Alkyl polyglucosides as hydrotropes

• The hydrotropic effect of sugar-based surfactants has been studied and compared with totoul-4-sulphonic acid, which was used as as model hydrotrope. The effect has been assessed as the cloud point elevation of a solution containing different nonionic surfactants upon addition of the hydrotrope. Sugar-based surfactants with intermediate alkyl chain lenths were proven to be very effective in elevating the cloud point, while surfactants with a short or a long hydrophobic part had a lesser effect. The influence of the sugarbased surfactants on the phase behaviour and stability of a microemulsion of water, sodium dodecyl sulphate and pentanol was determined. The effects on the phase behaviour and the cloud point elevation on addition of a sugarbased surfactant are highly dependent on the structure of the surfactant. However, no correlation could be found between the structural effects as observed in the two studied functions.

Keyword

APG

cloud point

coupling

hydrotrope

liquid crystals

microemulsion

phase diagram

sugar-based surfactant

Publication and Content Type

ref (subject category)

art (subject category)