Detailed physicochemical interaction of inulin with some conventional surfactants and surface active ionic liquid

Inulin, a carbohydrate based polymer has immense applications in industries of human aids. There are very limited interactive studies on this polymer although there are numerous applications. In the present study, interactions of inulin with different amphiphiles lead to interesting characteristics as identified by various physicochemical methods. Tensiometry, conductometry, isothermal titration calorimetry, turbidimetry, etc. have been employed to characterize the phenomenological changes. Cationic type amphiphiles, e.g., surface active ionic liquid, conventional, and gemini surfactants provide very fruitful interactions. These amphiphiles form small aggregates with the polymer at low concentration, coacervates at moderate concentration and free micelles at higher concentrations of the amphiphiles. Inulin-amphiphiles interaction has been supported by different morphological studies also. (C) 2021 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.