Control of the colloidal depletion force in nonionic polymer solutions by complexation with anionic surfactants.

Hypothesis: Charge, size and concentration of depletants control the magnitude and range of depletion and structural forces. Noncovalent association of nonionic polymers with ionic surfactants may therefore synergistically enhance these forces to an extent that depends on the structure and composition of the resulting complexes.

Experiments: Forces were measured between a silica sphere and a silica plate in solutions of Pluronic F108 nonionic poly(ethylene oxide - block - propylene oxide - block - ethylene oxide) triblock copolymers and anionic sodium dodecylsulfate (SDS) surfactants using colloidal probe atomic force microscopy as a function of polymer, surfactant and NaCl background electrolyte concentrations. Trends in the magnitudes of the depletion attraction minimum and the first repulsive maximum in the oscillatory structural force were interpreted with the aid of pyrene solubilization assays, sodium ion-selective electrode analysis, and dynamic light scattering measurements that characterized the formation, charge, and hydrodynamic radius of F108/SDS complexes respectively.

Findings: Synergistic enhancement of the depletion force and first repulsive maximum occurred within a finite range of SDS concentrations, to an extent that depended on F108 and NaCl concentrations. This was due mainly to charging of F108/SDS complexes. Size effects were important at low NaCl concentration. Forces measured above the synergistic SDS concentration range were indistinguishable from those in polymer-free SDS solutions due to the appearance of excess unbound SDS micelles.