title: Not all anionic polyelectrolytes complex with DTAB.
abstract: The influence of hydroxypropyl guar (HPG), with and without boric acid, on dodecyltrimethyl ammonium bromide (DTAB) micellization was characterized by surface tension measurements, isothermal titration calorimetry, and small-angle neutron scattering. Although HPG is a nonionic water-soluble polymer, borate ions form weak bonds with HPG, transforming it into an anionic polyelectrolyte, HPG-borate. Surprisingly, the three independent measurements showed that HPG-borate does not promote DTAB micellization or phase separation normally seen when mixing oppositely charged polyelectrolytes and surfactants. However, the neutron scattering results suggested that HPG-borate binds to and flocculates existing DTAB micelles. The unusual behavior of HPG-borate with DTAB was underscored by showing that carboxymethyl guar (CMG) formed precipitates with DTAB.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical Engineering JHE-136, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada L8S 4L7.
authors.forename: Yuguo
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Cui
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Pelton
authors.forename: Terence
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Cosgrove
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Richardson
authors.forename: Sheng
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Dai
authors.forename: Stuart
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Prescott
authors.forename: Isabelle
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Grillo
authors.forename: Howard
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ketelson
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Meadows