Influence of shear stress on cationic surfactant uptake by anionic gels

Kinetic studies of cationic surfactant uptake by anionic polymer gel membrane under various shear flow have been performed, varying the alkyl chain length of surfactant, the ionic strength of surfactant solution, and the charge density of gel. By exposing the gel surface to a shear flow of ca. 1 Pa, the rate of surfactant uptake is distinctly enhanced, while the maximum binding ratio to the gel is not influenced. A linear relationship between the surfactant initial flux and shear stress has been established. At a high ionic strength, the effect of shear stress is suppressed, suggesting that the enhancement of surfactant uptake under shear flow is caused by a decrease in the surface electrostatic potential of the negatively charged polyelectrolyte get, which favors the uptake of the positively charged surfactant. From the Nernst and Planck equation, a relationship between the surfactant uptake kinetics and the electrostatic field is derived that allows us to estimate the shear stress dependence of the change in the electrostatic field on the gel surface. The origin of the shear-induced surface electrostatic field change is discussed.