Adsorption of polyelectrolyte/surfactant mixtures at the air-solution interface: poly(ethyleneimine)/sodium dodecyl sulfate

Neutron reflectivity and surface tension have been used to characterize the adsorption of the polyelectrolyte/ionic surfactant mixture of poly(ethyleneimine) (PEI) and sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) at the air-water interface. The surface tension behavior and adsorption patterns show a strong dependence upon the solution pH. However, the SDS adsorption at the interface is unexpectedly most pronounced when the pH is high (when the polymer is essentially a neutral polymer) and when the polymer architecture is branched rather than linear. For both the branched and the linear PEI polymer/surfactant complex formation results in a significant enhancement of the amount of SDS at the interface, down to surfactant concentrations approximately 10(-6) M. For the branched PEI a transition from a monolayer to a multilayer adsorption is observed, which depends on surfactant concentration and pH. In contrast, for the linear polymer, only monolayer adsorption is observed. This substantial increase in the surface activity of SDS by complexation with PEI results in spontaneous emulsification of hexadecane in water and the efficient wetting of hydrophobic substrates such as Teflon. In regions close to charge neutralization the multilayer adsorption is accentuated, and more extensively ordered structures, giving rise to Bragg peaks in the reflectivity data, are evident.     

Competitive adsorption of sodium dodecyl sulfate and polyethylene oxide at the air/water interface

Geoinspired synthetic chrysotile, which represents an ideal asbestos reference standard, has been utilized to investigate homomolecular exchange of bovine serum albumin (BSA), the major plasma protein, between the adsorbed and dissolved state at the interface between asbestos fibers and biological medium. FTIR spectroscopy has been used to quantify BSA structural modifications due to surface adhesion on chrysotile fibers as a function of the surface coating extent. Circular dichroism spectroscopy has been used to investigate the adsorption/desorption equilibrium through analysis of the BSA structural perturbations after protein desorption from chrysotile surface. Data results show clearly that in the solid state BSA modifications are driven by surface interaction with the substrate, following a bimodal adsorption evidenced by two different binding constants. On the other hand, BSA desorbed in solution is able to rearrange, in the lack of substrate, although keeping irreversible modifications with respect to the native species. The lack of regaining its native structure certainly affects albumin interaction with biological environment. The present investigation on the stoichiometric synthetic geoinspired chrysotile nanocrystals is the first approach toward a deeper attempt to use standard synthetic chrysotile reference samples in mimicking the behavior of asbestos fibers and allows to better understand their interaction with a biological environment.     

Competitive adsorption of neutral comb polymers and sodium dodecyl sulfate at the air/water interface

The interfacial behavior of aqueous solutions of four different neutral polymers in the presence of sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) has been investigated by surface tension measurements and ellipsometry. The polymers comprised linear poly(ethylene oxide) with low and high molecular masses (10(3) and 10(6) Dalton (Da), respectively), and two high molecular mass methacrylate-based comb polymers containing poly(ethylene oxide) side chains. The adsorption isotherms of SDS, determined by Gibbs analysis of surface tension data, are nearly the same in the presence of the high molecular mass linear polymer and the comb polymers. Analysis of the ellipsometric data reveals that while a single surface layer model is appropriate for films of polymer alone, a more sophisticated interfacial layer model is necessary for films of SDS alone. For the polymer/surfactant mixtures, a novel semiempirical approach is proposed to determine the surface excess of polymer, and hence quantify the interfacial composition, through analysis of data from the two techniques. The replacement of the polymer due to surfactant adsorption is much less pronounced for the high molecular mass linear polymer and for the comb polymers than for the low molecular mass linear polymer. This finding is rationalized by the significantly higher adsorption driving force of the larger polymer molecules as well as by their more amphiphilic structure in the case of the comb polymers.     

