Synergistic Behavior Between Zwitterionic Surfactant α-Decylbetaine and Anionic Surfactant Sodium Dodecyl Sulfate

Here, we present experimental surface tension isotherms of mixed solutions of a zwitterionic surfactant alpha-decylbetaine (DB) and an anionic surfactant sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) in different molar ratios. These mixed solutions show a composition dependency with respect to both surface tension effectiveness and critical micelle concentration. The pseudo-regular solution theory has been used to evaluate the interaction parameters in the micelle, beta (m) and at the surface, beta (s). The results revealed that the mixed solutions of DB/SDS behave synergistically in both surface tension reduction effectiveness and mixed micelle formation at all mole fractions investigated. The values of adsorption area per surfactant molecule at air/solution interface were estimated, which provides some useful information on evaluating the interaction between DB and SDS in mixed adsorbed monolayers. The solubilization behaviors of toluene in DB/SDS mixed solutions were also investigated to help in understanding the structure of mixed micelles of DB and SDS.