title: Polymer-surfactant systems in bulk and at fluid interfaces.
abstract: The interest of polymer-surfactant systems has undergone a spectacular development in the last thirty years due to their complex behavior and their importance in different industrial sectors. The importance can be mainly associated with the rich phase behavior of these mixtures that confers a wide range of physico-chemical properties to the complexes formed by polymers and surfactants, both in bulk and at the interfaces. This latter aspect is especially relevant because of the use of their mixture for the stabilization of dispersed systems such as foams and emulsions, with an increasing interest in several fields such as cosmetic, food science or fabrication of controlled drug delivery structures. This review presents a comprehensive analysis of different aspects related to the phase behavior of these mixtures and their intriguing behavior after adsorption at the liquid/air interface. A discussion of some physical properties of the bulk is also included. The discussion clearly points out that much more work is needed for obtaining the necessary insights for designing polymer-surfactant mixtures for specific applications.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Química Física I-Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Ciudad Universitaria s/n, 28040, Madrid, Spain. Electronic address: eduardogs@quim.ucm.es.
authors.forename: Eduardo
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Guzmán
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Química Física I-Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Ciudad Universitaria s/n, 28040, Madrid, Spain; Istituto per l'Energetica e le Interfasi-U.O.S. Genova-Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche Via de Marini 6, 16149, Genova, Italy.
authors.forename: Sara
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Llamas
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics, Cavendish Laboratory, University of Cambridge, J.J. Thomson Avenue, CB3 0HE, Cambridge, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Armando
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Maestro
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Química Física I-Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Ciudad Universitaria s/n, 28040, Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Fernández-Peña
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Química Física I-Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Ciudad Universitaria s/n, 28040, Madrid, Spain; Instituto Pluridisciplinar-Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Avenida Juan XXIII 1, 28040, Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: Andrew
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Akanno
authors.affiliation: Max-Planck-Institut für Kolloid und Grenzflächenforschung, Am Mühlenberg 1, 14476-Golm, Potsdam, Germany.
authors.forename: Reinhard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Miller
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Química Física I-Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Ciudad Universitaria s/n, 28040, Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: Francisco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Ortega
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Química Física I-Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Ciudad Universitaria s/n, 28040, Madrid, Spain; Instituto Pluridisciplinar-Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Avenida Juan XXIII 1, 28040, Madrid, Spain. Electronic address: rgrubio@quim.ucm.es.
authors.forename: Ramón G
authors.initials: RG
authors.lastname: Rubio
keywords: Interfaces; Interfacial rheology; Interfacial tension; Polyelectrolytes; Polymers; Surfactant