Surfactant
1. Product overview
Surfactant is a kind of amphoteric molecule with hydrophilic group ** and hydrophobic group **, which can significantly reduce the surface tension of liquid and has the characteristics of excellent wetting, emulsification, dispersion, solubilization and foaming. Widely used in daily chemical, petroleum, textile, medicine, agriculture and other fields, is an indispensable functional chemical in modern industry.
2. Main categories and representative products
| Type | Features | indicates the typical application of the product | |
|-------------------|--------------------------|--------------------------------|---------------------------|
| anionic | resistant to hard water, strong deterring power | sodium dodecyl benzene sulfonate (LAS), sodium dodecyl sulfate (SLS), AES (sodium fatty alcohol polyoxyethylene ether sulfate) | laundry detergent, dish soap, shampoo |
| cationic | antibacterial, antistatic, soft | cetyltrimethyl ammonium bromide (CTAB), dioctadecyl dimethyl ammonium chloride (D1821) | softener, disinfectant, conditioner |
| non-ionic | low bubble, mild, acid and alkali resistant | fatty alcohol polyoxyethylene ether (AEO), alkyl phenol polyoxyethylene ether (OP/TX series) | industrial cleaning, pesticide emulsification, cosmetics |
| amphotic | low irritant, good compatibility | cocamidopropyl betaine (CAB), dodecyl dimethylamine oxide (OB-2) | baby shampoo, high-end facial cleanser |
3. Core functions
✔ Decontamination and cleaning: damage the oil interface, enhance the washing effect (such as LAS, AES)
✔ Emulsification stability: make the oil and water form a stable emulsion (such as Span/Tween series)
✔ Foam stabilization: Enrich foam and extend durability (such as AOS, K12)
✔ Wetting penetration: Improve the spread of liquid on solid surfaces (e.g. AEO-9)
✔ Antistatic soft: reduce fiber friction charge (such as quaternary ammonium salts)
4. Application field
- Daily chemical industry: shampoo, body wash, toothpaste, skin care products
- Industrial cleaning: metal degreasing, circuit board cleaning, oil field displacement
- Textile dyeing: levelling agent, scouring agent, antistatic agent
- Pesticide chemical industry: pesticide emulsification, spray additives
- Food medicine: drug carrier, food emulsification (such as phospholipids)
5. Technical advantages
- Environmentally friendly: meets OECD 301 biodegradation standards (e.g. APG, AOS)
- High performance: high temperature resistance/high salt (such as petroleum sulfonates)
- Customization: Adjustable HLB value (hydrophilic and hydrophilic balance) to meet different needs
6. Development trend
- Greening: Development of bio-based surfactants (such as glycosides)
- Multi-functional: both cleaning, sterilization, skin care and other multiple effects
- High purity: Pharmaceutical/electronic grade specialty surfactants (e.g. PFPE)