Aggregation behaviors of amphiphilic copolymers with methylacrylic acid segments at interface

Amphiphilic copolymers were synthesized by means of emulsion polymerization using different monomers such as acrylic acid, methyl methacrylate, butyl acrylate, methyl acrylic acid and styrene. The compositions of copolymers were determined using IR and titration methods. The aggregation characteristics of these copolymers at various interfaces have been examined by surface tension, surface pressure and AFM techniques. The results of surface pressure and surface tension show that the copolymers were easy to aggregate at the air/liquid surface, which lead to the remarkable reducing of surface tension and indicate to form tight film at surface. The AFM observation demonstrates that the copolymers form island-like clusters at the surface of glass substrates. (c) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.