Intermediate Surfactant Concentrations Research Articles

Pore analysis of dendritic mesoporous silica nanoparticles by STEM tomography and nitrogen sorption

Dendritic mesoporous silica nanoparticles (DMSN) provide a high diversity and complexity regarding their pore structure. Herein, we present results related to electron tomographic reconstruction and nitrogen sorption analysis of DMSNs with different pore structures obtained through variation of the surfactant concentration in the synthesis. The tomograms revealed that at all DMSNs exhibit a highly porous shell structure and a denser porous core with smaller pores. The shell generally consists of dendritic silica walls forming a disordered pore system of center radially aligned mesopores. At the highest surfactant concentration these mesopores had a roughly conical geometry, providing a highly accessible pore network. Nitrogen sorption revealed a broad pore size distribution, in agreement with this conical mesopore shape. The mesopore dimensions obtained through reconstruction were in good agreement with the pore size distribution obtained by nitrogen sorption. For intermediate and low surfactant concentrations, different pore geometries were observed in the reconstruction with increasing restriction of the pore volume towards the outer surface of the particles by branching of large pores into smaller ones. Nitrogen sorption analyses support these observations by featuring an increasing hysteresis with decreasing surfactant concentration in the synthesis, which indicates that the accessible pore volume is restricted by smaller mesopores towards the rim of the particles.

Characterizing the Microparticles Deposition Structure and its Photonic Nature in Surfactant-Laden Evaporating Colloidal Sessile Droplets.

This work presents a simple method to create photonic microstructures via the natural evaporation of surfactant-laden colloidal sessile droplets on a flat substrate. In the absence of dissolved surfactant, the evaporating colloidal droplet forms a well-known coffee ring deposition. In contrast, the presence of surfactant leads to the formation of multiple ring structures due to the repetitive pinning-depinning behavior of the droplet contact line (CL). It is found that the multiring structure shows vibrant iridescent structural colors while the coffee ring lacks a photonic nature. This difference in the structural color for the presence and absence of the surfactant is found to be dependent on the arrangement of the particles in the deposition structure. The particle arrangement in the multirings is monolayered and well-ordered. The ordering of the particles is strongly influenced by the particle dynamics, contact angle (CA), and CL dynamics of the evaporating colloidal solution droplet. Furthermore, the iridescent nature of the multiring deposition is demonstrated and explained. The dependence of the multiring deposition structure on the concentration of the dissolved surfactant and the suspended particles is also studied. The findings demonstrate that an intermediate surfactant concentration is desirable for the formation of a multiring structure. Further, the pinning-depinning CL dynamics that causes the formation of the multiring deposition structure is discussed. Finally, we demonstrate the applicability of the approach to smaller droplet volumes.

Unraveling the Kinetics and Mechanism of Surfactant-Induced Wetting in Membrane Distillation: An In Situ Observation with Optical Coherence Tomography.

In this study, we performed a direct contact membrane distillation and successfully demonstrated the non-invasive imaging of surfactant-induced wetting using optical coherence tomography. This method enabled us to investigate the wetting kinetics, which was found to follow a "three-region" relationship between the wetting rate and surfactant concentration: the (i) nonwetted region, (ii) concentration-dependent region, and (iii) concentration-independent region at low, intermediate, and high surfactant concentrations, respectively. This wetting behavior was explained by the "autophilic effect", i.e., the wetting was caused by the transfer of surfactants from the water-vapor interface to the unwetted membrane and rendered this membrane hydrophilic, and then the wetting frontier moved forward under capillary forces. At region-(i), the surfactant concentration in the water-vapor interface (Clv) was too low to make the unwetted membrane sufficiently hydrophilic; thereby, the membrane could not be wetted. At region-(ii), due to the fast adsorption of the surfactant on the newly wetted membrane, the wetting rate was determined by the advection/diffusion of surfactants from the feed stream. Consequently, the wetting rate increased with the increases in the water flux and surfactant concentration. At region-(iii), the advection/diffusion provided excess surfactants for adsorption, and thus Clv reached its upper limit (maximum surface excess) and the wetting rate leveled off.

Wetting Transition at a Threshold Surfactant Concentration of Evaporating Sessile Droplets on a Patterned Surface.

