Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 19, 2026

Studying Surfactant Effects on Hydrate Crystallization at Oil-Water Interfaces Using a Low-Cost Integrated Modular Peltier Device
Published on: March 18, 2020
Surfactant adsorption at the surface of mixed ionic liquids and ionic liquid water mixtures
Deborah Wakeham1, Gregory G Warr, Rob Atkin
1Centre for Organic Electronics, The University of Newcastle, Callaghan, New South Wales, 2308, Australia.
Abstract:
Surface tensiometry and neutron reflectivity have been used to elucidate the structure of the adsorbed layer of nonionic surfactant tetraethylene glycol tetradecyl ether (C(14)E(4)) at the free surface of the ionic liquids ethylammonium nitrate (EAN) and ethanolammonium nitrate (EtAN) and their binary mixtures with each other and with water. Surface tensions reveal that the critical micelle concentration (cmc) depends strongly on solvent composition. The adsorbed surfactant structure elucidated by neutron reflectivity shows that the level of solvation of the ethylene oxide groups varies for both the pure and mixed solvents. This is attributed to solvent-solvent interactions dominating solvent-surfactant interactions.
Related Concept Videos
Surface Active Agents
Micelles
Adsorption of Gases on Solids
Surface Tension, Capillary Action, and Viscosity
The various IMFs between identical molecules of a substance are examples of cohesive forces. The molecules within a liquid are surrounded by other molecules and are attracted equally in all directions by the cohesive forces within the liquid. However, the molecules on the surface of a liquid are attracted only by about one-half as many molecules. Because of the unbalanced molecular attractions on the surface molecules, liquids contract to form a shape that minimizes the number...
Adsorption Isotherms I
Surface Tension

