Abstract
The kinetics of clusters formed in the flocculation process of polystyrene latex particles (PSL) in the presence of hydrophobically modified ethyl(hydroxyethyl)cellulose (HM-EHEC) and sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) in the concentration interval of 2−4 mmolal have been investigated with the aid of dynamic light scattering measurements at different temperatures. For this system (HM-EHEC/SDS/PSL) we observe an intriguing time-dependent cluster growth over a restricted (2−4 mmolal) surfactant concentration range. The rate of flocculation and the aggregation mechanism are affected by both the level of surfactant addition and temperature. The value of the homogeneity exponent λ, used to characterize the aggregation mechanism, depends on temperature and concentration of surfactant. Flocculation behaviors between the reaction-limited and diffusion-limited regimes are observed. The picture that emerges is that polymer−surfactant complexes are adsorbed onto the PSL particles in form of fuzzy layers with hydrophobic s...
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