Insight into the Interaction Between Carbopol® 940 and Ionic/Nonionic Surfactant

Mixtures of a cross‐linked polyacrylic acid (Carbopol^® 940) and two types of surfactants, namely anionic sodium dodecylsulfate (SDS) and nonionic Tween^® 80, were investigated by viscometry, conductometry, tensiometry, spectrophotometry, fluorimetry and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The addition of nonionic surfactant decreased the reduced viscosity and the transmittance of the Carbopol^® polymer aqueous solutions. Furthermore, the interaction between Carbopol^® 940 and SDS was characterized by two significant concentration values: the critical aggregation concentration of SDS was particularly independent of Carbopol^® polymer concentration while the polymer saturation point of both surfactants increased with the increase in polymer content. The values of critical aggregation concentration and polymer saturation point obtained using various techniques confirmed the occurrence of Carbopol^® polymer–surfactant associations. The effect of different SDS and Tween^® 80 concentrations on the conformation of Carbopol^® 940 in aqueous solution could be explained through hydrophobic association between surfactant micelles and Carbopol^® polymer tails and through hydrogen bonding in the case of Tween^® 80. Additionally, the surfactant‐induced structural changes were confirmed in Carbopol^® 940–SDS and Carbopol^® 940–Tween^® 80 aqueous solutions by SEM measurements.     

Photopolymerization kinetics of poly(acrylate)-clay composites using polymerizable surfactants

Photopolymerization kinetics of polymer-clay nanocomposite systems utilizing polymerizable quaternary ammonium surfactants as dispersants were systematically investigated to determine the effects of surfactant type and clay morphology on polymerization behavior. For these studies, either polymerizable surfactants were mixed into a clay-monomer system or the surfactants were ionically anchored to clay surfaces and added to the monomer for in situ photopolymerization. Higher photopolymerization rates are observed with increasing polymerizable surfactant concentration, while no significant change or decreases in polymerization rate occur with incorporation of non-polymerizable surfactants. The higher rates observed for polymerizable surfactant systems are due to lower apparent termination rate parameters stemming from immobilization of the surfactants. For clay that is modified with ionically bonded quaternary ammonium surfactants, polymerization rates decrease in both polymerizable and non-polymerizable organoclay systems with increasing concentration, but this decrease is much smaller when polymerizable organoclays are utilized. For the same organoclay concentration, higher polymerization rates and double bond conversions result with increasing polymerizable surfactant concentration via cation exchange. Significant increases in polymerization rate also occur with increasing degree of clay exfoliation.     

Polymerization of micelle-forming monomers: Mechanistic study and characterization of the systems before and after polymerization

Cationic surfactants bearing a polymerizable styryl headgroup and a variable alkyl chain with 8–16 carbon atoms have been synthesized. Their aqueous solutions have been characterized by the surfactant critical micellar concentration (CMC) and aggregation number using electrical conductivity, spectrofluorimetry and time-resolved fluorescence quenching. The photoinitiated polymerization of these surfactants in the micellar state led to stable and transparent or slightly bluish systems. The kinetics of polymerization were measured by dilatometry and were found to be close to those obtained for styrene emulsion polymerization. A mechanism of polymerization is proposed and discussed in terms of micellar dynamics. The polymerized systems, p(Cn-STY), and the recovered polymers were characterized by means of several complementary techniques. The polymers have high molecular weights (3 × 10⁵-3 × 10⁶), which indicates that the initial micellar structure is not preserved upon polymerization. The structure of the polymerized systems depends on the alkyl chain length of the surfactant. The p(C16-STY) systems exhibit a structure similar to that of a polysoap with intramolecular hydrophobic microdomains whereas the p(C8-STY) systems behave like classical polyelectrolytes.     

Application of Ammonium α-Allyl Alkyl Phenol Polyoxyethylene Ether Sulfonate in Acrylic Emulsion Pressure-Sensitive Adhesive

Three acrylic pressure-sensitive adhesives with same composition but emulsified by different surfactants were prepared. The test results showed that adhesion properties and water resistance of the adhesives emulsified by polymerizable surfactant were better than those of conventional ones. In addition, surface tension and contact angle of adhesive based on polymerizable surfactant were higher than the conventional ones. These differences were attributed to the different migration abilities of the surfactants, as explained with atomic force microscopy images. Furthermore, the storage modulus of the adhesive can be enhanced by the reaction of polymerizable surfactant, which was conformed by dynamic mechanic analysis.     

