Fluorescence Study of the Interaction between Hydrophobically Modified Polymers and Nonionic and Ionic Surfactants in Aqueous Media

Abstract

The interaction of poly(2-(acrylamido)-2-methylpropane sulfonate)s (PAMPSs), which were randomly modified and end-modified with hydrophobic moieties, with nonionic, cationic, and anionic surfactants was investigated by a fluorescence spectroscopic technique of labeled pyrene. The results indicated that the randomly modified PAMPS bound to the nonionic and cationic surfactants and that the disruption of intrapolymer micelles composed of the polymer chain itself occurred.In contrast, the end-modified PAMPS was bound to the surfactants without disruption of multipolymer aggregates in a comparably low concentration range of the surfactants. The conformation of the polymer-surfactant complex depended on the position of the hydrophobic group in the polymer chains. In the case of the anionic surfactant, the complex formation between the polymers and the surfactants was significantly restricted due to the electrostatic repulsion of anionic sites of the polymer chains and the anionic surfactants.