Interactions of Hydrophobically Modified Polyvinylamines: Adsorption Behavior at Charged Surfaces and the Formation of Polyelectrolyte Multilayers with Polyacrylic Acid

The structure and adsorption behaviors of two types of hydrophobically modified polyvinylamines (PVAm) containing substituents of hexyl and octyl chains were compared to a native polyvinylamine sample. The conformation of dissolved polyvinylamines was studied in aqueous salt solutions using dynamic light scattering. Modified PVAm showed hydrodynamic diameters similar to native PVAm, which indicated that all PVAm polymers were present as single molecules in solution. The adsorption of the polyvinylamines, both native and hydrophobically modified, from aqueous solution onto negatively charged silica surfaces was studied in situ by reflectometry and quartz crystal microgravimetry with dissipation. Polyelectrolyte multilayers (PEM) with up to nine individual layers were formed together with poly(acrylic acid). Obtained PEM structures were rigid and showed high adsorbed amounts combined with low dissipation, with similar results for both the modified and unmodified PVAm. This suggests that electrostatics dominated the PEM formation. At lower salt concentrations, the hydrophobically modified PVAm produced multilayers with low water contents, indicating that secondary interactions induced by the hydrophobic constituents can also have a significant influence on the properties of the formed layers. The surface structure of PEMs with nine individual layers was imaged in dry state using atomic force microscopy in a dynamic mode. Modified PVAm was found to induce a different structure of the PEM at 100 mM, with larger aggregates compared to those of native PVAm. From these results, it is proposed that modified PVAm can induce aggregation within the PEM, whereas PVAm remains as single molecules in solution.