The colloidal properties of alkaline‐soluble waterborne polymers

Waterborne polymer dispersions are widely used in coatings and graphic arts markets as environmentally friendly and more sustainable alternatives to solvent borne binders. Traditionally, waterborne (meth)acrylic dispersions are prepared by emulsion polymerization using low molar mass surfactants as a key ingredient to control particle size. However, these surfactants can have a negative influence on the performance of coatings such as reduced water resistance and adhesion. To mitigate the negative effects of surfactants, polymer latexes have been developed that employ alkaline‐soluble polymers as the sole stabilizer for a subsequent emulsion polymerization step. In this way surfactant‐free polymer dispersions are obtained. Despite the high commercial impact and relevance of this technology, fundamental studies regarding the physicochemical properties of the alkaline‐soluble polymers are lacking. In this article, the synthesis and colloidal properties of alkaline‐soluble waterborne methacrylic copolymers are reported. The dissolution behavior and colloidal properties of these alkaline‐soluble polymers were studied as function of molar mass, acid content, and pH. The dissolving polymer particles were characterized using static and dynamic light scattering, static and dynamic surface tension measurements, and cryogenic‐transmission electron microscopy analysis. It is concluded that the dissolution mechanism of alkaline‐soluble polymers follows a gradual process. As the pH increases deprotonation of the carboxylic acid groups swells the particle enhancing the further swelling with water. At a certain amount of base, the particles disintegrate into small polymer aggregates while the most water‐soluble polymer chains are dissolved in the water phase. An important learning is that part of the alkaline‐soluble polymer resides in very small particles (<5 nm). The formation of these polymer particles below 5 nm was not reported previously and offers a new insight into the dissolution mechanism of alkaline soluble polymers. The most important parameter steering this process is the acid value of the polymer, while the molar mass plays a modest role. The understanding gained in this study can be used to further advance alkaline‐soluble polymers as stabilizer in surfactant‐free emulsion polymerization technology, improving the performance of a wide range of industrially relevant coatings. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2018 , 135, 46168.     

Synthesis and characterization of nanosized polypyrrole–polystyrene composite particles

Nanosized polypyrrole–polystyrene (PPy–PS) composite particles were synthesized by the polymerization of pyrrole on PS nanoparticles in the presence of FeCl₃. The PS nanoparticles were prepared from microemulsion polymerizations using the cationic nonpolymerizable surfactant cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB), the nonionic polymerizable surfactant ω‐methoxy[poly(ethylene oxide)₄₀]undecyl α‐methacrylate (PEO–R–MA‐40), or the cationic polymerizable surfactant ω‐acryloyloxyundecyltrimethylammonium bromide (AUTMAB). For the latexes stabilized by CTAB, the resulting PPy–PS composite particles exhibited relatively poor colloidal stability and the pressed pellets exhibited relatively low electrical conductivities (～10^?7–10^?3 S cm^?1). However, for the latexes stabilized by polymerizable surfactants, the resulting PPy–PS composite particles exhibited relatively good colloidal stability and relatively high conductivities (～10^?5–10^?1 S cm^?1). The effect of polymerizable surfactants on the colloidal stability of composite particles and the conducting mechanism of the composites are discussed. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 91: 1360–1367, 2004     

The Impact of Polyoxyethylene Sorbitan Surfactants in the Microstructure and Rheological Behaviour of Emulsions Made With Melted Fat From Cupuassu (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Theobroma grandiflorum</Emphasis>)

