Supra-long chain surfactants with double or triple quaternary ammonium headgroups

Novel supra-long chain surfactants with double or triple quaternary ammonium salts (C(n)-2Am, C(n)-3Am, in which n represents a hydrocarbon chain length of 18, 20, and 22) were synthesized, and electrical conductivity and surface tension were used to characterize their properties depending on both the hydrocarbon chain length and number of hydrophilic groups. The Krafft temperatures decreased remarkably with an increase in the quaternary ammonium headgroups, resulting in a high solubility in water. The critical micelle concentration (cmc) increased with an increase in the number of quaternary ammonium moieties in the hydrophilic group, and the difference in the cmc was smaller for C(n)-2Am and C(n)-3Am than for C(n)-2Am and C(n)-Am of alkyltrimethylammonium bromide. The surface tension at the cmc was approximately 45 and 48 mN m(-1) for C(n)-2Am and C(n)-3Am with n=18-22, respectively. This indicated that the supra-long chain surfactants could not efficiently adsorb at the air/water interface and orient by themselves, as is known for conventional surfactants.     

Aggregation behavior of nitrophenoxy-tailed quaternary ammonium surfactants

Cationic surfactants N,N,N-trimethyl-10-(4-nitrophenoxy)decylammonium bromide (N10TAB) and N,N,N',N'-tetramethyl-N,N'-bis[10-(4-nitrophenoxy)decyl]-1,6-hexanediammonium dibromide (N10-6-10N), bearing aromatic nitrophenoxy groups in the ends of their hydrophobic chains, have been synthesized, and their self-assembling properties in aqueous solutions have been studied by conductivity, isothermal titration microcalorimetry, 1H NMR spectroscopy, and dynamic light scattering. Below the critical micelle concentration, N10-6-10N can form premicelles with 2 or 3 surfactant molecules. Beyond the critical micelle concentration, the two surfactants have strong self-aggregation ability and can form micelles of rather small size and with small aggregation numbers N, which are 30 +/- 3 for N10TAB and 20 +/- 2 for N10-6-10N, respectively. Also, the variations in 1H NMR signals at different surfactant concentrations provide the information on the environmental change of the surfactants upon their micellization progress. The most prominent phenomenon is the shielding effect of the aromatic groups over the protons in the aliphatic chains, implying that the nitrophenoxy groups partially insert into the micelles and face the several middle methylenes of the hydrophobic side chains.     

Synthesis and properties of quaternary ammonium Gemini surfactants with hydroxyl groups

The article describes synthesis of four hydroxyethyl alkylene–double alkyl bromide through substitution of nucleophilic d iethanolamine, 1-bromododecane, and 1,4-dibromobutane. The structure of the new hydroxyl cationic surfactant (HDCS) was characterized by ¹H NMR and FTIR spectra. The aqueous solution of HDCS showed critical micelle concentration, i.e., 5.6 × 10^?2 mM, and could reduce oil/water interfacial tension to 3.28 × 10^?3 mN m^?1. The surface tension measurements provided a series of parameters, including critical micelle concentration (CMC), surface tension at the CMC (γ_CMC), adsorption efficiency (pC₂₀), and effectiveness of surface tension reduction (Π_CMC). In addition, maximum surface excess concentration (Г_max) and minimum surface area/molecule (A_min) at the air/water interface were obtained by the Gibbs adsorption isotherm. The influence of inorganic salts (sodium chloride, calcium chloride) and organic salts (sodium benzoate) on the surface tension of HDCS in aqueous solution was investigated. For wettability alteration measurement, contact angle measurement as a quantitative method was utilized. Meanwhile, foam ability, foam stability, and emulsifying property of the synthesized surfactant were also examined at different concentration. HDCS also had excellent viscosity property.     

