Clouding and Aggregation Behavior of PPO-PEO-PPO Triblock Copolymer (Pluronic®25R4) in Surfactant Additives Environment

Abstract Aqueous solutions of commercially available Pluronic®R i. e. triblock copolymer composed of polypropylene oxide(PPO)-polyethylene oxide(PEO)-polypropylene oxide(PPO), (code named 25R4, BASF) in the presence of surfactant additives viz. hydrotropes (NaTS, NaXS), anionics (SDS, SDBS) and cationics (DTAB, CTAB) were investigated by cloud point(CP), surface tension and conductance techniques. All the techniques clearly indicated that Pluronic®25R4 interacts strongly with anionic surfactants but weakly with cationic surfactants. Surfactant additives used here, produced a marked increase in the CP of the copolymer. Elevation in CP is attributed to the solubility of PPO block of the copolymer and formation of Pluronic-surfactant complex. The effect of NaCl salt on the CP of Pluronic®25R4 at added SDS and CTAB was also studied and it was decreased due to the screening effect. At the presence of 25R4 in its non-associated form, the surface tension and conductance data is discussed with binding process and indicated strong interaction of Pluronic®25R4 with SDS, showing two break points (P1 and P2) in the plot and very weak interaction with CTAB observing single break point.