Nanjing Chemical Material Corp.
Service
Products

Principle of Surface Tension Reduction by Surfactants Principle of Surface Tension Reduction by Surfactants

In order to reduce the surface tension of water, for example, the surfactant molecules have hydrophilic and lipophilic groups. Due to the repulsion between the lipophilic groups and the water molecules, in order to find the lowest energy form of existence, the wholesale surfactant molecules are first arranged on the surface of an aqueous solution with the hydrophilic groups facing down (contact with water molecules) and the lipophilic groups facing up (contact with air molecules). Additional surfactant molecules move into the solution only when there is no room at the liquid surface to accept them. The hydrophilic radical is attracted downwards by water molecules, but this attraction is clearly weaker than the attraction between water molecules because the polarity of the hydrophilic radical is weaker than that of water molecules; the lipophilic radical is attracted upwards by air molecules, and this attraction is stronger than the attraction between air molecules and water molecules because the relatively larger volume allows the lipophilic radical to come into contact with more air molecules, and the weaker polarity also allows the lipophilic radical to better interact with the air molecules. Lipophilic radical and air molecules are fused and attracted to each other.


Overall, the downward gravitational force is weakened and the upward gravitational force is increased, and the force imbalance of surfactant agent molecules is weaker than that of water molecules, so that the surface of an aqueous solution with an arrangement of surfactant molecules is clearly weaker than the surface of water molecules alone, where the force imbalance is weaker and, macroscopically, the surface tension is reduced.


The surface of an aqueous surfactantsolution consists of water molecules and surfactant molecules. The attraction between surfactant produced by the surfactant manufacturers and water molecules is weaker than the attraction between water molecules and, as the surfactant molecules are larger than the water molecules, they are closer together. With the distance decreasing, the attraction between them also decreases.Therefore the attraction between surfactant molecules is also weaker than that between water molecules.


In general, in the surface of an aqueous solution with surfactant molecules, the attraction between the molecules is reduced and the taut state of the surface is reduced, which enables the surfactant to reduce the surface tension.

Related News
  • Propionaldehyde

    Propionaldehyde

    September 23, 20212-Methylbutanoic acid, is a branched-chain alkyl carboxylic acid, it is also known as 2-methylbutyric acid. Itschemical formulaisCH₃CH₂CHCO₂H,which makes ita short-chain fatty acid. Racemic 2-methy...view
  • The Preparation Method of Bronopol

    The Preparation Method of Bronopol

    October 30, 2020Bronopol can be obtained by two reactions of alkanes hydroxylation and bromination with nitromethane and formaldehyde as raw materials and under alkaline conditions. The reaction equations are as foll...view
  • Main Applications of Bronopol

    Main Applications of Bronopol

    October 30, 2020At ordinary temperature, bronopol is a kind of white to light yellow and yellowish brown crystalline powder. It is odorless, tasteless, soluble in water, ethanol and propylene glycol but difficult to ...view
  • Happy Mid-Autumn Festival

    Happy Mid-Autumn Festival

    January 30, 2018There are always debates among Chinese on the flavors of certain traditional Chinese food such as dumplings, tofu pudding and moon cake about choosing sweet or salty. This Mid-Autumn Festival, let’s ...view
  • Preservative Effect of Cocoamido Propil Betaina

    Preservative Effect of Cocoamido Propil Betaina

    May 17, 2021Cocoamido propil betaina, also known as coconut betaine (abbreviated CAPB), is a coconut oil derivative that is a viscous yellow liquid produced when raw coconut oil is mixed with a naturally derived ...view
  • Analysis of the Significance of the Polyether Polyol Cas Number Technology

    Analysis of the Significance of the Polyether Polyol Cas Number Technology

    January 11, 2022Polyether polyol cas number is one of the most commonly used chemical materials. The technical indicators of polyether include hydroxyl value, acid value, moisture and so on. In general, manufacturers...view
  • TEL:+86-25-52337978
  • EMAIL: info@njchm.com
  • ADDRESS:12/F, Block B, Technology and Innovation Building, Nanjing University of Technology, No.5 New Model Road, Nanjing 210009, China