Adsorption of sodium dodecyl sulfate at the hydrophobic solid/aqueous solution interface in the presence of poly(ethylene glycol): dependence upon polymer molecular weight

The polar orientation and degree of conformational order of sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) adsorbed at the hydrophobic octadecanethiol/aqueous solution interface in the presence of poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) has been investigated as a function of the surfactant concentration and the molecular weight of the polymer. Sum frequency generation (SFG) vibrational spectroscopy was employed to obtain spectra of interfacial surfactant; weak SFG signals from interfacial polymer were also detected for polymer molecular weights of 900 and above. The phase of the SFG spectra indicated that both the surfactant and polymer had a net orientation of their CH2 and/or CH3 groups toward the hydrophobic surface. Spectra of SDS in the presence of mixed polymer/surfactant solutions showed increasing conformational order as the surfactant concentration was raised. At the lowest surfactant concentrations, the spectra of SDS were weaker in the presence of the polymer than in its absence. All PEG molecular weights investigated, with the exception of PEG 400, gave rise to significant inhibition of ordered surfactant adsorption below the critical micelle concentration. The greatest inhibitory effect was noted for PEG 900. Probing interfacial PEG specifically through the use of perdeuterated SDS revealed that the polymer spectral intensity decreased monotonically as the surfactant concentration was increased for all polymer molecular weights where a PEG spectrum was apparent. These findings are interpreted in terms of the displacement of preadsorbed polymer as the surfactant concentration increases. This result is compatible with observations of adsorption from SDS/PEG solutions at solid/solution and solution/air interfaces made using other techniques.     

Adsorption of cationic cellulose derivative/anionic surfactant complexes onto solid surfaces. II. Hydrophobized silica surfaces

The effect of the anionic surfactant SDS (sodium dodecyl sulfate) on the adsorption behavior of cationic hydroxyethyl cellulose (Polymer JR-400) and hydrophobically modified cationic cellulose (Quatrisoft LM-200) at hydrophobized silica has been investigated by null ellipsometry and compared with the previous data for adsorption onto hydrophilic silica surfaces. The adsorbed amount of LM-200 is found to be considerably larger than the adsorbed amount of JR-400 at both surfaces. Both polymers had higher affinity toward hydrophobized silica than to silica. The effect of SDS on polymer adsorption was studied under two different conditions: adsorption of polymer/SDS complexes from premixed solutions and addition of SDS to preadsorbed polymer layers. Association of the surfactant to the polymer seems to control the interfacial behavior, which depends on the surfactant concentration. For the JR-400/SDS complex, the adsorbed amount on hydrophobized silica started to increase progressively from much lower SDS concentrations, while the adsorbed amount on silica increased sharply only slightly below the phase separation region. For the LM-200/SDS complex, the adsorbed amounts increased progressively from very low SDS concentrations at both surfaces, and no large difference in the adsorption behavior was observed between two surfaces below the phase separation region. The complex desorbed from the surface at high SDS concentrations above the critical micelle concentration. The reversibility of the adsorption of polymer/SDS complexes upon rinsing was also investigated. When the premixed polymer/SDS solutions at high SDS concentrations (>5 mM) were diluted by adding water, the adsorbed amount increased due to the precipitation of the complex. The effect of the rinsing process on the adsorbed layer was determined by the hydrophobicity of the polymer and the surface.     

Interactions between chitosan and SDS at a low-charged silica substrate compared to interactions in the bulk--the effect of ionic strength

