Three-component microemulsions formed using pH-degradable 1,3-dioxolane alkyl ethoxylate surfactants

Acid-Labile Amphiphilic PEO-b-PPO-b-PEO Copolymers: Degradable Poloxamer Analogs

Poly ((ethylene oxide)-b-(propylene oxide)-b-(ethylene oxide)) triblock copolymers commonly known as poloxamers or Pluronics constitute an important class of nonionic, biocompatible surfactants. Here, a method is reported to incorporate two acid-labile acetal moieties in the backbone of poloxamers to generate acid-cleavable nonionic surfactants. Poly(propylene oxide) is functionalized by means of an acetate-protected vinyl ether to introduce acetal units. Three cleavable PEO-PPO-PEO triblock copolymers (Mn,total = 6600, 8000, 9150 g·mol(-1) ; Mn,PEO = 2200, 3600, 4750 g·mol(-1) ) have been synthesized using anionic ring-opening polymerization. The amphiphilic copolymers exhibit narrow molecular weight distributions (Ð = 1.06-1.08). Surface tension measurements reveal surface-active behavior in aqueous solution comparable to established noncleavable poloxamers. Complete hydrolysis of the labile junctions after acidic treatment is verified by size exclusion chromatography. The block copolymers have been employed as surfactants in a miniemulsion polymerization to generate polystyrene (PS) nanoparticles with mean diameters of ≈200 nm and narrow size distribution, as determined by dynamic light scattering and scanning electron microscopy. Acid-triggered precipitation facilitates removal of surfactant fragments from the nanoparticles, which simplifies purification and enables nanoparticle precipitation "on demand."

Effect of protein incorporation on the nanostructure of the bicontinuous microemulsion phase of Winsor-III systems: a small-angle neutron scattering study

Small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) analysis using the Teubner-Strey model has been employed to evaluate the effect of protein incorporation into the middle, bicontinuous microemulsion (BμE) phase of Winsor-III (WIII) systems formed by an aerosol-OT (AOT)/alkyl ethoxylate mixed surfactant system to understand better the extraction of proteins into and out of BμEs and to study the effect of proteins on a system that serves as a biomimetic analog of cell membranes. Under conditions of high salinity, the incorporation of positively charged proteins cytochrome c, lysozyme, and α-chymotrypsin, near their solubilization limit in the BμEs promoted the release of water and oil from the BμEs, a decrease in the quasi-periodic repeat distance (d), an increase in ordering (a decrease in the amphiphilicity factor, fa) for the surfactant monolayers, and a decrease in the surface area per surfactant headgroup, suggesting that the proteins affected the self-assembly of components in the BμE phase and produced Debye shielding of AOT's sulfonate headgroup. For WIII systems possessing lower salinity, cytochrome c reduced the efficiency of surfactant in the BμE phase, noted by increases in d and fa, suggesting that the enzyme and AOT underwent ion pairing. The results of this study demonstrate the importance of ionic strength to modulate protein-surfactant interactions, which in turn will control the release of proteins encapsulated in the BμEs, relevant to WIII-based protein extraction and controlled release from BμE delivery systems, and demonstrate the utility of BμEs as a model system to understand the effect of proteins on biomembranes.

Development of Cleavable Surfactants

Cleavable surfactants are of great interest for numerous reasons. These are amphiphiles in which a weak linkage has been deliberately inserted, normally, but not always, between the hydrophobic tail and the polar head group. Surfactant may degrade by chemical means, e.g., induced by acid, alkali, ultraviolet (UV) light, heat, or ozone. Acid- and alkali-labile surfactants have also attracted the attention in recent years. The main purpose for development of novel cleavable surfactants is to improve the biodegradation characteristics and the rate of biodegradation has consequently been studied for several of the surfactants. Alkali labile linkages that have been used for the purpose include normal ester bonds, betaine esters, and carbonates. This review deals the development of monomeric and gemini type cleavable surfactants.