Thermoresponsive behavior of cyclodextrin inclusion complexes with weakly anionic alkyl ethoxy carboxylates

This study investigates the temperature responsive behavior of inclusion complexes formed by weakly anionic alkyl ethoxy carboxylates and α (αCD) and β-cyclodextrins (βCD). Small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) was performed to probe the structural behaviour at the 1-100 nanometer scale of the hierarchical assemblies at different temperatures. The phase transitions and thermodynamics were systematically monitored as a function of the degree of ionization of the surfactant by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Herein, we investigate the effect of the surfactant degree of ionization on the thermoresponsive properties of the inclusion complex supramolecular assemblies. Inclusion complexes formed with the ionized surfactant spontaneously assemble into multilayered structures, which soften with increasing temperature. We also found that the presence of charges is not only required to impart order to the supramolecular assemblies, but also induced in-plane crystallization of the inclusion complexes. Finally, the use of a weakly anionic surfactant allows us to probe the interplay between the charge density and temperature on the assembly of surfactant-cyclodextrin inclusion complexes. This study helps to improve the design of multi-responsive supramolecular systems based on cyclodextrins.