Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Surface Active Agents

Surface Active Agents

Surfactants, named for their behavior at interfaces, positively adsorb at the interfaces of two phases, reducing interfacial tension. Their versatility as emulsifiers, detergents, and foaming agents stems from this ability. Surfactants, often termed amphiphiles, share the property of amphipathy, with molecules having both hydrophilic and hydrophobic portions. The hydrophilic part is called the head, and the hydrophobic part, including an elongated alkyl substituent, forms the tail.Surfactants...

Breathing

Breathing

The process of breathing, inhaling and exhaling, involves the coordinated movement of the chest wall, the lungs, and the muscles that move them. Two muscle groups with important roles in breathing are the diaphragm, located directly below the lungs, and the intercostal muscles, which lie between the ribs. When the diaphragm contracts, it moves downward, increasing the volume of the thoracic cavity and creating more room for the lungs to expand. When the intercostal muscles contract, the ribs...

Micelles

Micelles

Micelle formation is an intricate process that hinges on the properties of amphiphilic or amphipathic molecules and the conditions of the system in which they are found. Amphiphilic molecules, which have both hydrophilic (water-attracting) and hydrophobic (water-repelling) parts, play a critical role in this process.In aqueous environments, these molecules arrange themselves such that their hydrophilic heads are turned towards the water phase, while their hydrophobic tails are oriented away...

Surface Tension of Fluid

Surface Tension of Fluid

Surface tension is a fundamental property of fluids, occurring at the boundary between a liquid and a gas or between two immiscible liquids. This phenomenon arises from the cohesive forces between molecules at the fluid's surface, creating an effect similar to a stretched elastic membrane. Inside each fluid, molecules are equally attracted in all directions by neighboring molecules, but surface molecules experience a net inward force, resulting in surface tension.
Surface tension varies...

Excess Pressure Inside a Drop and a Bubble

Excess Pressure Inside a Drop and a Bubble

The shape of a small drop of liquid can be considered spherical, neglecting the effect of gravity. This drop can further be considered as two equal hemispherical drops put together due to surface tension. The forces acting on the spherical drop are due to the pressure of the liquid inside the drop, the pressure due to air outside the drop, and the force due to the surface tension acting on the two hemispherical drops.

Factors Affecting Dissolution: Particle Size and Effective Surface Area

Factors Affecting Dissolution: Particle Size and Effective Surface Area

Dissolution kinetics, an essential aspect of oral drug delivery, is significantly influenced by the drug's particle size. According to the Noyes-Whitney dissolution model, the dissolution rate correlates directly with the drug's surface area. The larger the surface area, the higher the drug's solubility in water, leading to a faster drug dissolution rate. Reducing particle size increases the effective surface area, enhancing the dissolution process. Micronization and nanosizing are...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Announcement for JCIS.

Journal of colloid and interface science·2026

Same author

The effects of surfactant tail branching on oil-water interfacial tension reduction.

Journal of colloid and interface science·2025

Same author

Efficient silicon-containing di-chain anionic surfactants for stabilizing oil-water interfaces in microemulsions.

Soft matter·2025

Same author

New fluorine-free low surface energy surfactants and surfaces.

Journal of colloid and interface science·2025

Same author

Assessment of human emotional reactions to visual stimuli "deep-dreamed" by artificial neural networks.

Frontiers in psychology·2025

Same author

Post-mortem iris biometrics - Field, applications and methods.

Forensic science international·2024

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Apr 15, 2026

Studying Surfactant Effects on Hydrate Crystallization at Oil-Water Interfaces Using a Low-Cost Integrated Modular Peltier Device

Studying Surfactant Effects on Hydrate Crystallization at Oil-Water Interfaces Using a Low-Cost Integrated Modular Peltier Device

Published on: March 18, 2020

Surfactants at the Design Limit.

Adam Czajka¹, Gavin Hazell¹, Julian Eastoe¹

¹School of Chemistry, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 1TS, United Kingdom.

Langmuir : the ACS Journal of Surfaces and Colloids

|March 24, 2015

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

This study reveals how surfactant structure impacts surface tension. A new surface packing index (ϕcmc) helps predict and design highly efficient surfactants.

More Related Videos

Extraction and Characterization of Surfactants from Atmospheric Aerosols

Extraction and Characterization of Surfactants from Atmospheric Aerosols

Published on: April 21, 2017

Microtensiometer for Confocal Microscopy Visualization of Dynamic Interfaces

Microtensiometer for Confocal Microscopy Visualization of Dynamic Interfaces

Published on: September 9, 2022

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Apr 15, 2026

Studying Surfactant Effects on Hydrate Crystallization at Oil-Water Interfaces Using a Low-Cost Integrated Modular Peltier Device

Studying Surfactant Effects on Hydrate Crystallization at Oil-Water Interfaces Using a Low-Cost Integrated Modular Peltier Device

Published on: March 18, 2020

Extraction and Characterization of Surfactants from Atmospheric Aerosols

Extraction and Characterization of Surfactants from Atmospheric Aerosols

Published on: April 21, 2017

Microtensiometer for Confocal Microscopy Visualization of Dynamic Interfaces

Microtensiometer for Confocal Microscopy Visualization of Dynamic Interfaces

Published on: September 9, 2022

Area of Science:

Surface Chemistry
Colloid Science
Materials Science

Background:

Surfactant molecules possess distinct structural elements influencing their surface properties.
The limiting surface tension at the aqueous critical micelle concentration (γcmc) is a key surface property.
Understanding the role of hydrophobic tails is crucial for surfactant design.

Purpose of the Study:

To analyze the effect of individual structural elements of surfactants on surface properties, specifically γcmc.
To investigate how the chemical nature and structure of hydrophobic tails influence γcmc.
To introduce a generalized surface packing index (ϕcmc) for surfactant design.

Main Methods:

Comparison of three surfactant classes: fluorocarbon, silicone, and hydrocarbon.
Introduction and application of a generalized surface packing index (ϕcmc).
Analysis of the volume fraction of surfactant chain fragments in the surface film at the aqueous cmc.

Main Results:

A generalized surface packing index (ϕcmc) was introduced, independent of surfactant chemical nature.
ϕcmc was shown to represent the volume fraction of surfactant chain fragments in the surface film at the aqueous cmc.
The study demonstrated the utility of ϕcmc in understanding limiting surface tension.

Conclusions:

The structural elements of surfactants, particularly hydrophobic tails, significantly affect surface properties like γcmc.
The generalized surface packing index (ϕcmc) is a valuable tool for understanding surfactant behavior.
ϕcmc can guide the design of novel, superefficient surfactants with tailored surface properties.