Study on the adsorption and aggregation of dilute gemini surfactant solutions

As a function of temperature in aqueous solutions, the adsorption and aggregation of N,N’-bis (tetradecyl dimethyl)-1,2-dibromide-ethanediyl ammonium salt (GS14-2-14) and N,N’-bis (hexadecyl dimethyl)-1,2-dibromide-ethanediyl ammonium salt (GS16-2-16), were researched with drop-volume technique and conductometry, respectively. The results of surface tension measurements, which were analyzed by originally developed thermodynamic equations, illustrate that GS14-2-14 has a better surface activity and arranges more tightly in the adsorbed film than GS16-2-16. The data of conductivity were used to find critical micelle concentration (cmc) and counterion binding degree of micelle (β). Thermodynamic parameters of micellization were also obtained from the temperature dependence of cmc values. From the study, it is discovered that the micellization process is spontaneous and exothermic in nature and it is mainly driven by entropy.