On the effect of pH on spreading of surfactant solutions on hydrophobic surfaces

J Colloid Interface Sci. 2009 Apr 15;332(2):497-504. doi: 10.1016/j.jcis.2008.12.078. Epub 2009 Jan 10.

Abstract

Surfactants are invaluable in a number of agricultural applications in products such as pesticides and herbicides. In these products, surfactants are very often used in conjunction with acidifiers in order to improve their half-life. In this paper, we investigate how the change in pH affects surfactant wetting and spreading. We compare the performance of a conventional surfactant, Triton X-100, with that of a trisiloxane superspreader, Silwet L-77, on a number of polymer coated surfaces exhibiting various degrees of hydrophobicity. Silwet L-77 in water based solutions showed very good wetting capability on all surfaces. However, its wetting ability was drastically reduced with the addition of acetic acid. On the other hand, Triton X-100 was not affected by the addition of acid and exhibited the same spreading behaviour as in water-based solutions.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Hydrogen-Ion Concentration
  • Hydrophobic and Hydrophilic Interactions
  • Octoxynol
  • Organosilicon Compounds
  • Surface-Active Agents / chemistry*
  • Wettability

Substances

  • Organosilicon Compounds
  • Surface-Active Agents
  • silwet L-77
  • Octoxynol