Semifluorinated alkanes as primitive surfactants in apolar hydrocarbon and fluorocarbon solvents

✍ Scribed by B.P. Binks; P.D.I. Fletcher; W.F.C. Sager; R.L. Thompson

• Book ID: 104303858
• Publisher: Elsevier Science
• Year: 1997
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 907 KB
• Volume: 72
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0167-7322
• DOI: 10.1016/s0167-7322(97)00038-x

✦ Synopsis

We present a short overview of recent studies concerning the surfactant properties of semifluorinated alkanes (SFAs) in apolar hydrocarbon and fluorocarbon solvents. These systems represent structurally primitive analogues of conventional surfactants in oil and water solvents. The surfactant properties of SFAs in hydrocarbons and perfluorocarbons arise from the tendency of hydrocarbon and perfluorocarbon chains to demix. Since this demixing is weaker than that for oil and water mixtures, SFAs are relatively weak stnfactants.

It is shown that weak surfactant properties are evident from the solubility, adsorption at the hydrocarbon-vapour and hydrocarbon-fluorocarbon interfaces and aggregation behaviourof SFAs. 0 1997 Elsevier Science B.V.