Handbook of Surfactants

This book provides practical help to users of surfactants and those who make formulations with surfactants. Surfactants are described in terms of their chemical structure, principal physical properties, functional properties, principal end uses and requirements for quality control. Methods of manufacture, raw materials used in manufacture, by-products and impurities, and general physical properties, surfactant properties, functional properties, applications and specifications for 45 different types of surfactants are covered. All the main types of surface active agents that are commercially available are included. In this second edition, the original material has been revised, updated and extended, with particular attention to two areas of the book where there has been considerable publication of new material. The chapter on polymeric surfactants has been rewritten, as additional data on polymeric surfactants have become available since publication of the first edition. The opportunity has also been taken to extend the technical data on the basic surfactants themselves - in particular, the alkyl polyglycosides and the narrow range ethoxylates - but there are many small additions to make the data more complete. The aim of the first edition was only to cover in depth those surfactants commercially available; as a result many very interesting surfactants were not described. This edition includes a few novel surfactants (bolaform, Gemini, polymerizable and labile surfactants), but only those which are probably on the point of commercialisation. A significant feature is a complete rewrite and update of the chapter on the use of surfactant theory, where considerable advances have been made in recent years. This approach is essentially non-mathematical and describes in graphical form the principal features of adsorption and micelles, and how these can affect solution behaviour and functional properties such as wetting, foaming, microemulsions, macroemulsions, dispersions and detergency. The volume is directed at research chemists and technologists in companies manufacturing surfactants and formulations of surfactants, and at users of surfactant formulations in the fields of speciality chemicals, plastics, detergents and related areas.