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The Characteristic Curvature of Ionic Surfactants

  • Original Article
  • Published:
Journal of Surfactants and Detergents

Abstract

Characterizing the hydrophilic-lipophilic nature of a surfactant molecule has been a challenge for colloid scientists and technologists. The hydrophilic-lipophilic balance (HLB), the packing factor, the phase inversion temperature (PIT) and the natural curvature of the surfactant are all terms that seek to address this issue. In this article we build on the hydrophilic–lipophilic difference concept (HLD) (Salager et al. Langmuir, 16, 5534–5539, 2000) to develop a methodology to determine a characteristic curvature (Cc) for ionic surfactants based on the phase behavior of mixed ionic surfactant microemulsions. In essence, the method consists of evaluating the shift in optimal electrolyte concentration as a function of the mole fraction of the test surfactant in a mixture with a reference surfactant, sodium dihexyl sulfosuccinate (SDHS) and applying the appropriate HLD equation for ionic surfactant mixtures to determine Cc. The values of Cc were determined for a range of surfactants, including sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), sodium dodecyl benzene sulfonate (SDBS), sodium naphthenate, and others. The method was also extrapolated to nonionic additives and hydrophilic linkers. It was observed that the calculated values of Cc were similar to those predicted by group contribution models, however the proposed method can be used even for complex surfactant mixtures. Finally, when Cc values were compared to apparent packing factor and HLB values, it was found that Cc is correlated with the apparent packing factor of ionic surfactants, and that Cc correlates with the HLB value for nonionic amphiphiles. The physical interpretation of Cc, and its potential application in the Net-Average Curvature equation of state for oil-surfactant-water systems is discussed.

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Acknowledgments

This work was partially supported by the Canada Foundation and Innovation, The Connaught Research Foundation of the University of Toronto, The natural science and engineering research council of Canada (NSERC), and a University of Toronto Open Fellowship to A. Bhakta and Jessica S. Yuan. We are grateful to Professor David A. Sabatini and his group at University of Oklahoma for their assistance with the gas chromatography measurements.

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  1. Department of Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry, University of Toronto, 200 College Street, room 131, M5S3E5, Toronto, ON, Canada

    Edgar J. Acosta, Jessica Sh. Yuan & Arti Sh. Bhakta

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  1. Edgar J. Acosta
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  2. Jessica Sh. Yuan
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  3. Arti Sh. Bhakta
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Correspondence to Edgar J. Acosta.

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Acosta, E.J., Yuan, J.S. & Bhakta, A.S. The Characteristic Curvature of Ionic Surfactants. J Surfact Deterg 11, 145–158 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11743-008-1065-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11743-008-1065-7

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