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Comparative study of organic co-solvents on micellar and surface behavior of ionic surfactants: effects of DMSO, acetonitrile, and 1-propanol

  • Sujit Kumar Shah

    Dr Sujit Kumar Shah, Assistant Professor in the Department of Chemistry, Mahendra Morang Adarsh Multiple Campus, Tribhuvan University, Biratnagar, has been awarded the 2020 The Fulbright Programme Fulbright Visiting Scholar Award. During the programme, Dr. Shah conducted research on the preparation and characterisation of carbon dot nanoparticles for photocatalytic degradation of organic pollutants from wastewater at the Department of Chemistry, University of Miami, Florida under the supervision of Professor Roger M. Leblanc. He also presented his research work at Thomas More University, Kentucky through the Outreach Lecture Fund provided by Fulbright for Visiting Scholars during his stay.

         , Afshana Giri

    Ms Afshana Giri completed her Master of Science in Chemistry from the Department of Chemistry, Mahendra Morang Adarsh Multi-Campus, Tribhuvan University, Biratnagar, Nepal. At present, Ms Giri is working in different colleges of Biratnagar area.

         , Sarupa Adhikari

    Ms Sarupa Adhikari has completed Master of Science in Chemistry from the Department of Chemistry, Mahendra Morang Adarsh Mutiple Campus, Tribhuvan University, Biratnagar, Nepal. Currently, Ms Adhikari is working in the National Forensic Science Laboratory, Kathmandu, Government of Nepal.

         and Ajaya Bhattarai

    Dr Ajaya Bhattarai is a member of the Tribhuvan University Service Commission and Professor of Chemistry at Mahendra Morang Adarsh Multiple Campus, Tribhuvan University, Biratnagar, Nepal. He received his M.Sc. degree in Physical Chemistry from Tribhuvan University in 1998 and his Ph.D. degree in Polymer Chemistry from North Bengal University, India in 2010. He has been working at Tribhuvan University since 2002. Dr Bhattarai visited the University of Warsaw, Poland in 2013 for Erasmus Mundus post-doctoral research in nanomaterials and surface chemistry. His current research interests are in polymer chemistry, nanomaterials, surface chemistry, liquid alloys, crystallography and theoretical chemistry. He was a Fulbright postdoctoral researcher for “Theoretical Studies on Glass-Forming Liquids” at Boston College, USA in 2019. He was included in the list of “World’s Top 2 % Scientists 2023 and 2024” by Stanford University.

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Published/Copyright: January 17, 2025
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Tenside Surfactants Detergents
From the journal Tenside Surfactants Detergents Volume 62 Issue 2

Abstract

This study investigates the effects of 10 % v/v dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), acetonitrile (ACN), and 1-propanol (1-PrOH) on the micellar and surface behavior of three ionic surfactants: sodiumdodecyl sulfate (SDS), dodecyltrimethylammonium bromide (DTAB), and cetylpyridinium chloride (CPC). The addition of co-solvents increased the critical micelle concentration (CMC), with 1-PrOH causing the largest increase due to its strong disruption of the hydrogen bonding network of water. Surface tension measurements revealed a decreased surface excess concentration (Γmax) indicating reduced surface adsorption. The minimum area per molecule (Amin) increased with organic solvents, particularly in 1-PrOH-water mixtures, reflecting less efficient packing of the surfactant molecules at the surface. The packing parameter (P) decreased in mixed solvents, especially with 1-PrOH, suggesting a shift from spherical to elongated micellar structures. Aggregation numbers (N agg ) were lower in mixed solvent systems, indicating smaller and less stable micelles. The free energy of adsorption ( ∆ G a d s o ) became less negative, indicating reduced spontaneity for micelle formation and adsorption, with the strongest impact seen in 1-PrOH. The overall trend of solvent effects was 1-PrOH > ACN > DMSO, highlighting the role of solvent polarity and amphiphilicity in altering surfactant behavior. These results provide valuable insights for the optimization of surfactant-based formulations.

Keywords: surfactants; micellization; acetonitrile; DMSO; 1-propanol
Corresponding authors: Ajaya Bhattarai, Department of Chemistry, M. M. A. M. C., Tribhuvan University, Biratnagar, Nepal, E-mail:

About the authors

Sujit Kumar Shah

Dr Sujit Kumar Shah, Assistant Professor in the Department of Chemistry, Mahendra Morang Adarsh Multiple Campus, Tribhuvan University, Biratnagar, has been awarded the 2020 The Fulbright Programme Fulbright Visiting Scholar Award. During the programme, Dr. Shah conducted research on the preparation and characterisation of carbon dot nanoparticles for photocatalytic degradation of organic pollutants from wastewater at the Department of Chemistry, University of Miami, Florida under the supervision of Professor Roger M. Leblanc. He also presented his research work at Thomas More University, Kentucky through the Outreach Lecture Fund provided by Fulbright for Visiting Scholars during his stay.

