Interaction between pentaethylene glycol n-octyl ether and low-molecular-weight poly(acrylic acid)

The interaction between pentaethylene glycol n-octyl ether (C8E5) and low-molecular-weight poly(acrylic acid) (PAA, M(w)=2000) in aqueous solution has been investigated by various experimental techniques at constant polymer concentration (0.1% w/w) with varying surfactant molality. Spectrofluorimetry, using pyrene as molecular probe, shows (i) the formation of surfactant-polymer aggregates at a surfactant molality (T(1)) lower than the critical micelle concentration (cmc) of C8E5 in water and (ii) the formation of free micelles at a surfactant molality (T(2)) slightly higher than the cmc. Fluorescence quenching measurements indicate that the presence of PAA induces a lowering of the C8E5 aggregation number. Calorimetry confirms spectrofluorimetric evidence; in addition, it shows the presence of weak interactions below T(1) between monomeric surfactant molecules and the polymer chains. Tensiometry shows that, above T(1), only a low fraction of surfactant molecules interact with the polymer and that free micelle formation occurs before polymer saturation. The peculiarities of the interaction between surfactants and low-molecular-weight polymers have been discussed.     

Structure of mixed anionic/nonionic surfactant micelles: experimental observations relating to the role of headgroup electrostatic and steric effects and the effects of added electrolyte

The structures of the mixed anionic/nonionic surfactant micelles of SDS/C12E6 and SDS/C12E8 have been measured by small angle neutron scattering (SANS). The variations in the micelle aggregation number and surface charge with composition, measured in D2O and in dilute electrolyte, 0.01 and 0.05 M NaCl, provide data on the relative roles of the surfactant headgroup steric and electrostatic interactions and their contributions to the free energy of micellization. For the SDS/C12E8 mixture, solutions increasingly rich in C12E8 show a modest micellar growth and an increase in the surface charge. The changes with increasing electrolyte concentration are similarly modest. In contrast, for the SDS/C12E6 mixture, solutions rich in C12E6 show a more significant increase in aggregation number. Furthermore, electrolyte has a more substantial effect on the aggregation for the nonionic (C12E6) rich mixtures. The experimental results are discussed in the context of estimates of the steric and electrostatic contributions to the free energy of micellization, calculated from the molecular thermodynamic approach. The variation in micelle surface charge is discussed in the context of the "dressed micelle" theory for micelle ionization, and other related data.     

Mixed micelle formation among anionic gemini surfactant (212) and its monomer (SDMA) with conventional surfactants (C12E5 and C12E8) in brine solution at pH 11

The micellization of anionic gemini surfactant, N,N'-ethylene(bis(sodium N-dodecanoyl-beta-alaninate)) (212), and its monomer, N-dodecanoyl-N-methyl alaninate (SDMA), and polyethoxylated nonionic surfactants, C(12)E(5) and C(12)E(8), has been studied tensiometrically in pure and mixed states in an aqueous solution of 0.1 M NaCl at pH 11 to determine physicochemical properties such as critical micellar concentration (cmc), surface tension at the cmc (gamma(cmc)), maximum surface excess (Gamma(max)) and minimum area per surfactant molecule at the air/water interface (A(min)). The theories of Rosen, Rubingh, Motomura, Maeda, and Nagarajan have been applied to investigate the interaction between those surfactants at the interface and in the micellar solution, the composition of the aggregates formed, the theoretical cmc in pure and mixed states, and the structural parameters as proposed by Tanford and Israelachvili. Various thermodynamic parameters (free energy of micellization and interfacial adsorption) have been calculated with the help of regular solution theory and the pseudophase model for micellization.     

Adsorption of poly(ethylene oxide) at the air/water interface: a dynamic and static surface tension study

The adsorption of polyethylene oxide (PEO) homologues in a wide range of molecular weight (from M(PEO)=200 to 10(6)) at the air/aqueous solution interface was investigated by dynamic and static surface tension measurements. An approximate estimate for the lower limit of PEO concentration was given at which reliable equilibrium surface tension can be determined from static surface tension measurements. It was shown that the observed jump in the earlier published sigma-lg(c(PEO)) curves is attributable to the nonequilibrium surface tension values at low PEO concentrations. The adsorption behavior of short chain PEO molecules (M(PEO)1000) is similar to that of the ordinary surfactants. The estimated standard free energy of PEO adsorption, DeltaG(0), increases linearly with the PEO molecular weight until M(PEO)=1000. In this molecular weight range, DeltaG(0) was found to be approximately the fifth of the hydrophobic driving force related to the adsorption of a surfactant with the same number of methylene groups. In the case of the longer chain PEOs the driving force of adsorption is so high that the adsorption isotherm is near saturation in the experimentally available polymer concentration range. Above a critical molecular weight the PEO adsorption reveals universal features, e.g., the surface tension and the surface density of segments do not depend on the polymer molecular weight.     