Cupuassu fat is a good candidate for partial substitution of cocoa butter in many products, including emulsions. However, for such use it is necessary to know the characteristics of the products prepared with cupuassu fat. Therefore, the main goal of this work is to characterize emulsions prepared with cupuassu fat using the surfactants Tween^® 60, Tween^® 80 and Tween^® 85 as emulsifiers. The emulsions were prepared at 43 °C with addition of 0.5 or 1.5 % (w/v) of surfactant and compared with an emulsion without surfactant. All emulsions were analysed by conductivity, stability, pH, optical microscopy, rheology and oxidative stability. It was verified that the emulsions prepared with Tween^® 60 and Tween^® 80 have higher stability, smaller droplet size and higher apparent viscosity. Also, these properties are positively influenced by the concentration of the surfactant. On the other hand, emulsions prepared with Tween 85 or without surfactant reached unsatisfactory results. The rheological behaviour of the emulsions was adequately described by both Herschel-Bulkley and Mizhari-Berki models revealing pseudoplastic character. These emulsions also present strong gel behaviour, with storage modulus higher than loss modulus. In conclusion, cupuassu fat can be used as oil phase for emulsions products and this characterization helps to understand their behaviour in order to increase their use in food industry.     

Development of an Environmentally Acceptable Detergent Formulation for Fatty Soils Based on the Lipase from the Indigenous Extremophile Pseudomonas aeruginosa Strain

A lipase derived from an indigenous extremophile Pseudomonas aeruginosa strain isolated from rancid metalworking fluid was evaluated as a detergent additive. Applicability of the obtained enzyme as an additive in detergent formulations was confirmed by its implementation in the formulations of several new products differing in surfactant type and concentrations, demonstrating satisfactory performance in terms of degreasing efficiency and composition of the washing wastewater. The degreasing efficiency of different enzyme‐containing detergent formulations was studied on cotton fabric samples stained with triolein and compared to that of formulations containing only surfactant. The highest efficiency of the fatty soil removal in formulations with a low content of surfactants (0.4 %) was noted in the enzyme formulation containing Lutensol^® XP‐80 (degreasing efficiency >80 %) and Triton^® X‐100 (degreasing efficiency >60 %). An attempt was then made to optimize the composition of the enzyme formulation on the basis of one or both of these surfactants using statistically planned experiments and response surface methodology (RSM). Taking into consideration the environmental aspects and the shown detergency, it appeared that rather high degreasing effects were achieved in formulations based on a low quantities of Lutensol^® XP‐80 (0.4 %) at all pH values. However, pH seemed to have a notable effect since the degreasing efficiency significantly increased with increasing pH and the amount of the enzyme. Formulations having a moderate alkaline pH profile and higher amount of enzyme exhibited a high cleaning performance of fatty soil even at a low concentration of the surfactant.     

Effect of organic surfactant additives on gas holdup in the pseudo-homogeneous regime in bubble columns equipped with fine pore sparger

New experimental data concerning the gas holdup in bubble columns equipped with porous sparger were acquired. The effect of surfactant additives on gas holdup in the pseudo-homogeneous regime has been studied. Three different commercial surfactants (Triton X-100^®, SDS^®, CTAB^®) were used and four aqueous solutions of each one were employed, in order to study the effect of the surfactant concentration and type (i.e., non-ionic, anionic, cationic). A general correlation, which includes dimensionless numbers (i.e., Froude, Archimedes and Bond) as well as the geometric characteristics of the column and the sparger, can predict the gas holdup in various systems (i.e., pure substances, ionic surfactants, non-ionic surfactants) with reasonable accuracy.     

Preparation of monodisperse poly(methyl methacrylate) particles by radiation-induced dispersion polymerization using vinyl terminus polysiloxane macromonomer as a polymerizable stabilizer

Monodisperse poly(methyl methacrylate) particles were prepared directly by radiation-induced dispersion polymerization in hexane-ethanol media using vinyl terminus polysiloxane (PSI) macromonmer as a polymerizable stabilizer at room temperature. This method takes advantage of the specialties of radiation-induction, which may result in the formation of uniform polymer particles. The gel effect is evident from the polymerization kinetics curves. Vinyl terminus PSI macromonomer acted as not only a comonomer, but also as a stabilizer. The characterization of PMMA particles was carried out by the scanning electron microscope (SEM), FT-IR, ¹H-NMR and X-ray photoelectron spectroscope (XPS). XPS results show that the graft PSI macromonomers were anchored on the surface of PMMA particles to provide a steric stabilization to the PMMA particles.     