Afshana Giri

Ms Afshana Giri completed her Master of Science in Chemistry from the Department of Chemistry, Mahendra Morang Adarsh Multi-Campus, Tribhuvan University, Biratnagar, Nepal. At present, Ms Giri is working in different colleges of Biratnagar area.

Sarupa Adhikari

Ms Sarupa Adhikari has completed Master of Science in Chemistry from the Department of Chemistry, Mahendra Morang Adarsh Mutiple Campus, Tribhuvan University, Biratnagar, Nepal. Currently, Ms Adhikari is working in the National Forensic Science Laboratory, Kathmandu, Government of Nepal.

Ajaya Bhattarai

Dr Ajaya Bhattarai is a member of the Tribhuvan University Service Commission and Professor of Chemistry at Mahendra Morang Adarsh Multiple Campus, Tribhuvan University, Biratnagar, Nepal. He received his M.Sc. degree in Physical Chemistry from Tribhuvan University in 1998 and his Ph.D. degree in Polymer Chemistry from North Bengal University, India in 2010. He has been working at Tribhuvan University since 2002. Dr Bhattarai visited the University of Warsaw, Poland in 2013 for Erasmus Mundus post-doctoral research in nanomaterials and surface chemistry. His current research interests are in polymer chemistry, nanomaterials, surface chemistry, liquid alloys, crystallography and theoretical chemistry. He was a Fulbright postdoctoral researcher for “Theoretical Studies on Glass-Forming Liquids” at Boston College, USA in 2019. He was included in the list of “World’s Top 2 % Scientists 2023 and 2024” by Stanford University.

Acknowledgments

A special thanks goes out to TWAS, Italy for providing chemicals and equipment through the 12–164 RG/CHE/AS_I project and 17–533 RG/CHE/AS_G project.

  1. Research ethics: Not applicable.

  2. Informed consent: Not applicable.

  3. Author contributions: All authors have accepted responsibility for the entire content of this manuscript and approved its submission.

  4. Use of Large Language Models, AI and Machine Learning Tools: None declared.

  5. Conflict of interest: The authors state no conflict of interest.

  6. Research funding: None declared.

  7. Data availability: Not applicable.

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Received: 2024-11-18
Accepted: 2024-12-15
Published Online: 2025-01-17
Published in Print: 2025-03-26

© 2025 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston

Articles in the same Issue

  1. Frontmatter
  2. Review Article
  3. Amino acid Gemini surfactants: a review on their synthesis, properties and applications
  4. Physical Chemistry
  5. Study on the synthesis and properties of Gemini surfactant with ester spacers
  6. Branched-chain anionic surfactants with same hydrophobic tail architecture: effects of hydrophilic headgroups
  7. Comparative study of organic co-solvents on micellar and surface behavior of ionic surfactants: effects of DMSO, acetonitrile, and 1-propanol
  8. Applications
  9. Polycarbinol-siloxane surfactants: synthesis, characterization, fire suppression evaluation and foaming-defoaming properties
  10. Study of poly (acrylamide/sodium alpha-olefin sulfonate/tea saponin)-polyhedrol oligomerie silsesquioxan (POSS) nanomaterial (FAP)
  11. Exploring the interactions in the mixtures of cationic Gemini and biologically significant anionic surfactant sodium cholate in presence of drug proponolol hydrochloride
  12. Eberconazole nitrate–loaded spanlastics: nanocarriers for topical delivery system
  13. Coconut oil refinery waste utilization in sustainable development of biodegradable betaine surfactant
https://doi.org/10.1515/tsd-2024-2642
Keywords for this article
surfactants; micellization; acetonitrile; DMSO; 1-propanol

Articles in the same Issue

  1. Frontmatter
  2. Review Article
  3. Amino acid Gemini surfactants: a review on their synthesis, properties and applications
  4. Physical Chemistry
  5. Study on the synthesis and properties of Gemini surfactant with ester spacers
  6. Branched-chain anionic surfactants with same hydrophobic tail architecture: effects of hydrophilic headgroups
  7. Comparative study of organic co-solvents on micellar and surface behavior of ionic surfactants: effects of DMSO, acetonitrile, and 1-propanol
  8. Applications
  9. Polycarbinol-siloxane surfactants: synthesis, characterization, fire suppression evaluation and foaming-defoaming properties
  10. Study of poly (acrylamide/sodium alpha-olefin sulfonate/tea saponin)-polyhedrol oligomerie silsesquioxan (POSS) nanomaterial (FAP)
  11. Exploring the interactions in the mixtures of cationic Gemini and biologically significant anionic surfactant sodium cholate in presence of drug proponolol hydrochloride
  12. Eberconazole nitrate–loaded spanlastics: nanocarriers for topical delivery system
  13. Coconut oil refinery waste utilization in sustainable development of biodegradable betaine surfactant
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