Mixtures of surfactants and polymers afford great flexibility in conferring structure and function in waterborne formulations applied to coatings, home and personal care products, food and drinks, pharmaceutics, and petroleum extraction. Underlying such structure and function are inter- and intra-molecular interactions that depend on the (i) surfactant type and concentration, (ii) polymer chemistry and concentration, (iii) solvent conditions (e.g., pH, ionic strength, presence of cosolvents or cosolutes), (iv) interfaces and surfaces (e.g., presence of colloidal particles), and (v) external stimuli (e.g., temperature, shear). The presentation will highlight examples from our research on the structure and composition of mixed micelles formed in water by commercially available anionic surfactants and nonionic poly(ethylene oxide)-based polymers in water, as affected by the hydrophobicity of the surfactant (aliphatic hydrocarbon vs fluorocarbon chain), the ability of the polymer to associate upon incorporation of hydrophobic poly(propylene oxide) segments, and the hydrophobicity of the solvent (added ethanol, salt or ionic liquids).

Surfactant-polymer mixed micelles: structure and composition modulated by the hydrophobicity of surfactant, polymer, or solvent

ACS Spring Meeting 2021

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