Peculiarities of linear and hyperbranched polyglycidols in water and aqueous surfactant solutions

[Display omitted] •Hyperbranched polyglycidol is less associative than linear polyglycidol (PGL).•Hyperbranched and linear polyglycidol interact with SDS.•The strongest interaction with SDS occurs for the shortest linear polyglycidol.•The cavities in hyperbranched PGL may host probes of appropriate size. Linear and hyperbranched polyglycidol (LPGL and HPGL) with average molecular weight of a few thousands were studied in water and surfactant solutions. The employed surfactants are hexaethyleneglycol mono n-dodecyl ether (C12E6), cetyl trimethyl ammonium bromide (CTAB) and sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS). The working methods are surface tension, steady-state fluorescence, dynamic light scattering (DLS), electrokinetic potential and FTIR spectroscopy. The linear polyglycidols are weakly associative species, unlike the hyperbranched one which is more hydrophilic and harder associates. The linear polymers most efficiently interact with the anionic surfactant, followed by cationic and most weakly with the nonionic. The hydrodynamic diameters of the investigated polyglycidols depend on their structure and molecular weight. In the presence of SDS, the hydrodynamic diameters vary with surfactant concentration. The study reveals the solubilization of fluorescent probes (pyrene, naphthalene) inside the polyglycidol aggregates. Unlike the LPGL, the presence of cavities in HPGL macromolecule offers supplementary “pockets” for solubilization.