The interest of polymer-surfactant systems has undergone a spectacular development in the last thirty years due to their complex behavior and their importance in different industrial sectors. The importance can be mainly associated with the rich phase behavior of these mixtures that confers a wide range of physico-chemical properties to the complexes formed by polymers and surfactants, both in bulk and at the interfaces. This latter aspect is especially relevant because of the use of their mixture for the stabilization of dispersed systems such as foams and emulsions, with an increasing interest in several fields such as cosmetic, food science or fabrication of controlled drug delivery structures. This review presents a comprehensive analysis of different aspects related to the phase behavior of these mixtures and their intriguing behavior after adsorption at the liquid/air interface. A discussion of some physical properties of the bulk is also included. The discussion clearly points out that much more work is needed for obtaining the necessary insights for designing polymer-surfactant mixtures for specific applications.
Keywords: Interfaces; Interfacial rheology; Interfacial tension; Polyelectrolytes; Polymers; Surfactant.
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