Interactions between covalently crosslinked ethyl(hydroxyethyl)cellulose and SDS

Abstract

The equilibrium swelling of chemically crosslinked gels based on ethyl(hydroxyethyl)cellulose (EHEC) in aqueous solutions of sodium dodecyl sulphate (SDS) was studied as a function of the SDS concentration at various temperatures and salt concentrations. Comparisons were made with gels based on poly-N-isopropylacrylamide (p-NIPA). Both polymers are known to form complexes with SDS above a critical association concentration (cac) of the surfactant, and both display a lower critical solution temperature (LCST) in water. For both types of gels, an increase in the equilibrium gel volume was seen with increasing SDS concentration above the cac, up to a maximum value when the SDS concentration in the external solution reached the critical micelle concentration (cmc). Above the cmc, the equilibrium gel volume decreased slowly with increasing SDS concentration. A volume collapse of the EHEC gels was observed in a temperature interval around the LCST of EHEC in solution. Above the cac, the collapse transition moved monotonically towards higher temperatures with added SDS. At lower SDS concentrations, however, the opposite trend was found. The swelling of the gel was less in the presence of salt and SDS, and a pronounced minimum in swelling appeared with added SDS when the salt concentration was sufficiently high (ca. 10 mmoles/l). Under these salt conditions, the LCST of the linear EHEC also passes through a deep minimum (below room temperature) on addition of SDS.