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Synergistic effects between a non-ionic and an anionic surfactant on the micellization process and the adsorption at liquid/air surfaces

Kotsi, Kristo; Dong, Teng; Kobayashi, Takeshi; Mc Robbie, Ian; Striolo, Alberto; Angeli, Panagiota; (2023) Synergistic effects between a non-ionic and an anionic surfactant on the micellization process and the adsorption at liquid/air surfaces. Soft Matter 10.1039/d3sm01454a. (In press). Green open access

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Abstract

Predicting the behaviour of solutions with surfactants of significantly different critical micelle concentration (CMC) values remains a challenge. The study of the molecular interactions within micelles and interfaces in surfactant combinations used in everyday products is essential to understand these complex systems. In this work, the equilibrium and dynamic surface tension in the presence of mixed non-ionic (tristyrylphenol ethoxylates) and anionic (sodium benzene sulfonate with alkyl chain lengths of C10–C13) surfactants, commonly encountered as delivery systems in agrochemicals, were studied and their CMC values were determined. For the surfactant mixtures, four molar ratios were examined: nEOT/nNaDDBS = 0.01, 0.1, 1, 4 and two different cases were analysed, the premixed and the add one by one surfactant. The surface tension for single surfactants stabilised quickly, while the mixtures needed a long time to reach equilibrium; up to 15 h for the premixed mixtures and 40 min when surfactants were added one by one. The CMC values for the nEOT/nNaDDBS = 0.01, 0.1 premixed surfactant mixtures were found to be in between the CMC values of the single surfactants, but those for the nEOT/nNaDDBS = 1 and 4 mixtures were lower than the CMCs of both single surfactants. Calculations based on the regular solution theory suggested that there are attractive forces in the mixed micelles and at the interface layers, while the supramolecular assemblies in the bulk (i.e., micelles) and at interfaces (surfactant films) are preferentially enriched in EOT.

Type: Article
Title: Synergistic effects between a non-ionic and an anionic surfactant on the micellization process and the adsorption at liquid/air surfaces
Location: England
Open access status: An open access version is available from UCL Discovery
DOI: 10.1039/d3sm01454a
Publisher version: http://dx.doi.org/10.1039/d3sm01454a
Language: English
Additional information: This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported Licence, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/. You can use material from this article in other publications without requesting further permissions from the RSC, provided that the correct acknowledgement is given.
UCL classification: UCL
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS > Faculty of Engineering Science
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS > Faculty of Engineering Science > Dept of Chemical Engineering
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS > Faculty of Engineering Science > Engineering Science Faculty Office
URI: https://discovery-pp.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10184686
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