Surfactants in action: chemistry, behavior, and industrial applications
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Bharti Budhalakoti
,
Pooja Sharma
and
Navin Chandra Kothiyal
Abstract
Surfactants, or surface-active agents, are multifunctional amphiphilic compounds essential across numerous industrial and domestic applications. This review provides an in-depth analysis of surfactant chemistry, focusing on their diverse structures, interfacial behaviors, and self-assembly mechanisms, including micelle formation and emulsification. It outlines the classification of surfactants – anionic, cationic, non-ionic, and zwitterionic – while also exploring innovative types such as biosurfactants, sugar-based, lignin-derived, algal-based, and gemini surfactants. The growing emphasis on environmentally friendly and biodegradable surfactants sourced from renewable materials is highlighted, reflecting a shift away from conventional petroleum-derived options. The review examines key properties like surface tension reduction, wettability enhancement, foaming, detergency, and emulsification, linking them to their wide-ranging applications in sectors such as petrochemicals, pharmaceuticals, nanotechnology, paper manufacturing, and biotechnology. Finally, it underscores the crucial role of surfactants in fostering sustainable advancements and their potential for driving future technological innovations.
Acknowledgement
The authors express their gratitude to the Director and Head of the Department of Chemistry at Dr. B.R. Ambedkar National Institute of Technology for necessary laboratory facilities.
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Research ethics: Not applicable.
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Informed consent: The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.
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Author contributions: All authors have accepted responsibility for the entire content of this manuscript and approved its submission.
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Use of Large Language Models, AI and Machine Learning Tools: None declared.
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Conflict of interest: The authors declare the following financial interests/personal relationships which may be considered as potential competing interests.
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Research funding: None declared.
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Data availability: Not applicable.
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© 2025 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston
Articles in the same Issue
- Frontmatter
- Review Articles
- Surfactants in action: chemistry, behavior, and industrial applications
- Smart nanomaterials for clean water and a comprehensive exploration of the potentials of metal oxide nanoparticles in environmental remediation
- Nanomaterials at the forefront: classification, fabrication technique, and cross-sector applications
- Original Papers
- Unlocking the potential of FeNbGe Half Heusler: stability, electronic, magnetic and thermodynamic properties
- Investigating the antibacterial potency of Schiff base derivatives as potential agents for urinary tract infection: DFT, solvation, molecular docking and pharmacokinetic studies
- Continuous rapid cooling of polarized electrons initiates Mpemba superfreezing
- Synthesis and characterization of CNTs doped polymeric composites: comparative studies on exploring impact of CNT concentration on morphological, structural, thermokinetic and mechanical attributes
- Frumkin’s adsorption model – a successful approach for understanding surfactant adsorption layers
Articles in the same Issue
- Frontmatter
- Review Articles
- Surfactants in action: chemistry, behavior, and industrial applications
- Smart nanomaterials for clean water and a comprehensive exploration of the potentials of metal oxide nanoparticles in environmental remediation
- Nanomaterials at the forefront: classification, fabrication technique, and cross-sector applications
- Original Papers
- Unlocking the potential of FeNbGe Half Heusler: stability, electronic, magnetic and thermodynamic properties
- Investigating the antibacterial potency of Schiff base derivatives as potential agents for urinary tract infection: DFT, solvation, molecular docking and pharmacokinetic studies
- Continuous rapid cooling of polarized electrons initiates Mpemba superfreezing
- Synthesis and characterization of CNTs doped polymeric composites: comparative studies on exploring impact of CNT concentration on morphological, structural, thermokinetic and mechanical attributes
- Frumkin’s adsorption model – a successful approach for understanding surfactant adsorption layers
