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Surfactant Crystals as Stimulable Foam Stabilizers: Tuning Stability with Counterions
Author(s) -
Zhang Li,
Wang Haiting,
Zheng Bin,
Du Huiling,
Salonen Anniina
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
journal of surfactants and detergents
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.349
H-Index - 48
eISSN - 1558-9293
pISSN - 1097-3958
DOI - 10.1002/jsde.12330
Subject(s) - pulmonary surfactant , adsorption , chemistry , chemical engineering , sodium dodecyl sulfate , precipitation , salt (chemistry) , counterion , chromatography , ion , organic chemistry , biochemistry , physics , meteorology , engineering
The demands on foam stability are variable and changing, which is why design of foams that are both ultrastable and stimulable is important. We study foams stabilized using surfactant particles made through precipitation of sodium dodecyl sulfate with alkali chlorides. We have previously shown that depending on the concentrations of surfactant and salt, the foams can be ultrastable or age like common surfactant foams. We now show that the adsorption of surfactant crystals changes with the type of salt added and how the crystals are made, as well as the surfactant concentration. We see differences in foam stability if the crystals are made prior to foaming or if they are formed concomitantly with foaming. The adsorption of the crystals is improved if the crystals are made during generation, possibly because of their smaller size. The foams destabilize when heated above the Krafft boundary. We show that through tuning the surfactant concentration and salt type or concentration, we can modulate the melting temperature, and hence the destruction temperature of foam between 22 and 50 °C. Precipitated surfactant particles are versatile alternatives to stabilize ultrastable and stimulable foams.