Effect of Added Salts or Polyols on the Cloud Point and the Liquid-Crystalline Structures of Polyoxyethylene-Modified Silicone

Abstract

The effect of added salts (NaCl, Na2SO4, and NaSCN) or polyols (glycerin (Gly), 1,3-butanediol (1,3-BD), ethylene glycol (EG), and polyethylene glycol (PEG400)) on the hexagonal liquid-crystalline structure of polyoxyethylene-modified silicone was investigated by means of small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS). The effective cross-sectional area of the lipophilic part of the aggregate, as, in the hexagonal phase decreases upon the addition of salts, on one hand, lowering the cloud point in the dilute aqueous siloxane surfactant solutions. On the other hand, if added salt raises the cloud point, the as increases. Similar results were obtained in the case of the addition of polyols. Since the as mainly depends on the EO chain length, the above results are direct evidence that the hydration or dehydration of the EO chain is affected by these additives. The static fluorescence probe method was applied to the Gly and 1,3-BD systems using 8-anilino-1-naphthalene-sulfonic acid, ANS, to know the change in hydration of the EO chains. In the Gly system, the hydration of the EO chain monotonically decreases whereas 1,3-BD first increases the hydration and then decreases it at high 1,3-BD content. These results are very consistent with the SAXS and cloud temperature results.