Wetting transitions induced by varying the components in a solution of a drying droplet can lead to its evolving shape on a textured surface. It can provide new insights on liquid pattern control through manipulating droplet solutions. We show the pronounced transitions of wetting for surfactant solution droplets drying on a micropyramid-patterned surface. At low initial surfactant concentrations, the droplet maintains an octagonal shape until the end of drying. At intermediate initial surfactant concentrations, the early octagon spreads to a square, which later evolves to a stretched rectangle. At high initial surfactant concentrations, the droplet mainly exhibits the "octagon-to-square" transition, and the square shape is maintained until the end. The octagon-to-square transition occurs at similar temporal volume-averaged surfactant concentrations for the various initial surfactant concentrations. It results from the dependence of the surface energy change of spread over the micropyramid structure on the temporal volume-averaged surfactant concentration. At high initial surfactant concentrations, the accumulation of the surfactant near the contact line driven by outward flows could raise the local viscosity and enhance the pinning effect, leading to the great suppression of the "square-to-rectangle" transition.

Dynamic interfacial properties and foamability of polyelectrolyte-surfactant mixtures

Polymer/surfactant interaction and complexes can strongly influence foam formation and stability, however, a clear mechanism is still unknown and under investigation. Critical Aggregation Concentration (CAC) is introduced as an important parameter in recent investigations, however, CAC is mostly characterized as an equilibrium parameter, while foam formation and consequently the stability mechanism, is significantly influenced by the dynamics of adsorption. In this research the dynamic surface tension and viscoelasticity mixtures of Polystyrene Sulfonate (PSS) as an anionic polyelectrolyte and Cetyl Trimethyl Ammonium Bromide (CTAB) as a cationic surfactant, at the air-water interface are investigated by using Profile Analysis Tensiometry (PAT). The measured dynamic surface tension values illustrate three different regions of the surfactant/polymer ratio. It is demonstrated that a minimum number of surfactants per polymer molecule is needed in order that the polymer-surfactant complexes become sufficiently surface active and adsorb significantly at the water-air surface. For high surfactant concentrations, the large amounts of excess CTAB compete with polymer-surfactant complexes at the interfaces and remove the complexes into the bulk. The measured elasticity values confirm this observation. At intermediate surfactant concentration, when the complexes have their maximum surface activity, a fast dynamics of adsorption is observed and the measured elasticity values go through a maximum. The results of foam formation and stability also show a meaningful correlation with these results using Ross-Mill test and gas sparging method.

The hydrophobic modification of kappa carrageenan microgel particles for the stabilisation of foams

HypothesisPolysaccharides such as kappa carrageenan are often utilised in fat replacement techniques in the food industry. However, the structural role they can provide within a product is limited by their hydrophilic nature. Hydrophilic particles can be surface-activated by hydrophobic modification e.g. in-situ interaction with a surfactant. This can drastically improve foam stability by providing a structural barrier around bubble interfaces offering protection against disproportionation and coalescence. Hence, it should be possible to bind negatively charged kappa carrageenan particles with a cationic surfactant through electrostatic interaction, in order to alter their surface properties. ExperimentsLauric arginate was mixed with kappa carrageenan microgel particles at various concentrations and the potential electrostatic interaction was studied using zeta potential, turbidity and rheological measurements. Mixtures were then aerated and foaming properties explored, in particular the location of the particles. FindingsLauric arginate was successfully bound to kappa carrageenan microgel particles. Consequently, particles were surface-activated and adsorbed at the air/water interface, as shown by optical and confocal microscopy. Foam half-life peaked at an intermediate surfactant concentration, where there was sufficient surfactant to coat particle surfaces but the concentration was low enough to prevent the formation of large aggregates unable to adsorb at the a/w interfaces.

Physical stability of N,N-dimethyldecanamide/α-pinene-in-water emulsions as influenced by surfactant concentration

