A highly hydrophobic anionic surfactant at oil-water, water-polymer and oil-polymer interfaces: Implications for spreading coefficients, polymer interactions and microencapsulation via internal phase separation

Multicore-shell particles consisting of a poly(methyl methacrylate) shell and multiple dodecane cores have been prepared via the internal phase separation method using the oil-soluble anionic surfactant sodium 1,5-dioxo-1,5-bis(3,5,5-trimethylhexylocy)-3-((3,5,5 trimethylhexyloxy)carbonyl)pentane-2-sulfonate (TC4) and the water-soluble polycation poly(diallyldimethylammonium chloride) (PDADMAC) in combination as a dispersant pair. The multicore-shell particles have been investigated using SEM, light microscopy and microelectrophoresis. The detailed influence of TC4 on the oil-water, water-polymer and oil-polymer interfaces and its interaction with PDADMAC have been investigated using a quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation monitoring (QCM-D) and different optical tensiometry methods. TC4 stabilizes in particular the polymer-water interface in the presence of PDADMAC instead of the oil-water interface in contrast to water-soluble surfactants. In addition, the oil-polymer interface is stabilized by TC4 which prevents coalescence of the oil droplets and leads to multicore-shell morphology rather than single core-shell.