Abstract
As the symbol of gemini surfactants, the spacer group connects two surfactant monomers and plays an important role in the self-assembling of gemini surfactants. Recent attention has been paid to the effects of spacer nature and length in aqueous systems. In this study, the aggregation behaviours of quaternary ammonium gemini surfactants 12-s-12 with different spacer length (s = 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 10, 12) have been investigated in the protic ionic liquid EAN. The micellization behaviour was characterized by surface tension measurement. With the help of small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS), the size and shape of aggregates were verified. The spacer length effect could be reflected by the changes in the micellization and phase behaviours of 12-s-12/EAN systems. The critical packing parameter of gemini molecules would decrease monotonically with the spacer length, which is supported by SAXS results. Due to the charge screening effect of EAN, the aggregation behaviours of 12-s-12 would be mainly influenced by spacer length. Our results would be the important supplement to the spacer length effect of gemini surfactants in the nonaqueous systems.
Graphical abstract
With the increase of spacer chain length, the reverse hexagonal lyotropic liquid crystal phase would transform into the micellar phase.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Menger FM, Keiper JS (2000) Gemini surfactants. Angew Chem Int Edit 39:1906–1920
Zana R (2002) Dimeric and oligomeric surfactants. Behavior at interfaces and in aqueous solution: a review. Adv Colloid Interf Sci 97:205–253
Zana R (2002) Dimeric (gemini) surfactants: effect of the spacer group on the association behavior in aqueous solution. J Colloid Interface Sci 248:203–220
In M, Zana R (2007) Phase behavior of gemini surfactants. J Dispers Sci Technol 28:143–154
Zana R, Benrraou M, Rueff R (1991) Alkanediyl-α, ω-bis(dimethylalkylammonium bromide) surfactants. 1. Effect of the spacer chain length on the critical micelle concentration and micelle ionization degree. Langmuir 7:1072–1075
Alami E, Levy H, Zana R, Skoulios A (1993) Alkanediyl-α,ω-bis(dimethylalky1ammoniumbromide) surfactants. 2. Structure of the lyotropic mesophases in the presence of water. Langmuir 9:940–944
Alami E, Beinert G, Marie P, Zana R (1993) Alkanediyl-α,ω-bis(dimethylalkylammonium bromide) surfactants. 3. Behavior at the air-water interface. Langmuir 9:1465–1467
Danino D, Talmon Y, Zana R (1995) Alkanediyl-α,ω-bis(dimethylalkylammonium bromide) Surfactants. 5. Aggregation and microstructure in aqueous solutions. Langmuir 11:1448–1456
Borse M, Sharma V, Aswal VK, Goyal PS, Devi S (2005) Effect of head group polarity and spacer chain length on the aggregation properties of gemini surfactants in an aquatic environment. J Colloid Interface Sci 284:282–288
Sikiric M, Primozic I, Talmon Y, Filipovic-Vincekovic N (2005) Effect of the spacer length on the association and adsorption behavior of dissymmetric gemini surfactants. J Colloid Interface Sci 281:473–481
Chen LF, Shang YZ, Liu HL, Hu Y (2006) Effect of the spacer group of cationic gemini surfactant on microemulsion phase behavior. J Colloid Interface Sci 301:644–650
Klijn JE, Stuart MCA, Scarzello M, Wagenaar A, Engberts JBFN (2006) pH-dependent phase behavior of carbohydrate-based gemini surfactants. Effect of the length of the hydrophobic spacer. J Phys Chem B 110:21694–21700
Ao MQ, Huang PP, Xu GY, Yang XD, Wang YJ (2009) Aggregation and thermodynamic properties of ionic liquid-type gemini imidazolium surfactants with different spacer length. Colloid Polym Sci 287:395–402
Yang JP, Xie JY, Chen GM, Chen XC (2009) Surface, interfacial and aggregation properties of sulfonic acid-containing gemini surfactants with different spacer lengths. Langmuir 25:6100–6105
Chavda S, Kuperkar K, Bahadur P (2011) Formation and growth of gemini surfactant (12-s-12) micelles as a modulate by spacers: a thermodynamic and small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) study. J Chem Eng Data 56:2647–2654
Cai B, Dong JF, Cheng L, Jiang Z, Yang Y, Li XF (2013) Adsorption and micellization of gemini surfactants with pyrrolidinium head groups: effect of the spacer length. Soft Matter 9:7637–7646
Sakai K, Nomura K, Shrestha RG, Endo T, Sakamoto K, Sakai H, Abe M (2014) Effects of spacer chain length of amino acid-based gemini surfactants on wormlike micelle formation. J Oleo Sci 63:249–255
Shi LJ, Sun PP, Zheng LQ (2016) Controllable hierarchical self-assembly of gemini supra-amphiphiles: the effect of spacer length. Soft Matter 12:8682–8689
Woch J, Ilowska J, Hordyjewicz-Baran Z, Arabasz S, Kaczmarczyk B, Grabowski R, Libera M, Dworak A, Trzebicka B (2018) Aqueous solution behaviour and solubilisation properties of octadecyl cationic gemini surfactants and their comparison with their amide gemini analogues. Soft Matter 14:754–764
Pal N, Samanta K, Mandal A (2019) A novel family of non-ionic gemini surfactants derived from sunflower oil: synthesis, characterization and physicochemical evaluation. J Mol Liq 275:638–653
Pei XM, Zhao JX, Ye YZ, You Y, Wei XL (2011) Wormlike micelles and gels reinforced by hydrogen bonding in aqueous cationic gemini surfactant systems. Soft Matter 7:2953–2960
