Physicochemical investigations on the interaction of an anionic surfactant with cellulose based polymer microgel

This work focuses on the interaction of cellulose-based colloidal microgel dispersions with the anionic surfactant sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) at different concentrations. First, a Cellulose-P(NIPAAm-MAA)-based responsive microgel sample was prepared by a radical polymerization method using a one-pot process. The samples thus obtained were purified, characterized and used to study microgel-surfactant interactions. To this end, SDS solutions with different concentrations were prepared and the interactions of SDS in the premicellar and micelle regions with polymer microgel were investigated using different physicochemical techniques. Experiments were also performed at different temperatures to obtain the degree of binding of SDS to microgel in gel surfactant mixtures. Due to the temperature-sensitive properties of microgel, we observed significant changes in various properties of microgel-surfactant mixtures when the solution temperature changed. The overall results showed that various experimental variables, such as the polymer gel/surfactant ratio and temperature, affect the gel-surfactant interaction quantitatively and qualitatively. With increasing surfactant concentration, conductance, viscosity and absorbance values increased, but a decrease in surface tension was observed. This is due to the adsorption of SDS at the air-water interface. The micellar activity of surfactants is enhanced by the addition of microgels. It was found that the strength and nature of the interaction depended not only on the gel/surfactant ratio, solvent type and test temperature, but also on the chemical structure of the surfactant used. Furthermore, the visual stability of the colloidal particles in the mixture of microgel and SDS was also noticeable over time.

Automated summary

This study investigates the interaction between cellulose-based colloidal microgel dispersions and anionic surfactant sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) at different concentrations. A responsive microgel sample based on Cellulose-P(NIPAAm-MAA) was prepared and used for the study. Different physicochemical techniques were employed to investigate the interactions of SDS in premicellar and micelle regions with the microgel. The results show that various experimental variables, such as polymer gel/surfactant ratio and temperature, quantitatively and qualitatively affect the gel-surfactant interaction.