Syntheses and properties of surfactants containing organometals: IV. Organo silicone

The authors synthesized nonionic surfactants containing dimethylpolysilane, dimethylpolysilmethylene and dimethylopolysiloxane as the hydrophobic groups, and investigated their surface activities. In their ability to lower the aqueous surface tension, the polysiloxane surfactants were the most active, and there is little reason to choose between the other two kinds of surfactants. With regard to the ability of lowering the interfacial tension between water and silicone oil, the polysilmethylene surfactants were most effective when the concentration of aqueous solution was below 0.5 wt %. Above this concentration, however, the polysiloxane surfactants were superior. Also investigated was the lowering of surface tension of nonaqueous polyols and their ability to wet low energy hydrophobic surfaces such as polyethylene.