Salt-Induced Modulation of Self-Assembly in C8-10 AlkylPolyGlucoside/Fatty Alcohol Formulations

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Colloid and Surface Chemistry

Background:

• Surfactant systems are crucial in various industrial applications.
• Developing environmentally benign and high-performance surfactants is an ongoing challenge.
• Understanding the role of additives in modulating surfactant behavior is essential.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a formulation strategy using alkyl polyglucoside (APG) surfactant Triton CG-110, 1-Dodecanol, and brine.
• To investigate the impact of brine on the rheological properties and nanostructure of the surfactant system.
• To achieve high oil-uptake efficiency for environmentally friendly surfactant applications.

Main Methods:

• Formulation development with Triton CG-110, 1-Dodecanol, and brine.
• Rheological property analysis under varying surfactant and salt concentrations.
• Small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) for nanostructure investigation.
• Determination of oil-uptake efficiency.

Main Results:

• Brine addition significantly modulates rheological properties, shifting behavior from viscous to viscoelastic and yield-pseudoplastic.
• Increased salinity enhances interparticle correlations in bicellar nanostructures, improving viscoelasticity and stability.
• The formulation achieved a high oil-uptake efficiency of 82%.

Conclusions:

• Brine plays a critical role in tuning the performance of APG-based surfactant systems.
• Nanoscale structural transitions induced by salinity and co-surfactants provide a basis for performance optimization.
• The developed formulation offers a pathway toward high-efficiency, environmentally benign surfactants for industrial use.