Self-assembling and foaming properties of nonionic, cardanol-based surfactants in aqueous solutions

Surfactants from renewable sources have gained attention due to their potential as substituents for petroleumbased chemicals. In this sense, surfactants based on cardanol, a compound abundant in the cashew nutshell liquid, have been proposed as suitable candidates for this purpose. However, their application is hindered by the lack of quantitative and reliable information about their bulk and surface properties in aqueous solutions. In this work, for the first time, three nonionic, cardanol-derived surfactants (7EO, 9EO, and 12EO), with different number of ethylene oxide (EO) units in the polar headgroup, had their foaming performances analyzed and correlated with their respective surface (equilibrium and dynamic surface tension and surface viscoelasticity) and bulk (cloud points, critical micelle concentration, micelle diameter, and viscosity) properties. Depending on the EO number, different scenarios were seen. Solutions containing the 7EO surfactant were below the cloud point at room temperature and presented antifoaming properties. Aqueous solutions of 9EO and 12EO displayed foamability comparable to solutions prepared with a traditionally employed anionic surfactant (sodium dodecyl sulfate, SDS) at the same concentrations. The surfactant 12EO presented a rapid surface adsorption, thus favoring the formation of large amounts of foam during aeration. Furthermore, solutions of 9EO resulted in foams that were considerably more stable than the ones formed by SDS. Such an enhanced stability was attributed to the presence of elongated micelles, formed at the vicinity of the cloud point, that increased solution viscosity and delayed the liquid drainage in the foams. This surfactant also promoted the formation of highly viscoelastic surface films that contributed to foam stabilization. The obtained results suggest that these surfactants can be used in the formulation of new products with a more sustainable character and with improved properties. Moreover, they indicate the important interchange among bulk aggregates, surface properties and foam stability in aqueous surfactant systems.