Synthesis and aggregation behaviors of tail-branched surfactant Guerbet-cetyl trimethyl ammonium chloride

A novel cationic surfactant Guerbet-cetyl trimethyl ammonium chloride (G-CTAC) was synthesized by combining several traditional synthetic processes in laboratory. The molecular structure of G-CTAC was characterized by Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectra and proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1HNMR). This new amphiphile exhibited excellent performances in aqueous solution, which was investigated by surface tension measurement, contact angle on parafilm, particle size of aggregates, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), emulsifying experiments, and antistatic tests. It was found that the new quaternary ammonium compound could effectively decrease the surface tension of aqueous solution to 26.2 mN m−1 with the critical micelle concentration (CMC) being 5.9 mmol L−1. In addition, the cationic surfactant synthesized could efficiently decrease the contact angle of aqueous solution on paraffin surface. We suppose that these unique properties are attributed to the presence of the branching Guerbet-cetyl being hydrophobic group in the molecule. Moreover, according to TEM observations, this quaternary ammonium compound was inclined to aggregate into vesicles spontaneously without induction of any other additives in aqueous solution. Antistatic tests and emulsifying experiments were also conducted to explore the potential applications of this new material.