The formation of supramolecular complexes produced by association of poly(ethyleneimine) (PEI) and mixtures of sodium cholate (NaC) and sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) was investigated by pH, electrical conductivity, fluorescence spectroscopy and small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) measurements. The fluorescence linked to previously measured values of pH and conductivity led to the conclusion that NaC and SDS molecules firstly bind to specific sites of the PEI chains via electrostatic interaction and secondly undergo self-assembly through regular cooperative association. The interaction of NaC with the polyelectrolyte PEI is weaker than that of SDS and the addition of SDS to the NaC-PEI system led to the formation of mixed NaC-SDS micelles which stronger interact with PEI. The SAXS results suggested that the micellar aggregates have a considerably ellipsoidal characteristic and the micellar shape is not affected by the surfactant concentration nor by χNaC.
sodium cholate; sodium dodecyl sulfate; poly(ethyleneimine); polymer-surfactants interaction