The effect of ionic strength on association between the cationic polysaccharide chitosan and the anionic surfactant sodium dodecyl sulfate, SDS, has been studied in bulk solution and at the solid/liquid interface. Bulk association was probed by turbidity, electrophoretic mobility, and surface tension measurements. The critical aggregation concentration, cac, and the saturation binding of surfactants were estimated from surface tension data. The number of associated SDS molecules per chitosan segment exceeded one at both salt concentrations. As a result, a net charge reversal of the polymer-surfactant complexes was observed, between 1.0 and 1.5 mM SDS, independent of ionic strength. Phase separation occurs in the SDS concentration region where low charge density complexes form, whereas at high surfactant concentrations (up to several multiples of cmc SDS) soluble aggregates are formed. Ellipsometry and QCM-D were employed to follow adsorption of chitosan onto low-charged silica substrates, and the interactions between SDS and preadsorbed chitosan layers. A thin (0.5 nm) and rigid chitosan layer was formed when adsorbed from a 0.1 mM NaNO3 solution, whereas thicker (2 nm) chitosan layers with higher dissipation/unit mass were formed from solutions at and above 30 mM NaNO3. The fraction of solvent in the chitosan layers was high independent of the layer thickness and rigidity and ionic strength. In 30 mM NaNO3 solution, addition of SDS induced a collapse at low concentrations, while at higher SDS concentrations the viscoelastic character of the layer was recovered. Maximum adsorbed mass (chitosan + SDS) was reached at 0.8 times the cmc of SDS, after which surfactant-induced polymer desorption occurred. In 0.1 mM NaNO3, the initial collapse was negligible and further addition of surfactant lead to the formation of a nonrigid, viscoelastic polymer layer until desorption began above a surfactant concentration of 0.4 times the cmc of SDS.     

Coarse-grained molecular dynamics simulation of self-assembly of polyacrylamide and sodium dodecylsulfate in aqueous solution

Coarse-grained molecular dynamics simulations have been performed to study the self-assembly of polymer, polyacrylamide (PAM) and surfactant, sodium dodecylsulfate (SDS) in aqueous solution. Our simulations revealed that PAM curled into clusters in the absence of SDS, while it was stretched if SDS was added. For the SDS-PAM complexes, the aggregate formation process can be divided into three stages: firstly, PAM quickly absorbs some SDS monomers until the radius of gyration (Rg) of polymer reaches a minimum; then, PAM stretches and the Rg of PAM increases due to more and more adsorbed SDS; ultimately, the commonly accepted "necklace" structure is formed with PAM located at the interface of the hydrophobic and hydrophilic regions of the SDS micelle. The main driving force for the association was hydrophobic interactions between the polymer backbone and the surfactant hydrophobic tails. As the concentration of SDS increased, the Rg of PAM increased up to a maximum, indicating the polymer was saturated with surfactant.     

Aggregation of cesium perfluorooctanoate on poly(ethylene glycol) oligomers in water

The interaction of cesium perfluorooctanoate (CsPFO) with poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) of different molecular weight (300 < or = MW < or = 20000 Da) has been investigated at 298.15 K by isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC), density, viscosity, and conductivity measurements. Calorimetric titrations exhibited peculiar trends analogous to those already observed for sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS). Micelles of the perfluorosurfactant, as compared to those of SDS, yield complexes with the polymer of similar thermodynamic stability but are able to interact with shorter PEG oligomers. The average number of surfactant molecules bonded per polymer chain at the saturation is about twice that observed for SDS. ITC data at 308.15 K indicate a larger thermodynamic stability of the aggregates but an almost constant stoichiometry. The peculiar thermal effects and the viscosity trend observed during the titration of an aqueous PEG solution with the surfactant appear consistent with a conformational change of the polymer. The PEG chain would evolve from a strained to an expanded conformation, induced by the growing of the surfactant micellar clusters bonded to the polymer, as suggested in a previous study of the PEG/SDS/H2O system.     

Adsorption of poly(styrene sulfonate) of different molecular weights on alpha-alumina: effect of added sodium dodecyl sulfate

The adsorption of poly(styrene sulfonate), PSS, of different molecular weights (70,000, 500,000, and 1,000,000 mol/kg), from aqueous solutions on alpha-alumina has been investigated. PSS of the lower molecular weight adsorbs less than the others whose adsorption isotherms overlap. The adsorption is found to increase with increasing ionic strength of the solutions indicating that both electrostatic and non-electrostatic contributions are involved in the adsorption process. Upon addition of the anionic surfactant, sodium dodecyl sulfate, SDS, PSS is found to adsorb less the more SDS added. SDS is found to be preferentially adsorbed as shown both from the simultaneous adsorption of the components and also from the sequential adsorption process where SDS in all cases displaces preadsorbed PSS from the solid surface. The displacement of preadsorbed polyelectrolyte by surfactant is a very slow process and the displacement is less pronounced as the molecular mass of the polyelectrolyte increases indicating the fewer number of contact points to the surface. This is further underlined by the effect on the displacement of PSS by SDS upon increasing the ionic strength of the solutions.     

