Molecular exciton theory calculations based on experimental results for Solophenyl red 3BL azo dye-surfactants interactions

The influence of anionic surfactant: sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) and cationic surfactants: cetyltrimethylammonium bormides (C16TAB) and cetylpyridinium chloride (CPC) on the electronic spectrum of Solophenyl red 3BL azo dye (C.I. Direct 80) in aqueous solution was studied by means of UV-vis spectroscopy. Since, Solophenyl red 3BL azo dye was an anionic soluble dye, therefore, did not observed any interaction between SDS and 3BL dye. On the other hand, in the case of C16TAB, aggregation was reflected by a hyosochromic shift of the main absorption band and dye H-aggregation was responsible for the short wavelength absorption band. Also, UV-vis spectra showed that micelle formation occurs for C16TAB surfactant in 3BL dye aqueous solution in lower concentration in comparison with C16TAB in aqueous solution lonely. Micelle formation was indicated by a red shift of the whole spectra with respect to monomer location. The importance of hydrophobic interactions was revealed by the dependence of aggregation on the cationic surfactant structure. Further results showed that dye H-aggregation was occurred under the cationic surfactant CPC as well, but in this case micelle formation could not occur. Addition of CPC surfactant into the J-aggregate dye solution in highly acidic aqueous solution was also caused completely disaggregating of dimer molecules, which may be related to occuring an acid-base reaction between them. Applicability of the molecular exciton (Kasha) theory in order to interpret of aggregation results and to estimate dimer structure of 3BL dye under C16TAB and CPC surfactants addition was very poor and the calculated data based on this model showed that this simple point-dipole model could not describe our experimental results.