An FTIR study of the adsorption of surfactants on silica

The absorption of cetyltrimethyl ammonium bromide onto silica was studied by FTIR as an example of the interaction of cationic surfactants with surfaces of medium polarity. It was found that the free silanol groups of the silica interacted strongly with the surfactant and that the methylene group adsorption bands varied with coverage in both frequency and width. These results could be interpreted in terms of chemisorption of a first layer of surfactant followed by physisorption of subsequent layers, or in terms of the inhomogeneity of the silica surface.