Progress in Surfactants with Low Environmental Impact

A special issue of Colloids and Interfaces (ISSN 2504-5377).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 September 2023) | Viewed by 9772

Special Issue Editors

Lab FIRP, Universidad de Los Andes, Merida, Venezuela
Interests: emulsions; surfactants; lignin; formulation; membranes
Laboratoire Physico-chimie des Interfaces Complexes, ESPCI Paris, 10 rue Vauquelin, F-75231 Paris, France
Interests: colloid and interface science; surfactants; interfacial rheology; biofuels; formulation
Solenis LLC, Wilmington, DE, USA
Interests: colloids; fibers; forest biomaterials; biobased materials; sustainability; cellulose

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Surfactants are chemical species that are ubiquitous in most of processes related to everyday life. Their chemical structure and crucial behavior at interfaces make their research in synthesis and product application at universities and industries of utmost importance. This Special Issue aims to report recent advances in surfactant science, including the deployment of new processes and surfactant molecules tailored to attain promising performance properties. These comprise:

  • New surfactants and low environmental impact processes to comply with new industry regulations, e.g., polyethoxylated surfactants with low dioxane content, and/or surfactants derived from biobased or lignocellulosic materials, which partially or entirely substitute the petroleum-derived content.
  • Innovative biobased or biosurfactants, including the study of their behavior at surfaces and interfaces and their applications.
  • Innovative use of correlations to formulate with surfactants, including Hydrophilic-Lipophilic Deviation (HLD), Hansen Solubility Parameters, and molecular dynamic simulations to predict properties.
  • Applications of surfactants in pioneering processes such as biorefineries, new detergent, pharmaceutical or cosmetic formulations, wastewater remediation, metal recuperation from battery waste, and use in advanced (bio)fuels, among others.

The goal is to report recent surfactant-related research able to provide industry stakeholders with a toolbox of molecules and surface/interfacial behaviors to comply with new sustainability regulations worldwide.

Dr. Johnny Bullon
Dr. Ronald Marquez
Dr. Franklin Zambrano
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Colloids and Interfaces is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • surfactant
  • interface
  • formulation
  • biobased
  • eco-friendly
  • sustainability
  • performance
  • emulsion
  • detergent
  • cosmetic
  • pharmaceutic
  • petroleum
  • food

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

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0 pages, 4633 KiB  
Article
Enhancing Oil-Uptake Efficiency with an Alkyl Polyglycoside–Dodecanol Formulation
by Lorenzo Veronico, Giuseppe Colafemmina and Luigi Gentile
Colloids Interfaces 2024, 8(1), 6; https://doi.org/10.3390/colloids8010006 - 04 Jan 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1813 | Correction
Abstract
This study provides valuable insights into biobased surfactant systems, shedding light on their behavior and potential applications in cleaning and oil recovery processes. By combining the alkyl polyglycoside Triton® CG-110 with C12OH fatty alcohol, a promising strategy emerges, enhancing the [...] Read more.
This study provides valuable insights into biobased surfactant systems, shedding light on their behavior and potential applications in cleaning and oil recovery processes. By combining the alkyl polyglycoside Triton® CG-110 with C12OH fatty alcohol, a promising strategy emerges, enhancing the efficiency of surfactant-based formulations. This innovative approach paves the way for sustainable solutions in diverse industrial applications. A rheological analysis of the formulations containing C12OH demonstrated a Newtonian-like behavior of up to 3.2 v/v% of Triton, while a viscoelastic response was observed in a system containing 6.4 v/v% of Triton. Self-diffusion nuclear magnetic resonance revealed the formation of larger aggregates with C12OH, diverging from the classical spherical micellar solution. Moreover, cleaning efficiency tests highlighted C12OH’s significant enhancement of the surfactant system’s oil-uptake capacity. This study identified the optimum formulation point, corresponding to the Winsor III microemulsion phase, in samples containing C12OH. This pivotal discovery showcases the potential of tailored surfactant blends, indicating a path toward greener and more effective industrial practices. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Progress in Surfactants with Low Environmental Impact)
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13 pages, 5495 KiB  
Article
Effect of Surfactants/Gels on the Stability of Boron Particle Dispersion in Liquid Fuel
by P. Dilipkumar, Shirish H. Sonawane and S. Srinath
Colloids Interfaces 2023, 7(2), 37; https://doi.org/10.3390/colloids7020037 - 24 Apr 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1386
Abstract
Metal-based nanofillers are used as disperssants to enhance thermal conductivity for a minimal fuel requirement to extract maximum energy. To achieve this, metal-based nanofillers must be suspended uniformly into jet fuel so that desired propulsive characteristics can be achieved. However, the dispersion of [...] Read more.
Metal-based nanofillers are used as disperssants to enhance thermal conductivity for a minimal fuel requirement to extract maximum energy. To achieve this, metal-based nanofillers must be suspended uniformly into jet fuel so that desired propulsive characteristics can be achieved. However, the dispersion of the metal-based nanofillers into the jet fuel is a critical challenge due to the density and viscosity that are independent parameters with a scattered relation. Hence, in the current work, we intended to investigate the propulsive characteristics of the JP-10 (Exo-Tetra Hydro Dicyclopentadiene) jet fuel dispersed with boron particles (BP) at various concentrations. The challenge involved in the current work was to make dispersion stable for a longer period due to the absence of functional groups entailed to BPs. Alongside JP-10, is a single-component, high-density hydrocarbon that can that can exhibit thixotropic characteristic in nature and hence combining with BP makes it difficult; hence, there is a need for oligomerization or the addition of surfactants that are derived from oligomers. Hence, in the current work, the BPs were dispersed in jet fuel by the ultrasound probe with various surfactants, namely Hydroxyl Terminated Polybutadiene (HTPB), Triton X-100, Span 80, Oleic acid, and Sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), followed by an investigation of their stability. The experimental studies reported that the stability of the boron was longest, for 54 h, with 0.5 wt.% boron and 0.3 wt.% HTPB at a micron size of the boron particles (325 ± 25 nm). The uniform dispersion of the particles was achieved by the effect of the ultrasound probe. From the thermal analysis, a total weight loss of 25% was observed within a short range of temperatures, i.e., 50 to 200 °C. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Progress in Surfactants with Low Environmental Impact)
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15 pages, 4099 KiB  
Article
Characterization of Micelle Formation by the Single Amino Acid-Based Surfactants Undecanoic L-Isoleucine and Undecanoic L-Norleucine in the Presence of Diamine Counterions with Varying Chain Lengths
by Amber Maynard-Benson, Mariya Alekisch, Alyssa Wall, Eugene J. Billiot, Fereshteh H. Billiot and Kevin F. Morris
Colloids Interfaces 2023, 7(2), 28; https://doi.org/10.3390/colloids7020028 - 04 Apr 2023
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Abstract
The binding of linear diamine counterions with different methylene chain lengths to the amino-acid-based surfactants undecanoic L-isoleucine (und-IL) and undecanoic L-norleucine (und-NL) was investigated with NMR spectroscopy. The counterions studied were 1,2-ethylenediamine, 1,3-diaminopropane, 1,4-diaminobutane, 1,5-diaminopentane, and 1,6-diaminohexane. These counterions were all linear diamines [...] Read more.
The binding of linear diamine counterions with different methylene chain lengths to the amino-acid-based surfactants undecanoic L-isoleucine (und-IL) and undecanoic L-norleucine (und-NL) was investigated with NMR spectroscopy. The counterions studied were 1,2-ethylenediamine, 1,3-diaminopropane, 1,4-diaminobutane, 1,5-diaminopentane, and 1,6-diaminohexane. These counterions were all linear diamines with varying spacer chain lengths between the two amine functional groups. The sodium counterion was studied as well. Results showed that when the length of the counterion methylene chain was increased, the surfactants’ critical micelle concentrations (CMC) decreased. This decrease was attributed to diamines with longer methylene chains binding to multiple surfactant monomers below the CMC and thus acting as templating agents for the formation of micelles. The entropic hydrophobic effect and differences in diamine counterion charge also contributed to the size of the micelles and the surfactants’ CMCs in the solution. NMR diffusion measurements showed that the micelles formed by both surfactants were largest when 1,4-diaminobutane counterions were present in the solution. This amine also had the largest mole fraction of micelle-bound counterions. Finally, the und-NL micelles were larger than the und-IL micelles when 1,4-diaminobutane counterions were bound to the micelle surface. A model was proposed in which this surfactant formed non-spherical aggregates with both the surfactant molecules’ hydrocarbon chains and n-butyl amino acid side chains pointing toward the micelle core. The und-IL micelles, in contrast, were smaller and likely spherically shaped. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Progress in Surfactants with Low Environmental Impact)
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Review

