Interactions Between an Anionic Fluorosurfactant and a PEO-PPO-PEO Triblock Copolymer in Aqueous Solutions

Surface tensions were determined for a mixture of an anionic fluorinated surfactant and a PEO-PPO-PEO triblock copolymer. The interactions between the two surfactant molecules in the mixed monolayer and the mixed micelle were studied through molecular interaction parameters (β ^σ, β ^M) and the molecule exchange energy (ε, ε _m). It was noted that synergism and strong attractive interactions took place between the anionic fluorinated surfactant and the triblock copolymer molecules in both mixed micelles and mixed monolayers, reflected by the interaction parameter values of between −10 and −18 for all mixtures investigated. Moreover, it can be seen from the value of (ε − ε _m) that when the mixture has a small amount of triblock copolymer, the formation of mixed micelle results in a greater decrease in energy than does the formation of a mixed monolayer. With an increase in the mole fraction of the triblock copolymer in the mixture, in order to obtain the lowest surface energy, surfactants tend to form mixed monolayers first, and then form mixed micelles.