The role of the surfactant head group in the emulsification process: binary (nonionic-ionic) surfactant mixtures

Dilute emulsions of dodecane in water were prepared under constant flow rate conditions with binary surfactant systems. The droplet size distribution was measured as a function of the mixed surfactant composition in solution. The systems studied were (a) the mixture of anionic sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) with nonionic hexa(ethyleneglycol) mono n-dodecylether (C12E6) and (b) the mixture of cationic dodecyl pyridinium chloride (DPC) with C12E6. At a constant concentration of SDS or DPC surfactant in solution (below the CMC) the mean emulsion droplet size decreases with the increase in the amount of C12E6 added to the solution. However, a sharp break of this droplet size occurs at a critical concentration and beyond this point the mean droplet size did not significantly change upon further increase of the C12E6. This point was found to corresponded to the CMC of the mixed surfactant systems (as previously determined from microcalorimetry measurements) and this result suggested the mixed adsorption layer on the emulsion droplet was similar to the surfactant composition on the mixed micelles. The emulsion droplet size as a function of composition at the interface was also studied. The mean emulsion droplet size in SDS-C12E6 solution was found to be lower than that in DPC-C12E6 system at the equivalent mole fraction of ionic surfactant at interface. This was explained by the stronger interactions between sulphate and polyoxyethylene head groups at the interface, which facilitate the droplet break-up. Counterion binding parameter (beta) was also determined from zeta-potential of dodecane droplets under the same conditions and it was found that (beta) was independent of the type of the head group and the mole fraction of ionic surfactant at interface.     

Self-assembling systems based on amphiphilic alkyltriphenylphosphonium bromides: elucidation of the role of head group

A systematic study of the aggregation behavior of alkyltriphenylphosphonium bromides (TPPB-n; n=8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18; here n is the number of carbon atoms in alkyl groups) in aqueous solutions has been carried out and compared with trimethyl ammonium bromides (TMAB-n). Critical micelle concentrations (cmcs) of TPPB-n and TMAB-n decrease with the number of carbon atoms with the slope parameter of ca.0.3. The low cmcs and effective solubilization power toward Orange OT indicate high micellization capacity of phosphonium surfactants. The low counterion binding parameter β is revealed for TPPB-10 and TPPB-12, while high counterion binding of ≥80% is observed for high TPPB-n homologs. Values of the surface potential ψ calculated on the basis of pK(a) shifts of p-nitrophenols is similar for both series and monotonously increase with alkyl chain length. Several points indicate non-monotonic changes within TPPB-n series. There are peculiarities of the tensiometry and solubilization plots for high homologs and above mentioned increases in counterion binding on transiting from low to high molecular weight surfactants. Differences in aggregation behavior between TPPB and TMAB series and between low and high homologs can be due to the specific structural character of the TPP(+) cation, which is supported by X-ray data.     

SANS studies of the effects of surfactant head group on aggregation properties in water/glycol and pure glycol systems

Aggregation in mixed water-glycol and pure glycol solvents has been investigated with four related surfactants, bearing common C12 tails: anionic, sodium dodecylsulfate (SDS); cationic, dodecyltrimethylammonium bromide (C12TAB); zwitterionic C12-amidopropyldimethylamine betaine (betaine) and nonionic, octaethyleneglycol monododecyl ether (C12E8). The solvent media were water, water/ethylene glycol, and water/propylene glycol mixtures, as well as pure ethylene glycol (EG) and propylene glycol (PG), spanning relative dielectrics epsilon(r) from 79 to 30. Results from small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) experiments, employing deuterated solvents, were consistent with the presence of ellipsoidal, or cylindrical micelles, depending on solvent and surfactant type. In pure EG and PG solvents the ionic and zwitterionic surfactants exhibit only weak aggregation, with much smaller micelles than normally found in water. However, interestingly, pure EG is identified as a solvent in which nonionic C12E8 aggregates strongly, mirroring the behavior in water. In contrast when the solvent is changed to PG (epsilonr=30) aggregation of C12E8 is only minimal. Hence, aggregation is shown to be strongly dependent on surfactant type and identity of the glycol solvent.     

Aggregation behavior of the surfactant bearing pyrrolidinium head group in the presence of polyacrylic acid

Russian Chemical Bulletin - The aggregation characteristics of binary systems based on a novel pyrrolidinium surfactant with the hexadecyl hydrocarbon tail and hydroxyethyl fragment at the nitrogen...     

Influence of a mixed ionic/nonionic surfactant system and the emulsification process on the properties of paraffin emulsions

Paraffin emulsions are important in technological applications such as coating in the food packaging industry or to provide waterproof properties to particleboard panels. Small particle size (about 1.0 μm) and low polydispersity are required to form stable paraffin emulsions for these applications. In this context, the main objective of the present work is to study the influence of the surfactant system and the emulsification process on the properties of paraffin emulsions. A high pressure homogenizer was used to prepare the emulsions and its characterization was made by means of optical microscopy, laser diffraction and electrophoretic mobility measurements. Emulsions were prepared as a function of the ionic/nonionic surfactant ratio, the total surfactant concentration and the homogenization pressure. A simple theoretical model to predict the minimum particle size was used, assuming that surfactant is either at the oil-water interface or as monomer in the external phase. Experimental and theoretical data are on good agreement and the formation of stable emulsions is explained according to such model. This result could be of prime importance in order to formulate new paraffin emulsions.     

Effect of surfactant head group size on polyelectrolyte-surfactant interactions: steady-state and time-resolved fluorescence study

Interactions between sodium poly(acrylate) (NaPAA) and dodecyltrimethyl/ethyl/propyl/butylammonium bromide (C12NM, C12NE, C12NP, and C12NB) were studied. Variation of the physicochemical properties of the surfactants and polyelectrolyte-surfactant mixtures, such as critical micelle concentration (cmc), critical aggregation concentration (cac), micellar micropolarity, aggregation number, and pyrene lifetime, were determined by steady-state and time-resolved fluorescence methods. It is shown that the surfactant head group size has a striking effect on the interaction between surfactant and polyelectrolyte. The interaction is weakened gradually when the surfactant head group is increased from trimethyl to tripropyl, which might be owing to the increase of the steric hindrance between the polyelectrolyte chain and micellar surface. But when the head group is tributyl, the interaction is enhanced and stronger than that between C12NP and NaPAA. This might be explained by the self-association of the C12NB head groups.     

生物质腰果酚磺酸盐表面活性剂的合成及其乳化性能

采用发烟硫酸对生物质腰果酚进行磺化,得到腰果酚磺酸盐表面活性剂;利用红外光谱表征了产物的化学结构;分别采用悬滴法和小液滴法测定了腰果酚磺酸盐水溶液的表面张力和润湿性能,采用分水法测定了产物对液体石蜡的乳化性能,同时考察了氯化钠对乳化性能的影响.结果表明:所制备的腰果酚磺酸盐的临界胶束浓度(cmc)及γcmc分别为3.3...     

Hydrolysis of schiff bases 2: Intramolecular catalysis of an ortho-hydroxy group in nonionic surfactant systems

The rates of hydrolysis of N-(2&4-hydroxybenzylidene)-2-aminobenzothiazoles has been studied in the pH range 4–13 in a 10% dioxane-water system and in various nonionic surfactant systems. The reaction is found to be due to water mediated intramolecular general base catalysis within the pH range 4.0 to 12.0 and due to nucleophilic catalysis beyond pH 12.0. A ten membered intermediate facilitating transannular attack of a water molecule on the methine carbon forming a naphthalene type transition state has been proposed. The reactivity difference in water and nonionic surfactants has been explained by a suitable entrapment model.     

Solute-solvent interactions in surfactant adsorption: Part I. The influence of the polar head

This study deals with the variation of the interfacial tension of mercury aqueous solutions with potential and concentrations for solutions of butanol. butyric acid, butyramide and butyl monoether glycol. The results obtained have been analysed using an isotherm proposed by Bennes leading to values for the energy of adsorption corrected for the influence of the solute-solvent interactions in solution.A correlation has been revealed been to exist between the corrected energy of adsorption, the hydrophobicity coefficient and the dipole moment of the molecule which are all parameters related to the nature of the hydrophilic grouping.These result serve to show how the adsorption on mercury can be used to approach the problem of interactions between molecules in surfactant solutions.     

Single particle tracking in systems showing anomalous diffusion: the role of weak ergodicity breaking

Anomalous diffusion has been widely observed by single particle tracking microscopy in complex systems such as biological cells. The resulting time series are usually evaluated in terms of time averages. Often anomalous diffusion is connected with non-ergodic behaviour. In such cases the time averages remain random variables and hence irreproducible. Here we present a detailed analysis of the time averaged mean squared displacement for systems governed by anomalous diffusion, considering both unconfined and restricted (corralled) motion. We discuss the behaviour of the time averaged mean squared displacement for two prominent stochastic processes, namely, continuous time random walks and fractional Brownian motion. We also study the distribution of the time averaged mean squared displacement around its ensemble mean, and show that this distribution preserves typical process characteristics even for short time series. Recently, velocity correlation functions were suggested to distinguish between these processes. We here present analytical expressions for the velocity correlation functions. The knowledge of the results presented here is expected to be relevant for the correct interpretation of single particle trajectory data in complex systems.     

Thermodynamics of micellization of cationic surfactants in aqueous solutions: consequences of the presence of the 2-acylaminoethyl moiety in the surfactant head group

The enthalpies of micellization of the following surfactant series have been determined by calorimetry: benzyl (2-acylaminoethyl)dimethylammonium chlorides, RABzMe₂Cl, and alkyldimethylbenzylammonium chlorides, RBzMe₂Cl, where A, Bz and Me refer to amide, benzyl, and methyl groups, respectively and the acyl (for RABzMe₂Cl) and/or the alkyl (for RBzMe₂Cl) groups C₁₀, C₁₂, C₁₄, and C₁₆, respectively. For both series, the shapes of the calorimetric titration curves (enthalpograms) depend on the following micellar parameters: critical micelle concentration, aggregation number, and degree of counterion binding. The calorimetric-based critical micelle concentrations are in excellent agreement with those determined by conductivity. The Gibbs free energy, the enthalpy and the entropy of micellization were calculated, and divided into contributions from the CH₂ groups of the hydrophobic tail, and the terminal CH₃ plus head group of the surfactant. For both surfactant series, all thermodynamic parameters per CH₂ group were found to be similar, since their transfer (from bulk solution to the micelle) is independent of the surfactant head-group structure. The Gibbs free energy, the enthalpy, and the entropy of transfer of the head group of RABzMe₂Cl are more favorable than their counterparts for RBzMe₂Cl, because of direct and/or water mediated hygrogen bonding of the amide groups in the micelle.     

The structure of intermediate ribbon phases in surfactant systems

Intermediate phases consisting of elongated rods with a non-circular cross section (i.e. ribbons) that pack on a deformed hexagonal lattice are often formed in surfactant systems. The crystallographic lattice of such a ribbon phase can be either of oblique (or two dimensional monoclinic), primitive rectangular, centred rectangular or hexagonal symmetry, all of which are observed according to the literature. We have studied a ribbon phase that is formed in the dodecyl-1,3-propylene-bisamine/HCl/water system, by means of SAXS experiments, and a centred rectangular structure is obtained. In addition, we have reviewed, and partially reinterpreted, previously published results on the structure of different ribbon phases. 21 scattering data sets for ribbon phases of lower than hexagonal symmetry have been analysed. Both the centred rectangular (cmm) and the primitive rectangular (pmm) symmetry fit 10 of the data sets, whereas only a centred rectangular lattice can be fitted to the other 11 data sets. There is no experimental indication that supports the existence of an oblique ribbon (p2) phase. The underlying physical reasons for the observation that the centred rectangular structure is favoured are discussed in terms of a cell model approach. The energetically most favoured cell model has a centred rectangular symmetry (cmm), in accord with the experimental data, and is termed the hexagon-rod model. This model can be used to evaluate the dimensions of the deformed rods of the centred rectangular ribbon phase from scattering data and NMR data separately. One major advantage of the hexagon-rod model is that the smallest dimension of the aggregate is not required as an input parameter in the calculations. Axial ratios between 1·2:1:1-2:1 for the aggregates are obtained when this model is applied to SAXS, SANS and NMR data for the centred rectangular ribbon phase for none different systems.     

Mechanism of oil-in-water emulsification using a water-soluble amphiphilic polymer and lipophilic surfactant

A new O/W (oil-in-water) emulsification system was developed using the amphiphilic polymer HHM-HEC (hydrophobically-hydrophilically modified hydroxyethylcellulose) and a lipophilic surfactant. HHM-HEC was used as a thickener and polymeric surfactant, and the addition of small quantities of various types of nonionic lipophilic surfactant (hydrophilic-lipophilic balance <5) decreased the droplet size of several types of oil due to a lowering of the tension at the water/oil interface. The oil droplets were held by the strong network structure of the aqueous HHM-HEC solution, preserving the O/W phase without inversion. These stable O/W emulsions were prepared without the addition of hydrophilic surfactants and thus show improved water repellency.     

The structure of intermediate ribbon phases in surfactant systems

Abstract

Intermediate phases consisting of elongated rods with a non-circular cross section (i.e. ribbons) that pack on a deformed hexagonal lattice are often formed in surfactant systems. The crystallographic lattice of such a ribbon phase can be either of oblique (or two dimensional monoclinic), primitive rectangular, centred rectangular or hexagonal symmetry, all of which are observed according to the literature. We have studied a ribbon phase that is formed in the dodecyl-1,3-propylene-bisamine/HCl/water system, by means of SAXS experiments, and a centred rectangular structure is obtained. In addition, we have reviewed, and partially reinterpreted, previously published results on the structure of different ribbon phases. 21 scattering data sets for ribbon phases of lower than hexagonal symmetry have been analysed. Both the centred rectangular (cmm) and the primitive rectangular (pmm) symmetry fit 10 of the data sets, whereas only a centred rectangular lattice can be fitted to the other 11 data sets. There is no experimental indication that supports the existence of an oblique ribbon (p2) phase. The underlying physical reasons for the observation that the centred rectangular structure is favoured are discussed in terms of a cell model approach. The energetically most favoured cell model has a centred rectangular symmetry (cmm), in accord with the experimental data, and is termed the hexagon-rod model. This model can be used to evaluate the dimensions of the deformed rods of the centred rectangular ribbon phase from scattering data and NMR data separately. One major advantage of the hexagon-rod model is that the smallest dimension of the aggregate is not required as an input parameter in the calculations. Axial ratios between 1·2:1:1-2:1 for the aggregates are obtained when this model is applied to SAXS, SANS and NMR data for the centred rectangular ribbon phase for none different systems.     

Role of surfactant type and concentration for the mean drop size during emulsification in turbulent flow

A systematic experimental study of the effect of several factors on the mean drop diameter, d32, during emulsification, is performed with soybean oil-in-water emulsions. These factors are (1) type of used emulsifier; (2) emulsifier concentration, CS; and (3) ionic strength of the aqueous solution. Three different types of emulsifier, anionic (sodium dodecyl sulfate, SDS), nonionic (polyoxyethylene-20 cetyl ether, Brij 58), and protein (whey protein concentrate), are studied. For all of the studied systems, two well-defined regions are observed in the dependence of d32 on CS: at low surfactant concentration, d32 increases significantly with the decrease of CS (region 1), whereas d32 does not depend on CS at high surfactant concentration (region 2). The model, proposed by Tcholakova et al. (Langmuir 2003, 19, 5640), is found to describe well the dependence of d32 on CS in region 1 for the nonionic surfactant and for the protein emulsifier at high electrolyte concentration, 150 mM NaCl. According to this model, a well defined minimal surfactant adsorption (close to that of the dense adsorption monolayer) is needed for obtaining an emulsion. On the other hand, this model is found inapplicable to emulsions stabilized by the ionic surfactant, SDS, and by the nonionic surfactant, Brij 58, at low electrolyte concentration. The performed theoretical analysis of drop-drop interactions, in the emulsification equipment, shows that a strong electrostatic repulsion between the colliding drops impedes the drop-drop coalescence in the latter systems, so that smaller emulsion drops are obtained in comparison with the theoretically predicted ones. The results for SDS-stabilized emulsions in region 1 are explained by a quantitative consideration of this electrostatic repulsion. The drop size in region 2 (surfactant-rich regime) is described very well by the Kolmogorov-Hinze theory of turbulent emulsification.     