Structural and Physicochemical Properties of a Polymerizable Surfactant Synthesized from <Emphasis Type="Italic">N</Emphasis>-Methylol Acrylamide

A new polymerizable nonionic surfactant with reactive vinyl groups has been synthesized from N‐methylol acrylamide using a two‐step procedure. The structure of the surfactant molecule was characterized by Fourier transform infrared, ¹H nuclear magnetic resonance and mass spectroscopy. The surface active properties alongside its self‐assembly properties were investigated by surface tension, electrical conductivity, and fluorescence spectroscopy measurements. As compared with other nonionic surfactants, this study showed that this polymerizable surfactant possesses slightly a higher critical micelle concentration (CMC) value and the surface tension value at CMC. The obtained CMC values were compatible among measurements, ca. 0.02–0.038 M. The evidence of micelle formation also provided by the zeta potential measurements and the obtained zeta potential values showed that the polymerizable surfactant solutions had limited stability. The hydrolysis stability and solubility of the polymerizable surfactant were also investigated. The solubility results have shown that it was soluble in polar solvents while insoluble in nonpolar solvents both at room temperature and 40 °C. The acidic and basic hydrolysis of the surfactant increased as the temperature increased and the hydrolysis stability was 180 min (basic medium) and 55 min (acidic medium) at 80 °C.     

The application research of environment-friendly reactive surfactants in acrylate emulsion pressure sensitive adhesives

In this article acrylate pressure sensitive adhesive (PSA) latexes were synthesized via a pre-emulsion seeded semi-batch emulsion polymerization process with a conventional nonreactive surfactant (CO-436) and two polymerizable surfactants (traditional surfmer SE-10N and environment-friendly surfmer SR-10). The effects of surfactant contents on the particle size, zeta potential, electrolyte stability of the latexes and gel content, sol molecular weight (M_w, M_n), water absorption of the PSA copolymers were investigated. In addition, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and contact angle measurements were used to characterize the latex films. The results showed that the particle sizes of latexes prepared with surfmers were smaller than their CO-436 containing counterparts. And the latexes prepared with surfmers had a lower storage stability than the one prepared with CO-436. However, surfmers can improve the electrolyte stability of the latex. Furthermore, the water resistances of the latexes prepared with surfmers were better than that of the latex with CO-436, which can be confirmed by water absorption, contact angle and XPS analysis. The results also indicated that the PSA prepared with SR-10 exhibited the highest gel content among the three surfactants. Finally, the effects of surfactants on the adhesive properties of the PSAs were also evaluated.     

Gel shrinking resulting from uneven distribution of ionic micelles between the inside and the outside of the polymer gel network

The volume change of crosslinked nonionic poly (N‐isopropylacrylamide) (NIPA) polymer gel immersed in tetradecyldimethylaminoxide (C14DMAO) surfactant solutions at 0.1M NaCl, were investigated to distinguish between binding and nonbinding polymer gel/C14DMAO surfactants. Also, the aggregation behavior of C14DMAO surfactants the inside and the outside the polymer hydrogels has been studied through solubilization of Sudan III dye. For the C14DMAO surfactants at the degrees of ionization (α) of 0.5 and 1, they bind to the NIPA gel at low surfactant concentration (C_D) that enhance the gel swelling due mainly to the osmotic pressure contribution from the counter ions (regime I, C_D<10mM). However, the deswelling behavior was observed as the surfactant concentration increases above 10 mM (regime II). The solubilization experiments indicated that the surfactant concentration inside the gel is lower than that outside the gel in the regime II, which may be due to the large micelle size that cannot accommodate the mesh size of the gel. It was suggested that the uneven distribution of the ionic micelles leads to the reduction of the net swelling osmotic pressure of the gel (i.e., the decrease of the gel volume). In the case of the nonionic C14DMAO at α = 0, on the other hand, the deswelling behavior was not clearly observed and the surfactant concentration inside the gel and outside the gel was almost identical even at 30 mM. For the nonionic surfactant, it was also found that the gel volume increases with the surfactant concentration at low surfactant concentration less than 1mM. This may be attribute to the dipole‐dipole repulsion of N‐O headgroups. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 93: 2001–2006, 2004     

Mixed Surfactant-Based Reverse Micellar Extraction Studies of Bovine Lactoperoxidase

