Influence of polyethylene glycol on the aggregation/clouding phenomena of cationic and non-ionic surfactants in attendance of electrolytes (NaCl & Na2SO4): An experimental and theoretical analysis

Interaction between gastric enzyme pepsin and tetradecyltrimethylammonium bromide in presence of sodium electrolytes: Exploration of micellization behavior

Pepsin is a proteolytic enzyme used in the treatment of digestive disorders. In this study, we investigated the physicochemical properties of the tetradecyltrimethylammonium bromide (TTAB) and pepsin protein mixture in various sodium salt media within a temperature range of 300.55-320.55 K with 5 K intervals. The conductometric study of the TTAB+pepsin mixture revealed a reduction in the critical micelle concentration (CMC) in electrolyte media. The micellization of TTAB was delayed in the presence of pepsin. The CMC of the TTAB + pepsin mixture was found to depend on the concentrations of electrolytes and protein, as well as the temperature variations. The aggregation of the TTAB+pepsin mixture was hindered as a function of [pepsin] and increasing temperatures, while micellization was promoted in aqueous electrolyte solutions. The negative free energy changes (∆Gm0) indicated the spontaneous aggregation of the TTAB+pepsin mixture. Changes in enthalpy, entropy, molar heat capacities, transfer properties, and enthalpy-entropy compensation variables were calculated and illustrated rationally. The interaction forces between TTAB and pepsin protein in the experimental solvents were primarily hydrophobic and electrostatic (ion-dipole) in nature. An analysis of molecular docking revealed hydrophobic interactions as the main stabilizing forces in the TTAB-pepsin complex.

Physico-chemical properties of the association of cetyltrimethylammonium bromide and bovine serum albumin mixture in aqueous-organic mixed solvents

Herein, we have investigated the association behavior of bovine serum albumin (BSA) and cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) using the conductivity method in H₂O and H₂O + organic mixed solvents at different temperatures. The association phenomenon was detected from the deviation of the conductivity changes with enhancing the surfactant concentration and changes of numerous physico-chemical properties, such as CMC, α, β and thermodynamic variables (∆G⁰_m, ∆H⁰_m and ∆S⁰_m). The values of CMC for the CTAB + BSA system in 10 % (v/v) solvents follow the trend: CMC_water < CMC_water+DMSO < CMC_water+AN < CMC_water+DX < CMC_water+DMF. The interaction of BSA with CTAB is notably influenced due to a change of temperature and extent of hydration of BSA and surfactant. The obtained values of -∆G⁰_m manifest that the association of BSA and CTAB mixture is a spontaneous process, while the values of -∆G⁰_m in presence of 10 % (v/v) aq. organic solvents come out in the given sequence: -∆G_m^o (H₂O + DMSO) > ∆G_m^o (H₂O + DMF) > -∆G_m^o (H₂O + DX) > -∆G_m^o (H₂O + AN). The H-bonding, ion-dipole, along with the hydrophobic interactions, are believed to be the binding interactions between BSA and CTAB in the study media.

Liquid-liquid phase separated microdomains of an amphiphilic graft copolymer in a surfactant-rich medium

The liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS) of amphiphilic thermoresponsive copolymers can lead to the formation of micron-sized domains, known as simple coacervates. Due to their potential to confine active principles, these copolymer-rich droplets have gained interest as encapsulating agents. Understanding and controlling the conditions inducing this LLPS is therefore essential for applicative purposes and requires thorough fundamental studies on self-coacervation. In this work, we investigate the LLPS of a comb-like graft copolymer (PEG-g-PVAc) consisting of a poly(ethylene glycol) backbone (6 kDa) with ∼2-3 grafted poly(vinyl acetate) chains, and a PEG/PVAc weight ratio of 40/60. Specifically, we report the effect of various water-soluble additives on its phase separation behavior. Kosmotropes and non-ionic surfactants were found to decrease the phase separation temperature of the copolymer, while chaotropes and, above all, ionic surfactants increased it. We then focus on the phase behavior of PEG-g-PVAc in the presence of sodium citrate and a C_14-15 E₇ non-ionic surfactant (N45-7), defining the compositional range for the generation of LLPS microdomains at room temperature and monitoring their formation with fluorescence confocal microscopy. Finally, we determine the composition of the microdomains through confocal Raman microscopy, demonstrating the presence of PEG-g-PVAc, N45-7, and water. These results expand our knowledge on polymeric self-coacervation, clarifying the optimal conditions and composition needed to obtain LLPS microdomains with encapsulation potential at room temperature in surfactant-rich formulations.

