Influence of detergent builders on surface properties of sodium dodecyl sulfate solutions under dynamic and static conditions

The effects of various detergent builders on surface properties of sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) solutions have been investigated by measuring the equilibrium surface tension and hysteresis curves of surface pressure vs surface area under dynamic conditions. While the adsorbed layer of SDS under static conditions is in the liquid-expanded state, a two-dimensional phase transition of the adsorbed layer from liquid-expanded to condensed-film can be observed on compression at higher rates beyond the saturated adsorption. For the SDS solution containing excess NaCl (1×10⁻¹ M), the adsorbed layer of SDS is already in the condensed state under static condition due to a depression in the dissociation of SDS. It has been found that some polyelectrolytes, as well as conventional ionic builders, contribute to increasing the surface excess concentration of SDS together with promoting micelle formation and also to stabilizing the adsorbed layer of SDS. On the other hand, poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) as a nonionic polymer is adsorbed at the air-water interface in preference to SDS. In this case, the hysteresis of the dynamic surface behavior of the mixed solution can be attributed to the structural change of the adsorbed layer of PVA rather than SDS, which is different from the other ionic builders.