Functional polymers for colloidal applications. IV. Aggregate formation of lipophile‐grafted water‐soluble copolymers in aqueous solutions

Abstract

AbstractA water‐soluble styrene–maleic anydride copolymer (SMA) is derivatized with different lipophilic groups, butylamine and dodecylamine, with different degrees of substitution (5, 15, and 30%). These lipophile‐grafted SMAs are water‐soluble, and their solutions are transparent. A plot of I1/I3 as a function of polymer concentrations indicates the extent of aggregate formation. Surface tension methods also verify the existence of aggregates. It is found that the aggregates begin to form at concentrations below that of the polymer transfer to the air–water interface. The plots of I1/I3 as a function of polymer concentrations for SMAs of different molecular weights derivatized with different lipophile with varying degrees of substitution show that the polymers with a higher degree of substitution and lower molecular weights aggregate at lower concentrations. Polymers substituted by butylamine form aggregates at a very high concentration, independent of the degree of sub‐stitution. These phenomena are interpreted in terms of hydrophobic interactions as in micelles formed from surfactants. The higher degree of dodecyl‐substituted SMA solubilizes pyrene at higher concentrations, and these pyrene solubilized solutions show pyrene excimer emission spectra. These emission spectra are used to characterize the relative size and hydrophobicity of aggregates. © 1993 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.