The suitability of reverse micellar extraction for recovery of bovine lactoperoxidase (LP) from aqueous solution was evaluated using systems formed by ionic and nonionic surfactant mixtures. The influence of ionic surfactant concentration, organic solvent, and pH on the extraction of LP into the reverse micellar phase was studied. The Tween® series surfactants with Aerosol-OT (bis-(2-ethylhexyl) sulfosuccinate) showed better extraction of LP in the reverse micelles (RM) compared to the Triton® and Span® series of surfactants. Complete extraction of LP from an aqueous phase of initial concentration 25 mg L⁻¹ occurred with the RM formed by 90 mM Aerosol-OT/8 mM Tween® 80 in isooctane. The optimal pH, ionic strength, and positively charged ionic surfactant concentration for back extraction were also studied and a maximum of 95.5% back extraction efficiency and 66% LP activity recovery was obtained for a pH of 10.5,1 M KCl and 60 mM cetyltrimethylammonium bromide system.     

Microemulsion polymerization of microlatex in sublimation ink for cotton fabric ink jet printing

A novel microlatex of styrene/2‐ethylhexylacrylate (2‐EHA)/2‐hydroxyethyl methacrylate (2‐HEMA)/N‐(isobutoxy methyl) acrylamide (IBMA) copolymer was synthesized and mixed in sublimation inks to be inkjet printed on the cotton fabric to provide soft hand feel and good color fastness after heat‐press. In the optimized microemulsion composition with highest monomer mixture amount, polymerizable maleate surfactants with moderate EO value attained smaller microemulsion droplet size in mono distribution and lower dosage than conventional POE surfactants in combination with anionic surfactants. With adopted semicontinuous process in microemulsion copolymerization at 65°C, the polymerizable surfactants stabilized the growth of microlatex particle size within 70 nm in 240 min and attained 100% of monomer conversion rate with two initiator systems, 2‐2‐azobis(2‐methlypropionamidine dihydrochloride (AAPH) and tert‐butylhydroperoxide (TBHP)/sodium formaldehyde sulfoxylate (SFS). The microlatex particle size of two surfactant systems increased with higher conversion rate and reaction temperature, which synchronized with initiator concentration. High polymer solid content was contributed mainly by IBMA monomer ratio requiring higher amounts of anionic surfactants and 2‐HEMA as a cosurfactant in particle stabilization. Although the optimum ink containing high IBMA microemulsion exhibited small variation in viscosity, pH value and surface tension, disperse dyes in four colors had different interaction with the microlatex to demonstrate distinct printing durability and color performance. The resulted cotton fabric attained high K/S value for color strength, great AATCC grade for color fastness, and nearly zero color difference for negative dye particle diffusion or migration. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2011     

Studies of inverse emulsion copolymerization of (2-methacryloyloxyethyl) trimethyl ammonium chloride and acrylamide

Inverse emulsion copolymerization of (2-methacryloyloxyethyl) trimethyl ammonium chloride with acrylamide initiated with potassium persulfate has been studied dilatometrically. Aqueous monomer solutions were emulsified in kerosene with a blend of two surfactants (Span80 and OP10). The gel effect is evident from the increase of the molecular weight with conversion and also from the percentage of conversion versus time curves. Monomer reactivity ratios have been derived as r_AM = 0.38 and r_DMC = 1.69 at pH 6.8. The effects of initiator concentration, concentration, and composition of the monomer, emulsifier concentration, etc., on the polymerization rate and intrinsic viscosity of polymer have been examined. The rate of polymerization (R_p) can be represented by R_p I^0.52[M]^1.50[E]^0.38. The overall activation energy for the rate of polymerization is 66.0 kJ mol (40–65°C). Based on these experimental results, some aspects of the polymerization mechanism are discussed. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 67:1005–1010, 1998     

Formation of monodisperse polyacrylamide particles by radiation‐induced dispersion polymerization. I. Synthesis and polymerization kinetics

Highly monodisperse polyacrylamide (PAM) microparticles were directly prepared by radiation‐induced dispersion polymerization at room temperature in an aqueous alcohol media using poly(N‐vinylpyrrolidone) (PVP) as a steric stabilizer. Monomer conversion was studied dilatometrically and polymer molecular weight was determined viscometrically. The gel effect was found evidently from the polymerization kinetics curves. The influence of the dose rate, monomer concentration, stabilizer content, medium polarity, polymerization temperature on the polymerization rate, and the molecular weight of the polymer was examined. The polymerization rate (Rp) can be represented by Rp ∝ D^0.15[M]^0.86[S]^0.47[A/W]^0.64 and the molecular weight of the polymer can be represented by M_w ∝ D^?0.19 [M]^1.71[S]^0.43[A/W]^0.14 at a definite experimental variation range. The overall activation energy for the rate of polymerization is 10.57 kJ/mol (20–35°C). Based on these experimental results, the polymerization mechanisms were discussed primarily. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 86: 2567–2573, 2002     