In recent years, interest in submicron emulsions has increased due to their high stability and potential applications in the encapsulation and release of active ingredients in many industrial fields, such as the food industry, pharmaceuticals or agrochemicals. Furthermore, the social demand for eco-friendly solutions to replace hazardous solvents in many dispersion formulations has steadily risen. In this study, the influence of surfactant concentration on the formation and physical stability of submicron oil-in-water emulsions using a high-pressure dual-channel homogenizer (microfluidizer) has been investigated. The formulation involved the use of a blend of two green solvents (N,N-dimethyldecanamide and α-pinene) as dispersed phase and a nonionic polyoxyethylene glycerol ester derived from coconut oil as emulsifier (Levenol® C-201), which enjoys a European eco-label. Therefore, these emulsions may find applications as matrices for agrochemicals. Physical stability and rheological properties of the emulsions studied showed an important dependence on the eco-friendly surfactant concentration. The lowest surfactant concentration (1wt%) yielded the onset of a creaming process after a short aging time and was not enough to avoid recoalescence during emulsification. On the other hand, the higher surfactant concentrations (4–5wt%) resulted in depletion flocculation, which in turn triggered emulsion destabilization by coalescence. The optimum physical stability was exhibited by emulsions containing intermediate surfactant concentrations (2–3wt%) since coalescence was hardly significant and the onset of a weak creaming destabilization process was substantially delayed.

Mass transfer from single carbon dioxide bubbles in contaminated water in a vertical pipe

Mass transfer from single carbon dioxide bubbles rising through contaminated water in a vertical pipe of 12.5mm diameter was measured to investigate effects of surfactant. The bubble diameter was widely varied to cover various bubble shapes such as spheroidal, wobbling, cap and Taylor bubbles. The gas and liquid phases were 99.9% purity carbon dioxide and a surfactant solution made of purified water and Triton X-100. Comparison of mass transfer rates between contaminated and clean bubbles made clear that the surfactant decreases the mass transfer rates of small bubbles. The Sherwood numbers of small bubbles in the extreme cases, i.e. zero and the highest surfactant concentrations, are well correlated in terms of the bubble Reynolds number, Schmidt number and the ratio, λ, of the bubble diameter to pipe diameter. The Sherwood numbers at intermediate surfactant concentrations, however, are not well correlated using available correlations. The mass transfer rates of Taylor bubbles also decrease with increasing the surfactant concentration. They however increase with the diameter ratio and approach those of clean Taylor bubbles as λ increases. The main cause of this tendency was revealed by interface tracking simulations, i.e. the surfactant adsorbs only in the bubble tail region and the nose-to-side region is almost clean at high λ.

Surface Activity Interactions in Aqueous Solution of Anionic Surfactants with a Water Treatment Protein from <i>Moringa oleifera</i> Seeds

The interaction of anionic surfactants sodium dodecylbenzenesulphonate (SDBS) and sodium bis (2-ethyl-1-hexylsulfosuccinate) (AOT) with the water treatment protein extracted from Moringa oleifera seeds has been investigated by surface tension measurements. The results were compared with previously reported studies using surface tension and zeta potential measurements of the same protein with an anionic surfactant sodium dodecylsulphate. There is a strong electrostatic interaction between the protein and the surfactants characterized by a local maximum at intermediate surfactant concentration. This surfactant concentration depends on the protein concentration and corresponds to the surfactant concentration at the point of charge reversal (zeta potential = 0 mV). The number of surfactant molecules required to neutralize the positive charges on the protein was found to be 8 per protein molecule.

Transient reduction of the drag coefficient of charged droplets via the convective reversal of stagnant caps

Droplets are frequently observed to move as if they were solid rather than liquid, i.e., with no slip at the liquid-liquid interface. This behavior is usually explained in terms of the so-called “stagnant cap” model, in which surfactants accumulate at the trailing edge of the droplet, immobilizing the surface and increasing the observed drag coefficient. Here, we show that the drag coefficient for charged droplets is temporarily reduced by reversing the direction of an electric driving force. Using high speed video, we simultaneously track the velocity and relative interfacial velocity of individual aqueous droplets moving electrophoretically through oil. The observed velocity behavior is highly sensitive to the concentration of surfactant. For sufficiently low or sufficiently high concentration, upon reversal of the electric field the droplet rapidly accelerates in the opposite direction but then decelerates, concurrent with a transient rearrangement of tracer particles on the droplet surface. In contrast, droplets with intermediate surfactant concentrations exhibit neither deceleration nor significant tracer particle rearrangement. We interpret the observations in terms of convectively dominated rearrangement of the stagnant cap, and we discuss the implications for precise electrophoretic control of droplet motion in lab-on-a-chip devices and industrial electrocoalescers.

