Contrasting impacts of mixed nonionic surfactant micelles on plant growth in the delivery of fungicide and herbicide

HYPOTHESIS

Nonionic alkyl ethoxylate surfactants are widely used in agrochemicals to facilitate the permeation of systemic herbicides and fungicides across the plant waxy film. Industrial grade surfactants are often highly mixed and how the mixing affects their interactions with pesticides and wax films remains largely unexplored. A better understanding could enable design of mixed nonionic surfactants for herbicides and fungicides to maximize their efficiency and reduce wastage whilst controlling their impact on plant wax films.

EXPERIMENT

In this study, nonionic surfactants with general structure n-oxyethylene glycol monododecyl ether (C₁₂E_n) were used to form surfactant mixtures with the same average ethoxylate numbers but different hydrophilic-lipophilic balance (HLB) values. Their mixed micellar systems were then used to solubilize a herbicide diuron (DN) and a fungicide cyprodinil (CP), followed by plant wax solubilization upon contact with wax films. These processes were monitored by ¹H NMR and SANS.

FINDING

Pesticide solubilization made surfactant micelles effectively more hydrophobic but subsequent wax dissolution caused pesticide release and the restoration of the micellar amphiphilicity. Nonionic surfactants with lower HLBs form larger nanoaggregates, show enhanced wettability, and have better ability to solubilize and permeate pesticides across the wax film, but may cause significant damage to plant growth. These observations help explain why herbicides applied on weeds would benefit from surfactants with lower HLB values while fungicides require surfactants with HLBs to balance between delivery efficiency and potential phytotoxicity risks.

Adsorption layer characteristics of mixed oxyethylated surfactant solutions

In the presented work, bubble profile analysis tensiometry is used to study the equilibrium surface tensions and the rheological behavior of solutions of mixed oxyethylated alcohols (C(12)EO(5)/C(14)EO(8)) and their mixtures with polyethylene glycol octylphenyl ethers (Triton X45/Triton X165). For the analysis of the experimental data, a new theoretical model for mixtures of two nonionic oxyethylated surfactants was employed which assumes two states of surfactant molecules with different molar areas in the surface layer and an intrinsic compressibility of the molecules in the state of closest packing. The theoretical models allow an accurate description of the experimental equilibrium surface tensions for all studied mixed solutions. For the analysis of the rheological behavior of the studied mixed surfactant solutions, the theory for a diffusional adsorption mechanism was applied, and a satisfactory agreement between the experimental data and the calculated viscoelasticity modulus and phase angle was achieved.

C12E6 and SDS surfactants simulated at the vacuum-water interface

The effect of surface coverage on the aggregate structure for the nonionic hexaethylene glycol monododecyl ether (C(12)E(6)) and anionic sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) surfactants at vacuum-water interface has been studied using molecular dynamics simulations. We report the aggregate morphologies and various structural details of both surfactants as a function of surface coverage. Our results indicate that C(12)E(6) tail groups orient less perpendicularly to the vacuum-water interface compared to SDS ones. Interfacial C(12)E(6) shows a transition from gaslike to liquidlike phases as the surface density increases. However, even at the largest coverage considered, interfacial C(12)E(6) aggregates show more disordered structures compared to SDS ones. Both surfactants exhibit a non-monotonic change in planar mobility as the available surface area per molecule varies. The results are interpreted on the basis of the molecular features of both surfactants, with particular emphasis on the properties of the surfactant heads, which are nonionic, long, and flexible for C(12)E(6), as opposed to ionic, compact, and rigid for SDS.

Structure of partially fluorinated surfactant monolayers at the air-water interface

Partially fluorinated cationic surfactants of the form C(n)F(2n+1)C(m)H(2m)N(CH3)Br have been prepared, and their behavior at the air-water interface has been studied using surface tension measurements and neutron reflectometry. The degree of fluorination has been varied while keeping the overall chain lengths similar. The results are compared with those previously obtained for C16H33N(CH3)Br (C16TAB). The structural studies show a decrease in molecular orientation with increasing fluorination. The mean tilt away from the surface normal varies from 55 degrees for C16TAB to 25 degrees for C8F17C6H12N(CH3)Br. The interfacial layer roughness is observed to be lower than that expected for a pure fluorocarbon surfactant.

