INTERACTION OF POLY(METHACRYLIC ACID) WITH NONIONIC SURFACTANTS BASED ON MONOSUBSTITUTED DERIVATIVES OF POLYETHYLENE-GLYCOL

Interaction between poly(methacrylic acid) (PMAA) and a series of monosubstituted derivatives of polyethylene glycol (PEG) with hydrophobic end groups of various chemical nature was studied in aqueous solutions by means of viscometry and potentiometric titration. Monosubstituted derivatives of PEG are surfactants, and they interact with PMAA by different mechanisms, depending on their concentration. A hydrophobic complex of PMAA with surfactant is formed at low concentrations of the latter. Depending on the hydrophilic-hydrophobic balance of the surfactant, the latter may be present in the complex either in form of micelles or as individual macromolecules. A hydrophilic associate between PMAA and micelles of surfactant is formed at higher concentrations of the latter.