Salt Effect on the Solution Properties of Cationic Gemini/Conventional Surfactants in the Presence of the Nonionic Polymer Hydroxypropylmethyl Cellulose

In this article, we report the salt effect on interaction of a water-soluble polymer hydroxypropylmethyl cellulose (HPMC) with the cationic Gemini surfactant (ethane-1, 2-diyl bis(N,N-dimethyl-N-hexadecylammoniumacetoxy) dichloride, 16-E2-16), and also its monomeric counterpart cetyltrimethylammonium chloride (CTAC) using the tensiometric method. Surface tension of the amphiphiles diminished in the presence of the polymer as well as salts; eventually, the polymer gets saturated with the surfactant and there is no further change of surface tension of the solution. Interaction between the polymer and surfactant starts at the critical aggregation concentration (CAC) that is stronger for 16-E2-16 than CTAC. CAC and critical micelle concentration (CMC) values of the surfactant-polymer binary mixtures at various concentrations of the polymer were determined. CAC as well as CMC of 16-E2-16 are considerably lower than CTAC. The inorganic salts (KCl and KBr) have a considerable influence on the polymer–surfactant interaction.