Comparison of the coadsorption of benzyl alcohol and phenyl ethanol with the cationic surfactant, hexadecyl trimethyl ammonium bromide, at the air-water interface

A comparison of the coadsorption of benzyl alcohol and phenyl ethanol with the cationic surfactant, hexadecyl trimethyl ammonium bromide, C16TAB, at the air-water interface is made using the specular reflection of neutrons. The phenyl ethanol is more surface active than the benzyl alcohol, and competes more effectively with the C16TAB for the interface. The structure of the C16TAB component in the mixed monolayer is compared with the structure of the pure C16TAB monolayer at an equivalent area per molecule. The addition of the aromatic alcohol subtly alters the conformation of the C16TAB and draws it closer to the aqueous subphase. The center of the alcohol distribution is located in the interface adjacent to the C6 group of the C16TAB alkyl chain closest to the headgroup. Compared to the benzyl alcohol, the more hydrophobic phenyl ethanol is slightly farther away from the headgroup, and has a greater impact on the conformation of the alkyl chain of the C16TAB.

Nonionic surfactants with linear and branched hydrocarbon tails: compositional analysis, phase behavior, and film properties in bicontinuous microemulsions

Nonionic alcohol ethoxylates are widely used as surfactants in many different applications. They are available in a large number of structural varieties as technical grade products. This variety is mainly based on the use of different alcohols, which can be linear or branched and contain primary, secondary, or tertiary OH groups. Technical grade products are poorly defined as they are composed of alcohol mixtures being different in chain length and structure. On the other hand, monodisperse alcohol ethoxylates are commercially available; however, these surfactants exist only with primary and linear alcohols. In the field of microemulsion research the monodisperse alcohol ethoxylates are widely used. The phase behavior and film properties of these surfactants were studied intensively with respect to the size of the hydrophilic and hydrophobic moieties. Due to the lack of appropriate model surfactants until now, there is little information on how the structure of the hydrocarbon tail influences the microemulsion behavior. To examine structural influences, we synthesized a series of surfactants with the composition C10E5 and having different linear and branched hydrocarbon tails. The surfactants were monodisperse with respect to the hydrocarbon tail but polydisperse with respect to the ethoxylation degree. However, a detailed characterization showed that they were similar concerning the average ethoxylation degree and EO chain length distribution. The phase behavior was investigated for bicontinuous microemulsions, and the film properties were analyzed by small-angle neutron scattering (SANS). Our results show that the structure of the hydrocarbon tail strongly influences the microemulsion behavior. The most efficient surfactant is obtained if the hydrocarbon tail is linear and the hydrophilic group is attached in the C-1 position. Surfactants having the hydrophilic group bound to the C-2 or C-4 position or which contain a branched hydrocarbon tail are less efficient and exhibit in most cases visibly lower phase inversion temperatures. Both the efficiency and temperature behavior mainly can be explained on the basis of increased bulkiness of the branched structures compared to the fully linear version. The phase behavior results are largely confirmed by the SANS investigations. Those results show that the fully linear surfactant exhibits the most rigid interfacial film. In additional experiments this surfactant was compared with its monodisperse analogue. According to the phase diagrams, the surfactant having the polydisperse hydrophilic moiety is drastically more efficient although the film stiffnesses are almost identical.

