Interactions in water of alkyl and perfluoroalkyl surfactants with fluorocarbon- and hydrocarbon-modified poly(N-isopropylacrylamides).

Fluorescence spectroscopy and isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC) have been used to study the interactions in water at 25 degrees C of two anionic surfactants--sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) and sodium perfluorononanoate (SPFN)--with various pyrene-labeled hydrophobically modified poly(N-isopropylacrylamides) (HM-PNIPAM) grafted at random with small amounts of fluorocarbon chains (1H,1H-perfluorooctyl, CH2C7F15); (PNIPAM-F), or (n-octadecyl, C18H37) (PNIPAM-HPy) or both (PNIPAM-F/HPy). In aqueous solution, the copolymers form micellar structures consisting of a loose corona of hydrated poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) chains and a hydrophobic core rich in hydrocarbon or fluorocarbon groups. From fluorescence studies based on changes in the ratio of pyrene excimer to monomer emission intensity, it has been established (1) that mixed SDS/C18H37 clusters form along the polymer chain upon addition of SDS to either PNIPAM-HPy or PNIPAM-F/HPy and (2) that SPFN does not interact with the hydrocarbon-rich microdomains of the polymeric micelles. The conclusions were corroborated by ITC experiments, which yield the overall enthalpy change associated with polymer/surfactant interactions. They provided strong evidence (1) that SDS molecules adsorb along the PNIPAM main chain but do not mix with the fluorocarbon-rich microdomains of PNIPAM-F or PNIPAM-F/HPy and (2) that SPFN associates with the perfluorocarbon substituents of PNIPAM-F and PNIPAM-F/HPy but has a poor affinity for the polymer chain.