Self-Assembly of Surfactant Mesophases during the Solution Casting of PVA Films

While the surface and bulk properties of large polymers in solution is well-studied, the converse case of small molecule migration and segregation in polymers has received comparatively little attention. As part of a larger EPSRC project concerning molecular migration in complex polymer matrices, we are concerned with surfactant and plasticiser migration in PVA film. Early results have shown fascinating surface segregation and self-organsation phenomena, and here we propopse to explore the development of this organisation during PVA film drying. Mixtures of PVA, water, surfactant and glycerol plasticiser will be allowed to dry and studied by SANS. This will allow the development of surfactant mesophases to be characterised simultaneously with larger spinodal structures already detected by AFM and cloud point measurements. Our results will be used to validate new theoretical models.