聚丙烯酸在纳米TiO2表面吸附行为的研究

讨论了聚丙烯酸在纳米TiO₂水悬浮体系中的吸附行为.红外光谱分析和吸附实验结果表明,纳米TiO₂通过氢键吸附PAA.PAA吸附量随着浓度的升高而增大直至饱和吸附量,且分子量越大,饱和吸附量越大.pH值增大,则饱和吸附量减小.在相同条件下,表面吸附层的厚度随PAA分子量、浓度和pH值增大而增大.这是由PAA在颗粒表面构型的变化所致.吸附PAA后的纳米TiO₂的表面电荷密度和ζ电位发生变化,pHiep值向低值方向移动.表面吸附自由能的计算结果说明,PAA在纳米TiO₂表面的吸附是自发过程.     

Mixed micellar aggregates of nonionic and anionic surfactants with short hydrophobic tails: a microcalorimetric study

Apparent molar relative enthalpies were measured for the nonionic ethoxylated surfactant CH(3)-(CH(2))(5)-(OCH(2)-CH(2))(5)OH (C(6)E(5)) in aqueous solution at constant molality of the ionic surfactant CH(3)-(CH(2))(5)-SO(-)(3)Na(+)(C(6)SNa) at 25 degrees C. The experimental data obtained by a stepwise dilution process allowed evaluation of the C(6)E(5) first interaction parameter at several constant molalities of C(6)SNa. The C(6)E(5) critical micelle composition as a function of the C(6)SNa molality was also estimated. The experimental calorimetric data, together with the mixed micelles composition computed in the past by some of us [Ciccarelli et al., Langmuir 14, 7130 (1998)], allowed computation of the Deltah(Mic) of micellization. The experimental data are compared to those predicted by the ideal solution model and regular solution model of mixed micellization. From a calorimetric study performed on the water-hexanol-C(6)SNa and water-penthaethylene glycol-C(6)SNa model systems, it can be argued that the interactions among the hydrophilic heads in the C(6)E(5)-C(6)SNa mixed micelles prevail on the contribution of the hydrophobic tails in ruling the enthalpic properties of the system.     

Fabrication of Fe3O4/SiO2 core/shell nanoparticles attached to graphene oxide and its use as an adsorbent

Thermoresponsive gelling behavior of concentrated alumina suspensions with poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) and triblock copolymer (PEO(101)-PPO(56)-PEO(101), Pluronic F127) was investigated as a function of PAA concentration (0.4-1.2 mass%) for ceramic solid free forming. The copolymer species assemble into micelles at temperatures above 15°C, yielding aqueous physical gel. In this study, the concentrated alumina aqueous suspensions (φ=35 vol%) were first prepared using the anionic dispersant of PAA, and then the copolymer species (10 mass%) were dissolved at a cooled temperature at 10°C. The addition of the copolymer species had a negligible influence on the adsorption state of PAA onto the alumina surfaces. The PAA concentration needed for the saturation adsorption on the alumina surfaces was ~0.6 mass%. When the PAA concentration was this value or slightly less, the suspension became gel state at 30°C from low viscous state at 10°C. The thermally induced alumina gel had excellent viscoelastic properties, and thereby the three dimensional periodic ceramic structures were successfully fabricated by a direct colloidal printing method that using the gels as "solid" inks at the room temperature. On the other hand, when it exceeded the saturation adsorption limit, the gelling behavior was not observed, indicating that the non-adsorbing PAA species may partly suppress the micellization of the copolymer on the heating.     