Interaction of sodium dodecyl sulfate with methacrylate-PEG comb copolymers

A series of sodium methacrylate and poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) comb copolymers (MAA/PEG) with approximate PEG chain lengths of 7, 11, and 22 ethylene oxide units were synthesized by free radical polymerization. Their weight-average molecular mass was found to be approximately 66 000. A commercial sample of a PEG comb polymer with an acrylic backbone was also used in the studies (Sokalan HP 80). The interaction of the MAA/PEG comb polymers and pure sodium methacrylate (SPMA) with sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) was studied by ESR spectroscopy using 5-doxyl stearic acid (5-DSA) spin probe and by conductivity measurements. Surfactant aggregation in water occurred at SDS concentrations lower than the surfactant critical micelle concentration (cmc) and depended on the polymer concentration. The observations have been attributed to changes in the effective ionic strength of the systems due to the polymer itself, and it has been concluded that there is no interaction between the MAA/PEG comb copolymers or SPMA and SDS. This has been confirmed by the fact that the decrease in surfactant aggregation concentration is similar in magnitude to the decrease observed on adding NaCl when counterion ion condensation effects are taken into account. It is apparent that the electrostatic repulsions between the surfactant molecules and the methacrylate backbone of the MAA/PEG comb copolymers inhibit association of SDS with the PEG side chains.     

Surface structural characterization of protein- and polymer-modified polystyrene microspheres by infrared-visible sum frequency generation vibrational spectroscopy and scanning force microscopy

Structural investigations of bare and surface-modified polystyrene microspheres (beads) have been carried out by infrared-visible sum frequency generation (SFG) vibrational spectroscopy and scanning force microscopy (SFM). Bead surfaces have been modified by either the covalent linking of immunoglobulin G (IgG) and bovine serum albumin (BSA) or the nonspecific adsorption of a Pluronic surfactant. After surface modification with protein, SFG signals in the aliphatic CH-stretch region are detected at both the buffer/bead and air/bead interfaces, indicating that some amino acid residues in proteins adopt preferred orientations. SFG results indicate that the hydrophobic poly(propylene glycol) moieties in the Pluronic order when adsorbed onto the bead, at both the buffer/bead and air/bead interfaces, whereas hydrophilic poly(ethylene glycol) groups align to a lesser extent. SFG spectra also show that the phenyl rings of bare polystyrene beads in contact with air or buffer are ordered, with a dipole component directed along the surface normal, but become less ordered after the adsorption of either proteins or the polymer. Molecular orientation and ordering at the bead surface affect its hydrophobicity and aggregation behavior. SFM results reveal the formation of nonuniform islands when bare beads with more hydrophobic character are spun-cast onto a silica substrate. In the presence of adsorbed protein, a hexagonal packing of beads, with some defects, is observed, depending on the bulk pH and the type of attached protein. Adsorbed Pluronic causes the beads to aggregate in a disordered fashion, as compared to the behavior of bare and protein-modified beads.     