Unexpected adsorption behavior of nonionic surfactants from glycol solvents

Adsorption and interfacial properties of model methyl-capped nonionic surfactants C8E4OMe [C8H17O(C2H4O)4CH3] and C10E4OMe [C10H21O(C2H4O)4CH3] were studied in water and water/ethylene glycol mixtures as well as pure ethylene glycol. Critical micellar concentrations (cmc's), surface tensions, and surface excess were determined using surface tension (ST) and neutron reflection (NR) as a function of solvent type and surfactant tail length. The ST results show a strong dependence on solvent type in terms of cmc. The NR data were analyzed using a single-layer model for the adsorbed surfactant films. Surprisingly, the adsorption parameters obtained in both water and pure ethylene glycol were very similar, and variations in film thickness or area per molecule are negligible in respect of the uncertainties. Similarly, for C10E4OMe, estimates for the free energies of adsorption and micellization show only a weak solvent dependence. These results suggest that for such model nonionic surfactants dilute solution properties are dictated by solvophobicity, which is quite similar for this class of water, glycol, and water-glycol mixtures. More specifically, the nature of the adsorption layer appears to be hardly affected by the type of solvent subphase. The findings highlight the significance of solvophobicity and show that model nonionic surfactants can behave very similarly in hydrogen-bonding glycol solvents and water.

Molecular Dynamics Study of Surfactant Monolayers Adsorbed at the Oil/Water and Air/Water Interfaces

Atomistic molecular dynamics (MD) simulations have been carried out to investigate the physical properties of monolayers of monododecyl diethylene glycol (C(12)E(2)) surfactants adsorbed at the oil/water and air/water interfaces. The study shows that the surfactant molecules exhibit more extended conformations with a consequent increase of the thickness of the monolayer in the presence of the oil medium. It is noticed that the hydrocarbon tails of the surfactants are more vertically oriented at the oil/water interface. Interestingly, we notice that the presence of the oil medium has a strong influence in restricting both the translational and reorientational motions of the water molecules present in the hydration layer close to the surfactant headgroups.

Influence of the polyelectrolyte poly(ethyleneimine) on the adsorption of surfactant mixtures of sodium dodecyl sulfate and monododecyl hexaethylene glycol at the air-solution interface

The polyelectrolyte poly(ethylenenimine), PEI, is shown to strongly influence the adsorption of the anionic-nonionic surfactant mixture of sodium dodecyl sulfate, SDS, and monododecyl hexaethylene glycol, C(12)E(6), at the air-solution interface. In the presence of PEI, the partitioning of the mixed surfactants to the interface is highly pH-dependent. The adsorption is more strongly biased to the SDS as the pH increases, as the PEI becomes a weaker polyelectrolyte. At surfactant concentrations >10(-4) M, the strong interaction and adsorption result in multilayer formation at the interface, and this covers a more extensive range of surfactant concentrations at higher pH values. The results are consistent with a strong interaction between SDS and PEI at the surface that is not predominantly electrostatic in origin. It provides an attractive route to selectively manipulate the adsorption and composition of surfactant mixtures at interfaces.

Adsorption of nonionic surfactant mixtures at the hydrophilic solid-solution interface

The adsorption of the mixed nonionic surfactants, monododecyl triethylene glycol (C2EO3) and monododecyl octaethylene glycol (C12EO8), at the hydrophilic silica-solution interface has been studied by specular neutron reflectivity. The adsorption at the solid-solution interface is compared with that previously measured at the air-solution interface. The marked differences that are observed are explained in terms of the different packing constraints or preferred curvature arising from the disparity in the respective headgroup dimensions.

Unusual micelle and surface adsorption behavior in mixtures of surfactants with an ethylene oxide-propylene oxide triblock copolymer

Micellization and adsorption at the air-solution interface of binary mixtures of the triblock copolymer of ethylene oxide and propylene oxide, EO23PO52EO23 (EPE), and the surfactants sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), dodecyl trimethylammonium chloride (DTAC), and tetraethylene glycol monooctyl ether (C8EO4) have been studied by neutron reflectivity and surface tension. The synergistic attractive interaction between the polymer and the ionic surfactants has been analyzed in the framework of the pseudo phase approximation and gives rise to a stronger interaction for EPE/SDS than EPE/DTAC. In contrast, the interaction of the nonionic surfactant C8EO4 with the copolymer EPE shows an unexpected and rather different behavior, resulting in a strongly repulsive interaction, characterized by a positive interaction parameter. The neutron reflectivity measurements of the surface excess, where the predicted and measured surface excesses are directly compared, provide evidence that challenges the applicability of the pseudo phase approximation for describing the surface mixing behavior. Structural information on the mixed adsorbed layer provides evidence which in part explains the observed discrepancies between the measured surface excesses and the behavior predicted from the pseudo phase approximation. Furthermore the structural evidence can be use to rationalize the differences in behavior observed between the ionic and nonionic surfactants.

