ZB 10 - Soft Condensed Matter (R. Holyst)

Ordering in surfactant mixtures induced by polymers

Author(s): Holyst, R and Staniszewski, K and Demyanchuk, I
Title: Ordering in surfactant mixtures induced by polymers
Abstract: We studied ternary mixtures of nonionic surfactant (C12E6, n-dodecyl glycol monoether), polymer (PEG, polyethylene glycol), water. A small amount of PEG induces demixing into the polymer-rich surfactant-rich phases in the ternary PEG/C12E6/water mixture. Above certain concentration and/or molecular weight of PEG, the phase orders, even in a solution consisting of a few of surfactant. The phase boundary acts as a semipermeable and the equilibrium is determined by the chemical potential of in two phases. The explicit expression for the amount of PEG to order C12E6 water solution is given and verified The analysis of the coexistence conditions leads to the that only two oxygen atoms in the outward part of the surfactant head strongly affect the chemical potential of Our methodology is generic, i.e., on the same basis one can a similar experiment for any surfactant/polymer/water system and the right proportions of polymer that induce order in a surfactant-rich phase.
Pages: 4881-4886
Journal: JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY B
Volume: 109
ID: ISI:000227734500012
Year: 2005
DOI: 10.1021/j045226t