title: Surfactants at the Design Limit.
abstract: This article analyzes how the individual structural elements of surfactant molecules affect surface properties, in particular, the point of reference defined by the limiting surface tension at the aqueous cmc, γcmc. Particular emphasis is given to how the chemical nature and structure of the hydrophobic tails influence γcmc. By comparing the three different classes of surfactants, fluorocarbon, silicone, and hydrocarbon, a generalized surface packing index is introduced which is independent of the chemical nature of the surfactants. This parameter ϕcmc represents the volume fraction of surfactant chain fragments in a surface film at the aqueous cmc. It is shown that ϕcmc is a useful index for understanding the limiting surface tension of surfactants and can be useful for designing new superefficient surfactants.
authors: School of Chemistry, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 1TS, United Kingdom.
authors: Adam
authors: A
authors: Czajka
authors: School of Chemistry, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 1TS, United Kingdom.
authors: Gavin
authors: G
authors: Hazell
authors: School of Chemistry, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 1TS, United Kingdom.
authors: Julian
authors: J
authors: Eastoe
mesh_terms: D057927:Hydrophobic and Hydrophilic Interactions; D015394:Molecular Structure; D013499:Surface Properties; D013501:Surface-Active Agents / Q000138:chemical synthesis* / Q000737:chemistry
chemical_list: D013501:Surface-Active Agents