Solution behavior and solid phase transitions of quaternary ammonium surfactants with head groups decorated by hydroxyl groups

Hydrogen bonds are strong intermolecular interactions, which are very important in molecular aggregation and new phase formation. Three long-chain quaternary ammonium surfactants, N,N-diethyl-N-(2-hydroxyethyl)-N-octadecylammonium bromide with one hydroxyl group, N-ethyl-N,N-bis (2-hydroxyethyl)-N-octadecylammonium bromide with two hydroxyl groups and N,N,N-tris (2-hydroxyethyl)-N-octadecylammonium bromide with three hydroxyl groups, abbreviated as SHQ, DHQ, and THQ, respectively, were synthesized in this work. Their solution behavior and solid phase transitions were investigated by surface tension, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), X-ray diffraction (XRD), polarizing optical microscopy (POM), and Infrared (IR) spectroscopy. The hydrogen bonds introduced by the substituted hydroxyl groups promoted surfactant adsorption at the air/water interface and aggregation in solution. In the crystal state, an increased number of hydroxyl groups caused a larger tilt angle of the long axis of surfactant molecules with the layer normal. Above certain temperatures, SHQ and DHQ formed highly ordered smectic T and smectic A phases while THQ only formed less ordered smectic A phase. The weakened electrostatic attractions between opposite ions and the thicker polar sublayers of mesophases caused by the enhanced number of hydrogen bonds are responsible for the mesophase formation and transition of these surfactants.     

Physicochemical properties of quaternary ammonium bromide-type trimeric surfactants

Trimeric surfactants of quaternary ammonium bromide (m-2-m-2-m, where m is the hydrocarbon chain length of 8, 10, or 12) with three hydrocarbon chains and three hydrophilic groups connected by two ethylene spacer chains were synthesized by the reaction of N,N,N',N",N"-pentamethyldiethylenetriamine and the corresponding alkyl bromide. Their physicochemical properties were characterized by surface tension, static and dynamic light-scattering, and fluorescence spectrum of pyrene techniques. The critical micelle concentrations (cmc's) of m-2-m-2-m shifted to lower concentrations with increasing hydrocarbon chain length, and their values were smaller by about one to three orders of magnitude than those of the corresponding dimeric (m-2-m) and monomeric surfactants (C(m)TAB) with the same hydrocarbon chain length. Of these surfactants, 10-2-10-2-10 showed the greatest efficiency in lowering the surface tension and provided the smallest occupied area per molecule, indicating that it adsorbs more compactly at the air/water interface. In addition, from the static and dynamic light-scattering measurements, the aggregation numbers of the trimeric surfactants at the cmc were very small, and two hydrodynamic diameters above the cmc were observed.     

Surface properties of Gemini surfactants with pyrrolidinium head groups

This work is focused on the tailoring of dispersions of layered silicates, such as MICA SOMASIF (ME-100) within a fluoride matrix (polytetrafluoroethylene) through two strategies: the physicochemical interactions between filler and matrix and the processing of materials. The interactions in these complex systems are modified by new environmentally friendly thermally stable surfactants. The ionic liquids used are based on alkyltriphenyl phosphonium and perfluorinated alkylpyridinium cations. The influences of the cation-anion combination and functionalization were investigated. The use of the supercritical carbon dioxide (ScCO(2)) as a solvent is relevant to generate structuring within the material based on ionic liquid phase separation. The tunability of ionic liquids and their combination with the supercritical carbon dioxide enables to design materials with optimized thermal and mechanical properties.     

Adsorption properties of novel gemini surfactants with nonidentical head groups

Novel environmentally friendly gemini surfactants, each with two hydrophilic and two hydrophobic groups, have been synthesized and their physicochemical properties investigated. One of the hydrophilic groups is a methyl-capped polyoxyethylene chain with mol wt 350, 550, and 750 g/mol, respectively, and the other is a sulfate group; the hydrophobic part of the surfactant is made from oleylnitrile. This nitrile derivative of the fatty acid is used to achieve good hydrolytic stability. Du Nouy ring and maximum bubble pressure tensiometry were used for equilibrium and dynamic surface tensions, gamma(e) and gamma(t), respectively. The aqueous-phase critical micelle concentrations of the heterogeminis (HGs) have been investigated. The results have been compared with those for mixtures of standard surfactants sodium decylsulfate and octaoxyethyleneglycol mono n-decyl ether under equivalent conditions. The HGs are shown to exhibit improved performance over the mixed system both in terms of micellization and surface tension lowering. Dynamic surface tension (DST) studies were performed to investigate air-water adsorption mechanisms. A diffusion-limited mechanism was confirmed in the initial stages of adsorption. However, closer to the equilibrium the DST data are inconsistent with a diffusion-only mechanism. In particular, the HGs show a larger deviation from diffusion control as compared to the model mixture, which is a signature of slower adsorption kinetics. In addition to air-water interfaces, properties of these HGs have also been investigated at solid silica-solution surfaces by optical reflectometry. These surfaces were either naturally hydrophilic or rendered hydrophobic by chemical modification. On either surface the maximum amount of adsorbed surfactant was found to increase when the polyoxyethylene chain length decreases.     

