Phase behavior and detergency study of lauryl alcohol ethoxylates with high ethylene oxide content

Nonionic surfactants such as fatty alcohol ethoxylates have been extensively used in many detergent applications, because of their high calcium ion tolerance, low critical micelle concentrations, and mildness. Although ethoxylates containing high ethylene oxide (EO) content (EO > 10 moles) score higher than their low-EO counterparts on many of these desired properties, they have not been studied adequately in the context of detergency, primarily because their cloud points (CP) are higher than normal wash temperatures, typically >100 degrees C, and thus cannot be measured. However, once the CP are manipulated appropriately using salting-out electrolytes, these surfactants can offer certain distinct advantages in terms of their molecular and phase structure. We have studied the phase structure and clouding behavior of tetradecyl ethylene-oxide mono dodecyl alcohol (C12EO14) a broad-range ethoxylate, as a function of the concentrations of various electrolytes. We found that, beyond a certain critical concentration, the CP decreases monotonically with increasing salt concentration. For sodium salts of various anions, the CP depression is inversely proportional to the lyotropic number of the anion. Similarly, for chloride salts of various cations, CP depression is inversely proportional to the lyotropic number of the cation. However, the effect of changing anion is stronger than that of changing cation. A micrograph of a water penetration scan at room temperature indicates the presence of isotropic L-1; hexagonal, isotropic L-2; and solid phases with increasing surfactant concentration. As is the case with low-EO nonionics, a maximum in detergency of model oily soils was found to correlate well with the minimum in oil/water interfacial tension when plotted vs, temperature. Ross Miles foam height increases with increasing concentration of salt.