Direct force measurements between α-alumina surfaces with adsorption of anionic surfactant/polymer mixtures

Direct measurements of interaction forces between alpha-alumina surfaces with coadsorbed anionic surfactant sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) and anionic polyelectrolyte poly(sodium 4-styrenesulfonate) (PSS) at pH 3.5 are carried out by colloidal probe atomic force microscopy. It is found that in aqueous PSS solutions the interaction forces are dependent on the initial PSS concentration. At low PSS concentration the electrostatic repulsion initially present is neutralized, resulting in a weak attraction between the surfaces, while as the concentration is increased further, repulsive forces reappear due to the additional adsorption of PSS on the surface. The adsorbed PSS adopts a relatively flat conformation at all PSS concentrations investigated. On the other hand, the interaction forces are dramatically different for the simultaneous addition of SDS and PSS: the force profile for the coaddition comes progressively close to that for the addition of SDS alone with increasing SDS concentration. This is attributed to the fact that SDS plays a key role for the coadsorption of SDS and PSS over a high SDS concentration region. The dispersion stability and zeta potential of alpha-alumina suspensions are evaluated for comparison with the resultant forces, and a good correlation is obtained between them. The effects of sequential addition of SDS and PSS are also investigated.