In situ AFM studies on self-assembled monolayers of adsorbed surfactant molecules on well-defined H-terminated Si(111) surfaces in aqueous solutions

The formation of self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) of adsorbed cationic or anionic surfactant molecules on atomically flat H-terminated Si(111) surfaces in aqueous solutions was investigated by in situ AFM measurements, using octyl trimethylammonium chloride (C8TAC), dodecyl trimethylammonium chloride (C12TAC), octadecyl trimethylammonium chloride (C18TAC)) sodium dodecyl sulfate (STS), and sodium tetradecyl sulfate (SDS). The adsorbed surfactant layer with well-ordered molecular arrangement was formed when the Si(111) surface was in contact with 1.0x10(-4) M C18TAC, whereas a slightly roughened layer was formed for 1.0x10(-4) M C8TAC and C12TAC. On the other hand, the addition of alcohols to solutions of 1.0x10(-4) M C8TAC, C12TAC, or SDS improved the molecular arrangement in the adsorbed surfactant layer. Similarly, the addition of a salt, KCl, also improved the molecular arrangement for both the cationic and anionic surfactant layers. Moreover, the adsorbed surfactant layer with a well-ordered structure was formed in a solution of mixed cationic (C12TAC) and anionic (SDS) surfactants, though each surfactant alone did not form the well-ordered layer. These results were all explained by taking into account electrostatic repulsion between ionic head groups of adsorbed surfactant molecules as well as hydrophobic interaction between their alkyl chains, which increases with the increasing chain length, together with the increase in the hydrophobic interaction or the decrease in the electrostatic repulsion by incorporating alcohol molecules into the adsorbed surfactant layer, the decrease in the electrostatic repulsion by increasing the concentration of counterions, and the decrease in the electrostatic repulsion by alternate arrangement of cationic and anionic surfactant molecules. The present results have revealed various factors to form the well-ordered adsorbed surfactant layers on the H-Si(111) surface, which have a possibility of realizing the third generation surfaces with flexible structures and functions easily adaptable to circumstances.     

Demonstrating the feasibility of monitoring the molecular-level structures of moving polymer/silane interfaces during silane diffusion using SFG

In this paper, the feasibility of monitoring molecular structures at a moving polymer/liquid interface by sum frequency generation (SFG) vibrational spectroscopy has been demonstrated. N-(2-Aminoethyl)-3-aminopropyltrimethoxysilane (AATM, NH2(CH2)2NH(CH2)3Si(OCH3)3) has been brought into contact with a deuterated poly(methyl methacrylate) (d-PMMA) film, and the interfacial silane structure has been monitored using SFG. Upon initial contact, the SFG spectra can be detected, but as time progresses, the spectral intensity changes and finally disappears. Additional experiments indicate that these silane molecules can diffuse into the polymer film and the detected SFG signals are actually from the moving polymer/silane interface. Our results show that the molecular order of the polymer/silane interface exists during the entire diffusion process and is lost when the silane molecules traverse through the thickness of the d-PMMA film. The loss of the SFG signal is due to the formation of a new disordered substrate/silane interface, which contributes no detectable SFG signal. The kinetics of the diffusion of the silane into the polymer have been deduced from the time-dependent SFG signals detected from the AATM molecules as they diffuse through polymer films of different thickness.     

Dynamics of adsorption of an oppositely charged polymer-surfactant mixture at the air-water interface: poly(dimethyldiallylammonium chloride) and sodium dodecyl sulfate

The dynamic adsorption behavior of mixtures of the cationic polymer poly(dimethyldiallylammonium chloride) [poly(dmdaac)] and the anionic surfactant sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) has been studied at the expanding liquid surface of an overflowing cylinder. A combination of ellipsometry and external reflection Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy was used to measure the adsorbed amounts of poly(dmdaac) and SDS as a function of the bulk surfactant concentration for various polymer concentrations in the range 0-0.2 g dm-3. Laser Doppler velocimetry was used to determine the surface age, which was approximately 1 s for solutions where the polymer adsorbed. The interfacial behavior is rationalized in terms of competition between surface activity and mass transport to the expanding surface. At low surfactant concentrations, adsorption of both poly(dmdaac) and SDS is enhanced as a result of the formation in solution of polymer-surfactant complexes that are more surface active than either component alone. The rate of adsorption of these complexes is diffusion-controlled, and their interfacial composition remains constant at three dmdaac units per SDS molecule over a 5-fold change in the surfactant concentration. For the higher polymer concentrations studied, the complexes saturate the air-water interface: the adsorbed amount is independent of the polymer concentration and remains constant also over a factor of 5 in the surfactant concentration. Once the number of bound surfactant molecules per dmdaac monomer exceeds 0.3, the complexes begin to form large aggregates, which are not surface active due to their slower mass transport. The adsorbed amount decreases rapidly on approach to the equivalence point (one SDS molecule per dmdaac monomer), and when it is reached, only a very small amount of material remains at the interface. At still higher surfactant concentrations, the free SDS adsorbs but there is no adsorbed poly(dmdaac). The dynamic adsorption data are compared with equilibrium measurements of the same system by Staples et al. (Langmuir 2002, 18, 5147), which show very different surface compositions and no significant change in surface coverage at the equivalence point.     