Influence of the polyelectrolyte poly(ethyleneimine) on the adsorption of surfactant mixtures of sodium dodecyl sulfate and monododecyl hexaethylene glycol at the air-solution interface

The polyelectrolyte poly(ethylenenimine), PEI, is shown to strongly influence the adsorption of the anionic-nonionic surfactant mixture of sodium dodecyl sulfate, SDS, and monododecyl hexaethylene glycol, C(12)E(6), at the air-solution interface. In the presence of PEI, the partitioning of the mixed surfactants to the interface is highly pH-dependent. The adsorption is more strongly biased to the SDS as the pH increases, as the PEI becomes a weaker polyelectrolyte. At surfactant concentrations >10(-4) M, the strong interaction and adsorption result in multilayer formation at the interface, and this covers a more extensive range of surfactant concentrations at higher pH values. The results are consistent with a strong interaction between SDS and PEI at the surface that is not predominantly electrostatic in origin. It provides an attractive route to selectively manipulate the adsorption and composition of surfactant mixtures at interfaces.     

Pyrene fluorescence at air/sodium dodecyl sulfate solution interface

The dependence of pyrene fluorescence spectra on the concentration of sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) was observed, where the solution was prepared from water saturated with pyrene. The values of the I(1)/I(3) ratio from the bulk solution and from the upper meniscus region in an optical cell were similar but decreased rapidly around the critical micelle concentration (cmc) of SDS, indicating that pyrene molecules preferred to be solubilized in the micelles having a lower dielectric constant. The fluorescence intensity of the excimer indicated the concentration of pyrene molecules at the air/solution interface or the surface activity of pyrene molecules. In addition, the intensity from the meniscus region is much larger than that from the bulk at the concentrations below the cmc, whereas there was no difference in the intensity between the bulk and the meniscus above 8 mmol dm(-3) of SDS. The analysis of the fluorescence intensity from the excimer strongly suggests the presence of molecular aggregates that are favorable to the pyrene molecules just like the micelles in the bulk, making them less movable.     

Thermodynamic excess quantities in the adsorption of sodium alkylsulfonates at the air-solution interface

Colloid and Polymer Science - Data on the surface tension of sodium alkylsulfonate solutions at different temperatures and surfactant concentrations are presented. By applying the thermodynamic...     

Examination of surface adsorption of sodium chloride and sodium dodecyl sulfate by surface potential measurement at the air/solution interface

The surface potential (DeltaV) of the air/sodium chloride solution interface was measured by using an ionizing (241)Am electrode method at 298.2 K. The surface potential steeply increased from 0 up to 15 mV with increasing concentration, then gradually increased up to 20 mV between 1 and 10 mmol dm(-3), and finally stayed almost constant at 20 mV up to the concentration of 20 mmol dm(-3). This result means that sodium ions concentrate more just near the air/solution interface, whereas chloride ions concentrate more far below the interface above the bulk region of electroneutrality. The dipole moment was derived from the surface potential value, from which the width of the interfacial layer was estimated as a function of the magnitude of electric charge. As for the sodium dodecyl sulfate solution, on the other hand, the surface potential steeply decreased from 0 down to -80 mV with increasing concentration from 0 to 0.01 mmol dm(-3), then rapidly increased up to -50 mV between 0.1 and 3 mmol dm(-3), then linearly increased up to 0 mV with increasing concentration from 3 mmol dm(-3) up to the CMC, 8 mmol dm(-3), then quite rapidly decreased again down to -82 mV from the CMC to 10 mmol dm(-3), and finally stayed almost constant at -82 mV up to the concentration of 20 mmol dm(-3). The above variations of the surface potential cannot be elucidated by the conventional surface excess, and therefore, the new concept of surface adsorption was presented for a simple salt and a typical anionic surfactant.     

Adsorption at the air/water interface in dodecylammonium chloride/sodium dodecyl sulfate mixtures

The composition and properties of the adsorption films of dodecylammonium chloride/sodium dodecyl sulfate at the air/water interface depend on interactions between the film molecules and equilibria in the bulk phase (monomer-micelle and/or monomerprecipitate equilibria).The negative value of surface molecular interaction parameter ^mon calculated using the regular solution theory indicates strong attractive interactions between adsorbed molecules. Electrostatic interactions between oppositely charged ionic head groups enhance the adsorption of surfactants and decrease the minimum molar area of surfactant molecules at the air/water interface. The addition of an oppositely charged surfactant enhances packing at the air/water interface and transition from a liquid expanded to a liquid condensed state. Surface potential measurements reveal positive values for the mixtures investigated, implying the cationic surfactant ions are closer to the surface than the anionic ones.     