Interactions between poly(acrylic acid) and sodium dodecyl sulfate: isothermal titration calorimetric and surfactant ion-selective electrode studies

Interaction between a monodispersed poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) (M(W) = 5670 g/mol, M(w)/M(n) = 1.02) with sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) was investigated using isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC), ion-selective electrode (ISE), and dynamic light scattering measurements. Contrary to previous studies, we report for the first time evidence of interaction between SDS and PAA when the degree of neutralization (alpha) of PAA is lower than 0.2. Hydrocarbon chains of SDS cooperatively bind to apolar segments of PAA driven by hydrophobic interaction. The interaction is both enthalpy and entropy favored (deltaH is negative but deltaS is positive). In 0.05 wt % PAA solution, the SDS concentration corresponding to the onset of binding (i.e., CAC) is approximately 2.4 mM and the saturation concentration (i.e., C(S)) is approximately 13.3 mM when alpha = 0. When PAA was neutralized and ionized, the binding was hindered by the enhanced electrostatic repulsion between negatively charged SDS and PAA chains and improved solubility of the polymer. With increasing alpha to 0.2, CAC increases to approximately 6.2 mM, C(S) drops to 8.6 mM, and the interaction is significantly weakened where the amount of bound SDS on PAA is reduced considerably. The values of CAC and C(S) derived from different techniques are in good agreement. The binding results in the formation of mixed micelles on apolar PAA coils, which then expands and dissociates into single PAA chains. The majority of unneutralized PAA molecules exist as single polymer chains stabilized by bound SDS micelles in solution after the saturation concentration.     

Polymers as Hydrophobic Adsorbent Surface for Some Surfactants

Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and polyacrilic acid (PAA) were used as hydrophobic adsorbent surfaces at 25°C for two nonionic surfactants, namely, tetradecyl polyoxyethylenated monolaurate [La(EO)₁₄] and tetradecyl polyoxyethylenated monooleate [Ol(EO)₁₄], and two anionic surfactants, namely, sodium oleic sulfonate [OlSO₃Na] and sodium dodecyl benzene sulfonate [SDBS]. Surface tension measurements were performed to determine the critical micelle concentration (CMC) and the adsorption isotherms of the tested surfactants. All the tested surfactants display L-shape isotherms except that of OlSO₃Na onto PVA. No adsorption behavior has been shown for the anionic SDBS onto both PVA and PAA. The adsorption data show higher adsorption affinity for all the tested nonionic surfactants onto PAA than onto PVA while the investigated anionic surfactant OlSO₃Na possesses close values of Γ_max. The study reveals that the nature of the polymer surface as adsorbent besides the molecular structure of the surfactant defined the types and mechanisms of adsorption.     

Transport Properties of Aqueous Solutions of Alkyltrimethylammonium Bromide Surfactants at 25 degrees C

Intradiffusion coefficients, D, of n-alkyltrimethylammonium bromides [CH(3)-(CH(2))(n-1)-N(CH(3))(3)Br, C(n)TAB] (n=6, 8, 10, 12) in mixtures with heavy water were measured by the PGSE-NMR technique at 25 degrees C. The experimental data permitted evaluation of the influence of the alkyl chain length on the surfactant self-aggregation process. For all the surfactants considered, the D trend showed a slope change corresponding to the critical micellar composition (cmc). In the premicellar composition range, D decreased linearly with the square root of the surfactant molality. The D values extrapolated at infinite dilution were related to the limiting mutual diffusion coefficients, determined through the Taylor dispersion technique. In the micellar composition range, solubilized tetramethylsilane (TMS) molecules were used to determine the micelle intradiffusion coefficient, D(M), from which the aggregate radii and the aggregation numbers were obtained. The decreasing trend of D(M) with increasing surfactant molality was interpreted in terms of interparticle electrostatic repulsion. D(M) values allowed evaluation of the Gouy-Chapman layer thickness. The solvent intradiffusion coefficient in the heavy water-C(n)TAB mixtures, D(w), was also measured. It decreased with increasing surfactant molality. For n=8, 10, 12 the D(w) trend presented a slope change at the cmc, which could be ascribed to the strong decrease in hydration of surfactant molecules upon micellization. Because of its short hydrophobic tail, C(6)TAB exhibited peculiar aggregation behavior. Its cmc, which is poorly marked, is lower than the value predicted by extrapolating the cmc values obtained for the other terms of the series. The C(6)TAB aggregates do not solubilize TMS molecules; the estimated aggregation number is extremely low ( approximately 3). Finally, no abrupt slope change in the solvent intradiffusion coefficient trend was detected. This evidence suggests that C(6)TAB molecules do not micellize in aqueous solution, but form trimers in which the surfactant hydrophobic tails are not hidden from contact with water molecules. Copyright 2001 Academic Press.     

