Langmuir, Vol.10, No.10, 3390-3394, 1994
Phase-Behavior of Polymers with Concentrated Dispersions of Surfactants
Mixtures of polymers and surfactants have been prepared at relatively high concentration and the regions of phase separation measured. The polymers were both charged and uncharged, while the surfactants were nonionic. The separated phases were analyzed to obtain the tie lines for the two-phase region. The separated phases were either surfactant rich or polymer rich. Higher molecular mass polymers induced separation at lower concentration and the phase boundary did not depend strongly on the persistence length of the polymer. This indicates that the main origin of the separation was depletion flocculation. A theory describing such phase separation has been developed and shows qualitative agreement with the experimental results.
Keywords:DEPLETION LAYER THICKNESS;ANIONIC POLYELECTROLYTE;CATIONIC SURFACTANT;VOLUME RESTRICTION;AQUEOUS-SOLUTIONS;MIXTURES;WATER;SEPARATIONS;SYSTEM;LATEX