Corrigendum to “Investigation on the gelatin-surfactant interaction and physiochemical characteristics of the mixture” [Journal of Molecular Liquids, 224 (2016) 900–908/MOLLIQ_2015_362

Abstract

Abstract The effect of gelatin, a denatured protein on the micellization of a series of polyoxyethylated hexadecyl ethers (BC-X) were investigated through several physicochemical techniques such as surface tensiometry, contact angle measurement, fluorimetry, cyclic voltametry, zeta potential measurement, dynamic light scattering studies. The critical micellar concentrations (cmc) of BC-X increased with increase in gelatin concentration in the mixture which was also corroborated by other techniques performed. This increase in cmc was attributed to the decrease of monomeric surfactant concentration as a result of the formation of gelatin-BC-X complex. The surface excess concentration, minimum area per molecule, and surface pressure at the cmc were estimated from surface tension data. The free energies of adsorption and micellization indicated the micellization and adsorption at air/water interface to be spontaneous phenomena. Micropolarity and the aggregation numbers of the mixed systems were determined using the fluorescence behaviour of pyrene. The slanting nature of curve of polarity parameters-surfactant concentration in conjunction with appearance of pyrene excimer peak at the lower BC-X concentrations supported the stepwise growth of the micelles through the formation of pre-micellar aggregates. The entwining of the protruded chains of the surfactants around the gelatin moiety through polar and hydrophobic interactions was endorsed to be the main reason behind the formation of small sized mixed micelles. The zeta potential studies envisaged the surface of both gelatin and BC-X to have negative electrostatic potential independently. The decrease in the zeta potential of the gelatin-surfactant mixtures was attributed to the removal of fraction of the negatively charged BC-X surface as a result of casing by the hydrophobic and neutral segments of gelatin.