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<p>Certain aqueous mixtures of silica nanoparticles and poly (ethylene oxide) (PEO) can form reversible gels, known as shake gels, when subjected to shear or extensional forces such as shaking. This study investigates the influence of surfactants—specifically sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) and Triton X-100—on the gelation and relaxation behaviour of silica–PEO systems. Rheological measurements were conducted to monitor viscosity as a function of shear rate, enabling the identification of a critical shear rate at which viscosity increased by several orders of magnitude, indicating gel formation. Increasing surfactant concentration generally reduced the critical shear rate required for gelation. At lower concentrations, Triton X-100 promoted faster gelation than SDS, likely due to its non-ionic nature and absence of electrostatic repulsion with silica. At higher concentrations, SDS became more effective, facilitated by micelle-assisted polymer coil expansion and enhanced bridging interactions with silica. Relaxation measurements revealed that SDS slowed network breakdown with increasing concentration, whereas Triton X-100 accelerated relaxation. These contrasting behaviours are attributed to differences in molecular structure and interaction pathways, with Triton’s ethylene oxide headgroups promoting more efficient gel disassembly in the absence of shear. The findings provide mechanistic insight into how surfactant–polymer–particle interactions can be tuned to control the mechanical and temporal properties of shear-responsive gels.</p> Graphical abstract <p></p>

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The effect of surfactants on the formation and stability of silica-PEO based shake gels

  • 期刊论文

  • 出版模式：

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  • 发表日期：

    2026年7月14日

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  • Devajyoti Banerjee,
  • Adrielle Sousa Santos,
  • Paul F. Luckham

摘要

Certain aqueous mixtures of silica nanoparticles and poly (ethylene oxide) (PEO) can form reversible gels, known as shake gels, when subjected to shear or extensional forces such as shaking. This study investigates the influence of surfactants—specifically sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) and Triton X-100—on the gelation and relaxation behaviour of silica–PEO systems. Rheological measurements were conducted to monitor viscosity as a function of shear rate, enabling the identification of a critical shear rate at which viscosity increased by several orders of magnitude, indicating gel formation. Increasing surfactant concentration generally reduced the critical shear rate required for gelation. At lower concentrations, Triton X-100 promoted faster gelation than SDS, likely due to its non-ionic nature and absence of electrostatic repulsion with silica. At higher concentrations, SDS became more effective, facilitated by micelle-assisted polymer coil expansion and enhanced bridging interactions with silica. Relaxation measurements revealed that SDS slowed network breakdown with increasing concentration, whereas Triton X-100 accelerated relaxation. These contrasting behaviours are attributed to differences in molecular structure and interaction pathways, with Triton’s ethylene oxide headgroups promoting more efficient gel disassembly in the absence of shear. The findings provide mechanistic insight into how surfactant–polymer–particle interactions can be tuned to control the mechanical and temporal properties of shear-responsive gels.

Graphical abstract