Experimental and Theoretical Investigation of Glycol-Based Hydrogels through Waterflooding Processes in Oil Reservoirs Using Molecular Dynamics and Dissipative Particle Dynamics Simulation

Enhanced oil processing aims to retrieve petroleum fluids from depleted reservoirs after traditional processing. Hydrogels and polymeric macromolecules are considered effective displacing agents in oil reservoirs. In the current work, the authors used hydrophilic hydrogels based on poly(ethylene glycol)/poly(propylene glycol) (PEG/PPG) surfmers for oil displacement processes. Statistical modeling of the rheological properties at 80 °C for the two hydrogels indicates that the viscosity-shearing profile obeys the power-law model. Also, shear stress scanning follows the Herschel-Bulkley and the Bingham plastic models. The two hydrogels exhibit an initial yield stress owing to the formation of a three-dimensional (3D) structure at zero shearings. Furthermore, PEG and PPG hydrogels can retain the viscosity after a shear rate of 64.68 S-1. On the scale of surface activity, the two hydrogels exhibit higher surface areas (A m) of 0.1088 and 0.1058 nm2 and lower surface excess concentrations (Γm) of 1.529 and 1.567 × 1010 mol/cm2, respectively. A molecular dynamics (MD) simulation was conducted to explore the Flory-Huggins chi parameter, the solubility parameter, and the cohesive energy density. The results indicate a negative magnitude of chi parameter (χ ij ) for water and salt, which indicates that the two hydrogels have a good tendency toward saline formation water in the underground petroleum reservoir. Furthermore, the dissipative particle dynamics (DPD) was performed on a mesoscale to investigate the interfacial tension, the radius of gyration, the concentration profile, and the radial distribution function. The increased radius of gyration (R g) confirms that the two hydrogels are more overextended and can align perpendicularly toward the water/oil boundary. Experimental displacement was operated on a linear sandpack model using different slug concentrations. The oil recovery factor, the water-cut, and the differential pressure data during the flooding process were estimated as a function of the injected pore volume. The obtained results show that the oil recovery factor reaches 72 and 88% in the cases of PEG and PPG hydrogels at 80 °C with concentrations of 1.0 and 1.5 g/L, which reveals that both hydrogels are effective enhanced oil recovery (EOR) agents for the depleted reservoirs. This study establishes a new route that employs MD and DPD simulation in the field of enhanced oil recovery and the petroleum industry.

Impacts of polyols and temperature on the micellization, interaction and thermodynamics behavior of the mixture of tetradecyltrimethylammonium bromide and polyvinyl alcohol

Herein, the aggregation manner of the mixture of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and tetradecyltrimethylammonium bromide (TTAB) was performed in polyols (glucose, maltose and galactose) media over 300.55–320.55 K temperatures range with 5 K interval through conductivity measurement method. The micelle formation of TTAB + PVA mixture was identified by the assessment of critical micelle concentration (CMC) from the plots of specific conductivity (κ) versus TTAB concentration. The degree of micelle ionization (α), the extent of bound counter ions (β) as well as thermodynamic properties ( Δ G m 0 ${\Delta}{G}_{m}^{0}$ , Δ H m 0 ${\Delta}{H}_{m}^{0}$ and Δ S m 0 ${\Delta}{S}_{m}^{0}$ ) of TTAB + PVA systems have been estimated. The CMC values reveal that the micelle formation of TTAB + PVA mixture experience an enhancement in the manifestation of polyols. The values of free energy of micellization ( Δ G m 0 ${\Delta}{G}_{m}^{0}$ ) are negative for the TTAB + PVA system in aqueous polyols media, suggesting a spontaneous aggregation phenomenon. The Δ H m 0 ${\Delta}{H}_{m}^{0}$ and Δ S m 0 ${\Delta}{S}_{m}^{0}$ values of TTAB + PVA systems direct that the PVA molecule interacts with TTAB through the exothermic, ion-dipole, and hydrophobic interactions. The thermodynamic properties of transfer were also determined for the move of TTAB + PVA mixture from H2O to water + polyols mixed solvents. The values of compensation temperature (T c) and intrinsic enthalpy gain ( Δ H m 0 , ∗ ${\Delta}{H}_{m}^{0,\ast }$ ) were evaluated and discussed for the studied system.