Star-shaped trimeric quaternary ammonium bromide surfactants: adsorption and aggregation properties

Novel star-shaped trimeric surfactants consisting of three quaternary ammonium surfactants linked to a tris(2-aminoethyl)amine core were synthesized. Each ammonium had two methyls and a straight alkyl chain of 8, 10, 12, or 14 carbons. The adsorption and aggregation properties of these tris(N-alkyl-N,N-dimethyl-2-ammoniumethyl)amine bromides (3C(n)trisQ, in which n represents alkyl chain carbon number) were characterized by equilibrium and dynamic surface tension, rheology, small-angle neutron scattering (SANS), and cryogenic transmission electron microscopy (cryo-TEM) techniques. 3C(n)trisQ showed critical micelle concentrations (CMC) 1 order of magnitude lower than that of the corresponding gemini surfactants with an ethylene spacer and the corresponding monomeric surfactants. The logarithm of the CMC decreased linearly with increasing hydrocarbon chain length for 3C(n)trisQ. The slope of the line, which is well-known as Klevens equation, was larger than those of the monomeric and gemini surfactants; however, considering the total carbon number in the chains, the slope was shallower than the monomeric and was close to the gemini. Through the results such as surface tensions at the CMC (32-34 mN m(-1)) and the parameters of standard free energy, CMC/C(20) and pC(20), it was found that 3C(n)trisQ could adsorb densely at the air/water interface despite the strong electrostatic repulsion between multiple quaternary ammonium headgroups. Moreover, dynamic surface tension measurements showed that the kinetics of adsorption for 3C(n)trisQ to the air/water interface was slow because of their bulky structures. Furthermore, the results of rheology, SANS, and cryo-TEM determined that 3C(n)trisQ with n = 10 and 12 formed ellipsoidal micelles at low concentrations in solution and the structures transformed to threadlike micelles with very few branches for n = 12 as the concentration increased, but for n = 14 threadlike micelles formed at relatively low concentrations.     

Shamrock surfactants with terminal carboxylate headgroups and a central phosphorodithioate or quaternary ammonium headgroup

Surfactants 3 (tripotassium O,O'-di-[11-(carboxylato)undecyl]phosphorodithioate) and 4 (sodium 12-[dimethyl-(11-carboxylatoundecyl)ammonio]dodecanoate), which are new shamrock surfactants, were prepared and characterized. Shamrock surfactants represent a novel class of surfactants that contain a central headgroup connected to two flanking headgroups by hydrocarbon chains; they do not contain long-chain alkyl groups. Surfactants 3 and 4 were characterized in water by measurement of their Krafft temperatures and critical aggregation concentrations, and their aggregates were studied by 1H and 31P NMR spectroscopy, dynamic laser light scattering, and phase-contrast optical microscopy. Aqueous 3 and 4 were also studied by cryoetch high-resolution scanning electron microscopy, which revealed fences with interposed lacelike patterns for the former and compartments formed by irregular fences for the latter. Coacervates were likely formed upon the undisturbed hydration of 3 and 4, as determined by phase-contrast optical microscopy.     

Effect of double quaternary ammonium groups on micelle formation of partially fluorinated surfactant

Water-in-oil microemulsions (w/o μEs) stabilized by the cationic surfactant cetyltrimethylammonium chloride (CTACl) have been used as reaction media to generate Au nanoparticles (Au-NPs). In addition the pure μEs have been used as media to disperse Au and Pd-NPs, which have been pre-synthesised in aqueous phases and stabilized by sodium 2-mercaptoethanesulfonate (MES) ligands, and also commercially available SiO(2)-NPs. A general method for recovery and separation of the nanoparticles from these mixed NP-μE systems has been demonstrated by tuning phase behavior of the background microemulsions. Addition of appropriate aliquots of water drives a clean liquid-liquid phase transition, resulting in two macroscopic layers, the NPs preferentially partition into an upper oil-rich phase and are separated from excess surfactant which resides in a lower aqueous portion. UV-vis and (1)H NMR spectroscopy have been used to follow these separation processes and quantify the recovery and recycle efficiencies for the different NPs. For example, ～90% of the microemulsion-prepared Au-NPs can be recovered; with even greater separation efficiencies attainable for pre-synthesised MES-stabilized Au-MES-NPs (～98%) and Pd-MES-NPs (92%). For the silica NP-μE dispersions gravimetry indicates ～84% recovery of the NPs. TEM images of all systems showed that NP shapes and size distributions were generally preserved after these phase transfer processes. This low-energy and cost-effective purification route appears to be a quite general approach for processing different inorganic NPs, having advantages of being isothermal, using only commercially available inexpensive components and requiring no additional organic solvents.     