pH sensitive adsorption of polypeptide/sodium dodecyl sulfate mixtures

Neutron reflectivity and surface tension have been used to investigate the pH sensitivity of the adsorption of poly-L-lysine hydrobromide and sodium dodecyl sulfate mixtures at the air-solution interface. The surface tension variation with surfactant concentration is complex, and between the critical aggregation concentration and critical micellar concentration there is a marked increase in the surface tension. The neutron reflectivity results show that this is associated with a depletion of the surface of polypeptide/surfactant complexes. The variations in the adsorption and surface tension with pH are attributed to changes in the polypeptide conformation at the interface and in solution.     

Mixtures of sodium dodecyl sulfate/dodecanol at the air/water interface by computer simulations

Molecular dynamics simulations of monolayers of surfactant mixtures at the air/water interface were performed where the binary mixture was composed of sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) and dodecanol molecules. At the same ratio of SDS and dodecanol molecules, two monolayer mixtures were prepared. In the first monolayer, all the dodecanol molecules were placed together in the center of the simulation box, whereas in the second monolayer, those molecules were uniformly distributed in the surface area in such a way that they were far from each other. Simulations of both systems indicate that the dodecanol tails in the first monolayer are straighter and more ordered than those in the second monolayer. From the present results, we observed new insights of how the different molecules should array or distribute at the interface in real systems. Finally, studies of the interfacial water around the different surfactants were also analyzed, showing that they are closer to the polar headgroups of dodecanol than to the SDS headgroups.     

Interaction between poly(vinylimidazole) and sodium dodecyl sulfate: binding and adsorption properties at the silica/water interface

The adsorption properties (adsorbed amount, kinetics, and reversibility) of poly(vinylimidazole) (PVI) and sodium dodecyl sulfate from PVI/SDS mixed solutions on negatively charged silica substrates were studied at pH 9 using reflectometry and compared to that measured on colloidal silica by the solution depletion method. In this paper, we will try to gain insight into the effect of PVI/SDS complex composition on the adsorption characteristics of the complex and particularly on the kinetics of the complex adsorption and its consequence on the adsorption reversibility. The properties of the complex in solution were characterized by means of potentiometric titration at a constant pH, binding isotherm, and surface tension measurements. On the basis of the experimental results the prevailing mechanism of the SDS/PVI interaction and the properties of the PVI/SDS complex were evaluated. Both the PVI/SDS complex uptake and the kinetics of the adsorption decreased with the amount of SDS bound to PVI. At low PVI/SDS binding ([SDS](0)CAC) the incoming complex experiences a blocking barrier of an electrostatic nature. This barrier has been confirmed by reversibility measurement, and the respective roles of the complex structure and charge were assessed.     

Interfacial rheological studies of gelatin-sodium dodecyl sulfate complexes adsorbed at the air-water interface

The dilational rheological behavior of gelatin molecules adsorbed at the air-water interface has been studied as a function of sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) concentration for a 7 wt % gelatin-SDS solution at 40 degrees C. Binding of SDS molecules to the gelatin strands disrupts the cross-linked network structure of adsorbed gelatin molecules and results in a reduction of the surface elastic modulus of the adsorbed layer that continues until the bulk SDS concentration reaches 1 mM. Beyond this SDS concentration, the dilational rheological properties of the adsorbed gelatin layer are indistinguishable from those of pure SDS adsorbed layers.     

