Interfacial Properties of Polyelectrolyte-Surfactant Aggregates at Air/Water Interfaces.

The transport, equilibrium properties, and mechanics of stable, rodlike surfactant-polyelectrolyte aggregates, poly(cetyltrimethylammonium vinyl benzoate) or pCTVB, are characterized at air/water interfaces for bulk concentrations near and below the critical aggregation concentration. The surfactant drives the transport to air/water interfaces, while the polyelectrolyte provides elasticity to the coated interfaces and appears to remain adsorbed after the bulk solution is exchanged with water. The processing of interfaces is shown to allow the interfacial tension of the interface to be changed significantly while maintaining a high dilatational elasticity. The results of this work provide a tool to control interfacial properties through design of polyelectrolyte-surfactant complexes.