Apparent specific densities of aqueous solutions of the diblock copolymers C18(EO)100, C18(EO)20, and (EO)92(BO)18 and the triblock copolymers (EO)25(PO)40(EO)25 and (EO)21(PO)47(EO)21 in the micellar state have been measured over a temperature range from 10 to 90 degrees C at concentrations between 1% and 5%, using an oscillating tube densitometer. From these measurements, apparent specific volumes of poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO), poly(propylene oxide) (PPO), poly(butylene oxide) (PBO), and octadecane in the micellar state have been determined. The composition of the block copolymers was checked by NMR spectroscopy. Results were compared with published data for the polymers and bulk values for octadecane, respectively. The apparent specific density of PEO chains in the dissolved state was also measured for PEG4600 solutions at different concentrations and compared with results in the micellar state. The results presented in the paper are crucial in connection with analysis and modeling of small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) data from polymer and block copolymer micellar systems. PEO and PPO have a relatively low apparent partial specific volume in water at low temperatures. It is associated with water molecules making strong hydrogen bonds with the oxygen atoms on the polymer backbone. These water molecules gradually become disordered when the temperature is increased and the polymer apparent specific volume increases. For PBO in the micellar cores of PBO-PEO block copolymer micelles and in PNiPAM microgels, pronounced temperature dependence with the same origin is also found. The application of the derived results for the apparent specific volume of PEO for deriving contrast factors is demonstrated and the results are used in the analysis of SAXS data for semidilute solutions of PEG4600 in a broad temperature range.
Spherical micelles of the diblock copolymer/surfactant Brij 700 (C(18)EO(100)) in water (D(2)O) solution have been investigated by small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) and small-angle neutron scattering (SANS). SAXS and SANS experiments are combined to obtain complementary information from the two different contrast conditions of the two techniques. Solutions in a concentration range from 0.25 to 10 wt % and at temperatures from 10 to 80 degrees C have been investigated. The data have been analyzed on absolute scale using a model based on Monte Carlo simulations, where the micelles have a spherical homogeneous core with a graded interface surrounded by a corona of self-avoiding, semiflexible interacting chains. SANS and SAXS data were fitted simultaneously, which allows one to obtain extensive quantitative information on the structure and profile of the core and corona, the chain interactions, and the concentration effects. The model describes the scattering data very well, when part of the EO chains are taken as a "background"contribution belonging to the solvent. The effect of this becomes non-negligible at polymer concentrations as low as 2 wt %, where overlap of the micellar coronas sets in. The results from the analysis on the micellar structure, interchain interactions, and structure factor effects are all consistent with a decrease in solvent quality of water for the PEO block as the theta temperature of PEO is approached.
We demonstrate that aqueous solutions of giant polymer-like nonionic micelles “doped” with small amounts of ionic surfactants serve as ideal model systems for “equilibrium polyelectrolytes”. We report systematic light and neutron scattering investigations of the effect of ionic strength, doping level, and total concentration on the static properties of dilute and semidilute micellar solutions. In dilute solutions, we observe a dramatic influence of (intramicellar) electrostatic interactions on the micellar flexibility, and the results are in close agreement with Monte Carlo simulations. We also analyze the effect of electrostatic contributions to intermicellar interactions and micellar growth. In the semidilute regime, strong long-range interactions between micelles occur at low ionic strength and induce liquidlike ordering, and the resulting structure factor peak exhibits the same concentration dependence as previously observed for polyelectrolytes.
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