Sr. Green et al., The monolayer structure of the branched nonyl phenol oxyethylene glycols at the air-water interface, J PHYS CH B, 104(7), 2000, pp. 1507-1515
The structure of the monolayers formed by a group of monodisperse nonyl phe
nol ethoxylates with parasubstituted 1-butylpentyl chains (para-(C4H9)(2)CH
C6H4(OC2H4)(n)OH, abbreviated to BNPEn, n = 4, 8, and 12) at the air-water
interface has been determined by surface tension measurements and neutron r
eflection. The critical micellar concentration (cmc) was found to be 1.1 +/
- 0.3 x 10(-5) M for BNPE4, 4.0 +/- 0.3 x 10(-5) M for BNPE8 and 8.0 +/- 0.
3 x 10-5 M for BNPE12 and the limiting area per molecule (A(cmc)) at the cm
c to be 46 +/- 3, 61 +/- 4, and 75 +/- 5 Angstrom(2), respectively. The val
ues of A(cmc) are almost identical to those obtained from dodecyl ethoxylat
es (C12En) for the same size of the headgroups, suggesting that A(cmc) for
these nonionic surfactants is determined by the size of the headgroups and
is not affected by the chemical structure of the hydrophobic chains. The th
icknesses of the nonyl phenol layers projected onto the surface normal dire
ction were found to be 18 +/- 3 Angstrom for BNPE4, 19 +/- 3 Angstrom for B
NPE8, and 22 +/- 3 Angstrom for BNPE12. In all cases they were about twice
as thick as the fully extended chain, suggesting a broad distribution of th
e hydrophobic chain across the layer and hence a strong mixing of the chain
with the ethoxylate groups.