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40 pages, 14135 KiB  
Review
Unique Fiber Morphologies from Emulsion Electrospinning—A Case Study of Poly(ε-caprolactone) and Its Applications
by Sagnik Ghosh, Anilkumar Yadav, Pramod M. Gurave and Rajiv K. Srivastava
Colloids Interfaces 2023, 7(1), 19; https://doi.org/10.3390/colloids7010019 - 27 Feb 2023
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2902
Abstract
The importance of electrospinning to produce biomimicking micro- and nano-fibrous matrices is realized by many who work in the area of fibers. Based on the solubility of the materials to be spun, organic solvents are typically utilized. The toxicity of the utilized organic [...] Read more.
The importance of electrospinning to produce biomimicking micro- and nano-fibrous matrices is realized by many who work in the area of fibers. Based on the solubility of the materials to be spun, organic solvents are typically utilized. The toxicity of the utilized organic solvent could be extremely important for various applications, including tissue engineering, biomedical, agricultural, etc. In addition, the high viscosities of such polymer solutions limit the use of high polymer concentrations and lower down productivity along with the limitations of obtaining desired fiber morphology. This emphasizes the need for a method that would allay worries about safety, toxicity, and environmental issues along with the limitations of using concentrated polymer solutions. To mitigate these issues, the use of emulsions as precursors for electrospinning has recently gained significant attention. Presence of dispersed and continuous phase in emulsion provides an easy route to incorporate sensitive bioactive functional moieties within the core-sheath fibers which otherwise could only be hardly achieved using cumbersome coaxial electrospinning process in solution or melt based approaches. This review presents a detailed understanding of emulsion behavior during electrospinning along with the role of various constituents and process parameters during fiber formation. Though many polymers have been studied for emulsion electrospinning, poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) is one of the most studied polymers for this technique. Therefore, electrospinning of PCL based emulsions is highlighted as unique case-study, to provide a detailed theoretical understanding, discussion of experimental results along with their suitable biomedical applications. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Progress in Surfactants with Low Environmental Impact)
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Other

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1 pages, 142 KiB  
Correction
Correction: Veronico et al. Enhancing Oil-Uptake Efficiency with an Alkyl Polyglycoside–Dodecanol Formulation. Colloids Interfaces 2024, 8, 6
by Lorenzo Veronico, Giuseppe Colafemmina and Luigi Gentile
Colloids Interfaces 2024, 8(2), 15; https://doi.org/10.3390/colloids8020015 - 29 Feb 2024
Viewed by 437
Abstract
In the original publication [...] Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Progress in Surfactants with Low Environmental Impact)
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