Surfactant for better tomorrow: applied aspect of surfactant aggregates from laboratory to industry

Unveiling the Role of Nonionic Surfactants in Enhancing Cefotaxime Drug Solubility: A UV-Visible Spectroscopic Investigation in Single and Mixed Micellar Formulations

This study reports the interfacial phenomenon of cefotaxime in combination with nonionic surfactants, Triton X-100 (TX-100) and Tween-80 (TW-80), and their mixed micellar formulations. Cefotaxime was enclosed in a micellar system to improve its solubility and effectiveness. TX-100 and TW-80 were used in an amphiphilic self-assembly process to create the micellar formulation. The effect of the addition of TX-100, a nonionic surfactant, on the ability of TW-80 to solubilize the drug was examined. The values of the critical micelle concentration (CMC) were determined via UV-Visible spectroscopy. Gibbs free energies (ΔGp and ΔGb), the partition coefficient (Kx), and the binding constant (Kb) were also computed. In a single micellar system, the partition coefficient (Kx) was found to be 33.78 × 106 and 2.78 × 106 in the presence of TX-100 and TW-80, respectively. In a mixed micellar system, the value of the partition coefficient for the CEF/TW-80 system is maximum (5.48 × 106) in the presence of 0.0019 mM of TX-100, which shows that TX-100 significantly enhances the solubilizing power of micelles. It has been demonstrated that these surfactants are effective in enhancing the solubility and bioavailability of therapeutic compounds. This study elaborates on the physicochemical characteristics and solubilization of reactive drugs in single and mixed micellar media. This investigation, conducted in the presence of surfactants, shows a large contribution to the binding process via both hydrogen bonding and hydrophobic interactions.

Ginger Oil Nanoemulsion Formulation Augments Its Antiproliferative Effect in Ehrlich Solid Tumor Model

Cancer is a disease that is characterized by uncontrolled cell proliferation. Breast cancer is the most prevalent cancer among women. Ginger oil is a natural cancer fighter and anti-oxidant. However, the minimal absorption of ginger oil from the gastrointestinal tract accounts for its limited medicinal efficacy. The present study was designed to evaluate the efficacy of a nanoemulsion preparation of ginger oil on its oral bioavailability and in vivo anti-cancer efficacy. Ginger oil nanoemulsion was prepared by a high-pressure homogenization technique using different surfactants (Tween 20, 40, and 80). The prepared formulations were evaluated for droplet size, polydispersity index (PDI), zeta potential (ZP), pH, viscosity, and stability by calculating the creaming index percentage. The best formulation was evaluated for shape by TEM. The antitumor activity of the best nano-formulation was determined in comparison with the free oil using the in vivo Ehrlich solid tumor (EST) model. The prepared ginger oil nanoemulsion formulations exhibited acceptable droplet size in the range from 56.67 ± 3.10 nm to 357.17 ± 3.62 nm. A PDI of less than 0.5 indicates the homogeneity of size distribution. The oil globules possessed a negative charge ranging from -12.33 ± 1.01 to -39.33 ± 0.96 mV. The pH and viscosity were in the acceptable range. The TEM image of the best formulation appeared to be spherical with a small size. The ginger oil nanoemulsion reduced in vivo tumor volume and weight, extended animals' life span, and ameliorated liver and kidney function in EST-bearing mice. These effects were superior to using free ginger oil. Collectively, the present study demonstrated that the ginger oil nanoemulsion improved oral absorption with a subsequent enhancement of its anti-proliferative efficacy in vivo, suggesting a nano-formulation of ginger oil for better therapeutic outcomes in breast cancer patients.

Microemulsions, nanoemulsions and emulgels as carriers for antifungal antibiotics

According to estimates, up to 25% of the world's population has fungal skin diseases, making them the most prevalent infectious disease. Several chemical classes of antifungal drugs are available to treat fungal infections. However, the major challenges of conventional formulations of antifungal drugs include poor pharmacokinetic profiles like solubility, low permeability, side effects and decreased efficacy. Novel drug delivery is a promising approach for overcoming pharmacokinetic limitations and increasing the effectiveness of antibiotics. In this review, we have shed light on microemulsions, nanoemulsions, and emulgels as novel drug delivery approaches for the topical delivery of antifungal antibiotics. We believe these formulations have potential translational value and could be developed for treating fungal infections in humans.

Is Micellar Catalysis Green Chemistry?