Effect of Pressure on the Solubilization of a Fluorescent Merocyanine Dye by a Nonionic Surfactant

The target dye, which is a derivative of Merocyanine 540 bearing a naphthoxazole headgroup, persists as a monomer in ethanol solution but dimerizes in water under ambient conditions. Analysis of the absorption spectrum indicates that the dimer has an oblique geometry with the two molecules being held at an angle of ca. 55°. Applying high pressure to the system forces the two molecules into closer contact, resulting in a decreased partial molar volume of 3.1 cm(3). One molecule of the monomeric dye enters a neutral micelle formed from Triton X-100, where it is highly fluorescent and free of exciton coupling. The result of applied pressure on these latter systems depends on the concentration of surfactant. Above the critical micelle concentration (CMC), applied pressure has little effect other than to increase the viscosity inside the micelle. At very low surfactant concentration, applied pressure forces monomeric dye into the dimeric form, as observed in the absence of Triton X-100. It is notable, however, that the pressure effect on the dimerization constant is exaggerated in the presence of surfactant. At intermediate surfactant concentrations, applied pressure leads to a marked change in the CMC. In particular, applied pressure reduces the partial molar volume of the micelle by ca. 7.9 cm(3) and induces micelle formation at relatively low concentration of surfactant. For example, the CMC falls from ca. 250 μM at atmospheric pressure to only 50 μM at 460 MPa.

Spectrometric Study on the Interaction of Dodecyltrimethylammonium Bromide with Curcumin

The interaction between dodecyltrimethylammonium bromide (DTAB) and curcumin has been studied in pH 5.0 sodium phosphate buffer using absorption and fluorescence measurements. With increasing DTAB concentration (C(DTAB)) from 0 to 20 mM, the absorption peak of curcumin at 430 nm, corresponding to the conjugated structure of curcumin, first weakens gradually into a shoulder but increases back into one peak with much higher absorption intensity. On the contrary, as C(DTAB) increases, the initial small absorption shoulder of curcumin at 355 nm, corresponding to the feruloyl unit of curcumin, first increases gradually into a clear peak but decreases back into one shoulder until almost disappeared finally. By remaining at nearly the same wavelength, the fluorescence of curcumin first decreases at C(DTAB) lower than 5 mM and then increases gradually up to C(DTAB) = 10 mM, which is followed by sharp increases of fluorescence intensity with marked blue-shifts at higher C(DTAB). The values of anisotropy and microviscosity of curcumin obtained from the fluorescence polarization technique also showed pronounced changes at different surfactant concentrations. The interaction mechanisms of DTAB with curcumin have been presented at low, intermediate, and high surfactant concentrations, which is relating to interaction forces, surfactant aggregations, as well as structural alterations of curcumin.

Alkane vapor and surfactants co-adsorption on aqueous solution interfaces

The co-adsorption of hexane from the vapor phase and surfactants from an aqueous solution at the surface of drops are studied in dependence of surfactant concentration. For the anionic surfactant SDS as well as the cationic surfactant DoTAB a significant surfactant–hexane co-adsorption and a remarkable decrease in surface tension is observed. This hexane co-adsorption effect increases with surfactant concentration and reaches a maximum value at intermediate surfactant concentrations below the CMC values. Dynamic surface tension measurements by drop profile analysis tensiometry and calculation of the standard deviation from Laplacian shape fitting, demonstrate three different adsorption regions. The kinetics and equilibrium state of adsorption depend significantly on the surfactant concentration. For the initial effects (regular adsorption region) which appear quickly, a thermodynamic model is applied which is based on a mixed adsorption layer approach.

Effects of electrolyte concentration and counterion valence on the microstructural flow regimes in dilute cetyltrimethylammonium tosylate micellar solutions

The shear thickening behavior and the transition to shear thinning are examined in dilute cetyltrimethylammonium tosylate (CTAT) micellar solutions as a function of surfactant concentration and ionic strength using electrolytes with different counterion valence. Newtonian behavior at low shear rates, followed by shear thickening and shear thinning at higher shear rates, are observed at low and intermediate surfactant and electrolyte concentrations. Shear thickening diminishes with increasing surfactant concentration and ionic strength. At higher surfactant or electrolyte concentration, only a Newtonian region followed by shear thinning is detected. A generalized flow diagram indicates two controlling regimes: one in which electrostatic screening dominates and induces micellar growth, and another, at higher electrolyte and surfactant concentrations, where chemical equilibrium among electrolyte and surfactant counterions controls the rheological behavior by modifying micellar breaking and reforming. Analysis of the shear thickening behavior reveals that not only a critical shear rate is required for shear thickening, but also a critical deformation, which appears to be unique for all systems examined, within experimental error. Moreover, a superposition of the critical shear rate for shear thickening with surfactant and electrolyte concentration is reported.