Effect of polymer molecular weight on the polymer/surfactant interaction

A thermodynamic analysis of the interaction between fourteen different molar mass poly(ethylene oxide)s (PEO) and sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) based on the measured surfactant-binding isotherms is given. The surfactant-binding isotherms were determined by the potentiometric method in the presence of 0.1 M inert electrolyte (NaBr). It was found that there is no PEO/SDS complex formation if M(PEO) < 1000. In the molecular weight range 1000 < M(PEO) < 8000, the critical aggregation concentration (cac) and the surfactant aggregation number are decreasing as the polymer molecular weight increases. The saturated bound surfactant amount is proportional to the number concentration of the polymer in this molecular weight range. If M(PEO) exceeds approximately 8000, the cac does not depend on the polymer molar mass, and the saturated bound amount of the surfactant becomes proportional to the mass concentration of the polymer. It was also observed that independently of the polymer molecular weight the surfactant aggregation number increases as the equilibrium surfactant monomer concentration increases from the cac to the critical micellar concentration (cmc). Finally, it was demonstrated that only one polymer molecule is involved in the complex formation independently of the polymer molecular weight.     

Thermodynamic properties of N-octyl- and N-dodecylnicotinamide chlorides in water

Densities, heat capacities and enthalpies of dilution at 25°C and osmotic coefficients at 37°C were measured for N-octyl- and N-dodecylnicotinamide chlorides in water over an extended concentration region. Partial molar volumes, heat capacities, relative enthalpies and nonideal free energies and entropies at 25°C were derived as a function of the surfactant concentration. For both surfactants, plots of volumes, enthalpies and free energies vs. concentration are regular whereas those of heat capacities and entropies present anomalies at about 0.8 and 0.1m for the octyl and dodecyl compounds, respectively. Changes in the slope of a plot of osmotic coefficients times molality vs. molality were also observed at these same concentrations. These peculiarities are ascribed to micelle structural transitions. The nonideal free energies do not seem to depend on the alkyl chain length when they are plotted vs. m/C _cmc . Also, a plot of the nonideal free energy vs. logm/C _cmc is roughly independent of the nature of the surfactant because of the constant activity of surfactants in micellar solutions. Nonideal free energies, enthalpies and entropies have been calculated at 15 and 35°C. At each concentration the nonideal free energy is temperature independent as a result of a compensatory effect between enthalpy and entropy. The thermodynamic functions of micellization were graphically evaluated on the basis of the pseudo-phase transition model. These data suggest that the nicotinamide group possesses less hydrophilic character than the ammonium group.     

疏水缔合聚丙烯酰胺与双子表面活性剂的自组装

通过荧光光谱、动/静态激光光散射研究了疏水缔合聚丙烯酰胺(HAPAM)自组装行为及双子表面活性剂(双十四酸乙二酯双磺酸盐(DMES-14))对其的影响.实验结果表明:聚合物HAPAM在溶液中能够通过自组装形成疏水微区,表现出芘的发射光谱中第一振动峰(373nm)与第三振动峰(383nm)的荧光强度之比(I1/I3)值随聚合物浓度的增大而下降,当聚合物HAPAM浓度(CP)达到一定值后,I1/I3值不再变化;当加入表面活性剂时,HAPAM能够与双子表面活性剂在溶液中形成混合胶束,在聚合物浓度一定时,I1/I3值随表面活性剂浓度(CS)的增大急速下降,当表面活性剂浓度达到30mg·L-1时,I1/I3值趋于恒定;当表面活性剂浓度一定时,聚合物/表面活性剂二元体系中聚集体的聚集数随HAPAM浓度的增大出现先下降再增加的过程;一定量的双子表面活性剂对HAPAM分子间的缔合起促进作用,过量的双子表面活性剂对HAPAM分子间的缔合起抑制作用,使HAPAM的表观重均分子量(Mw,a)、均方根回转半径()和流体力学半径()随表面活性剂浓度增加先增大后减小,而HAPAM的/比值则随表面活性剂浓度增大出现一定程度的上升,表明HAPAM分子链段变得相对舒展.     

