Role of Chain Length and Electrolytes on Micellization of Anionic Surfactants in Water

The micellization of ionic surfactants in aqueous media results from a balance between the attraction of hydrophobic chains and the electrostatic repulsion of surfactant head-groups. We investigate here the effect on surfactant micellization of hydrophobic chain length and electrolytes, by focusing on the perfluorinated surfactants sodium perfluorohexanoate (NaPFHx) and sodium perfluorooctanoate (NaPFO) in aqueous solution without/with NaCl, and employing surface tension, small-angle neutron scattering (SANS), pyrene fluorescence, and viscosity techniques. The information presented here supports the re-formulation away from long-chain fluorosurfactants, toward safer surfactants for various applications. [Kancharla, S.; Canales, E.; Alexandridis, P., Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2019, 20 (22), 5761. DOI: 10.3390/ijms20225761]