The project objective is to investigate interfacial phenomena such as adsorption, solubilization and micellization behavior of mixed surfactant systems and to explore the synergistic effects of novel surfactant mixtures to reduce the carbon footprint due to surfactant applications.
Sugar-based surfactants are environmentally benign and have unique solution and interfacial properties. Gemini surfactants with two hydrophobic and two hydrophilic groups show more pronounced interfacial and solution properties. These surfactants have potential use in a wide variety of applications. The goal is to elucidate mechanisms governing solution and interfacial behavior of the mixed systems and the role of structural variations, and to generate a database for novel applications.
Adsorption of nonionic / Gemini surfactant mixtures and nonionic / nonionic surfactant mixtures is studied. Analytical ultracentrifugation technique is employed for the first time to investigate the surfactant mixtures in solutions. Interestingly, unlike ionic surfactants, the micellar growths of DM and NP-10 surfactants and their mixtures were found to occur at concentrations immediately above the cmc. The results suggest coexistence of different types of micelles in NP-10 solutions and its mixtures with sugar-based surfactant while only one micellar species is present in sugar-based surfactant solutions. This technique is powerful for distinguishing the size and shape of various species in mixtures. Besides, both dynamic and equilibrium characteristics of microemulsion, nanoparticles, microgel for drug-delivery, polymer-surfactant and surfactant mixtures can be obtained using this technique.
