Self-organization of Water Soluble and Amphiphile Crosslinked Carboxymethylpullulan

Abstract : The soluble state of amphiphile and crosslinked derivatives of carboxymethylpullulan was investigated by physicochemical analyses. This soluble state also called infinite sol was obtained from hydrogels after a short-time temperature treatment. The analyses show a large distribution in size for the species in solution (from some nanometers to some micrometers). Furthermore, they also reveal the presence of hydrophobic associations (intra and/or intermolecular) in addition to the chemical links. The nature of these hydrophobic interactions will depend on the polymer concentration and on the solvent used.