Complexes of oil-soluble amphiphilic copolymers and low-molecular mass surfactants

Complexation between anionic, cationic ionomers as oil-soluble amphiphilic copolymers and various oil-soluble surfactants proceeds in dilute ionomer solution in THF, In-xylene and chloroform with surfactant molecules of various degree of aggregation as well as with surfactant reversed micelles containing water. Sulfonated polystyrene or styrene-N-ethyl-4-vinylpyridinium bromide copolymers were used as ionomers, while sodium bis(2-ethylhexyl) sulfosuccinate, octadecyltrimethylammonium bromide, and primary aliphatic amines were used as surfactants. The formation of ionomer-surfactant complexes with well-defined limiting compositions (phi) is established. The value of phi, depends on the nature of the ionomer salt/acid group, the aggregation state of the surfactant, the type of low-polarity solvent, and the chemical nature of the surfactant. The character of the ionomer-surfactant complexation reaction and the structure of the new polymer-colloidal complexes are discussed. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.