Premium
Synthesis and surface activity of nonionic surfactants containing fluorocarbon hydrophobes
Author(s) -
Meissner Egbert,
Myszkowski Jerzy,
Szymanowski Jan,
Barhoum Rakan
Publication year - 1993
Publication title -
journal of chemical technology and biotechnology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.64
H-Index - 117
eISSN - 1097-4660
pISSN - 0268-2575
DOI - 10.1002/jctb.280570110
Subject(s) - fluorocarbon , surface tension , pulmonary surfactant , adsorption , hydrophobe , aqueous solution , nonionic surfactant , chemistry , chemical engineering , polymer chemistry , materials science , organic chemistry , thermodynamics , biochemistry , physics , engineering
Abstract Nonionic surfactants having polydisperse polyoxyethylene chains and highly fluorinated hydrophobes were synthesized via a complex reaction route and their adsorption at water/air interfaces studied. They exhibit high surface activity and decrease both effectively and efficiently the surface tension of their aqueous solutions. The effect of the length of the polyoxyethylene chain upon surfactant surface activity is relatively low. Lower values of surface tension, below 30 mN m −1 , are obtained for surfactants having a low degree of ethoxylation. Surfactants having two terminal highly fluorinated hydrophobes are less surface active than analogues with one terminal hydrophobe.