Forces between silica surfaces with adsorbed cationic surfactants: influence of salt and added nonionic surfactants

Forces have been measured between silica surfaces with adsorbed surfactants by means of a bimorph surface force apparatus. The surfactants used are the cationic surfactant tetradecyltrimethylammonium bromide (TTAB) and the nonionic surfactant hexakis(ethylene glycol) mono-n-tetradecyl ether (C(14)E(6)) as well as mixtures of these two surfactants. The measurements were made at elevated pH, and the effect of salt was studied. At high pH the glass surface is highly charged, which increases the adsorption of TTAB. Despite the low adsorption generally seen for nonionic surfactants on silica at high pH, addition of C(14)E(6) has a considerable effect on the surface forces between two glass surfaces in a TTAB solution. The barrier force is hardly affected, but the adhesion is reduced remarkably. Also, addition of salt decreases the adhesion, but increases the barrier force. In the presence of salt, addition of C(14)E(6) also increases the thickness of the adsorbed layer. The force barrier height is also shown to be related to literature values for surface pressure data in these systems.

Adsorption of aromatic counterions at the surfactant/water interface: a neutron reflectivity study of hydroxybenzoate and chlorobenzoate counterions at the hexadecyl trimethylammonium surfactant/water interface

Specular neutron reflectivity has been used to investigate the adsorption of the aromatic counterions hydroxybenzoate and chlorobenzoate at the hexadecyl trimethylammonium bromide surfactant monolayer/water interface. The degree of counterion binding and the location of the counterions at the interface are shown to depend on the isomeric form of the counterion. For hydroxybenzoate, the para-substituted counterion is located within the headgroup region of the surfactant monolayer, and there is of order one counterion for every two surfactant ions. For the ortho-substituted counterion, the degree of counterion binding is higher. There is of order 0.85 counterions for each surfactant ion, and the counterion is located within the hydrophobic region of the monolayer, some 5 A from the center of the headgroup distribution. Similar results were found for the chlorobenzoate counterion, but in that case it was the para-substituted counterion that was more tightly bound and located within the hydrophobic region of the surfactant monolayer. The results for the ortho-substituted hydroxybenzoate and for the para-substituted chlorobenzoate are consistent with those previously reported for the para-tosylate. The results are discussed in the context of the ability of the specific aromatic counterion isomer to promote massive micellar growth, and the results shed light on that mechanism.

Computer simulation studies of surfactant monolayer mixtures at the water/oil interface: charge distribution effects

Charge distribution effects on polar head groups for a mixture of amphiphilic molecules at the water/oil interface were studied. For this purpose a model which allowed us to investigate the charge effects exclusively was created. As a molecular model we used the structure of sodium dodecyl sulfate. Then we prepared molecules with the same molecular structure but with different charge distributions in order to have one cationic and one nonionic molecule. So, in this way, we were able to focus only in the charge effects. The monolayer mixtures were composed of anionic/nonionic and cationic/nonionic surfactants. Simulations of these systems show that the location of the different surfactants at the interface is determined by the interaction and the charge distribution of the molecules. Due to the difference in the charge distribution of the surfactant monolayers, the water molecules present distinct orientations in the mixture. Finally, it was found that the electrostatic potential difference across the interface depended on the interactions (charge distribution) of the anionic, cationic, and nonionic molecules in the mixture.