Effect of Polymer and Surfactant‐Polymer Couples on the Acid-Catalyzed Hydrolysis of Phenyl Urea

The mechanism of the hydrolysis decomposition of phenyl urea in acid, polymer, and surfactant‐polymer media was investigated, the addition‐elimination mechanism with rate determining attack of water at N‐protonated substrate having already been studied. This study has introduced the polymer PEG (MW‐400) and (surfactant‐polymer) (ceteyl trimethyl ammonium bromide‐poly ethylene glycol) (CTAB‐PEG), (cetyl pyridinium bromide‐polyethylene glycol) (CPC‐PEG) (sodium dodecyl sulphate‐poly ethylene glycol) (SDS‐PEG), (Triton X‐100‐poly ethylene glycol) (TX‐100‐PEG), and (Brij35‐poly ethylene glycol) (Brij35‐PEG) in acid media. The results indicate that the presence of polymer and surfactant‐polymer enhances the rate of reaction at 80°C in the presence of 0.9 M H₂SO₄. Kinetic studies show that the reaction obeyed first‐order kinetics. The reaction kinetics can be well explained by micellar catalysis models like the PPIE.     

Effect of ethanol on the interaction between poly(vinylpyrrolidone) and sodium dodecyl sulfate

The effect of ethanol on the interaction between the anionic surfactant sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) and the nonionic polymer poly(vinylpyrrolidone) (PVP) has been investigated using a range of techniques including surface tension, fluorescence, electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR), small-angle neutron scattering (SANS), and viscosity. Surface tension and fluorescence studies show that the critical micelle concentration (cmc) of the surfactant decreases to a minimum value around 15 wt % ethanol; that is, it follows the cosurfactant effect. However, in the presence of PVP, the onset of the interaction, denoted cmc(1), between the surfactant and the polymer is considerably less dependent on ethanol concentration. The saturation point, cmc(2), however, reflects the behavior of the cmc in that it decreases upon addition of ethanol. This results in a decrease in the amount of surfactant bound to the polymer [C(bound) = cmc(2) - cmc] at saturation. The viscosity of simple PVP solutions depends on ethanol concentration, but since SANS studies show that ethanol has no effect on the polymer conformation, the changes observed in the viscosity reflect the viscosity of the background solvent. There are significant increases in bulk viscosity when the surfactant is added, and these have been correlated with the polymer conformation extracted from an analysis of the SANS data and with the amount of polymer adsorbed at the micelle surface. Competition between ethanol and PVP to occupy the surfactant headgroup region exists; at low ethanol concentration, the PVP displaces the ethanol and the PVP/SDS complex resembles that formed in the absence of the ethanol. At higher ethanol contents, the polymer does not bind to the ethanol-rich micelle surface.     

Thermal analysis of aqueous micellar solutions

A micro differential temperature scanning calorimeter was used to characterize the structural changes between different types of micelles in aqueous solutions of ionic surfactants: anionic — sodium dodecylsulfate (SDS) — and cationic — hexadecyltrimethyl ammonium bromide (CTAB). Moreover, this technique allowed to confirm the existence of peculiar types of complexes between surfactants and selected solutes. In SDS solutions containing polyethylene glycols (PEG), the presence of complexes formed by small micelles adsorbed along the chains of the polymers was evidenced in the case of long enough polymer chains. In CTAB-phenol solutions, due to strong interactions between the polar heads of surfactant and phenol, molecular complexes of a composition of 1:1 molar ratio have been characterized. Depending on the ratio [phenol]/[CTAB], the rheological behaviour was found to change from fluid to viscoelastic and gel-like solutions, owing to the growth of elongated rod-like micelles. With entangled worm-like micelles, the important role of kinetics to reach the thermodynamic equilibria was shown.     