Synthesis of novel quaternary ammonium surfactants containing adamantane

A series of novel quaternary ammonium surfactants containing adamantane were designed and synthesized from 1-adamantanecarboxylic acid.The structures of target surfactants were confirmed by]H NMR,elements analysis and FTIR.Surface properties of these surfactants were investigated.Due to the lipophilicity of adamantane,the critical micelle concentration（CMC） and C₂₀ values of the synthesized quaternary ammonium surfactants are lower than that of conventional quaternary ammonium surfactants.     

Anionic surfactants and surfactant ionic liquids with quaternary ammonium counterions

Small-angle neutron scattering and surface tension have been used to characterize a class of surfactants (SURFs), including surfactant ionic liquids (SAILs). These SURFs and SAILs are based on organic surfactant anions (single-tail dodecyl sulfate, DS, double-chain aerosol-OT, AOT, and the trichain, TC) with substituted quaternary ammonium cations. This class of surfactants can be obtained by straightforward chemistry, being cheaper and more environmentally benign than standard cationic SAILs. A surprising aspect of the results is that, broadly speaking, the physicochemical properties of these SURFs and SAILs are dominated by the nature of the surfactant anion and that the chemical structure of the added cation plays only a secondary role.     

Equilibrium and dynamic surface tension properties of partially fluorinated quaternary ammonium salt gemini surfactants

The equilibrium and dynamic surface tension properties of a partially fluorinated quaternary ammonium salt gemini surfactant 1,2-bis[dimethyl-(3-perfluoroalkyl-2-hydroxypropyl)ammonium]ethane bromide (C(n)(F)C3-2-C3C(n)F, where n represents fluorocarbon chain lengths of 4, 6, and 8) were investigated, and the effects of the fluorocarbon chain length and the number of chains on them were discussed. The plot of the logarithm of the critical micelle concentration (cmc) against the fluorocarbon chain length for C(n)(F)C3-2-C3C(n)F showed a linear decrease with an increase in chain length. On the basis of the slope of this plot, it was found that the variation in cmc with respect to the chain length is large for fluorinated gemini surfactants. The surface tension at the cmc decreased significantly; this surface tension value is lower than that of conventional fluorinated monomeric surfactants. In particular, the lowest value was 13.7 mN m(-1) for n = 8. Furthermore, it was confirmed that the kinetics of adsorption at the interface decrease with an increase in the fluorocarbon chain length and the concentration.     

Modified gelatin with quaternary ammonium salts containing epoxide groups

An EPDDMAC-GE polymer （hydrophilic molecule） has been synthesized based on epoxypropyl dodecyl dimethyl ammonium chloride （EPDDMAC） and gelatin. A DEEPSAC-GE polymer （hydrophobic molecule） has been synthesized based on diethyl-2,3-epoxypropyl-[3-methyldimethoxyl] silpropyl ammonium chloride （DEEPSAC） and gelatin. Compared with initial gelatin, the gelatin modified with quaternary ammonium salts containing epoxide groups exhibits stronger antibacterial activity.     

Synthesis and aqueous solution properties of homologous gemini surfactants with different head groups

A series of homologous gemini surfactants possessing identical hydrophobic chains but different ionic head groups (cationic, anionic, zwitterionic) were synthesized, and their aqueous solution properties were examined. The results showed that the surface activities of gemini surfactants are superior to those of corresponding conventional monomeric surfactants, and molecular arrangements of gemini surfactants at the air-water interface are tighter than those of corresponding conventional surfactants. It was also found that zwitterionic gemini surfactant possesses the highest surface activity among the three surfactants. The behavior at the air-water interface is closely related to the molecular structural features of surfactants, which provide an indication for synthesizing highly-efficient surfactants.      

