Summary: | The adsorption of <i>Acacia</i> gum from two plant exudates, <i>A. senegal</i> and <i>A. seyal</i>, at the solid-liquid interface on oxide surfaces was studied using a quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation monitoring (QCM-D). The impact of the hydrophobic and electrostatic forces on the adsorption capacity was investigated by different surface, hydrophobicity, and charge properties, and by varying the ionic strength or the pH. The results highlight that hydrophobic forces have higher impacts than electrostatic forces on the <i>Acacia</i> gum adsorption on the oxide surface. The <i>Acacia</i> gum adsorption capacity is higher on hydrophobic surfaces compared to hydrophilic ones and presents a higher stability with negatively charged surfaces. The structural configuration and charge of <i>Acacia</i> gum in the first part of the adsorption process are important parameters. <i>Acacia</i> gum displays an extraordinary ability to adapt to surface properties through rearrangements, conformational changes, and/or dehydration processes in order to reach the steadiest state on the solid surface. Rheological analysis from QCM-D data shows that the <i>A. senegal</i> layers present a viscous behavior on the hydrophilic surface and a viscoelastic behavior on more hydrophobic ones. On the contrary, <i>A. seyal</i> layers show elastic behavior on all surfaces according to the Voigt model or a viscous behavior on the hydrophobic surface when considering the power-law model.
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