Magdalena Bielawska

Adhesion work and wettability of polytetrafluorethylene and poly(methyl methacrylate) by aqueous solutions of cetyltrimethylammonium bromide and Triton X-100 mixture with ethanol.

The contact angle measurements of the aqueous solutions of p-(1,1,3,3-tetramethylbutyl)phenoxypoly(ethylene glycol) (TX-100) and cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) mixture with ethanol on polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) and poly (methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) were carried out in the range of the total concentration of TX-100 and CTAB mixture from 1×10(-6) to 1×10(-3) M and in the whole range of ethanol concentration. In the surfactant mixture, the mole fraction of TX-100 was equal to 0.2; 0.4; 0.6 and 0.8, respectively. From the obtained results, the critical surface tension of PTFE and PMMA wetting and the adhesion work of the solutions to the polymer surface were established. The PMMA surface tension was calculated from the Neumanns equation. It appeared that for the ethanol concentration higher than that corresponding to the association of its molecules, the surface tension of PMMA calculated from the Neumanns equation is close to the critical surface tension of PMMA wetting. It also appeared that it is possible to predict the work of adhesion of the studied solutions to the PMMA surface by using the PMMA surface tension data determined on the basis of the van Oss et al. approach to the interfacial tension and those from the Neumanns equation.

Adsorption of Triton X-100 and cetyltrimethylammonium bromide mixture with ethanol at nylon-6–solution interface with regard to nylon-6 wettability: II. Work of adhesion and activity of surfactants at interfaces

On the basis of the values of the surface tension of the aqueous solutions of the Triton X-100 and CTAB mixture with ethanol, the surface tension of nylon-6 and the nylon-6–solution interfacial tension, the activity of the surfactant mixture and ethanol at the nylon-6–solution interface was calculated and compared to that at the solution–air one. For these calculations, the Sprow and Prausnitz equation was applied. The obtained values of the activity were used for the calculations of the work of adhesion of the solution to the polymer surface. The values of the work of adhesion obtained in this way were compared to those determined from the Young–Dupre equation by using the contact angle values of the aqueous solutions of the TX-100 and CTAB mixture with ethanol measured on the nylon-6 surface. The changes of the work of adhesion determined from the Young–Dupre equation were also considered as a function of the surface tension of the solution, its polar component and the interfacial interaction parameter.

Wetting and adsorption properties of cetyltrimethylammonium bromide and Triton X-100 mixture with short-chain alcohol in polymer–solution–air system

Abstract Measurements of the contact angle of the aqueous solutions of Triton X-100 (TX-100) and cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) mixture with methanol or propanol on the polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) and nylon-6 surfaces were made. On the basis of the obtained results, the Gibbs surface excess concentration of alcohol and TX-100 + CTAB mixture at the polymer–solution and polymer–air interfaces was calculated and compared to that at the solution–air one. The standard Gibbs free energy of alcohol adsorption was determined by different methods. For TX-100 and CTAB mixture, this energy was calculated using the values of critical micelle concentration (CMC) of that mixture, the surface tension and contact angle of aqueous solution of alcohol as well as the surface tension and contact angle of the aqueous solution of TX-100 and CTAB mixture with alcohol at CMC. The polymer–solution interfacial tension, the adhesion tension, and the adhesion work of the studied solutions to the polymer surface were also determined. From the obtained data, it results that the studied solutions can wet completely only the nylon-6 surface and that below alcohol critical aggregation concentration the adsorption of surfactants and alcohols at the polymer–water and water–air interfaces is similar for PTFE and different for nylon-6.

Ethanol behaviour at the solution-air interface in the presence of Triton X-100 and cetyltrimethylammonium bromide mixture

Abstract On the basis of the surface tension ( γLV) data of the aqueous solutions of p-(1,1,3,3-tetramethylbutyl)phenoxypoly(ethylene glycol) (Triton X-100 or TX-100) and cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) mixture with ethanol published in our previous paper, the process of ethanol adsorption was investigated. For that reason, the values of Gibbs surface excess concentration of ethanol at the solution-air interface and Gibbs standard free energy of its adsorption at that interface were calculated and compared with those determined for the aqueous solutions of ethanol. The surface excess concentration of ethanol at the solution-air interface was calculated with two different methods. The standard free energy of alcohol adsorption was determined from both the Gu and Zhu and Langmuir equations.