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A Comprehensive Study on the Synthesis and Micellization of Disymmetric Gemini Imidazolium Surfactants

  • Original Article
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Journal of Surfactants and Detergents

Abstract

Two groups of disymmetric Gemini imidazolium surfactants, [C14C4C m im]Br2 (m = 10, 12, 14) and [C m C4C n im]Br2 (m + n = 24, m = 12, 14, 16, 18) surfactants, were synthesized and their structures were confirmed by 1H NMR and ESI–MS spectroscopy. Their adsorption at the air/water interface, thermodynamic parameters and aggregation behavior were explored by means of surface tension, electrical conductivity and steady-state fluorescence. A series of surface activity parameters, including cmc, γ cmc, π cmc, pC 20, cmc/C 20, Γ max and A min, were obtained from surface tension measurements. The results revealed that the overall hydrophobic chain length (N c) for [C14C4C m im]Br2 and the disymmetry (m/n) for [C m C4C n im]Br2 had a significant effect on the surface activity. The cmc values decreased with an increase of N c or m/n. The thermodynamic parameters of micellization (ΔG θm , ΔH θm , ΔS θm ) derived from the electrical conductivity indicated that the micellization process of [C14C4C m im]Br2 and [C m C4C n im]Br2 was entropy-driven at different temperatures, but the contribution of ΔH θm to ΔG θm was enhanced by increasing N c or m/n. The micropolarity and micellar aggregation number (N agg) were estimated by steady-state fluorescence measurements. The results showed that the surfactant with higher N c or m/n can form larger micelles, due to a tighter micellar structure.

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Acknowledgments

We are grateful for the financial support from the Six Talent Peaks Program of Jiangsu Province, China (Project No. JNHB-001).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Chemical Engineering, Nanjing University of Science and Technology, Nanjing, 210094, People’s Republic of China

    Xiaohui Zhao, Dong An & Zhiwen Ye

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  1. Xiaohui Zhao
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  2. Dong An
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  3. Zhiwen Ye
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Correspondence to Zhiwen Ye.

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Zhao, X., An, D. & Ye, Z. A Comprehensive Study on the Synthesis and Micellization of Disymmetric Gemini Imidazolium Surfactants. J Surfact Deterg 19, 681–691 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11743-016-1830-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11743-016-1830-y

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