Effects of additives on the aggregation of surfactants: binding domination

The effects of electrolytes, alcohols, and urea on the aggregation of SDS, CTAB, and Triton X-100 at 25℃ have been investigated by fluorescence probing of pyrene. Both electrolytes and alcohols reduce the critical micelle concentration (CMC) of the ionic surfactants, while the effect of the former is more pronounced. It is shown that the effects of electrolytes mainly depend on the concentrations and especially the valence of the opposite charge ions, and only slightly depend on the same charge ions in respect of ion aggregate of micelle. The logarithm of CMC is not linearly correlated with the concentrations of the counter ion or the electrolytes. The results are rationalized in terms of Hartley's model. Propanol increases the CMC of TX-100, while electrolytes and urea do not. In all the three kinds of surfactant micelles the excitation spectrum of pyrene slightly red-shifts (ca. 4 nm) from that in water, but is not affected by the additives. The micropolarity of the environment in which pyrene molecule resides in SDS micelle decreases with the increase of the concentrations of electrolytes. This is not the case when alcohols and urea were added to SDS or to TX-100. It is suggested that the addition of electrolytes would result in more orderly orientation of SDS molecules. It is the binding strength of the counter ions that dominates the effects of additives on the aggregation of surfactants.

Characteristics of air-water upward intermittent flows with surfactant additive in a pipeline-riser system

The effect of the surfactant additive on the upward intermittent flows in a pipeline-riser system is studied experimentally, in a 3 m long horizontal pipe connected to a Perspex pipe of 2.0 m long and 25 mm in diameter, inclined to the horizontal plane by 7？, followed by the vertical PVC riser of 3.5 m high and 25 mm in diameter, operating at the atmospheric end pressure. Based on the analysis of the pressure signal and the visual observation of the riser, it is shown that the additive of surfactant to the carrying liquid makes bubbles smaller in size but much larger in number in the upward intermittent flows. In addition, the additive of surfactant to a two-phase flow does not have a significant impact on the in-situ gas fraction, the pressure drop and the frequency of the liquid slug, but it reduces significantly the velocity of the liquid slug. When the superficial liquid velocity is set, an exponential relationship between the dimensionless velocity of the liquid slug and the Webber number can be obtained. These results might be used for estimating the characteristic parameters of the upward intermittent flow based upon the input operating conditions.

Interaction of cyclodextrins with 1,3-di(1-naphthyl)propane and the additive effects of ionic surfactants

The interaction between cyclodextrins (CDs) and 1,3-di(1-naphthyl)propane (1) in aqueous methanol (V: V=1:1) has been investigated by means of fluorescence emission and UV absorption. Fluorescence enhancement and absorption spectra reveal that β- or γ-CD can form inclusion complexes with 1, but α-CD cannot. One of these complexes is identified as ground state complex (2:1), i.e. the eclipsed conformer of 1 is included. Molecule 1 can be driven out of the CD cavity by sodium dodecylsulfate (SDS) molecule, but cannot by cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) or sodium cetylsulfate (SCS) molecules due to their alkyl chain coiling.