INTERACTIONS BETWEEN WATER-SOLUBLE NONIONIC POLYMERS AND SURFACTANT AGGREGATES

The influence of the chemical structure and charge of the surfactant on polymer-micelle interaction has been studied using various ionic and non-ionic surfactants, and surfactants of which the charge can be varied by (de)protonation. Octylthioglucoside, dodecyldimethylamine-oxide, alkylphosphates, alkylmalonates and cetyltrimethylammonium salts are the surfactants, and PEG, PVME and PPO are the polymers that were used. The results show how small changes in chemical structure or charge may greatly alter the propensity for association with polymers. Furthermore, the break-down of rod-like micelles of CTASal and NMe(4)(+)-dodecylmalonate to polymer-bound spherical micelles is described. This phenomenon illustrates how the accumulation of relatively weak forces that play a role in polymer-micelle interaction may severely change the morphology of the system and thereby the theological characteristics of the solution.