Counterion Exchange Selectivity in Detergent-Polymer Aggregates

In aqueous solution, the interaction between sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) and poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) results in the formation of small aggregates or clusters of SDS attached to the PEG polymer chain. Selectivity coefficients for exchange of two monovalent (N -methyl-4-cyanopyridinium cation and Tl+ ) and two divalent (methylviologen cation and Cu2+ ) counterions at the surface of SDS-PEG clusters, determined employing photophysical techniques, are similar, but not identical, to those for exchange at the surface of SDS micelles in the absence of PEG. The principal factor affecting ion exchange selectivity in SDS-PEG clusters does not appear to be aggregate size or surface charge density but rather the presence of poly(oxyethylene) subunits at the aggregate surface.