Behavior of aqueous solutions of poly(ethylene oxide-b-propylene oxide) copolymers containing a hydrotropic agent

✍ Scribed by Claudia R. E. Mansur; Luciana S. Spinelli; Clara M. F. Oliveira; Gaspar González; Elizabete F. Lucas

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1998
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 229 KB
• Volume: 69
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0021-8995
• DOI: 10.1002/(sici)1097-4628(19980919)69:12<2459::aid-app17>3.0.co;2-s

✦ Synopsis

The effect of the hydrotropic agent, sodium p-toluenesulfonate (NaPTS), was evaluated on the micelle formation process and on phase behavior of aqueous solutions containing poly(ethylene oxide-b-propylene oxide) (PEO-PPO) copolymers. We have studied monofunctional diblock copolymers coupled with hydrocarbons groups (R{PEO{PPO{OH and R{PPO{PEO{OH, where R length is linear C 4 and C 12-14 ). The critical micelle concentration (CMC) and critical micelle temperature (CMT) values of the aqueous copolymers solutions were obtained from both surface tension versus concentration plots and the dye solubilization method. The influence of the hydrocarbons groups length and PPO segment position in the structure of the copolymers were also analyzed. The same measures were obtained for the aqueous solutions of hydrotropic agent which, in turn, also presented molecular aggregation. The presence of the hydrotropic agent in the aqueous copolymers solutions altered the surface tension of these solutions and the occupied molecular area per copolymer molecule at air-water interface and CMC and CMT values of the copolymers. On the other hand, the aggregation points and the surface tension of the NaPTS solutions were dependent on the copolymer structure and composition.