ABSTRACT
The association between an anionic surfactant and a nonionic polymer as well as between a cationic surfactant and an anionic polymer was investigated. Effects of ionic strength, polymer charge and binding density were determined using surface tension, fluorescence spectroscopy and potentiometry. Polymer-surfactant complexes have long been recognized as potent tools with application in diverse areas such as mineral processing, catalysis, drug delivery and other controlled release applications’. A low value of the coiling index indicated a stretched polymer whereas a high value of the coiling index was obtained when the polymer was coiled. The number of aggregates per polymer chain calculated from the values of n and pyrene concentration is found to decrease with increase in ionic strength and is independent of the type of salt added to the system. The size of polymer-bound surfactant aggregates was determined using dynamic fluorescence spectroscopy of solubilized pyrene.