Study of the adsorption of sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) at the air/water interface: targeting the sulfate headgroup using vibrational sum frequency spectroscopy

The surface sensitive technique vibrational sum frequency spectroscopy (VSFS), has been used to study the adsorption behaviour of SDS to the liquid/vapour interface of aqueous solutions, specifically targeting the sulfate headgroup stretches. In the spectral region extending from 980 to 1850 cm(-1), only the vibrations due to the SO(3) group were detectable. The fitted amplitudes for the symmetric SO(3) stretch observed at 1070 cm(-1) for the polarization combinations ssp and ppp, were seen to follow the adsorption isotherm calculated from surface tension measurements. The orientation of the sulfate headgroup in the concentration range spanning from 1.0 mM to above the critical micellar concentration (c.m.c.) was observed to remain constant within experimental error, with the pseudo-C(3) axis close to the surface normal. Furthermore, the effect of increasing amounts of sodium chloride at SDS concentrations above c.m.c. was also studied, showing an increase of approximately 12% in the fitted amplitude for the symmetric SO(3) stretch when increasing the ionic strength from 0 to 300 mM NaCl. Interestingly, the orientation of the SDS headgroup was also observed to remain constant within this concentration range and identical to the case without NaCl.     

Polystyrene latex adsorption at the gold/electrolyte interface

Irreversible deposition of polystyrene latex particles (average diameter, 1.5 microm) on various solid/electrolyte interfaces was studied experimentally by using the direct microscope observation method. The substrate surfaces included bare mica (reference interface), gold covered mica (layer thickness of 50 nm), and solid gold plate. The morphology and thickness of the gold layer on mica was determined by atomic force microscopy. Well-defined transport conditions of particles were created by using the new impinging-jet cell. A characteristic feature of the cell was that the suspension stream was directed obliquely to the interface. This unique characteristic was advantageous allowing one for direct, in situ, observation of particle deposition at metals and other nontransparent interfaces. Experiments performed for various flow intensities indicated that the initial deposition kinetics at all interfaces was identical within the error bounds, in accordance with the model based on the convective-diffusion theory. It was concluded that the limiting flux was governed by the bulk transport rather than by the specific surface interactions.     

Effect of lower alcohols on adsorption characteristics of sodium dodecyl sulfate solutions at liquid-gas interfaces

The dynamics of a decrease in the surface tension is studied for aqueous solutions of sodium dodecyl sulfate and its mixtures with lower alcohols (ethanol and n-propanol). Two approaches are analyzed as applied to the estimation of the adsorption of two surfactants from their mixed solutions at a liquid—gas interface, i.e., the Frumkin generalized model and the Fainerman—Miller model. It is shown that both approaches adequately describe the concentration dependences experimentally measured for the surface tension of sodium dodecyl sulfate—lower alcohol mixtures.     

Concomitant adsorption of poly(ethylene oxide)-b-poly(epsilon-caprolactone) copolymers and sodium dodecyl sulfate at the silica-water interface

Upon addition of silica to aqueous solutions of poly(ethylene oxide)-b-poly(epsilon-caprolactone) copolymers (PEO-b-PCL) and sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), adsorption of the solutes occurs at the silica-water interface. The amount of the adsorbed constituents has been measured by the total concentration depletion method. Small-angle neutron scattering experiments (SANS) have been carried out to investigate the structure of the adsorbed layer. Although SDS is not spontaneously adsorbed onto hydrophilic silica, adsorption is observed in the presence of PEO-b-PCL diblocks, in relation to the relative concentration of the two compounds. Conversely, SDS has a depressive effect on the adsorption of the copolymer, whose structure at the interface is modified. Copolymer desorption is however never complete at high SDS content. These observations have been rationalized by the associative behavior of PEO-b-PCL and SDS in water.     

An electrochemical sensor for sodium dodecyl sulfate detection based on anion exchange using eosin Y/polyethyleneimine modified electrode

A simple and effective method for the detection of electrochemically inactive sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) has been designed, based on different binding affinity of polyethyleneimine (PEI) toward electrochemically active eosin Y and electrochemically inactive SDS. The stronger binding affinity of the PEI toward SDS than eosin Y results in the decrease of the redox peak current of surface confined eosin Y and provides a quantitative readout for the SDS. The difference in value of the cathodic peak current showed a linear relationship with SDS concentration in a concentration range from 1 to 40 μg mL⁻¹, and a detection limit of 0.9 μg mL⁻¹ for SDS was obtained. Furthermore, the method has been successfully applied to the detection of SDS in real samples. The developed approach provided a simple and reliable detection for SDS and might have potential applications in electrochemical methods for inactive molecules.