Adsorption and adsolubilization of surfactants on titanium dioxides with functional groups

Adsorption of ionic surfactants on titanium dioxide with dodecyl chain groups or quaternary ammonium groups (XNm, where m is the carbon number of the alkyl chain, 4–16) was investigated. The adsorbed amount of cationic surfactants (dodecyltrimethylammonium bromide, DTAB; 1,2-bis(dodecyldimethylammonio)ethane dibromide, 2RenQ) on titanium dioxide with dodecyl chain groups increased with increasing concentration of the dodecyl chain due to hydrophobic interaction, where the adsorbed amounts of DTAB at saturation was considerably greater than those of 2RenQ. Adsorption of an anionic surfactant (sodium dodecyl sulfate, SDS) on XNm occurred mainly due to both electrostatic attraction force and hydrophobic interaction, depending on the alkyl chain length on XNm. On the other hand, adsorption of cationic surfactants, DTAC and 2RenQCl (their counter ions are chloride ions), on XNm was quite smaller compared with that of SDS due to electrostatic repulsion force. Adsolubilization of 2-naphthol in the surfactant-adsorbed layer on the titanium dioxides with the functional groups was also studied. The adsolubilized amounts of 2-naphthol on titanium dioxide with dodecyl chain groups were enhanced by adsorption of DTAB, but no distinct increase in the adsolubilization was observed by adsorption of 2RenQ. In the case of XNm, the amount of 2-naphthol adsorbed in the absence of surfactants increased with increasing alkyl chain length on XNm. Further, an appreciable increase in the adsolubilization of 2-naphthol on XNm with adsorption of 2RenQCl was observed. It was found from the admicellar partitioning coefficients that the adsolubilization of 2-naphthol preferably occurs on XNm by adsorption of SDS or 2RenQCl compared with that by DTAC. These differences in the adsolubilization were discussed by microproperties of the surfactant-adsorbed layers estimated using a spin probe.