Adsorption of sodium dodecylsulfate on chrysotile

Adsorption of sodium dodecylsulfate (SDS) onto chrysotile from aqueous solutions was investigated along with varying temperature, ionic strength and surface treatments. Commercial chrysotile fibers were treated by sonication or extensive washings. The ratio of adsorbed SDS per gram of chrysotile is approximately constant with varying chrysotile masses. A steady state is reached after about 2 h of contact between SDS and chrysotile. In general, less surfactant is adsorbed on the sonicated chrysotile than on the extensively washed chrysotile. For the sonicated chrysotile, isotherms presented an adsorption maximum in the region of the surfactant critical micelle concentration, when the experiments were carried out without ionic strength control. The adsorption maximum is due to the presence of magnesium ions in the solution, which can form complexes with dodecylsulfate ions. For the extensively washed chrysotile, the isotherm behavior is similar to that obtained with sonicated chrysotile in the presence of an inert electrolyte. No significant difference in adsorption of SDS on the extensively washed chrysotile was observed when varying temperature or ionic strength. The adsorption of SDS was found to be dependent on the prior surface treatment.     

Swelling-based method for preparing stable, functionalized polymer colloids

We describe a swelling-based method to prepare sterically stabilized polymer colloids with different functional groups or biomolecules attached to their surface. It should be applicable to a variety of polymeric colloids, including magnetic particles, fluorescent particles, polystyrene particles, PMMA particles, and so forth. The resulting particles are more stable in the presence of monovalent and divalent salt than existing functionalized colloids, even in the absence of any surfactant or protein blocker. While we use a PEG polymer brush here, the method should enable the use of a variety of polymer chemistries and molecular weights.     

Self-assembled monothiol-terminated hyperbranched polyglycerols on a gold surface: a comparative study on the structure, morphology, and protein adsorption characteristics with linear poly(ethylene glycol)s

Monothiol-terminated hyperbranched polyglycerols (HPGs) were synthesized by ring-opening polymerization of glycidol from partially deprotonated 2,2'-dihydroxyethane disulfide as the initiator and subsequent reduction of the disulfide group. Two molecular weights of HPG thiols were synthesized. The molecular weights of the polymers were determined by MALDI-TOF analysis, and the presence of thiol was verified by Ellman's assay. The self-assembly of HPG thiols on gold was studied and compared with that of linear poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) thiols utilizing various surface analysis techniques. Monothiol-functionalized HPGs readily adsorbed to a gold surface and formed highly uniform thin films on the surface. The graft density of the HPG layer decreased with an increase in the molecular weight of the polymer. The amount of polymer on the surface increased with increasing incubation concentration and saturated above 6 g/L polymer concentration. Generally, HPG thiols gave lower graft density compared to linear PEG thiols of similar molecular weight. AFM morphological studies showed that HPG thiols form more uniform and smooth surface films compared to PEG thiols. Incubation of a polymer-coated surface (HPG thiols and PEG thiols) with bovine serum albumin and immunoglobulin showed that the high molecular weight hyperbranched polyglycerol was more resistant to protein adsorption than linear PEG of similar molecular weight or lower molecular weight HPG. The protein adsorption decreased with increasing graft density of the HPG chains on the surface. Our results show that HPG could be a good alternative to PEG in the development of nonfouling functional surfaces.     

