Interaction between a partially fluorinated alkyl sulfate and gelatin in aqueous solution

The interaction of a partially fluorinated alkyl sulfate, sodium 1H,1H,2H,2H-perfluorooctyl sulfate (C6F13CH2CH2OSO3Na), with the polyampholyte gelatin has been examined in aqueous solution using surface tension and small-angle neutron scattering (SANS). The 19F chemical shift of each fluorine environment in the surfactant is unaltered by the addition of gelatin, indicating that there is no contact between the gelatin and the fluorocarbon core of the micelle. The chemical shift of the two methylene groups closest to the headgroup is altered when gelatin is present, disclosing the location of the polymer. The critical micelle concentration (cmc) of the surfactant, cmc = 17+/-1 mM, corresponds to an effective alkyl chain (CnH2n+1) length of n = 11. In the presence of gelatin, the cmc is substantially reduced as expected, cmc(1) = 4+/-1 mM, which is also consistent with an effective alkyl chain length of n = 11. In the presence of the fluorosurfactant, the monotonic decay of the SANS from the gelatin-only system is replaced by a substantial peak at an intermediate Q value mirroring the micellar interaction. At low ionic strengths, the gelatin/micelle complex can be described by an ellipsoid. At higher ionic strengths, the electrostatic interaction between the micelles is screened and the peak in the gelatin scattering disappears. The correlation length describing the network structure decreases with increasing SDS concentration as the bound micelles promote a collapse of the network.