Many years ago, twelve principles were defined for carrying out chemical reactions and processes from a green chemistry perspective. It is everyone's endeavor to take these points into account as far as possible when developing new processes or improving existing ones. Especially in the field of organic synthesis, a new area of research has thus been established: micellar catalysis. This review article addresses the question of whether micellar catalysis is green chemistry by applying the twelve principles to micellar reaction media. The review shows that many reactions can be transferred from an organic solvent to a micellar medium, but that the surfactant also has a crucial role as a solubilizer. Thus, the reactions can be carried out in a much more environmentally friendly manner and with less risk. Moreover, surfactants are being reformulated in their design, synthesis, and degradation to add extra advantages to micellar catalysis to match all the twelve principles of green chemistry.

Molecular Interaction Mechanism and Preservative Effect of Lactone Sophorolipid and Lactoferrin/β-Lactoglobulin Systems

Multispectral and molecular docking methods were used to study the interaction mode and mechanism of two important components of whey proteins, lactoferrin (LF) and β-lactoglobulin (β-LG), and of a lactone sophorolipid (LSL) mixed system. The preservation effect of the mixed system on milk was also studied and compared. The results showed that the quenching mechanism of LSL on both β-LG and LF was static, but that the non-covalent complexes formed were the result of the different interacting forces: hydrogen bonds and the van der Waals force for the LSL-β-LG system, and electrostatic force for the LSL-LF system. The binding constants of LSL-β-LG and LSL-LF were all relatively small, and the interaction of LSL with β-LG was stronger than its interaction with LF. After adding β-LG, LF, or the mixed system with LSL to the milk, the stability of milk emulsion was effectively improved in all cases, while the preservative ability was effectively enhanced only by the addition of LF or LSL-LF. These results provide supportive data and a theoretical basis for enhancing the production of dairy products and other byproducts.

Treatment of Motor Oil-Contaminated Soil with Green Surfactant Using a Mobile Remediation System

Leak of fuels and lubricants occurring during exploration, distribution, refining and storage operations is the major cause of environmental pollution due to petroderivatives dispersion. The quick use of a series of physicochemical and biological techniques is needed to drastically reduce the magnitude of damage provoked by these pollutants. Among them, soil washing proved to be an effective alternative to the remediation of hydrocarbon-polluted sites, mainly if combined with surfactant utilization. However, the direct use of surfactants can lead to problems related to the toxicity and dispersion of the resulting by-products, as the majority of marketed surfactants are produced from oil derivatives. In this context, green surfactants appear as a promising alternative to their synthetic counterpart. In the present study, two green surfactants, i.e., a chemically synthesized biobased surfactant and a Starmerella bombicola biosurfactant, were applied in soil decontamination tests using a concrete mixer-type Mobile Soil Remediation System (MSRS). The system was designed and developed with 3D printing based on bench-scale results. A commercial biosurfactant was formulated based on the microbial surfactant, which was compared with the biobased surfactant in various experimental conditions. A set of factorial designs combined with Response Surface Methodology was used to select the optimal conditions for pollutant removal using the prototype. The following variables were tested: Surfactant type, Surfactant volume, Surfactant dilution, Contaminant concentration, Soil type, Soil mass, Washing duration, Tank tilt angle, Mixing speed, and Type of basket. Under the optimized experimental condition, the commercial biosurfactant allowed to remove 92.4% of the motor oil adsorbed in the sand. These results demonstrate the possibility of using natural surfactants and the development of novel mechanical technologies to degrade hydrocarbons with economic earnings for oil industry.

Interactions of Surfactants with Biomimetic Membranes-2. Generation of Electric Potential with Non-Ionic Surfactants

It is known that noncharged surfactants lead to electric effects that interact with biomimetic membranes made of nitrocellulose filters, which are impregnated with fatty acid esters. At a surfactant concentration as low as 64 micrometers in one of the solutions, they lead to the transient formation of transmembrane electric potential. Maximum changes of this potential are proportional to the log of noncharged surfactant concentrations when it changes by three orders of magnitude. We explain this new and nontrivial effect in terms of an earlier suggested physicochemical mechanics approach and noncharged surfactants transient changes induced by membrane permeability for inorganic ions. It could be used to imitate the interactions of non-ionic drugs with biological membranes. The effect may also be used in determining the concentration of these surfactants and other non-ionic chemicals of concern, such as pharmaceuticals and personal care products.

