Segregation phenomena in micelles from mixtures of fluorinated and hydrogenated surfactants

Mixtures of hydrogenated and fluorinated surfactants are known to form either mixed or segregated micelles: the conclusions are much dependant on the precision of the experimental measurements and on the model used for interpretation. Recently, mixed surfactant solutions were probed at the micellar or molecular level by SANS, fluorescence or NMR. It leads to an intermediate structure for the mixed micelles with an intramicellar segregation of the fluorinated and hydrogenated surfactant.This intramicellar segregation was also observed in a variety of more complex systems which are rapidly surveyed in the second part.     

Micellisation and gelation of block-copoly(oxyethylene/oxybutylene/oxyethylene) E58 B17 E58

A triblock-copoly(oxybutylene/oxyethylene), denoted E₅₈ B₁₇ E₅₈ (80 wt-% E), was prepared by sequential anionic copolymerisation and its micellar and gelation properties in aqueous solution were determined. The oxybutylene/oxyethylene copolymer had the advantage over comparable oxypropylene/oxyethylene copolymers of greater uniformity of composition and chain length. The methods generally used were surface tension, light scattering intensity, photon correlation spectroscopy, together with observation of gelation. Measurements were made at 30°, 40° and 55° C over a full concentration range from dilute solution into the gel (>200 g dm^–3) and at specified concentrations, including the gel, over the temperature range from 10° to 70° C. The lower and upper temperature boundaries of the gel region were identified, and the occurrence of syneresis was noted. The properties investigated and discussed include critical micelle and gel concentrations, micellar weights and sizes, and structures and mobilities in the gel.     

Conductometric and fluorometric studies of sodium dodecyl sulphate in aqueous solution and in the presence of amino acids

The critical micelle concentration (CMC) of sodium dodecyl sulphate (SDS) in pure water and in the presence of amino acids (0.01, 0.02 and 0.03 mol kg^?1), L-valine (Val) and L-leucine (Leu) was determined from conductometric and fluorometric methods using pyrene as luminescence probe. Depression in the CMC at low concentration of amino acids is attributed to the increased hydrophobic–hydrophobic interaction between the non-polar groups of the surfactant, while, at high concentration, amino acids bind strongly with the anion, DS^?, head groups of SDS, thereby, delaying the micelle formation, resulting in increased CMC. A pronounced decrease in the CMC, while a marked increase in λ⁰₊, with decrease in the solvated radius (rather than crystal radius) of the counterions is observed. Negative values of ΔG⁰_m and ΔH⁰_m indicate that micellisation of SDS in the presence of amino acids is thermodynamically spontaneous and exothermic. Highest negative value of ΔH⁰_m in 0.01 m Val, with lowest CMC value, shows that 0.01 m aqueous Val is the most suitable medium favouring the micellisation of SDS. Decrease in I₁/I₃ from Val to Leu confirms the relative hydrophobicity of two amino acids. The observed values of the packing parameter, P, of SDS in water and in aqueous amino acids suggest that micelles formed are spherical in nature.     

Micellisation thermodynamics of sodium lauroylsarcosinate in water–alcohol binary mixtures

Aggregation of sodium lauroylsarcosinate (SLS) in aqueous solutions of methanol, ethanol, propanol and ethylene glycol at 288–313 K has been determined from conductivity measurement in the range 0–20% v/v of additives. The precise values of the critical micelle concentration (CMC) and the degree of counter-ion dissociation of micelles were obtained at each temperature by fitting the specific conductivity-surfactant concentration curve to the integrated form of the Boltzmann-sigmoid equation. The CMC was found to increase with increase in additive concentrations in the case of methanol and ethylene glycol, while it decreases with increase in ethanol and propanol concentration. The equilibrium model of micelle formation was applied to obtain the thermodynamic parameters of micellisation. The Gibbs free energies were observed to vary only slightly with temperature and additive concentrations. Enthalpy–entropy compensation was observed for all the systems with a constant compensation temperature of ≈300 K and negative compensation enthalpy.     

Thermodynamic and FTIR studies of the interactions between sodium dodecyl sulphate and strong acids – atypical conductivity pattern

Micellisation of sodium dodecyl sulphate (SDS) was studied in the presence of hydrochloric acid (HCl) and perchloric acid (HClO₄) using conductometry method. The conductivity-[SDS] plots showed abnormal profile pattern at [HCl] > 0.002 mol dm^?3 and [HClO₄] > 0.001 mol dm^?3. Below these acid concentrations, conductivity pattern was normal, and the critical micelle concentration (CMC) values of SDS were lower in both acids than in water. At high acid concentrations, post-micellar slopes were negative. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) analysis showed significant shifts in the bands suggesting the formation of dodecyl hydrogen sulphate by SDS at high acid concentrations. Thermodynamic parameters for SDS micellisation at low acid concentrations ([HCl] = 0.002 mol dm^?3 and [HClO₄] = 0.001 mol dm^?3) were determined in the temperature range 15–40°C. As temperature increases, the change in enthalpy and entropy of micellisation becomes less positive, and the change in free energy of micellisation becomes increasingly negative.     

The temperature dependence of the micellisation of chlorpromazine hydrochloride in aqueous solution

The association characteristics of the weakly associating drug chlorpromazine hydrochloride have been examined over the temperature range 10–35 °C by means of conductimetric measurements. Critical micelle concentrations (cmc) have been determined by the application of a recently developed numerical method [Pérez-Rodríguez et al. (1998) Langmuir 14:4422] especially designed for the analysis of the association pattern in highly polydisperse systems of low aggregation number. The cmcs determined in this manner are used in combination with the mass-action model to obtain the thermodynamic parameters of the micellisation process, in particular the surface and hydrophobic contributions to the free energy. The use of exact forms of equations for the thermodynamics of micellisation applicable to systems of low aggregation number leads to values of the enthalpy of micellisation in reasonable agreement with experimentally determined values. Received: 6 January 2000/Accepted: 9 February 2000     

Gelation of micellar solutions of diblock-copoly (oxyethylene/oxybutylene) in aqueous K2SO4. An investigation of excluded volume effects

The micellization and gelation properties of oxyethylene/oxybutylene diblock copolymers E₄₀B₁₀ and E₄₁B₈ in aqueous K₂SO₄ solutions were investigated. The thermodynamic and hydrodynamic volumes of the micelles in salt solutions of various concentrations up to 0.4 mol dm^?3 were determined by static and dynamic light scattering, respectively. The related changes in the gelation behavior of concentrated micellar solutions of the copolymers were explained as thermodynamic (excluded) volume effects. The thermodynamic volumes of micelles measured in moderately concentrated solution were used successfully to predict the critical gel concentrations of concentrated solutions. ©1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Calorimetric methods applied to the investigation of divided systems in colloid science

A new batch titration microcalorimeter has been used for estimation of thermodynamic properties in various investigated colloidal systems. As examples, we present enthalpic and kinetic data obtained from this calorimetric device for four different processes widely encountered in colloid science: