Tensammetry with accumulation on the hanging mercury drop electrode : Part 5. The behaviour of mixtures of oxyethylated alcohols

The behaviour of the following mixtures of polydispersed oxyethylated alcohols having a well-defined n-alkyl radical was investigated: 18-14/6-14, 18-14/10-14, 18-14/18-10, 18-14/18-6, 18-6/18-10, 6-14/10-14 and 18-6/18-10/18-14 (the first number denotes the number of carbon atoms in the n-alkyl chain, and the second is the number of oxyethylene subunits). The influence of preconcentration potential in the range more negative than - 1.0 V vs. SCE is described in detail. The results are compared with the behaviour of model mixtures of poly(ethylene glycols). The surfactant mixtures 18-14/6-14 and 18-14/10-14 behave similarly to a model mixture of components having sufficiently different properties. Separate peaks for both components appear on the tensammetric curves of the mixtures, but only at certain preconcentration potentials are the peak heights similar to the peak heights for the individual components alone. The behaviour of the 18-14, 18-10 and 18-6 mixtures, in alt combinations, depends strongly on whether premicellar (associated) forms are present in the solution. These premicellar forms are indicated by a common very narrow peak on the tensammetric curves. If the monomeric forms predominate (i.e., at low-total surfactant concentrations) the peak heights for the mixtures are approximately additive after preconcentration at a suitable potential. If premicellar forms predominate (as at total concentrations > 0.1 mg l^?1), the behaviour of the mixtures is a result of competition between the monomeric and premicellar forms in the adsorption process. This behaviour approximates the behaviour of a mixture consisting of sufficiently different components; monomeric forms behave like the first component, and premicellar forms like the second component of the model mixture. For the surfactant mixture 18-14/18-10, which behaves additively under certain conditions, it is possible to determine the total concentration within the range 10-35μgl^?1. The 6-14/10-14 mixture forms a single nonadditive peak.     

Effects of surfactants in differential pulse polarography

Differential pulse polarograms of surfactants exhibit tensammetric peaks at the adsorption and desorption potentials of the surfactant. In the potential range where adsorption occurs the base current is depressed. The heights of the tensammetric peaks are nonlinear functions of the bulk concentration of the surfactant. Differential pulse polarograms of reducible substances are greatly affected by the presence of surfactants, the effect being similar to that observed in a.c. polarography. Surfactants with the same charge as the depolarizer act as electrochemical masking agents, whereas peak currents may be enhanced by oppositely charged surfactants.     

Tensammetry with accumulation on the hanging mercury drop electrode: Part 1. The influence of preconcentration potential on the accumulation of poly(ehtylene glycols) with various molecular weights

The preconcentration of poly(ethylene glycols) (PEG) with various molecular weights on the hanging mercury drop electrode (HMDE) from a stirred solution was studied for the tensammetric determination of trace concentrations of these polymers. Preconcentration was significant in the case of PEGs having m.w. > 1000. The influence of the preconcentration potential on the cathodic tensammetric peak heights was studied in detail for PEG 1500, PEG 4000, PEG 6000, PEG 9000 and PEG 20 000. The concentration of the PEG affects this dependence. With a preconcentration potential of ?1.76 V vs. SCE applied for 10 min, the calibration graphs of these PEGs were linear in the concentration range 0.01–0.10 mg 1^?1.     

Comparison of the utility of several tensammetric techniques for the determination of traces of surfactants after preconcentration at the hanging mercury drop electrode

After preconcentration of surfactants at the HMDE, four tensammetric signals were examined to establish the optimum conditions for the determination of ultratraces of surfactants in alkaline, neutral and acidic media. The signals studied were: (1) the depth of the depression occuring on the curves obtained in a.c. fundamental tensammetry; and (2–4) the height of the peaks on the curves obtained in a.c. fundamental tensammetry, a.c. second-harmonic tensammetry and differential pulse tensammetry, respectively. The lowest detection limits found for Triton X-100 and a polyethylene glycol (PEG-4000) were 10 and 2 μg dm^-3, respectively. Traces of surfactants found in supporting electrolytes (ca. 25 μg dm^-3) gave desorption peaks at potentials around ?1 V. These contaminants had no significant effect on the peaks on Triton X-100 and PEG-4000 and they affected the SDS peak markedly. The reproducibility of the results obtained for SDS was poorer than for Triton or PEG.     

Surfactant analysis with differential pulse tensammetry

Differential pulse polarograms of surfactants exhibit tensammetric (adsorption/desorption) peaks. The dependence of peak current on bulk concentration of a surfactant is at first linear but reaches a saturation limit at higher concentrations. Even with commerical instrumentation, in which the current measuring sequence is such that charging current is minimized, differential pulse tensammetry is a viable analytical method. The optimum pulse amplitude depends on the surfactant. Sensitivity can be increased by using a long drop time or a stationary mercury electrode. Sensitivity and resolution from interfering faradaic processes were improved by modifying the current measuring sequence of a commercial instrument. This modification involved decreasing the delay time between application of the pulse and the second current sampling period and decreasing the second current sampling period itself.     

The Hofmeister series effect in adsorption of cationic surfactants--theoretical description and experimental results

Interfacial properties of cationic surfactants show strong dependence on the type of surfactant counterion or on the type of anion of a salt added to the surfactant solution. In the paper, the models of ionic surfactant adsorption that can take into account ionic specific effects are reviewed. Model of ionic surfactant adsorption based on the assumption that the surfactant ions and counterions undergo nonequivalent adsorption within the Stern layer was selected to describe experimental surface tension isotherms of aqueous solutions of a number of cationic surfactants. The experimental isotherms for: n-alkyl trimethylammonium cationic surfactants, namely: C(16)TABr (CTABr or CTAB), C(16)TACl, C(16)TAHSO(4), C(10)TABr and C(12)TABr as well as decyl- and dodecylpyridinium salts with and without various electrolyte anions as Cl(-), Br(-), F(-), I(-), NO(3)(-), ClO(4)(-) and CH(3)COO(-) were described in terms of the model and a good agreement between the theory and experiment was obtained for a wide range of surfactants and added electrolyte concentrations. A very pronounced Hofmeister effect in dependence of surface tension of cationic surfactants on the type of anion was found. Analysing this dependence in terms of the proposed model of ionic surfactant adsorption, strong correlation between "anion surface activity" (the model parameter accounting for ion penetration into the Stern layer), and the ion polarizability was obtained. That suggests that the mechanism related to the dispersive interaction of polarized ion with electric field at interface is responsible for Hofmeister series effects in surface activity of cationic surfactants. The same mechanism was proposed recently to explain the dependence of surface tension increase with electrolyte concentration on anion and cation type.     

Cationic surfactants in electrochemical determination of sulfide minerals

Addition of a cationic surfactant (Hyamine-2389) solubilized iron pyrite powder and increased the oxidation potential of water to a value that allowed anodic voltammetric measurements to be made directly on the powders. An oxidation maximum (at 0.69 V vs. SCE) at pH 12.8 is associated with oxidation of FeS₂ to Fe₂O₃. Because adsorption of the pyrite on the electrode provides preconcentration, the peak height is very sensitive to concentration. Measurements above the critical micelle concentration (CMC) were complicated because peak height was not a simple function of pyrite concentration and the calibration curve was shifted by the presence of an insoluble inert material. However, at concentrations of surfactant below the CMC, a relatively linear relation was observed between peak height and the amount of pyrite; thus the technique can be used to determine the iron pyrite in solid ore samples.     

Modulating the emission intensity of poly-(9,9-bis(6'-N,N,N-trimethylammonium)hexyl)-fluorene phenylene) bromide through interaction with sodium alkylsulfonate surfactants

The interaction between the cationic HTMA-PFP (Poly-(9,9-bis(6'-N,N,N-trimethylammonium)hexyl-fluorene phenylene) bromide) and oppositely charged sodium n-alkyl sulfonate surfactants of different chain lengths has been studied in DMSO-water solutions (4% v/v) by UV-visible absorption, fluorescence spectroscopy, fluorescence lifetimes, electrical conductivity, and (1)H NMR spectroscopy. Polymer-surfactant interactions lead to complex spectroscopic behaviors which depends on surfactant concentration. At low surfactant concentrations, the observed strong static fluorescence quenching of fluorescence seems to be associated with formation of aggregates between polymer chains neutralized through interaction with surfactants. This is supported by conductivity and by analysis of absorption spectra deconvoluted at each surfactant concentration using an adapted iterative method. In contrast, above the surfactant critical micelle concentration, there is a strong fluorescence enhancement, leading in some cases to higher intensities than in the absence of surfactants. This is attributed to the transformation of the initially formed aggregates into some new aggregate species involving surfactant and polymer. These changes in HTMA-PFP fluorescence as a function of n-alkyl sulfonate concentration are important for the general understanding of polymer-surfactant interactions, and the aggregates formed may be important as novel systems for applications of these conjugated polyelectrolytes.     

Compositional Analysis and Adsorption Performance of Surfactants Used for Combined Chemical Flooding

Adsorption of surfactants on reservoir sands in a combined chemical flooding process was investigated using a microcosmic method in order to reveal the effects of surfactant composition on their adsorption. Alkylbenzenesulfonate types of surfactant have been used in this study. The experimental results indicate that surfactant adsorption on the sands heavily depends on its lipophilicity, and the adsorption quantity increases with increasing the lipophilic chain length of the surfactant. It was found that the saturated adsorption could be reached when the concentration of the surfactant was near the critical micelle concentration (CMC). For oilfield applications, the molecular ion peak of the alkylbenzene‐sulfonate type surfactants should concentrate at around C₁₈.     

Sonochemistry of surfactants in aqueous solutions: an EPR spin-trapping study.

The surfactant properties of solutes play an important role in the sonochemistry and sonoluminescence of aqueous solutions. Recently, it has been shown, for relatively low molecular weight surfactants, that these effects can be correlated with the Gibbs surface excess of the solute. In the present study we investigate whether this correlation is valid for relatively high molecular weight surfactants and the mechanisms of surfactant decomposition during sonolysis. Sonolysis of argon-saturated aqueous solutions of nonvolatile surfactants [n-alkanesulfonates, n-alkyl sulfates, n-alkylammoniopropanesulfonates (APS), and poly(oxyethylenes) (POE)] was investigated by EPR and spin-trapping with 3,5-dibromo-4-nitrosobenzenesulfonate. Secondary carbon radicals (-.CH-), formed by abstraction reactions, were observed for all surfactants that were sonicated. The yield of primary carbon (-.CH(2)) and methyl (.CH(3)) radicals that are formed by pyrolysis is greatest for the zwitterionic (i.e., APS) and nonionic surfactants (i.e., POE). The yield of (-.CH-) radicals was measured following sonolysis of n-alkyl anionic surfactants [sodium pentanesulfonate (SPSo), sodium octanesulfonate (SOSo), sodium octyl sulfate (SOS), and sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS)]. In the concentration range of 0-0.3 mM, the -.CH- radical yield increases in the order SDS approximately equal to SOS approximately equal to SOSo > SPSo. At higher concentrations, a plateau in the maximum (-.CH-) radical yield is reached for each surfactant, which follows the order SPSo > SOS approximately equal to SOSo > SDS; i.e., the radical scavenging efficiency increases with decreasing n-alkyl chain length. A similar trend was observed for the .CH(3) yield following sonolysis of a homologous series of n-alkyl APS surfactants. The results show that the Gibbs surface excess of certain nonvolatile surfactants does not correlate with the extent of decomposition following sonolysis in aqueous solutions. Instead, the decomposition of surfactants depends on their chemical structure and their ability to equilibrate between the bulk solution and the gas/solution interface of cavitation bubbles.     

Adsorption of a double-chain surfactant on an oxide

Adsorption of surfactants on solids is affected by the intermolecular packing in the adsorbed layer besides the driving forces. The adsorption behavior of a double-chain surfactant on silica is studied here along with that of the single-chain one. Comparison of adsorption of these two surfactants is warranted since while the single-chain surfactants form spherical micelles, the double-chain ones form bilayered vesicles in solution. While the adsorption of the single-chain surfactant reaches the plateau in a wide concentration range, the adsorption of the double-chain one increases sharply in a concentration range 10⁻⁵ mol/L up to the plateau. The single chain is found to form 1.5 monolayers under saturation coverage suggesting adsorption with reverse orientation at high concentration. In contrast, the adsorption of the double-chain surfactant under saturation coverage is equivalent to a 0.9 monolayer. Fluorescence tests revealed the hydrophobicity change of the surface with increase in adsorption. However, the hydrophobicity tests show the solid surface to be hydrophilic in this range; the double-chain surfactant is proposed to form a partial bilayer.     

Equilibrium partition of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in cloud point extraction with a silicone surfactant

In the cloud point extraction (CPE) process with PEG/PPG-18/18 dimethicone, the flexible chain structure of the silicone surfactant efficiently decreased the water content remaining in the surfactant-rich phase, compared with conventional nonionic surfactants, represented by Triton X-114. Meanwhile, the phase volume ratio of surfactant-rich phase to aqueous phase obtained in the silicone surfactant CPE system was found to be maintained at a low value with increasing surfactant concentration; whereas a rapid increase tendency was commonly observed in that of other nonionic surfactants. Based on these advantages, the equilibrium partition of three polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), anthracene, phenanthrene and pyrene, was studied in the CPE process with PEG/PPG-18/18 dimethicone. Equilibrium parameters, including preconcentration factor, distribution coefficient and recovery, were determined, and the performance was compared with that of another related CPE research, where Tergitol 15-S-7 was used. Due to the low surfactant-rich phase volume, higher concentrations of the three PAHs in the surfactant-rich phase, and the resulting higher preconcentration factors and distribution coefficients were able to be achieved at the same time. Moreover, the great performance was able to be maintained even at a high surfactant concentration or PAHs initial concentration.     

Self-assembled Gemini surfactant film-mediated dispersion stability

The force-distance curves of 12-2-12 and 12-4-12 Gemini quaternary ammonium bromide surfactants on mica and silica surfaces obtained by atomic force microscopy (AFM) were correlated with the structure of the adsorption layer. The critical micelle concentration was measured in the presence or absence of electrolyte. The electrolyte effect (the decrease of CMC) is significantly more pronounced for Gemini than for single-chain surfactants. The maximum compressive force, F(max), of the adsorbed surfactant aggregates was determined. On the mica surface in the presence of 0.1 M NaCl, the Gemini micelles and strong repulsive barrier appear at surfactant concentrations 0.02-0.05 mM, which is significantly lower than that for the single C(12)TAB (5-10 mM). This difference between single and Gemini surfactants can be explained by a stronger adsorption energy of Gemini surfactants. The low concentration of Gemini at which this surfactant forms the strong micellar layer on the solid/solution interface proves that Gemini aggregates (micelles) potentially act as dispersing agent in processes such as chemical mechanical polishing or collector in flotation. The AFM force-distance results obtained for the Gemini surfactants were used along with turbidity measurements to determine how adsorption of Gemini surfactants affects dispersion stability. It has been shown that Gemini (or two-chain) surfactants are more effective dispersing agents, and that in the presence of electrolyte, the silica dispersion stability at pH 4.0 can also be achieved at very low surfactant concentrations ( approximately 0.02 mM).     

A method for comparing surface activity of organic compounds with reference to their structural influence by tensammetry

Summary The critical concentrations, , corresponding more negative peaks and concentrations required to just to remove the less negative peak,, have been determined for a number of organic compounds, known to give tensammetric peaks. It is concluded that the values of and, thus obtained, can be used successfully for comparing the surface activity of a series of closely related organic compounds in aqueous solution. When peak potential of less cathodic surfactant is close to the potential of more cathodic surfactants (whose surface activities are to be compared), the comparison for surface activity cannot be made by this method.     

Preparation and characterization of zwitterionic surfactant-modified montmorillonites

A series of zwitterionic surfactant-modified montmorillonites (ZSMMs) were synthesized using montmorillonite and three zwitterionic surfactants with different alkyl chain lengths at different concentrations [0.2-4.0 cation exchange capacity (CEC)]. These ZSMMs were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermo-gravimetric analysis and differential thermo-gravimetric (TG/DTG) analyses. The zwitterionic surfactant could be intercalated into the interlayer spaces of montmorillonites and causing interlayer space-swelling. From XRD measurements, the amount of the surfactants loaded and the basal spacing increased with surfactant concentration and alkyl chain length. One endothermic DTG peak occurred at ~390 °C, which was assigned to the decomposition of the zwitterionic surfactant on the organo-montmorillonites from 0.2 to 0.6 CEC. When the surfactant loading was increased, a new endothermic peak appeared at ~340 °C. From the microstructures of these ZSMMs, the mechanism of zwitterionic surfactant adsorption was proposed. At relatively low loadings of the zwitterionic surfactant, most of surfactants enter the spacing by an ion-exchange mechanism and are adsorbed onto the interlayer cation sites. When the concentration of the zwitterionic surfactant exceeds the CEC of montmorillonite, the surfactant molecules then adhere to the surface-adsorbed surfactant. Some surfactants enter the interlayers, whereas the others are attached to the clay surface. When the concentration of surfactant increases further beyond 2.0 CEC, the surfactants may occupy the inter-particle space within the house-of-cards aggregate structure.     

Experimental observations on the scaling of adsorption isotherms for nonionic surfactants at a hydrophobic solid-water interface

The self-assembly of nonionic surfactants in bulk solution and on hydrophobic surfaces is driven by the same intermolecular interactions, yet their relationship is not clear. While there are abundant experimental and theoretical studies for self-assembly in bulk solution and at the air-water interface, there are only few systematic studies for hydrophobic solid-water interfaces. In this work, we have used optical reflectometry to measure adsorption isotherms of seven different nonionic alkyl polyethoxylate surfactants (CH3(CH2)I-1(OCH2CH2)JOH, referred to as CIEJ surfactants, with I = 10-14 and J = 3-8), on hydrophobic, chemically homogeneous self-assembled monolayers of octadecyltrichlorosilane. Systematic changes in the adsorption isotherms are observed for variations in the surfactant molecular structure. The maximum surface excess concentration decreases (and minimum area/molecule increases) with the square root of the number of ethoxylate units in the surfactant (J). The adsorption isotherms of all surfactants collapse onto the same curve when the bulk and surface excess concentrations are rescaled by the bulk critical aggregation concentration (CAC) and the maximum surface excess concentration. In an accompanying paper we compare these experimental results with the predictions of a unified model developed for self-assembly of nonionic surfactants in bulk solution and on interfaces.     

Effect of Surfactants on the Formation,Morphology, and Surface Property of Synthesized SiO2 Nanoparticles

Abstract

This study investigated the effect of cationic, anionic (saturated and unsaturated), and nonionic surfactants on the formation, morphology, and surface properties of silica nanoparticles synthesized by the ammonium‐catalyzed hydrolysis of tetraethoxysilane in alcoholic media. Results indicate that at a relatively low surfactant concentration (1 × 10^?3–1 × 10^?6 M), cationic surfactants significantly affected the growth of silica particles as measured by dynamic light scattering and transmission electron microscopic analyses. In contrast, the anionic and nonionic surfactants showed relatively minor effects in the low concentration range. The magnitude of negative zeta potential was reduced for silica colloids that were synthesized in the presence of cationic surfactant because of charge neutralization. The presence of anionic surfactants only slightly increased the negative zeta potential while the nonionic surfactant showed no obvious effects. At high surfactant concentrations (>1 × 10^?3 M), cationic and anionic surfactants both induced colloid aggregation, while the nonionic surfactant showed no effect on particle size. Raman spectroscopic analysis suggests that molecules of cationic surfactants adsorb on silica surfaces via head groups, aided by favorable electrostatic attraction, while molecules of anionic and nonionic surfactants adsorb via their hydrophobic tails.     

Effects of non-ionic micelles on transient chaos in an unstirred Belousov-Zhabotinsky reaction

The behaviour of the Ce(IV)-catalyzed Belousov-Zhabotinsky (BZ) system has been monitored at 20.0 degrees C in unstirred batch conditions in the absence and presence of different amounts of the non-ionic micelle-forming surfactants hexaethylene glycol monodecyl ether (C10E6) and hexaethylene glycol monotetradecyl ether (C14E6). The influence of the non-ionic surfactants on both the kinetics of the oxidation of malonic acid (MA) by Ce(IV) species and the behaviour of the BZ reaction in stirred batch conditions has also been studied over a wide surfactant concentration range. The experimental results have shown that, in unstirred batch conditions, at surfactant concentrations below the critical micelle concentration (c.m.c.) no significant change in the dynamics of the Belousov-Zhabotinsky system occurs. Beyond this critical concentration the presence of micelles forces the BZ system to undergo a chaos-->quasi-periodicity-->period-1 transition. Thus, the surfactant concentration has been considered as a bifurcation parameter for a Ruelle-Takens-Newhouse (RTN) scenario. Addition of increasing amounts of non-ionic surfactants has no significant effect on the kinetics of the reaction between MA and Ce(IV), but it influences the oscillatory parameters of the stirred BZ system. At surfactant concentrations below the c.m.c. all the oscillatory parameters are practically unaffected by the presence of surfactant, while beyond this critical value the induction period is the same as in aqueous solution but both the oscillation period and the duration of the rising portion of the oscillatory cycle decrease. In all cases, the experimental trends have been ascribed to the enhancement in the medium viscosity due to the presence of micelles.     

The Use of Differential Pulse and D.C. Polarography in the Analysis of Solutions Containing Surfactants

Abstract

Peak currents in differential pulse polarography (DPP) are often used for quantitative analysis. In the presence of surfactants, peak currents depend not only on the concentration of the electroactive species, but also on that of the surfactant. In the presence of surfactants of biological origin, limiting currents obtained by d.c. polarography are often less sensitive to the effects of surfactants and are more suitable for quantitative analysis than DPP peak currents. Effects of surfactants on DPP curves were demonstrated for 4-nitrobenzoic acid in the presence of oligomers resulting from washing lignin preparations with water. In the study of adsorption of nitro compounds on lignin, d.c. polarographic curves yielded reliable adsorption isotherms whereas DPP peak currents indicated erroneously much stronger adsorption of nitro compounds on lignin.     

Adsorption behavior of hydrophobin and hydrophobin/surfactant mixtures at the air-water interface

The adsorption of the surface-active protein hydrophobin, HFBII, and the competitive adsorption of HFBII with the cationic, anionic, and nonionic surfactants hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide, CTAB, sodium dodecyl sulfate, SDS, and hexaethylene monododecyl ether, C(12)E(6), has been studied using neutron reflectivity, NR. HFBII adsorbs strongly at the air-water interface to form a dense monolayer ～30 ? thick, with a mean area per molecule of ～400 ?(2) and a volume fraction of ～0.7, for concentrations greater than 0.01 g/L, and the adsorption is independent of the solution pH. In competition with the conventional surfactants CTAB, SDS, and C(12)E(6) at pH 7, the HFBII adsorption totally dominates the surface for surfactant concentrations less than the critical micellar concentration, cmc. Above the cmc of the conventional surfactants, HFBII is displaced by the surfactant (CTAB, SDS, or C(12)E(6)). For C(12)E(6) this displacement is only partial, and some HFBII remains at the surface for concentrations greater than the C(12)E(6) cmc. At low pH (pH 3) the patterns of adsorption for HFBII/SDS and HFBII/C(12)E(6) are different. At concentrations just below the surfactant cmc there is now mixed HFBII/surfactant adsorption for both SDS and C(12)E(6). For the HFBII/SDS mixture the structure of the adsorbed layer is more complex in the region immediately below the SDS cmc, resulting from the HFBII/SDS complex formation at the interface.