Properties of some nonionic fluorocarbon surfactants and their mixtures with hydrocarbon ones

The adsorption of Zonyl FSN-100 (FSN100, having an average 14 oxyethylene units and 6 -CF₂ groups) and Zonyl FSO-100 (FSO100, having an average 10 oxyethylene units and 5 -CF₂ groups) as well as of their mixtures with p-(1,1,3,3-tetramethylbutyl) phenoxypoly(ethylene glycols) having 10, 16 and 8 oxyethylene groups in molecule (TX100, TX165, TX114) and cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) at the solution-air and polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE)-solution and polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA)-solution interfaces as well as the composition of the surface mixed layer was discussed based on the literature data. The adsorption properties of nonionic fluorocarbon surfactants were compared to those of the classical ones on the basis of the Gibbs standard free energy of adsorption determined by different ways and the intermolecular interactions of the surfactant molecules through the water phase. The synergetic effect in the reduction of the water surface tension by the mixture of fluorocarbon and classical nonionic surfactant was shown and explained by the comparison of the composition of the mixed surface layer to those in the bulk phase. The composition of the mixed fluorocarbon and classical surfactant layer at the solution-air interface was compared to that formed at the PTFE-solution and PMMA-solution interfaces. The changes of the surface tension of the aqueous solution of the fluorocarbon surfactants and their mixtures with classical hydrocarbon ones and their adsorption were analyzed taking into account the PTFE and PMMA surface wettability. This analysis was also based on the components and parameters of the head and tail of the surfactants surface tension as well as those of PTFE and PMMA. Apart from adsorption and wetting properties the aggregation of the fluorocarbon surfactants and their mixtures was discussed. A specific attention was paid to the possibility of two CMC values in the case of nonionic fluorocarbon surfactants as well as the synergism in CMC of mixtures of nonionic fluorocarbon and hydrocarbon surfactants.