中分子间的相互作用. 通过表面张力法测定了Ia 和C10E6不同比例不同温度下的临界胶束浓度(cmc). 结果表明, 两种表面活性剂以任何比例复配的cmc比单一表面活性剂的cmc都低, 表现出良好的协同效应. 传统型非离子表面活性剂C10E6、Gemini表面活性剂Ia及混合物的cmc都随着温度升高而降低. 而且, 任何配比的混合胶团中两种表面活性剂分子间的相互作用参数β都是负值, 这说明两种表面活性剂在混合胶团中产生了相互吸引的作用. 混合表面活性剂体系的胶团聚集数比单一Ia的大, 但比单一C10E6的小. 向Gemini表面活性剂Ia胶束中加入非离子表面活性剂C10E6会使胶束的微观极性变小.     

Structural organization of cetyltrimethylammonium sulfate in aqueous solution: The effect of Na2SO4

We used dynamic light scattering (DLS), steady-state fluorescence, time resolved fluorescence quenching (TRFQ), tensiometry, conductimetry, and isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC) to investigate the self-assembly of the cationic surfactant cetyltrimethylammonium sulfate (CTAS) in aqueous solution, which has SO(2-)4 as divalent counterion. We obtained the critical micelle concentration (cmc), aggregation number (N(agg)), area per monomer (a0), hydrodynamic radius (R(H)), and degree of counterion dissociation (alpha) of CTAS micelles in the absence and presence of up to 1 M Na2SO4 and at temperatures of 25 and 40 degrees C. Between 0.01 and 0.3 M salt the hydrodynamic radius of CTAS micelle R(H) approximately 16 A is roughly independent on Na2SO4 concentration; below and above this concentration range R(H) increases steeply with the salt concentration, indicating micelle structure transition, from spherical to rod-like structures. R(H) increases only slightly as temperature increases from 25 to 40 degrees C, and the cmc decreases initially very steeply with Na2SO4 concentration up to about 10 mM, and thereafter it is constant. The area per surfactant at the water/air interface, a0, initially increases steeply with Na2SO4 concentration, and then decreases above ca. 10 mM. Conductimetry gives alpha = 0.18 for the degree of counterion dissociation, and N(agg) obtained by fluorescence methods increases with surfactant concentration but it is roughly independent of up to 80 mM salt. The ITC data yield cmc of 0.22 mM in water, and the calculated enthalpy change of micelle formation, Delta H(mic) = 3.8 kJ mol(-1), Gibbs free energy of micellization of surfactant molecules, Delta G(mic) = -38.0 kJ mol(-1) and entropy TDelta S(mic) = 41.7 kJ mol(-1) indicate that the formation of CTAS micelles is entropy-driven.     

Self-assembly in mixed dialkyl chain cationic-nonionic surfactant mixtures: dihexadecyldimethyl ammonium bromide-monododecyl hexaethylene glycol (monododecyl dodecaethylene glycol) mixtures

The self-assembly of dialkyl chain cationic surfactant dihexadecyldimethyl ammonium bromide, DHDAB, and nonionic surfactants monododecyl hexaethylene glycol, C(12)E(6), and monododecyl dodecaethylene glycol, C(12)E(12), mixtures has been studied using predominantly small-angle neutron scattering, SANS. The scattering data have been used to produce a detailed phase diagram for the two surfactant mixtures and to quantify the microstructure in the different regions of the phase diagram. For cationic-surfactant-rich compositions, the microstructure is in the form of bilamellar, blv, or multilamellar, mlv, vesicles at low surfactant concentrations and is in an L(beta) lamellar phase at higher surfactant concentrations. For nonionic-rich compositions, the microstructure is predominantly in the form of relatively small globular mixed surfactant micelles, L(1). At intermediate compositions, there is an extensive mixed (blv/mlv) L(beta)/L(1) region. Although broadly similar, in detail there are significant differences in the phase behavior of DHDAB/C(12)E(6) and DHDAB/C(12)E(12) as a result of the increasing curvature associated with C(12)E(12) aggregates compared to that of C 12E 6 aggregates. For the DHDAB/C(12)E(12) mixture, the mixed (blv/mlv) L(beta)/L(1) phase region is more extensive. Furthermore, C(12)E(12) has a greater impact upon the rigidity of the bilayer in the blv, mlv, and L(beta) regions than is the case for C(12)E(6). The general features of the phase behavior are also reminiscent of that observed in phospholipid/surfactant mixtures and other related systems.     

Interaction of sodium N-lauroylsarcosinate with N-alkylpyridinium chloride surfactants: spontaneous formation of pH-responsive, stable vesicles in aqueous mixtures

The interaction of sodium N-lauroylsarcosinate (SLS) with N-cetylpyridinium chloride (CPC) and N-dodecylpyridinium chloride (DPC) was investigated in aqueous mixtures. A strong interaction between the anionic and cationic surfactants was observed. The interaction parameter, β was determined for a wide composition range and was found to be negative. The mixed systems were found to have much lower critical micelle concentration (cmc) and surface tension at cmc. The surfactant mixtures exhibit synergism in the range of molar fractions investigated. The self-assembly formation in the mixtures of different compositions and total concentrations were studied using a number of techniques, including surface tension, fluorescence spectroscopy, dynamic light scattering (DLS), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), confocal fluorescence microscopy (CFM). Thermodynamically stable unilamellar vesicles were observed to form upon mixing of the anionic and cationic surfactants in a wide range of composition and concentrations in buffered aqueous media. TEM as well as DLS measurements were performed to obtain shape and size of the vesicular structures, respectively. These unilamellar vesicles are stable for periods as long as 3 months and appear to be the equilibrium form of aggregation. Effect of pH, and temperature on the stability was investigated. The vesicular structures were observed to be stable at pH as low as 2.0 and at biological temperature (37°C). In presence of 10 mol% of cholesterol the mixed surfactant vesicles exhibited leakage of the encapsulated calcein dye, showing potential application in pH-triggered drug release.     

Polymerisation of styrene in microemulsion with catanionic surfactant mixtures

The use of aqueous catanionic surfactant mixtures in the oil-in-water (o/w) microemulsion polymerisation of styrene is reported. Catanionic surfactant mixtures of dodecyltrimethylammonium bromide 1 and sodium dodecylsulfate 3, or decanediyl-1,10-bis(dimethyldodecylammonium bromide) 2, a gemini surfactant, and the anionic surfactant 3 were used. Phase behaviour and polymerisation properties of the microemulsions were studied as a function of the total surfactant concentration and the cationic/anionic surfactant ratio. Single-phase o/w microemulsions were only formed if either the cationic or anionic surfactant were present in large excess. Upon -irradiation, polymer nanoparticles were obtained. Using dynamic light scattering, the particle radii were determined to be 10 to 20 nm, the size depending on the total surfactant concentration, the cationic/anionic surfactant ratio and the surfactant/styrene ratio. Size exclusion chromatography indicated molecular weights of polystyrene of between 3×10⁵ and 1.4×10⁶ Daltons. Catanionic 1/3 and 2/3 mixtures differ in their styrene solubilizations. In a 1- or 3-rich system, the solubilization efficiency can be improved by increasing the concentration of the oppositely charged minor surfactant component, while in a 2-rich system the addition of 3 only diminishes the efficiency. Possible reasons for the different behaviours are discussed.