Pei XM, Zhang Q, Liu Z, Song BL, Li R, Zhao JX, Cui ZG (2016) Surface dilatational properties of gemini surfactants containing multiple hydroxyl groups. Colloid Polym Sci 294:1405–1412
Tiwari AK, Sonu M, Sowmiya SK (2012) Saha, Micellization behavior of gemini surfactants with hydroxyl substituted spacers in water and water-organic solvent mixed media: the spacer effect. J Mol Liq 167:18–27
Dreja M, Gramberg S, Tieke B (1998) Cationic amphitropic gemini surfactants with hydrophilic oligo(oxyethylene) spacer chains. Chem Commun 13:1371–1372
Liu XP, Feng J, Zhang L, Gong QT, Zhao S, Yu JY (2010) Synthesis and properties of a novel class of anionic gemini surfactants with polyoxyethylene spacers. Colloids Surf A Physicochem Eng Asp 362:39–46
Bhadani A, Endo T, Sakai K, Sakai H, Abe M (2014) Synthesis and dilute aqueous solution properties of ester functionalized cationic gemini surfactants having different ethylene oxide units as spacer. Colloid Polym Sci 292:1685–1692
Li YJ, Li PX, Dong CC, Wang XY, Wang YL, Yan HK, Thomas RK (2006) Aggregation properties of cationic gemini surfactants with partially fluorinated spacers in aqueous solution. Langmuir 22:42–45
Song BL, Hu YF, Zhao JX (2009) A single-component photo-responsive fluid based on a gemini surfactant with an azobenzene spacer. J Colloid Interface Sci 333:820–822
Xie DH, Zhao JX (2013) Unique aggregation behavior of a carboxylate gemini surfactant with a long rigid spacer in aqueous solution. Langmuir 29:545–553
Wang LY, Zhang Y, Ding LM, Liu J, Zhao B, Deng QG, Yan T (2015) Synthesis and physiochemical properties of novel gemini surfactants with phenyl-1,4-bis(carbamoylmethyl) spacer. RSC Adv 5:74764–74773
Zhu DY, Cheng F, Chen Y, Jiang SC (2012) Preparation, characterization and properties of anionic gemini surfactants with long rigid or semi-rigid spacers. Colloids Surf A Physicochem Eng Asp 397:1–7
Fu SQ, Guo JW, Zhong X, Yang Z, Lai XF (2016) Synthesis, physiochemical property and antibacterial activity of gemini quaternary ammonium salts with a rigid spacer. RSC Adv 6:16507–16515
Qi RL, Liu J, Zhang N, Ji XL, Han YC, Wang YL (2019) Assembly and evolution of gemini-type peptide amphiphile with a di-lysine spacer. Langmuir 35:6154–6160
Wang MN, Han YC, Qiao FL, Wang YL (2015) Aggregation behavior of a gemini surfactant with a tripeptide spacer. Soft Matter 11:1517–1524
Deng SL, Zhao J (2018) Self-assembly of cationic gemini surfactants, alkanediyl-bis-(dimethyldodecyl-ammonium bromide), in cyclohexane: effects of spacer length on their association into reverse lyotropic liquid crystalline or reverse vesicles. Soft Matter 14:734–741
Li QT, Yao MH, Yue X, Chen X (2017) Effects of a spacer on the phase behavior of gemini surfactants in ethanolammonium nitrate. Langmuir 33:4328–4336
Li QT, Wang XD, Yue X, Chen X (2015) Unique phase behaviors in the gemini surfactant/EAN binary system: the role of the hydroxyl group. Langmuir 31:13511–13518
Greaves TL, Drummond CJ (2008) Ionic liquids as amphiphile self-assembly media. Chem Soc Rev 37:1709–1726
Greaves TL, Drummond CJ (2008) Protic ionic liquids: properties and applications. Chem Rev 108:206–237
Wang XD, Chen X, Zhao YR, Yue X, Li QH, Li ZH (2012) Nonaqueous lyotropic liquid-crystalline phases formed by gemini surfactants in a protic ionic liquid. Langmuir 28:2476–2484
Greaves TL, Weerawardena A, Fong C, Drummond CJ (2007) Many protic ionic liquids mediate hydrocarbon-solvent interactions and promote amphiphile self-assembly. Langmuir 23:402–404
Wang MN, Wang YL (2014) Development of surfactant coacervation in aqueous solution. Soft Matter 10:7909–7919
Evans DF, Yamauchi A, Roman R, Casassa EZ (1982) Micelle formation in ethylammonium nitrate, a low-melting fused salt. J Colloid Interface Sci 88:89–96
Fernandez-Castro B, Mendez-Morales T, Carrete J, Fazer E, Cabeza O, Rodriguez JR, Turmine M, Varela LM (2011) Surfactant self-assembly nanostructures in protic ionic liquids. J Phys Chem B 115:8145–8154
Israelachvili JN (1992) Intermolecular and surface forces. Academic Press, San Diego
Boschkova K, Feiler A, Kronberg B, Stålgren JJR (2002) Adsorption and frictional properties of gemini surfactants at solid surfaces. Langmuir 18:7930–7935
Funding
The authors received financial supports from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (21703175, 21673129, and 51905158), Xuzhou University of Technology, and the Project National United Engineering Laboratory for Advanced Bearing Tribology, Henan University of Science and Technology (No. 201812).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding authors
Ethics declarations
Competing interest
The authors declare that they have no competing interests.
Additional information
Publisher’s note
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Supplementary Information
ESM 1
(DOCX 2992 kb)
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Li, Q., Wang, X., Zhuang, W. et al. Spacer length effect on the aggregation behaviours of gemini surfactants in EAN. Colloid Polym Sci 299, 685–692 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00396-020-04795-1
Received:
Revised:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00396-020-04795-1