I. Pezron et al., INFLUENCE OF 1-DECANOL ON THE SURFACE-TENSION AND WETTING POWER OF A NEW ANIONIC SURFACTANT DERIVED FROM SUGAR, Colloid and polymer science, 274(2), 1996, pp. 166-171
We studied the adsorption behaviour at the liquid/air and liquid/solid
interface of a new anionic surfactant derived from sugar, the sodium
decyl galacturonate. The surface tension of aqueous solutions, measure
d in equilibrium and as a function of time, is particularly affected b
y the presence of decanol, synthesis residue, which amount ranges betw
een about 0 and 13%. The surface tension lowering is accelerated in pr
esence of decanol, owing to its rapid diffusion to the interface or/an
d because it affects the mobility and adsorption process of the anioni
c surfactant molecules. The wetting power of surfactant solutions were
also investigated in relation with textile treatment applications. We
measured the kinetics of absorption of surfactant solutions in a piec
e of standard cotton and compared it to the absorption of pure decanol
, a completely wetting liquid and to the absorption of an alkylpolyglu
coside. The time at which the fabric piece is saturated appears to be
related to the adsorption of surface-active molecules on the fibers at
the advancing liquid front/fabric contact line. Decanol was found to
promote absorption and micellar life-time seem to reflect the differen
ces observed at high concentration. This study shows the importance of
controlling the amount of surface-active residues which may alter the
kinetics of surfactant adsorption, particularly in industrial process
es where equilibrium conditions are not reached.