Correlation between surface free energy of quartz and its wettability by aqueous solutions of nonionic, anionic and cationic surfactants

The measurements of the advancing contact angle for water, glycerol, diiodomethane and aqueous solutions of Triton X-100 (TX-100), Triton X-165 (TX-165), sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDDS), sodium hexadecyl sulfonate (SHDS), cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) and cetylpyridinium bromide (CPyB) on quartz surface were carried out. On the basis of the contact angles values obtained for water, glycerol and diiodomethane the values of the Lifshitz–van der Waals component and electron-acceptor and electron-donor parameters of the acid–base component of the surface free energy of quartz were determined. The determined components and parameters of the quartz surface free energy were used for interpretation of the influence of nonionic, anionic and cationic surfactants on the wettability of the quartz. From obtained results it was appeared that the wettability of quartz by nonionic and anionic surfactants practically does not depend on the surfactants concentration in the range corresponding to their unsaturated monolayer at water–air interface and that there is linear dependence between adhesional and surface tension of aqueous solution of these surfactants. This dependence for TX-100, TX-165, SDDS and SHDS can be expressed by lines which slopes are positive. This slope and components of quartz surface free energy indicate that the interaction between the water molecules and quartz surface might be stronger than those between the quartz and surfactants molecules. So, the surface excess of surfactants concentration at the quartz–water interface is probably negative, and the possibility of surfactants to adsorb at the quartz/water film–water interface is higher than at the quartz–water interface. This conclusion is confirmed by the values of the adhesion work of “pure” surfactants, aqueous solutions of surfactants and water to quartz surface. In the case of the cationic surfactants the relationship between adhesional and surface tension is more complicated than that for nonionic and anionic surfactants and indicates that the relationship between the adsorption of the cationic surfactant at water–air and quartz–water interface depends on the concentration of the surfactants in the bulk phase.