Molecular packing of lysozyme,fibrinogen, and bovine serum albumin on hydrophilic and hydrophobic surfaces studied by infrared-visible sum frequency generation and fluorescence microscopy

Infrared-visible sum frequency generation (SFG) vibrational spectroscopy, in combination with fluorescence microscopy, was employed to investigate the surface structure of lysozyme, fibrinogen, and bovine serum albumin (BSA) adsorbed on hydrophilic silica and hydrophobic polystyrene as a function of protein concentration. Fluorescence microscopy shows that the relative amounts of protein adsorbed on hydrophilic and hydrophobic surfaces increase in proportion with the concentration of protein solutions. For a given bulk protein concentration, a larger amount of protein is adsorbed on hydrophobic polystyrene surfaces compared to hydrophilic silica surfaces. While lysozyme molecules adsorbed on silica surfaces yield relatively similar SFG spectra, regardless of the surface concentration, SFG spectra of fibrinogen and BSA adsorbed on silica surfaces exhibit concentration-dependent signal intensities and peak shapes. Quantitative SFG data analysis reveals that methyl groups in lysozyme adsorbed on hydrophilic surfaces show a concentration-independent orientation. However, methyl groups in BSA and fibrinogen become less tilted with respect to the surface normal with increasing protein concentration at the surface. On hydrophobic polystyrene surfaces, all proteins yield similar SFG spectra, which are different from those on hydrophilic surfaces. Although more protein molecules are present on hydrophobic surfaces, lower SFG signal intensity is observed, indicating that methyl groups in adsorbed proteins are more randomly oriented as compared to those on hydrophilic surfaces. SFG data also shows that the orientation and ordering of phenyl rings in the polystyrene surface is affected by protein adsorption, depending on the amount and type of proteins.     

Effect of SDS on the gelation of hydroxypropylmethylcellulose hydrogels

Thermal behavior of aqueous hydroxypropylmethylcellulose (HPMC)/surfactant mixtures was studied in the dilute concentration regime using micro-differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The surfactant used was sodium n-dodecyl sulfate (SDS). The heat capacity of HPMC gel with various concentrations of SDS was much higher than that of the pure HPMC gel. The addition of SDS at different concentrations showed dissimilar influences on the gelation of HPMC; SDS at lower concentrations (≤6 mM) did not affect gelation temperature significantly except for enhancing the heat capacity whilst SDS at higher concentrations (≥6 mM) not only resulted in the gelation of HPMC at higher temperatures but also changed the pattern of the gelation thermograph from a single mode to a bimodal. On the basis of the observed thermal behavior of HPMC/SDS systems, the mechanism behind the sol-gel transition was discussed in terms of the properties of the surfactant and their influences on the extent of polymer/surfactant binding and polymer/polymer hydrophobic association. Gelation kinetics was analysed using the results from the DSC measurements. The kinetic parameters were determined.     

Adsorption of 1- and 2-butylimidazoles at the copper/air and steel/air interfaces studied by sum frequency generation vibrational spectroscopy

The structure of thin films of 1- and 2-butylimidazoles adsorbed on copper and steel surfaces under air was examined using sum frequency generation (SFG) vibrational spectroscopy in the ppp and ssp polarizations. Additionally, the SFG spectra of both isomers were recorded at 55 °C at the liquid imidazole/air interface for reference. Complementary bulk infrared, reflection-absorption infrared spectroscopy (RAIRS), and Raman spectra of both imidazoles were recorded for assignment purposes. The SFG spectra in the C-H stretching region at the liquid/air interface are dominated by resonances from the methyl end group of the butyl side chain of the imidazoles, indicating that they are aligned parallel or closely parallel to the surface normal. These are also the most prominent features in the SFG spectra on copper and steel. In addition, both the ppp and ssp spectra on copper show resonances from the C-H stretching modes of the imidazole ring for both isomers. The ring C-H resonances are completely absent from the spectra on steel and at the liquid/air interface. The relative intensities of the SFG spectra can be interpreted as showing that, on copper, under air, both butylimidazoles are adsorbed with their butyl side chains perpendicular to the interface and with the ring significantly inclined away from the surface plane and toward the surface normal. The SFG spectra of both imidazoles on steel indicate an orientation where the imidazole rings are parallel or nearly parallel to the surface. The weak C-H resonances from the ring at the liquid/air interface suggest that the tilt angle of the ring from the surface normal at this interface is significantly greater than it is on copper.