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2025 AOCS Annual Meeting & Expo.

Surfactants and Detergents

General Surfactants and Detergents Session II

Identification of Synergies in Mixed Micelles: Connection of Theory to Practice

Tuesday, April 29, 2025
10:35 AM – 10:55 AM PST
Room: B113
Abstract: The combination of two different surfactants i.e., those differing in terms of charge, hydrophobe length, architecture, etc. can result in interesting surface and interfacial characteristics that are drastically different than either of the components on their own. For example, the simple combination of nonionic alcohol ethoxylates with anionic surfactants represents an interesting case where the driving force for association, nominally identified as the charge separation of the anionic head groups by insertion of the nonionic, favors the onset of micellization at much lower concentrations (CMC’s) than either of the components on their own. This affinity for surfactant association also carries implications for other physical properties whereby e.g., the interfacial tension at an oil water interface is noted to be lower for combinations of the two surfactants than for either surfactant alone. Interestingly, this sort of unexpected mixing behavior is noted for many different classes of surfactants with far-reaching implications for their performance characteristics. Herein, we use relevant values from surface tensiometry to quantify the interactions between two different surfactants in terms of their surface and micellar interaction parameters βσ and βM, respectively. These parameters are then rationalized through surfactant structure and used to obtain the Βσ - ΒM synergy parameter. This synergy parameter is then examined in light of applications testing to elucidate the role of surfactant synergy/antagonism with respect to hard surface cleaning applications.