Stabilization of natural gas foams using different surfactants at high pressure and high temperature conditions

Natural gas foam can be used for mobility control and channel blocking during natural gas injection for enhanced oil recovery, in which stable foams need to be used at high reservoir temperature, high pressure and high water salinity conditions in field applications. In this study, the performance of methane (CH₄) foams stabilized by different types of surfactants was tested using a high pressure and high temperature foam meter for surfactant screening and selection, including anionic surfactant (sodium dodecyl sulfate), non-anionic surfactant (alkyl polyglycoside), zwitterionic surfactant (dodecyl dimethyl betaine) and cationic surfactant (dodecyl trimethyl ammonium chloride), and the results show that CH₄-SDS foam has much better performance than that of the other three surfactants. The influences of gas types (CH₄, N₂, and CO₂), surfactant concentration, temperature (up to 110°C), pressure (up to 12.0 MPa), and the presence of polymers as foam stabilizer on foam performance was also evaluated using SDS surfactant. The experimental results show that the stability of CH₄ foam is better than that of CO₂ foam, while N₂ foam is the most stable, and CO₂ foam has the largest foam volume, which can be attributed to the strong interactions between CO₂ molecules with H₂O. The foaming ability and foam stability increase with the increase of the SDS concentration up to 1.0 wt% (0.035 mol/L), but a further increase of the surfactant concentration has a negative effect. The high temperature can greatly reduce the stability of CH₄-SDS foam, while the foaming ability and foam stability can be significantly enhanced at high pressure. The addition of a small amount of polyacrylamide as a foam stabilizer can significantly increase the viscosity of the bulk solution and improve the foam stability, and the higher the molecular weight of the polymer, the higher viscosity of the foam liquid film, the better foam performance.     

Preparation of soap‐free cationic emulsion using polymerizable surfactant

A kind of polymerizable surfactant, methacryloyloxyethylhexadecyldimethylammonium bromide (DMHB) was used to synthesis soap‐free cationic emulsion with styrene (St), methyl methacrylate (MMA), and methacryloyloxyethyltrimethylammonium chloride (MATMAC) by emulsion polymerization using 2,2′‐azobis(isobutylamidine hydrochloride) (AIBA) as a cationic initiator. The effects of polymerizable surfactant concentration, initiator concentration, and reaction temperature on the conversion of monomer were investigated. The results indicated that the rate of polymerization could be expressed as R_p = k_p[AIBA]^0.42[DMHB]^0.45 and the apparent activation energy (E_a) was 83.42 kJ/mol. The particle size, ζ potential, and apparent charge density of cationic latices were also measured. The average diameter of copolymer particles decreased with increasing DMHB, MATMAC, and AIBA content; the charge properties of the particles were decided by the DMHB, MATMAC, and AIBA content. The polymerization mechanism is discussed. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 99: 1111–1116, 2006     

Interactions of a smart cationic polyelectrolyte based on hydroxypropylcellulose with an anionic surfactant

Novel thermosensitive, cationic polyelectrolyte was obtained by grafting N‐vinylformamide onto hydroxypropylcellulose followed by the hydrolysis of the formamide groups to the amine groups. The effect of the ionic strength on the lower critical solution temperature of the polymers was studied. The interactions of the polymers with sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) as a model anionic surfactant were studied. It was found by the measurements of the light scattering and fluorescence spectroscopy that the graft copolymers obtained strongly interact with SDS with the formation of polymer‐surfactant complexes. The values of critical association concentration (cac) of these polymer‐surfactant systems were found to be of the order of 10^?5 mol/dm³ at pH = 6.5 and of the order of 10^?6 mol/dm³ at pH = 2.5. The polymer was shown to be potentially useful for the purification of water from anionic surfactants. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2008