Mixtures of poly(tert-butyl methacrylate) (PtBMA)
and the lipids monoolein, diolein, and triolein spread
as monolayers at the air−water interface have been used as models to
examine the surface phase behavior
of lipid−polymer mixtures as a function of lipid structure, polymer
molecular weight (17K to 3400K), and
mixture composition. A measure of miscibility and polymer−lipid
interactions was obtained through
analysis of surface pressure−area isotherms and by direct observation
with fluorescence microscopy. At
all molecular weights of PtBMA, for the polymer alone and in mixtures,
identical surface pressure−area
isotherms were obtained when area was expressed on a per monomer basis,
indicating that all monomer
segments were located at the interface and equally accessible to the
lipid molecules. Through thermodynamic
analysis, it was found that monoolein, with two hydroxyl groups, formed
nonideal miscible mixed monolayers
with PtBMA under what appear to be good solvent conditions.
Diolein, with one hydroxyl group, behaved
very much as a ϑ solvent, forming nearly ideal homogeneous
monolayers, while a lack of affinity between
triolein and PtBMA due to poor hydrogen bonding led to surface phase
separation at higher surface pressures,
consistent with poor solvent conditions.