Mixed self-assembly of poly(ethylene oxide)-b-poly(epsilon-caprolactone) copolymers and sodium dodecyl sulfate in aqueous solution

Interaction of amphiphilic poly(ethylene oxide)-b-poly(epsilon-caprolactone) copolymers with anionic sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) has been investigated in aqueous solution. Formation of mixed micelles has been confirmed by surface tension measurements, whereas the influence of the surfactant on the copolymer self-assembling has been studied by measurement of the 1H NMR self-diffusion coefficients and by small-angle neutron scattering. As a rule, the surfactant decreases the heterogeneity of the micellar structures formed by the copolymer in water. Moreover, increasing the content of SDS results in the increasingly more important extension of the poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) corona chains and the copolymer micelle deaggregation. The stability of the micelles against SDS increases with the length of the hydrophobic block. Preliminary two-dimensional NMR measurements with nuclear Overhauser enhancement have confirmed the spatial vicinity between SDS and the constitutive blocks of the copolymer.