The interactions between cationic cellulose and Gemini surfactant in aqueous solution

• Gemini surfactant/JR400 showed strong electrostatic and hydrophobic interactions.
• A Narrower precipitation region, lower CAC and CMC values were obtained.
• This surfactant/cellulose mixture could be used as a potential drug delivery system.

Due to the extensive application of cationic cellulose in cosmetic, drug delivery and gene therapy, combining the improvement effect of surfactant–cellulose complexes, to investigate the properties of cellulose in aqueous solution is an important topic from both scientific and technical views. In this study, the phase behavior, solution properties and microstructure of Gemini surfactant sodium 5-nonyl-2-(4-(4-nonyl-2-sulfonatophenoxy)butoxy)phenyl sulfite (9-4-9)/cationic cellulose (JR400, the ammonium groups are directly bonded to the hydroxyethyl substituent with a degree substitution of 0.37) mixture was investigated using turbidity, fluorescence spectrophotometer and shear rheology techniques. As a control, the interaction of corresponding monovalent surfactant, sodium 2-ethoxy-5-nonylbenzenesulfonate (9-2) with JR400 in aqueous solution was also studied. Experimental results showed that 9-4-9/JR400 mixture has lower critical aggregation concentration (CAC) and critical micelle concentration (CMC) (about one order of magnitude) than 9-2/JR400 mixture. A low concentration of Gemini surfactant 9-4-9 appeared to induce an obvious micropolarity and viscosity value variation of the mixture, while these effects required a high concentration of corresponding monovalent one. Furthermore, dynamic light scattering (DLS) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) measurements illuminated the formation and collapse procedure of network structure of the 9-4-9/JR400 mixture, which resulted in the increase and decrease of viscosity. These results suggest that the molecular structure of the surfactant has a great effect on its interaction with cationic cellulose. Moreover, the Gemini surfactant/cationic cellulose mixture may be used as a potencial stimuli-responsive drug delivery vector which not only load hydrophilic drugs, but also deliver hydrophobic substances.