Solubilization of poly(ethylene oxide) in sodium dodecyl sulfonate/octane/butanol/water reverse microemulsion

We investigated the effect of addition of poly(ethylene oxide)(PEO) to the sodium dodecyl sulfonate(AS)/octane/butanol/water system on phase behavior by methods of electrical conductivity and EPR spectra for a water/oil microemulsion of these components. When PEO is added to such a w/o microemulsion, the interaction between droplets of microemulsion decreases. PEO molecules are mainly located in the region between the head groups of the surfactant, inducing a slight reorganization of the interface which partly expels the probe into higher polarity regions and forms droplets with a tighter interface layer.