Micellization-induced conformational change of a chiral proline surfactant

A proline surfactant including two chiral carbons, sodium N-dodecanoyl-(4R)-hydroxy-L-prolinate (SDHP), has been synthesized, and its micellization behavior in aqueous solution has been investigated by 1H NMR spectroscopy. Two conformational isomers of SDHP, namely, Z and E, are discriminated in the NMR time scale, and critical micelle concentration is derived for each isomer separately. The transformation from E to Z is observed upon micellization, and the amount of Z isomer is approximately three times that of E isomer in the equilibrated system. Moreover, the variation in chemical shifts with the surfactant concentration reveals the shielding effect of the carboxyl group on the syn-side protons of the pyrrolidine ring, which implies that the pyrrolidine rings arrange in a side-to-side manner and lie parallel to the plane of the carboxyl bonds in the neighboring molecules. The difference in the directions of the carbonyl group between Z and E isomers essentially determines their different micellization abilities and molecular arrangements in the micellization process.     

Binding of dodecyltrimethylammonium bromide to pH-responsive nanocolloids containing cross-linked methacrylic acid-ethyl acrylate copolymers

The binding of dodecyltrimethylammonium bromide (DoTab) to cross-linked methacrylic acid-ethyl acrylate (MAA-EA) copolymers with various MAA/EA molar ratios at different degrees of neutralization (alpha) was quantitatively studied using isothermal titration calorimetry, dynamic light scattering, surfactant selective electrode, and electrophoresis techniques. The surfactant binds to the polymers at all degrees of neutralization, but via different mechanisms. When alpha is sufficiently high, the binding is primarily electrostatic interaction between the surfactant and ionized polymer chains, which is reinforced by the micellization of electrostatically bound surfactant molecules. The saturation takes place at charge ratio ([DoTa(+)]/[ approximately COO(-)]) close to 1, indicating that the binding is a one-to-one charge neutralization between the cationic surfactant headgroups and anionic carboxylate sites of the polymers. When alpha is low, the binding of DoTab to the unneutralized polymers is driven by the hydrophobic interaction. The onset of hydrophobic binding takes place at DoTab concentration as low as 0.01 mM in 0.05 wt % polymer solution, where the saturation occurs at C(DoTab) approximately 0.19 mM and the amount of bound surfactant is approximately 0.09 mmol of DoTab/(g of polymer) at saturation concentration. The binding results in the formation of the polymer-surfactant complex. For the polymer with low MAA/EA molar ratio, the complex coagulates at a higher DoTab concentration that leads to phase separation; however, for polymers with high MAA/EA molar ratio, the complex remains dispersed and the mixture is stable even at high DoTab concentration.     

Poly(N-isopropylacrylamide). I. Interactions with sodium dodecyl sulfate measured by conductivity

Conductometric titration of poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (polyNIPAM) with sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) gave two apparent transitions labeled C1 and C2. The C1 transition was independent of polyNIPAM concentration in the 0.05–0.3 wt % range, whereas C2 was proportional to the polymer concentration. C1 corresponded to the onset of binding of surfactant with polymer. Arguments based on a simple mass action model for micellization are presented to show that C2, the second transition, is not due to any simple explanation such as being the point above which only free micelles are formed with surfactant addition. The cloud point of polyNIPAM increased with the amount of bound surfactant. This was attributed to electrostatic contribution of bound sulfate groups to the increased solubility of polyNIPAM. © 1993 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Isothermal titration calorimetric studies on the temperature dependence of binding interactions between poly(propylene glycol)s and sodium dodecyl sulfate

Isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC) is a sensitive research tool for examining the binding interactions between surfactant and polymer where the differential enthalpy during the binding process is monitored. In addition to the critical micelle concentration (cmc) and the micellization enthalpy (deltaHm), the effective micellar charge fraction (beta) of the ionic surfactant micellization process can also be determined from ITC thermograms. Poly(propylene glycol) (PPG) exhibits a lower critical solution temperature (LCST) ranging from 15 to 42 degrees C, depending on the molecular weights. We report, for the first time, the binding interactions between sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) and 1,000, 2,000 and 3,000 Da PPGs, where different binding mechanisms are in operation, depending on the temperature. At temperatures lower than the LCST, the binding interactions are similar to those of SDS and low molecular weight poly(ethylene glycol)s (MW < 3500 Da). At temperatures greater than the LCST, the binding interactions are dominated by direct solubilization of PPG chains into mixed micellar cores. At temperatures near the LCST, the binding interactions are controlled by the balance ofthe PPG solubilization at low SDS concentrations and polymer-induced micellization at high SDS concentrations.     

