title: Fluoro- vs hydrocarbon surfactants: why do they differ in wetting performance?
abstract: Fluorosurfactants are the most effective compounds to lower the surface tension of aqueous solutions, but their wetting properties as related to low energy hydrocarbon solids are inferior to hydrocarbon trisiloxane surfactants, although the latter demonstrate higher surface tension in aqueous solutions. To explain this inconsistency available data on the adsorption of fluorosurfactants on liquid/vapour, solid/liquid and solid/vapour interfaces are discussed in comparison to those of hydrocarbon surfactants. The low free energy of adsorption of fluorosurfactants on hydrocarbon solid/water interface should be of a substantial importance for their wetting properties.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical Engineering, Loughborough University, Loughborough LE 11 3TU, UK; Institute of Biocolloid Chemistry, Kiev 03142, Ukraine.
authors.forename: N M
authors.initials: NM
authors.lastname: Kovalchuk
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical Engineering, Loughborough University, Loughborough LE 11 3TU, UK.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Trybala
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical Engineering, Loughborough University, Loughborough LE 11 3TU, UK. Electronic address: V.M.Starov@lboro.ac.uk.
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Starov
authors.affiliation: Imperial College, London SW7 2AZ, UK.
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Matar
authors.affiliation: Institute of Physics and Chemistry, Tyumen State University, Tyumen, Semakova 10, Russia, 625003.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Ivanova
keywords: Adsorption; Hydrophobicity; Liophobicity; Solid/liquid interface; Surface energy; Surfactant solutions