Effect of Electrolytes on Solution and Interfacial Behaviors of Double Chain Cationic-Nonionic Surfactant Mixtures for Hydrophobic Surface Wetting and Oil/Water Emulsion Stability Applications

The solution behaviors of the binary mixture of double chain cationic surfactant didodecyldimethylammonium bromide (DDAB) with nonionic surfactants of varied head groups, EO-9 and EO-40, in the presence and absence of electrolytes were studied and found nonideal behavior. The different physicochemical properties such as Gibb's surface excess (Γ), minimum area per molecule (A_min), and interaction parameters at bulk (β^M) and interface (β^σ) were calculated. In the presence of nonionic surfactants, lowering of CMC, CVC, and surface tension at these two concentrations of DDAB were observed. The β^M and β^σ values indicate strong interaction between DDAB and EO-40 mixed system. Further, addition of electrolytes to the mixed systems show increased interaction and change of physicochemical properties because of the combination of electrical and salting out effects.

Aggregation behavior and thermodynamic properties of the mixture of sodium carboxymethyl cellulose and cetyltrimethylammonium bromide in numerous temperatures and mixed solvents

Interaction of sodium carboxymethylcellulose (SCMC) with cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB; cationic in nature) in H2O and additives (alcohols and diols) media has been investigated using conductivity technique. The micellar parameters such as critical micelle concentration (cmc), fraction of counter ion binding (β), thermodynamic parameters, transfer properties, and enthalpy-entropy compensation parameters of CTAB + SCMC mixture have been assessed in water and aq. alcohols/diols media. One cmc value was achieved for CTAB + SCMC mixtures in the entire circumstances and the attendance of SCMC disfavors the CTAB micellization. The cmc values were obtained to be greater in alcohols and diols media compared to H2O medium. The cmc values also exhibit a dependency on the solvent composition and temperature variation. In all the cases, the ΔG 0 m values were achieved to be negative which signifying the spontaneous formation of micelles while the extent of spontaneity is decreased in alcohols and diols media. Both the ΔH 0 m and ΔS 0 m reveal that hydrophobic, ion-dipole as well as electrostatic interactions are the proposed binding forces between CTAB and SCMC. The compensation parameters (ΔH 0* m and T c ) are in decent agreement with the biological fluid.

Impact of salts on the phase separation and thermodynamic properties of mixed nonionic surfactants in absence/attendance of polyvinyl alcohol

Mixed surfactant systems are used in different applied fields like pharmaceutical formulation rather than single surfactant. Therefore, the determination of the clouding nature of the triton X-100 (TX-100) + Tween 80 (TW-80) mixture was carried out in H2O and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA). In the occurrence of PVA, the cloud point (CP) values of TX-100 initially enhance with enhancing the concentration of PVA and tend to decrease after a certain concentration. For different ratios of TX-100 and TW-80 mixture having the same concentration of both solutions, CP values increase through the decreasing ratios of TX-100 with/without PVA. In the presence of polymer, at higher ratios of TX-100 than TW-80, the CP values are higher in magnitudes in comparison to the aqueous medium but at lower ratios of TX-100, the value of CP are lower in magnitudes in comparison to the aqueous system. The CP values of the TX-100 + TW-80 mixture in the salt system are lower in magnitudes than the aqueous medium in both the absence/presence of PVA. However, a reduction of CP values was obtained to a large extent for Na2SO4 over NaCl in the case of lower volume ratios of TX-100. Various thermodynamic variables (standard free energy ( Δ G c o ${\Delta}{G}_{c}^{o}$ ), standard enthalpy ( Δ H c o ${\Delta}{H}_{c}^{o}$ ), standard entropy ( Δ S c o ${\Delta}{S}_{c}^{o}$ ) change, thermodynamic parameters of transfer (free energy of transfer ( Δ G c , t o ${\Delta}{G}_{c,t}^{o}$ ), and transfer of enthalpies ( Δ H c , t o ${\Delta}{H}_{c,t}^{o}$ )) of phase transition) were also determined.