Influence of alkyl chain length of alpha olefin sulfonates on surface and interfacial properties

Alpha olefin sulfonates (AOS) with various alkyl chain lengths have been used to investigate the influence of alkyl chain length on the interfacial properties at air–water, liquid paraffin–water, and parafilm–water interfaces. It was found that the critical micelle concentration decreased with increasing alkyl chain length, while the efficiency of reducing surface tension was inverse relationship with alkyl chain length. The diffusion coefficient obviously reduced with an increase of surfactant concentration and alkyl chain length. The C_14-16AOS shows better wettability and emulsification than C_16-18AOS and C_20-24AOS. For foaming properties, the foamability and foam stability dramatically decreased with increasing alkyl chain length.