Mixtures of anionic and cationic surfactants with single and twin head groups: Solubilization and adsolubilization of styrene and ethylcyclohexane

Mixtures of anionic and cationic surfactants with single and twin head groups were used to solubilize styrene and ethylcyclohexane into mixed micelles and adsolubilize them into mixed admicelles on silica and alumina surfaces. Two combinations of anionic and cationic surfactants were studied: (i) a single-head anionic surfactant, sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), with a twin-head cationic surfactant, pentamethyl-octadecyl-1,3-propane diammonium dichloride (PODD), and (ii) a twin-head anionic surfactant, sodium hexadecyl-diphenyloxide disulfonate (SHDPDS), with a single-head cationic surfactant, cloclecylpyridinium chloride (DPCl). Mixtures of SDS/PODD showed solubilization synergism (increased oil solubilization capacity) when mixed at a molar ratio of 13; however, the SHDPDS/DPCl mixture at a ratio of 3:1 did not show solubilization enhancement over SHDPDS alone. Adsolubilization studies of SDS/PODD (enriched in PODD) adsorbed on negatively charged silica and SHDPDS/DPCl adsorbed on positively charged alumina showed that while mixtures of anionic and cationic surfactants had little effect on the adsolubilization of styrene, the adsolubilization of ethylcyclohexane was greater in mixed SHDPDS/DPCl systems than for SHDPDS alone. Finally, it was concluded that whereas mixing anionic and cationic surfactants with single and double head groups can improve the solubilization capacity of micelles or admicelles, the magnitude of the solubilization enhancement depends on the molecular structure of the surfactant and the ratio of anionic surfactant to cationic surfactant in the micelle or admicelle.