mPEG (monomethoxy poly(ethylene glycol))-maleic rosin copolymer was successfully prepared. The surface properties of the copolymer were investigated by surface tension and resonance scattering techniques. The critical micelle concentration (CMC) was obtained. The adsorption behaviors and the conformational changes of the surfactant molecules at the air-water interface were described. The adsorption amount of state 1 presented a sinusoid shape and that of state 2 presented a sigmoid with the growth of П. The free energy of adsorption is more negative than that of micellization, thus, the surfactant molecules adsorb on the surface firstly, and then form micelles after saturation adsorption. Accordingly, structural transformation and aggregation behaviors of various concentration mPEG-maleic rosin copolymers with changing temperature were explored in water. The mPEG-maleic rosin chains experienced transformation from unimers to aggregates, to contracted aggregates, to cohesive aggregates with increasing temperature when the concentration is lower than CMC. This process is almost reversible with decreasing temperature. Transformation from micelle to aggregate with increasing temperature happened when the concentration is higher than CMC. The phenomena were assessed by DLS (dynamic light scattering) and SEM (scanning electron microscopy) techniques.
Keywords: aggregation; mPEG-maleic rosin copolymer; structural transformation; surface property.