Interactions and influence of α-cyclodextrin on the aggregation and interfacial properties of mixtures of nonionic and zwitterionic surfactants

The interactions of α-cyclodextrin (α-CD) with the nonionic surfactant decanoyl-N-methyl-glucamide (Mega-10) and the zwitterionic surfactant dimethyldodecylammoniopropanesulfonate (DPS) in their mixed system have been studied using interfacial tension, fluorescence, and nuclear magnetic resonance measurements. From the plots of interfacial tension vs. log of total surfactant concentration, we have obtained values of the surface excess of surfactant, the critical micellar concentration (cmc), the standard free energy of micelle formation, and association constant of surfactant/α-CD inclusion complexes (assuming a 1:1 stoichiometry). A comparison of the Ka values obtained for the interaction between α-CD and DPS and Mega-10, respectively, shows that DPS interacts stronger with α-CD than Mega-10. The experimental mixed cmc was analyzed by the pseudophase separation model and regular solution theory for the evaluation of ideality or nonideality of the mixed micelle formation. The interaction parameters in the mixed micelle and the micelle composition at different mole fractions of DPS were also computed. The fluorescence anisotropy (r) values of rhodamine B decreases with the increase of α-CD concentrations.