Controlling structure in associating polymer-surfactant mixtures

Piculell, L.; Svensson, A.; Norrman, J.; Bernardes, J. S.; Karlsson, L.; Loh, W.

doi:10.1351/pac200779081419

Pure Appl. Chem., 2007, Vol. 79, No. 8, pp. 1419-1434

http://dx.doi.org/10.1351/pac200779081419

Controlling structure in associating polymer-surfactant mixtures

L. Piculell¹, A. Svensson¹, J. Norrman¹, J. S. Bernardes², L. Karlsson¹ and W. Loh²

¹ Physical Chemistry 1, Center for Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Lund University, Box 124, SE-221 00 Lund, Sweden
² Institute of Chemistry, State University of Campinas (UNICAMP), Caixa Postal 6154, Campinas, SP, Brazil

Abstract: Structures of concentrated mixtures of associating polymer-surfactant mixtures are important in many technical applications. Yet an in-depth understanding of how molecular parameters affect these structures is lacking. We here summarize the results of ongoing work using a novel simplified approach to the study of associating oppositely charged polymer-surfactant mixtures, introducing a minimum number of components to the various mixtures. The results illustrate the relations between systems with and without polyions, as well as effects of systematic changes of parameters such as surfactant chain length, polyion length, polyion charge density, and the charge density of the surfactant aggregate.