Interaction Between Nonionic and Gemini (Cationic) Surfactants: Effect of Spacer Chain Length

摘要

The interaction between mixtures of nonionic surfactant polyethylene glycol p-(1,1,3,3-tetramethyl butyl)-phenyl ether and cationic gemini surfactants alkanediyl-α,ω-bis(dimethyldodecylammonium bromide) (12-s-12, where s = 2, 4 and 6) was studied using surface tension and small-angle neutron scattering measurements. Marked interaction was observed for the investigated surfactants mixtures which depend upon the hydrophobic spacer length of the gemini surfactant and also on the fraction of nonionic surfactant in the mixed systems. The results are discussed in terms of interaction parameters calculated according to the theory of regular solutions which uses the critical micelle concentration determined tensiometrically to calculate the molecular interaction parameter and the mole fractions of the two components in the mixed micelles. A relatively high negative molecular interaction parameter value (up to −3.40) obtained for mixtures of nonionic and cationic gemini surfactant indicates a presence of strong attractive interaction in the mixed system that increases with the spacer length of the gemini surfactant. Micellar parameters deduced from small-angle neutron scattering measurements also compliment the surface tension results.