Contrasts in the surface activity of polyoxypropylene and polyoxybutylene-based block copolymer surfactants |
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Authors: | V M Nace |
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Affiliation: | (1) The Dow Chemical Company, B-4810 Freeport, Texas Operations, TX, 77541 |
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Abstract: | Previous studies have shown that polyoxybutylene surfactant hydrophobes are less polar than polyoxypropylene hydrophobes.
Polyoxyalkylene hydrophobes can be modified by ethoxylation to give terminal polyoxyethylene block hydrophilic groups. Polyoxybutylene/polyoxyethylene
copolymer surfactants exhibit differentiated interfacial tensions, and wetting and foaming properties when compared to structurally
equivalent polyoxypropylene/polyoxyethylene copolymers. There have been no reported comparisons, however, of polyoxybutylene/polyoxyethylene
copolymers and polyoxypropylene/polyoxyethylene analogues in terms of fundamental parameters, such as critical micelle concentration,
area per molecule at the interface, efficiency, and effectiveness. In one phase of this work, four polyoxybutylene/polyoxyethylene
block copolymer surfactants were compared to structurally analogous polyoxypropylene/polyoxyethylene materials. Findings showed
that polyoxybutylene/polyoxyethylene copolymers exhibited enhanced cotton wetting and lower surface and interfacial tensions
compared to polyoxypropylene/polyoxyethylene analogues. Polyoxybutylene-based surfactants were typically one order of magnitude
better in their ability to reduce surface tension at interface saturation. Polyoxybutylene/polyoxyethylene copolymers pack
more efficiently at the interface, as evidenced by a smaller area per molecule at the interface. Critical micelle concentration
values were also lower for polyoxybutylene/polyoxyethylene copolymers. A second phase of experiments focused on the surface
activity of polyoxypropylene/polyoxyethylene triblock copolymers with higher molecular weight hydrophobes. Enhanced surface
activity was found when compared to lower-molecular weight polyoxypropylene/polyoxyethylene copolymers. |
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Keywords: | Critical micelle concentration effectiveness efficiency interfacial tension nonionic surfactant polyoxybutylene polyoxyethylene polyoxypropylene surface tension wetting |
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