磺化聚苯乙烯离聚体水基微乳液乳化过程中相反转机理的研究

将聚苯乙烯改性制成磺化聚苯乙烯离聚体，溶解在甲苯／甲醇混合溶剂中，缓慢加水将聚苯乙烯乳化成稳定的水包油的水基微乳液。本文通过研究在乳化过程中体系粘度和导电性的变化，研究了聚苯乙烯离聚体溶液乳化过程的相反转机理和离子含量对乳化过程和相反转机理的影响。     

Emulsification through surfactant hydration: the PIC process revisited

We have performed sudden composition changes on a (surfactant + oil + water) system by adding water to a (surfactant + oil) solution. This composition change quenches the system into a metastable oil-in-water emulsion with a population in the 100 nm range. The conditions for a successful quench are as follows: the initial water content should be below a boundary called the "clearing boundary" (CB), the final water content should be sufficiently beyond CB, and the quench should be fast. We have used high purity components to avoid the complex phase separation patterns that occur with low purity ingredients: the surfactant is octaethylenehexadecyl ether (C(16)E(8)) and the oil is hexadecane (C(16)). Under these conditions, we show that the pathway for this type of quench proceeds through the swelling of the reverse micellar phase by the added water and the formation of a sponge phase. Then, further water addition causes the nucleation of oil droplets in this sponge phase, with a size that matches the spontaneous curvature of the sponge phase. Part of the surfactant remains adsorbed on these droplets, and the rest is expelled as micelles that coexist with the droplets. It is concluded that a PIC emulsification will always lead to a bimodal size distribution with surfactant "wasted" in small micelles. This is in contrast with the more efficient PIT emulsification.     

Unsteady motion of receding contact lines of surfactant solutions: the role of surfactant re-self-assembly

Re-self-assembly of surfactant molecules must occur at moving contact lines of soluble surfactant solutions. Molecules are transported into and out of the contact line region from four sources: the three interfaces meeting at the contact line and the fluid confined between the solid-liquid and liquid-vapor interfaces. As molecules move among these sources at the contact line, they must rearrange. The dynamics of this re-self-assembly has been shown to have a dominating effect on the structure of advancing contact lines, causing unsteady motion and complex structure of the contact line. It might be assumed that the re-self-assembly for receding contact lines leads to more steady contact line movement. However, in this article we show that for a wide variety of systems this is not true. Quasi-static distortions of the contact line occur as it retreats because of the inability of the surfactant to completely re-self-assemble at localized positions along the contact line.     

Clouding behaviour in surfactant systems

A study on the phenomenon of clouding and the applications of cloud point technology has been thoroughly discussed. The phase behaviour of clouding and various methods adopted for the determination of cloud point of various surfactant systems have been elucidated. The systems containing anionic, cationic, nonionic surfactants as well as microemulsions have been reviewed with respect to their clouding phenomena and the effects of structural variation in the surfactant systems have been incorporated. Additives of various natures control the clouding of surfactants. Electrolytes, nonelectrolytes, organic substances as well as ionic surfactants, when present in the surfactant solutions, play a major role in the clouding phenomena. The review includes the morphological study of clouds and their applications in the extraction of trace inorganic, organic materials as well as pesticides and protein substrates from different sources.