Abstract
Zwitterionic gemini surfactants, which have the advantages of both zwitterionic and gemini surfactants, have been widely used in various disciplines. Sulfobetaine-type zwitterionic gemini surfactants consisting of 1,2-bis[N-methyl-N-(3-sulfopropyl)-alkylammonium]ethane (2CnSb with 6, 8 and 10 carbon atoms) were evaluated for their interfacial activities at the water/crude oil interface. The 2C10Sb molecules showed a remarkable ability to decrease the interface tension (IFT) of water/crude oil, and the degree of decrease was much greater than those in either zwitterionic or gemini surfactant systems by at least two orders of magnitude. Furthermore, the effects of salts (NaCl, CaCl2, and MgCl2) on the IFT of the 2C10Sb system were thoroughly investigated. Interestingly, the delicate balance between the effects of additional cations and the intramolecular interactions of 2C10Sb molecules played crucial roles in the interfacial arrangements of 2C10Sb molecules, which were mainly dependent on the bonding abilities of the cations. Moreover, a zwitterionic surfactant and a cationic gemini surfactant were employed in control experiments to verify the proposed mechanisms.
Graphical Abstract
Acknowledgments
The authors are grateful for funding from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 21403301), the Basic Fundamental Research Funds of Qingdao (16-5-1-41-jch), the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (16CX02058A), the foundation of Key Laboratory of Colloid and Interface Chemistry (Shandong University), Ministry of Education (201402) and National Training Program of Innovation and Entrepreneurship for Undergraduates (No. 201810425013).
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.