Contemporary formulations of cosmetic and pharmaceutical emulsions may be
achieved by using combined polymer/surfactant system, which can form
complexes with different structure and physicochemical properties. Such
complexation can lead to additional stabilization of the emulsion products.
For these reasons, the main goal of this study was to investigate the
interfacial properties of chitosan/sodium dodecyl sulfate complexes. In order
to understand the stabilization mechanism, the interface of the oil/water
systems that contained mixtures of chitosan and sodium dodecyl sulfate, was
studied by measuring the interfacial tension. Considering the fact that the
properties of the oil phase has influence on the adsorption process, three
different types of oil were investigated: medium-chain triglycerides
(semi-synthetic oil), paraffin oil (mineral oil) and natural oil obtained
from the grape seed. The surface tension measurements at the oil/water
interface, for chitosan water solutions, indicate a poor surface activity of
this biopolymer. Addition of sodium dodecyl sulfate to chitosan solution
causes a significant decrease in the interfacial tension for all investigated
oils. The results of this study are important for understanding the influence
of polymer-surfactant interactions on the properties of the solution and
stability of dispersed systems.
Interaction among branched polyethylenimine (PEI), sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) and metal cations during copper recovery from water using polymer-surfactant aggregates