Novel Alkyl Ether Sulfonates for High Salinity Reservoir: Effect of Concentration on Transient Ultralow Interfacial Tension at the Oil–Water Interface

AbstractThe effect of surfactant concentration on the occurrence and detection of transient ultralow interfacial tension (IFT) between crude oil and formation water at 75 °C has been investigated using a series of novel sodium alkyl ether sulfonates having various increasing molecular weights and degrees of ethoxylation. All surfactant systems displayed dynamic interfacial tension (DIT). Transient ultralow DIT (DITmin) were detected only within an intermediate surfactant concentration. This behavior was attributed to an implicit concentration‐related length scale required for the added surfactant to diffuse from the bulk phase to the freshly prepared oil–water interface. In the high surfactant concentration range, this length scale is relatively short and results in an instantaneous (and undetectable) occurrence of DITmim in a relatively very short time scale, well beyond the detection limit of the spinning drop tensiometer (~2–3 min). Interestingly, DITmin were detected only in systems above the surfactant's critical micelle concentration, suggesting that DITmin occurs as a result of the diffusion (subsequent to the adsorption) of the oil acidic species from the interface to the bulk phase to form mixed micelles with the added surfactant. Measurements of DITs in the presence of decane showed no evidence for DITmin, confirming the general belief that DITmin is indeed due to the interaction of the added surfactant with the oil acidic components. Finally, the effect of surfactant concentration on the equilibrium IFT (γeq) showed evidence for relatively low values (~10−2 mNm−1) for some surfactant systems.

Aqueous foam stabilized by hydrophobically modified silica particles and liquid paraffin droplets

The foamability and foam stability of hydrophilic silica particles (A200) and cationic surfactant cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) dispersion in the presence and absence of liquid paraffin were evaluated by interface tension, zeta potential and dilatational rheology. At low surfactant concentration, both the foamability and foam stability of A200/CTAB dispersion in the presence of liquid paraffin are decreased, due to the low coverage degree of silica particles on the air/water interface of the foam films. At the intermediate surfactant concentration, in the absence of liquid paraffin, the foam stability is enhanced by the adsorption of silica particles on the air/water interface. In the presence of liquid paraffin, there is a synergistic stabilization by the adsorption of hydrophobically modified silica particles and oil droplets on the air/water monolayer of foam film. At the same surfactant concentration range, the foamability increases until a plateau value is reached. At high surfactant concentration, the surface of silica particles is hydrophilic and so the silica particles become to disperse in the aqueous phase again. In this case, both the air/water and oil/water interfaces are mainly covered by CTAB molecules, resulting in a slight decrease of foam stability.

Photo-Assisted Gene Delivery Using Light-Responsive Catanionic Vesicles

Photoresponsive catanionic vesicles have been developed as a novel gene delivery vector combining enhanced cellular uptake with phototriggered release of vesicle payload following entry into cells. Vesicles with diameters ranging from 50 to 200 nm [measured using cryo-transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and light-scattering techniques] form spontaneously, following mixing of positively charged azobenzene-containing surfactant and negatively charged alkyl surfactant species. Fluorescent probe measurements showed that the catanionic vesicles at a cation/anion ratio of 7:3 formed at surfactant concentrations as low as 10 microM of the azobenzene surfactant under visible light (with the azobenzene surfactant species principally in the trans configuration), while 50-60 microM of the azobenzene surfactant is required to form vesicles under UV illumination (with the azobenzene surfactant species principally in the cis configuration). At intermediate surfactant concentrations (ca. 15-45 microM) under visible light conditions, transport of DNA-vesicle complexes occurred past the cell membrane of murine fibroblast NIH 3T3 cells through endocytosis. Subsequent UV illumination induced rupture of the vesicles and release of uncomplexed DNA into the cell interiors, where it was capable of passing through the nuclear membrane and thereby contributing to enhanced expression. Single-molecule fluorescent images of T4-DNA demonstrated that the formation of vesicles with a net positive charge led to compaction of DNA molecules via complex formation within a few seconds, while UV-induced disruption of the vesicle-DNA complexes led to DNA re-expansion to the elongated-coil state, also within a few seconds. Transfection experiments with eGFP DNA revealed that photoresponsive catanionic vesicles are more effectively taken up by cells compared to otherwise identical alkyl (i.e., nonazobenzene-containing and thus nonlight-responsive) catanionic vesicles, presumably because of pi-pi stacking interactions that enhance bilayer rigidity in the photoresponsive vesicles. Subsequent UV illumination following endocytosis leads to further dramatic enhancements in the transfection efficiencies, demonstrating that vector unpacking and release of DNA from the carrier complex can be the limiting step in the overall process of gene delivery.