A molecular dynamics study of monolayers of nonionic poly(ethylene oxide) based surfactants

Molecular dynamics simulations of monolayers of nonionic, poly(ethylene oxide) based surfactants are reported. Specifically, alcohol ethoxylates and alkylphenol ethoxylates are compared in terms of the varying architecture of the molecules for the development of a structure-behavior relationship. Interfacial density profiles are used to assess the structure of the monolayers, the penetration of water and oil into the monolayers, and the solvation of the hydrophiles and hydrophobes. Chain conformational descriptors are used to examine the molecular structure of the surfactants. The simulations revealed that monolayers of alcohol ethoxylates are considerably more diffuse than their alkylphenol counterparts, with the packing being governed by the size of the hydrophile. With the exception of the branched alcohol ethoxylate, the intermixing of the bulk phases within monolayers of alcohol ethoxylates increases with increasing hydrophile length. By comparison, the packing of alkylphenol ethoxylates within the monolayer is governed by the aromatic nucleus in the molecule. No specific interaction is observed between the aromatic rings of neighboring molecules. Monolayers of alkylphenol ethoxylates are more compact than their alcohol counterparts, resulting in more effective separation of the bulk water and oil phases.

The structure of mixed nonionic surfactant monolayers at the air–water interface: the effects of different alkyl chain lengths

The structure of mixed nonionic surfactant monolayers of monodecyl hexaethylene glycol (C10E6) and monotetradecyl hexaethylene glycol (C14E6) adsorbed at the air-water interface has been determined by specular neutron reflectivity. Using partial isotopic labeling (deuterium for hydrogen) of the alkyl and ethylene oxide chains of each surfactant, the distribution and relative positions of the chains at the interface have been obtained. The packing of the two different alkyl chain lengths results in structural changes compared to the pure surfactant monolayers. This results in changes in the relative positions of the alkyl chains and of the ethylene oxide chains at the interface. The role of the alkyl chain length is contrasted with that of the ethylene oxide chain length, determined from results reported previously on the nonionic surfactant mixture of monododecyl triethylene glycol (C12E3) and monododecyl octaethylene glycol (C12E8).

Adsorption of Nonionic Mixtures at the Air–Water Interface: Effects of Temperature and Electrolyte

Specular neutron reflection has been used to investigate the effects of temperature and added electrolyte on the adsorption of nonionic surfactants and nonionic surfactant mixtures at the air-water interface. For the alkyl poly-oxyethylene oxide nonionic surfactants, C(n)EO(m), the adsorption at the air-water interface is independent of temperature for surfactants with shorter ethylene oxide groups, whereas there is an increasing tendency for increased adsorption with temperature for surfactants with longer ethylene oxide groups. The addition of "salting in" (sodium thiocyanate, NaSCN) and "salting out" (sodium chloride, NaCl, sodium sulphate, Na2SO4) electrolyte results in reduced and enhanced adsorption, respectively, for C12EO8, whereas both types of electrolyte result in enhanced adsorption for C12EO12. The addition of electrolyte does not substantially alter the temperature dependence of the adsorption of the pure monolayers. For the nonionic mixtures of C12EO3/C12EO8 increasing temperature results in a surface richer in the least surface-active component, C12EO8. For the same nonionic mixture, the addition of "salting in" and "salting out" electrolyte results in an reduced and increased adsorption, respectively. The addition of "salting in" electrolyte results in a surface more rich in C12EO3, whereas for the addition of both "salting in" and "salting out" electrolyte the surface composition is essentially unaltered.

Modern physicochemical research on Langmuir monolayers

Recent developments in characterising Langmuir monolayers of a variety of film-forming materials and employing several physicochemical techniques are reviewed. The extension of the LB method to non-amphiphilic substances, especially macromolecular systems, has increased the need of a thorough understanding of Langmuir film properties, which requires characterising techniques that provide complementary information. Since there is vast literature in the subject, only selected examples are given of results that illustrate the potential of the techniques discussed.

Surfactant layers at the air/water interface: structure and composition

The use of neutron reflectometry to study the structure and composition of surfactant layers adsorbed at the air/water interface is reviewed. A critical assessment of the results from this new technique is made by comparing them with the information available from all other techniques capable of investigating this interface.