Investigation of critical micelles concentration of saccharide-surfactant-polymer complex

The diverse application of β-cyclodextrin grabbed the attention of research community. The encapsulation of hydrophobic molecules was the unique property of the β-cyclodextrin that suggested its application in enhanced oil recovery system. The well known Xanthan gum was one suggested polymer that could have its potential use in enhanced oil recovery systems along with the surfactant sodium dodecyl sulfate. However, this polymer surfactant complex show shear thinning behavior, the presence of β-cyclodextrin could alter the micelles structure. The present work focuses on the investigation of critical micelles concentration (CMC) of Xanthan gum, sodium dodecyl sulfate and β-cyclodextrin complex. Both conductivity and surface tension were followed to evaluate the critical micelles concentration of the complex at various β-cyclodextrin compositions in the mixture. The self assembly of the complex mixture shows reduction in the critical micelles concentration of the solutions.