Mixed micellar properties of cationic trimeric-type quaternary ammonium salts and anionic sodium n-octyl sulfate surfactants

The properties of quaternary ammonium salt-type cationic trimeric surfactants (m-2-m-2-m, m represents the carbon atom number in alkyl chain lengths of 8, 10, and 12) and oppositely charged anionic monomeric surfactant, sodium n-octyl sulfate (SOS), were characterized by employing several techniques such as static surface tension, fluorescence spectroscopy, and dynamic light-scattering measurements. The critical micelle concentrations (cmc) of m-2-m-2-m were much lower than those of the corresponding dimeric and monomeric surfactants, and decreased with increasing chain length. The addition of SOS to m-2-m-2-m solutions resulted in a further decrease of the cmc. The mixed surfactants showed higher efficiencies in lowering the surface tension than the individual surfactants. The fluorescence measurements suggested the formation of mixed micelles with a hydrophobic environment in the solutions even at lower concentrations. The dynamic light-scattering study indicated the presence of two different kinds of aggregates with different hydrodynamic diameters. The larger one was attributed to the mixed micelle of m-2-m-2-m and SOS. These results indicated a decline of the electrostatic repulsion between cationic head groups through the incorporation of anionic surfactant into the mixed surfactants.     

Synthesis and characterization of new cationic quaternary ammonium polymerizable surfactants

Two new polymerizable surfactants (surfmers), (11-acryloyloxyundecyl)dimethylethylammonium bromide (ethyl surfmer) and (11-acryloyloxyundecyl)dimethyl(2-hydroxyethyl)ammonium bromide (hydroxyethyl surfmer), were synthesized and characterized. The binary phase diagrams of both surfmer/water systems are described. Both surfmers can form isotropic solutions and lamellar lyotropic liquid crystalline phases. The hydroxyethyl surfmer/water system forms a lamellar phase for weight concentrations of surfmer between 70 and 90% relative to between 75 and 85% for the ethyl surfmer/water system. The differences in the self assembly of these surfmers were attributed to the ability of hydroxyethyl surfmer to form hydrogen bonds (between two head groups and with water), whereas no such interactions can occur with the ethyl surfmer system.     

Surface and antimicrobial properties of semi-fluorinated quaternary ammonium thiol surfactants potentially usable for Self-Assembled Monolayers

The surfactant and antimicrobial activities of thiol and disulfide derivatives containing a quaternary ammonium group bearing variable perfluorinated carbon chains via an amide connector between the sulfur and nitrogen atoms were evaluated with the future aim to be grafted on metal surfaces for obtaining contact-active and non-adhesive auto-biocidal surfaces. Their biostatic and bactericidal activities against four microbial strains (Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus, Aspergillus niger and Candida albicans) were measured. The presence of the thiol, disulfide and amide functions in these surfactants were discussed in relation with antimicrobial activity along with the influence of the length of fluorinated chains in order to determine which molecular parameters are ‘critical’ for biological activity.     

Molecular aggregates of partially fluorinated quaternary ammonium salt gemini surfactants

The size and shape of novel partially fluorinated gemini surfactant 1,2-bis[dimethyl-(3-perfluoroalkyl-2-hydroxypropyl)ammonium]ethane bromide (CnFC3-2-C3CnF, where n=4, 6, and 8) were investigated in aqueous solution by means of light scattering and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The sizes of these molecular aggregates changed with increasing carbon number of the alkyl chain and concentration. For example, the apparent hydrodynamic radius by dynamic light scattering was 18 nm at a concentration of cmcx5 for n=4, 115 nm at the cmcx15 for n=6, and 62 nm at the cmcx30 for n=8, at 298.2 K. The shapes of CnFC3-2-C3CnF aggregates drastically changed with the alkyl chain length; the aggregates were mainly in the form of large or irregular small aggregates (n=4), string-like aggregates (n=6), and vesicles (n=8). The bromide-ion activity was measured using a bromide-ion-selective electrode to determine the degree of counterion binding to the aggregates. The degree of counterion binding to aggregate was very small compared with that in the typical hydrogenated gemini surfactants. These results indicated that the small curvature of large aggregates was not influenced by an electrostatic repulsion between the cationic head groups in the case of the bulky molecular volume of fluorinated gemini surfactants.