Characterization of predominantly hydrophobic poly(styrene)-poly(ethylene oxide) copolymers at air/water and cyclohexane/water interfaces

Interfacial tension measurements are employed to explore the spreading beha vior of predominantly hydrophobic poly(styrene)-poly(ethylene oxide), PS-PE O, diblock copolymers at air/water and cyclohexane/ water interfaces. Two c opolymers viith 7%- and 15.5%-PEO are examined in this study. The former is expected to have a PS block limiting area in air roughly equal to the limi ting PEO pancake area, whereas the latter is expected to have a limiting PS block area in air approximately 3 times smaller than the limiting PEO panc ake area. At the air/water interface the 7%-PEO copolymer does not spread w ell, which is attributed to interference from the hydrophobic PS block. In contrast, the 7%-PEO copolymer spreads well at the cyclohexane/water interf ace,producing an isotherm with a terminating mean molecular area 3 times sm aller than that obtained at the air/water interface. The 15.5%-PEO copolyme r spreads well at both the air/water and cyclohexane/water interfaces due t o less interference from the smaller hydrophobic PS block. These observatio ns are compared to compression isotherms, and the results are discussed in tel ms of the solvating nature of the adjacent cyclohexane phase for the PS block.