Lower consolute boundaries of the nonionic surfactant C8E5 in aqueous alkali halide solutions: an approach to reproduce the effects of alkali halides on the cloud-point temperature

In the temperature-composition phase diagram of the nonionic surfactant n-octyl-hydroxypenta(oxyethylene), C(8)E(5), there are three principal curves; the one for the critical micelle concentration (cmc), the one delineating the existence of the hexagonal phase, and then the lower consolute boundary (lcb). In this work it is clarified how the presence of the alkali halides NaF, LiCl, NaCl, NaBr and NaI in the aqueous solutions, up to high molalities, change the lcb temperature-position and shape. The lcbs are obtained from measurements of cloud-point temperatures. Rather marked anion-controlled shifts are observed in the boundary temperature-position, and the order of the anions is in accordance with the prediction of the Hofmeister series. Also the shape of the boundary is affected in an anion-specific way, so that the largest changes are found with the strongest salting-out agent. The separation point varies in distinctly non-linear manners with the molality of the studied alkali halides. An approach is presented that can reproduce the effects of the alkali halides on the cloud-point temperature of C(8)E(5) and a poly(ethylene oxide) polymer, at low amounts of the macroentities. In this approach use is made of the known behaviour of the electrolytes at the air/water surface and the virial expansion, to account for the initial salting-out/-in effect and the variation of the effect with electrolyte molality.     

Micellization and adsorption of a zwitterionic surfactant: N-dodecyl betaine-effect of salt

Time-resolved fluorescence quenching, self-diffusion measurements and calorimetric investigations have been used in order to investigate the effect of salt on aggregation in aqueous solutions and the adsorption onto silica gel of the zwitterionic surfactant N-dodecyl betaine (NDB).

The micelle aggregation number of NDB stays constant when the NDB or salt concentration increases but decreases with an increase of temperature. Evidence is presented for the binding of cations and anions to micellar aggregates. The degree of binding has been obtained for Na⁺, Ca²⁺ and Cl⁻ ions; it is always larger for the anion.

Enthalpies of micellization were obtained directly from calorimetric curves of NDB in dilution experiments. The observed decrease of the endothermic enthalpies of micellization with increasing temperature or salinity is attributed to a structural change in the water molecules around the alkyl chain of the free monomers.

The adsorption isotherms of NDB onto silica gel depend very little on temperature, and a plateau is reached near the CMC. At saturation, the adsorbed amount of NDB depends on the salt and follows the sequence NDB < (NDB + NaCl) < (NDB + CaCl₂).

The exothermic differential molar enthalpies of adsorption demonstrate the same behaviour as the enthalpies of micellization with varying temperature or salinity. Adsorption onto silica gel depends on the NDB concentration, the salt concentration and temperature.     

Adsorption of SDS and PEG on calcium fluoride studied by sum frequency generation vibrational spectroscopy

The adsorption of sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) from aqueous solution onto a calcium fluoride substrate (CaF(2)), in the presence of polyethylene glycol (PEG) of different molecular weights, has been investigated using the interface specific nonlinear optical technique of sum frequency generation (SFG) vibrational spectroscopy. Spectra of adsorbed SDS (in the C-H stretching region) were recorded at the surface of a CaF(2) prism in contact with SDS solutions at concentrations up to the cmc (8 mM) of the pure surfactant and in contact with binary solutions containing SDS and PEG with molecular weights from 400 to 12 000. In contrast with SFG spectra from the same combinations of surfactant and polymer on a hydrophobic surface, there was no evidence of spectra arising from the actual polymer adsorbed on CaF(2) at any polymer molecular weight either in the absence or presence of surfactant. However, there was indirect evidence for the presence of adsorbed polymer from changes in the SDS SFG spectra in the presence of polymer compared with spectra when the polymer was absent. The SFG spectra of SDS at 0.8 mM were closely similar to each other at all polymer molecular weights and different from the spectra in the absence of the polymer. The spectral differences between the polymer present and polymer absent was much smaller when the solution concentration of surfactant was 8 mM.