Abhijit Dan

The Solution Behavior of Poly(vinylpyrrolidone): Its Clouding in Salt Solution, Solvation by Water and Isopropanol, and Interaction with Sodium Dodecyl Sulfate

This article deals with the solution properties of poly(vinylpyrrolidone) (PVP) in salt and surfactant environment. The cloud point (CP) of PVP has been found to be induced by the salts NaCl, KCl, KBr, Na2SO4, MgSO4, and Na3PO4. On the basis of CP values for a salt at different [PVP], the energetics of the clouding process have been estimated. The effect of the surfactant, sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), on the salt-induced CP has also been studied, and reduction in CP at low [SDS] and increase in CP at high [SDS] have been observed. The water vapor adsorption of PVP has been determined by isopiestic method. The results display a BET Type III isotherm whose analysis has helped to obtain the monolayer capacity of PVP and formation of multilayer on it. The solvation of PVP in a solution of water and a water-isopropanol mixture has been determined by conductometry from which contribution of the individual components were estimated. The interaction of PVP with SDS in solution led to formation of a complex entity, which has been studied also by conductometry adopting a binding-equilibrium scheme. SDS has been found to undergo two types of binding as monomers in the pre- critical aggregation concentration (CAC) range and as small clusters in the post CAC region. The stoichiometries of binding and binding constant were evaluated.

Physicochemistry of the interaction between inulin and alkyltrimethylammonium bromides in aqueous medium and the formed coacervates.

Inulin, a polydisperse reserve polysaccharide, has prospective uses in food, pharmacy, and industry. Its uses and applications often encounter interactions with lipids and amphiphiles. Reports on such interactions are scarcely found in literature. In the present study, we have examined the nature of interactions between inulin and cationic amphiphiles, alkyltrimethylammonium bromides (CnTAB: n=12, 14, 16, 18), over a fair range of concentrations for both the polymer and the amphiphile. At low concentration, small induced amphiphile aggregates form complexes with inulin; at moderate concentration, the complexed inulin self-aggregates leading to coacervate formation, and at higher concentration, the amphiphile forms free micelles in solution. Tensiometric, conductometric, viscometric, and turbidimetric methods have been employed to study the above phenomena. The isolated coacervates of inulin with C18TAB were examined by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), thermogravimetry (TG), and differential thermal analysis (DTA) to ascertain their morphology, structure, and thermal stability.

Physicochemistry of Interaction between the Cationic Polymer Poly(diallyldimethylammonium chloride) and the Anionic Surfactants Sodium Dodecyl Sulfate, Sodium Dodecylbenzenesulfonate, and Sodium N-Dodecanoylsarcosinate in Water and Isopropyl Alcohol−Water Media

The physicochemistry of interaction of the cationic polymer poly(diallyldimethylammonium chloride) (PDADMAC) with the anionic surfactants sodium dodecyl sulfate, sodium dodecylbenzenesulfonate, and sodium N-dodecanoylsarcosinate was studied in detail using tensiometry, turbidimetry, calorimetry, viscometry, dynamic light scattering (DLS), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Fair interaction initially formed induced small micelles of the surfactants and later on produced free normal micelles in solution. The interaction process yielded coacervates that initially grew by aggregation in the aqueous medium and disintegrated into smaller species at higher surfactant concentration. The phenomena observed were affected by the presence of isopropyl alcohol (IP) in the medium. The hydrodynamic sizes of the dispersed polymer and its surfactant-interacted species were determined by DLS measurements. The surface morphologies of the solvent-removed PDADMAC and its surfactant-interacted complexes from water and IP-water media were examined by the SEM technique. The morphologies witnessed different patterns depending on the composition and the solvent environment. The head groups of the dodecyl chain containing surfactants made differences in the interaction process.

Tensiometry and dilational rheology of mixed β-lactoglobulin/ionic surfactant adsorption layers at water/air and water/hexane interfaces.

Oscillating drop tensiometry was applied to study adsorbed interfacial layers at water/air and water/hexane interfaces formed from mixed solutions of β-lactoglobulin (BLG, 1 μM in 10 mM buffer, pH 7 - negative net charge) and the anionic surfactant SDS or the cationic DoTAB. The interfacial pressure Π and the dilational viscoelasticity modulus |E| of the mixed layers were measured for mixtures of varying surfactant concentrations. The double capillary technique was employed which enables exchange of the protein solution in the drop bulk by surfactant solution (sequential adsorption) or by pure buffer (washing out). The first protocol allows probing the influence of the surfactant on a pre-adsorbed protein layer thus studying the protein/surfactant interactions at the interface. The second protocol gives access to the residual values of Π and |E| measured after the washing out procedure thus bringing information about the process of protein desorption. The DoTAB/BLG complexes exhibit higher surface activity and higher resistance to desorption in comparison with those for the SDS/BLG complexes due to hydrophobization via electrostatic binding of surfactant molecules. The neutral DoTAB/BLG complexes achieve maximum elastic response of the mixed layer. Mixed BLG/surfactant layers at the water/oil interface are found to reach higher surface pressure and lower maximum dilational elasticity than those at the water/air surface. The sequential adsorption mode experiments and the desorption study reveal that binding of DoTAB to pre-adsorbed BLG globules is somehow restricted at the water/air surface in comparison with the case of complex formation in the solution bulk and subsequently adsorbed at the water/air surface. Maximum elasticity is achieved with washed out layers obtained after simultaneous adsorption, i.e. isolation of the most surface active DoTAB/BLG complex. These specific effects are much less pronounced at the W/H interface.

Adsorption and Dilational Rheology of Mixed β-Casein/DoTAB Layers Formed by Sequential and Simultaneous Adsorption at the Water/Hexane Interface

The interfacial behavior of β-casein (βCS) has been investigated in presence of the cationic surfactant dodecyl trimethyl ammonium bromide (DoTAB) at the water/hexane interface and compared to that obtained for the water/air interface. The used experimental technique is a drop profile analysis tensiometer specially equipped with a coaxial double capillary, which allows investigation of sequential adsorption of individual components besides the traditional simultaneous adsorption of two species. This method also provides the dilational rheological measurements based on low frequency harmonic drop oscillations. The tensiometric results show that the equilibrium states of the mixed βCS/DoTAB layers built up on the two different routes do not differ significantly, that is, the general compositions of the mixed layers are similar. However, the results of dilational rheology for the two adsorption strategies are remarkably different indicating different dynamic characteristics of the adsorbed layers. These findings suggest that the respective mixed layers are more proteinlike if they are formed via sequential adsorption and more surfactant-like after simultaneous adsorption. In contrast to the W/A interface, at the W/H interface proteins remain at the interface once adsorbed and cannot be displaced just by competitive adsorption of surfactants.