The impact of dissymmetry on the aggregation properties of heterogemini surfactants

Herein, a series of heterogemini surfactants (YS-12, YS-14, YS-16, and YS-18) have been investigated in aqueous solution. Surface tension, steady shear, and rheological measurements were employed to study the impact of their molecular structure on the aggregation properties. The concentration, counter-ion, and temperature were varied in order to establish a relationship among them. The surface tension measurement results showed that YS-12 and YS-14 possessed superior surface activities among all surfactants. Viscosity and SEM analyses indicated that YS-16 and YS-18 could form complex network structures in the absence of counter-ions, while YS-12 and YS-14 required counter-ion additives. Furthermore, molecular dynamics simulations demonstrated that the length of the shorter hydrophobic chain could affect the hydrophobicity of the whole surfactant.