Phase Behavior and Shear Alignment in SWNT‐Surfactant Dispersions

The effect of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNT) on the phase behavior of the cationic surfactant cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) in aqueous solutions is investigated at room temperature. Small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) and cryogenic transmission electron microscopy (cryo-TEM) are used for characterization of bulk dispersions and nanometrically thin films. Additional carbonaceous additives (fullerenes, multi-walled carbon nanotubes, and carbon black) serve as reference systems. It is found that dispersions of carbonaceous additive (excluding fullerenes) at intermediate surfactant concentrations (below the liquid-crystalline region of the native surfactant) induce demixing and macroscopic phase separation in otherwise homogeneous solutions of CTAB. Two coexisting liquid phases of similar CTAB concentrations are observed, with the carbonaceous species residing within the lower phase. At high CTAB concentrations (liquid-crystal region) the SWNTs are found to incorporate into the ordered lyotropic liquid-crystalline phase while preserving the native d-spacing. Investigation of nanometrically thin films at intermediate surfactant concentrations under external shear reveals shear-induced structure (SIS) in the presence of minute amounts of SWNTs. The effect is found to be exclusive to SWNT and does not occur in dispersions of other carbonaceous additives.

Factors influencing the association between active ingredient and adjuvant in the leaf deposit of adjuvant‐containing suspoemulsion formulations

For an oil adjuvant to enhance uptake of a particulate active ingredient (AI), it is hypothesised that closer association between the two should result in higher uptake. Accordingly, factors important for the spray deposit size on grapevine leaves have been investigated for a series of model suspoemulsion formulations containing colloidal crystalline AI or fluorescent pigment particles and an emulsion of an oil adjuvant with different degrees of wetting and different spray volumes. Low spray volumes (<100 L ha(-1)) produced small deposits with high particle-adjuvant association. Complementary uptake studies showed increased uptake with decreasing deposit size, in agreement with the above hypothesis. Higher spray volumes produced larger deposits that consisted of annuli formed by pinning of the contact line by particles. Low surfactant concentrations favoured particles in the annulus and adjuvant separated in the centre. Intermediate surfactant concentrations produced annuli containing both particles and adjuvant, while with high surfactant concentrations the deposits were large with few annuli. Small deposits result in high AI-adjuvant association. With larger deposits, annulus structures allow for enhanced AI-adjuvant association (5-20 times greater). The formation of annuli appears to be important in enhancing the biodelivery of particulate AIs in adjuvant-containing suspoemulsion formulations at intermediate spray volumes.

Aggregation of Ionic Surfactants to Block Copolymer Assemblies: A Simple Fluorescence Spectral Study

A simple and elegant method based on steady-state fluorescence spectral measurement is demonstrated to study the interaction mechanism of copolymers and ionic surfactants with a suitable selection of fluorescent probe and also its general applicability in studying other systems. Three different concentration regions have been indicated from the changes in full width at half-maximum of the emission spectra and fluorescence intensity of coumarin 153 with the molar ratio of ionic surfactant to triblock copolymer (n). At low n values, copolymer-surfactant complexes are basically copolymer-rich micelles with few surfactant molecules, and at very high n values, copolymer-rich micelles are destroyed and surfactant-rich micelles with free copolymer monomers are formed. It has been observed that, in the intermediate surfactant concentration region, the transformation of a dominantly copolymer-rich complex to a mainly surfactant-rich complex can be either gradual incorporation of surfactants into the copolymer-rich micelles with freeing of copolymer units until surfactant-rich micelles are formed (type I) or simultaneous buildup of surfactant-rich micelles together with the destruction of copolymer-rich micelles (type II). The interaction mechanism for nonionic copolymers (P123 and F127) with ionic surfactants (SDS and CTAC) is mainly type II, but at higher copolymer concentrations interaction via the type I mechanism also operates. However, it is dominantly the type I mechanism that operates for common nonionic (TX100) and ionic surfactants.