Interaction between a water-in-oil microemulsion and a linear-dendritic poly(propylene oxide)–polyglycerol block copolymer

We present small angle scattering and dielectric spectroscopy results on the influence of an amphiphilic diblock copolymer on the structure and dynamics of a microemulsion. We use a water-in-oil (w/o) droplet microemulsion based on the anionic surfactant AOT (sodium bis(2-ethylhexyl) sulfosuccinate), that forms spherical water droplets coated by a monolayer of AOT dispersed in the continuous oil matrix. The studied polymer consists of a hydrophobic poly(propylene oxide) (PPO) block and a hydrophilic hyperbranched polyglycerol with 74 glycerol units (NG74). Combining small angle neutron scattering (SANS) and small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) we find that the droplet structure is preserved …