Physicochemical approaches reveal the impact of electrolytes and hydrotropic salt on micellization and phase separation behavior of polymer polyvinyl alcohol and surfactant mixture

The polymer-surfactant mixture has usages in numerous industries mainly in the production of daily used materials. Herein, the micellization and phase separation nature of the sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) and TX-100 along with a synthetic water-soluble polymer-polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) have been conducted using conductivity and cloud point (CP) measurement tools. In the case of micellization study of SDS + PVA mixture by conductivity method, the CMC values were obtained to be dependent on the categories and extent of additives as well as temperature variation. Both categories of studies were performed in aq. solutions of sodium chloride (NaCl), sodium acetate (NaOAc), and sodium benzoate (NaBenz) media. The CP values of TX 100 + PVA were decreased and enhanced in simple electrolytes and sodium benzoate media respectively. In all cases, the free energy changes of micellization (∆G_m⁰) and clouding (∆G_c⁰) were obtained as negative and positive respectively. The enthalpy (∆H_m⁰) and entropy (∆S_m⁰) changes for SDS + PVA system micellization was negative and positive respectively in aq. NaCl and NaBenz media, and in aq. NaOAc medium the ∆H_m⁰ values were found negative while ∆S_m⁰ were found negative except at the highest studied temperature (323.15 K). The enthalpy-entropy compensation of both processes was also assessed and described clearly.

Size control of precipitated particles of amino acids using a bubble column evaporator

The precipitation of five amino acids: DL-alanine, L-arginine, L-leucine, DL-methionine and L-tyrosine was studied at their solubility limits and isoelectric point by using a bubble column evaporator (BCE). The precipitation of amino acids via a bubble column evaporator and a standard stirring method were compared via turbidity measurements. Particle size, zeta potential and polydispersity index (PDI) were also measured using a Malvern Zeta-sizer and the particle morphology was examined using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). The novel BCE process emerges as a much more effective method than precipitation by standard stirring methods. Better control of fine particle size and growth rates is achieved. The amino acids in zwitterionic form exhibit the same unexplained bubble coalescence inhibition phenomenon as do common salts. This suggests obvious applications in flotation technologies.

UVB light influence on the laccase enzyme catalytic activity in reverse micelles and in homogeneous aqueous medium

Laccase is a versatile enzyme widely used for the oxidation of environmental contaminants and exhibits great potential in many others applications; however, it undergoes photo-degradation when irradiated with UVB light. The photo-stability of this biomolecule can be improved by immobilization in different encapsulation media and reverse micelles have been employed with this purpose. The laccase activity using syringaldazine as substrate has been studied in the absence and in the presence of reverse micelles of 0.15 M of sodium 1,4-bis (2-ethylhexyl) sulfosuccinate (AOT) in isooctane at W₀ ([H₂O]/[AOT]) = 30, before and after irradiation of the enzyme with UVB light. The kinetic parameters, i.e., Michaelis-Menten constant (K_M), catalytic constant (k_CAT), and catalytic efficiency (k_CAT/K_M), were determined by spectroscopic measurements in the micellar system and in homogeneous aqueous medium. The distribution of the substrate in two pseudo-phases (micelle and organic solvent) was taking into account in the kinetic parameters' determinations. The results obtained indicate that the nano-aggregate system confers a solubilization media in the water core of the micelle, both for the enzyme and the substrate, in which the catalytic function of the enzyme is preserved. On the other hand, in homogeneous aqueous medium k_CAT/K_M value, it is reduced by ~50% after UVB irradiation of the enzyme, while in micellar medium, less than 10% of the activity was affected. This mean that the enzyme achieves a considerably photo-protection when it is irradiated with UVB light in reverse micelles as compared with the homogeneous aqueous medium. This phenomenon can be mainly due to the confinement of the biomolecule inside the micelle. Physical properties of the nano-environment could affect photochemical reactions.

Influence of Surfactant for Stabilization and Pipeline Transportation of Iron Ore Water Slurry: A Review

Iron ore is generally transported using a traditional method that releases significant amounts of dust into the environment. In contrast, the pipeline transportation of slurry is noticeably a sustainable approach for efficiently transporting iron ore by reducing the environmental pollution. The interparticle interaction of the iron ore particles should be mutually repulsive for steady dispersion. Surfactants and polymers adsorb efficiently at the solid/liquid interface due to their amphiphilic character, rendering the surface hydrophilic or hydrophobic to create a stable dispersion. The present review discusses the interaction of surfactants on the stabilization of solid particles for the ease of pipeline transportation using various types of stabilization mechanisms. In addition to the effect of surfactant alone, its combination with some other parameters such as particle size distribution, temperature, solid concentration, etc. has been discussed. The review also describes the detailed classification of iron ore, surfactant, and characteristic properties of surfactants.

Interactional, Functional and Biological Properties of Lactone Sophorolipid (LSL) and Collagen Oligopeptides (COP) in Aqueous Solution

For the mixed aqueous solution of LSL and COP, the interaction mode and mechanism have been comprehensively studied using multispectral methods including fluorescence spectrum, ultraviolet-visible adsorption spectrum (UV-Vis), and circular dichroism spectrum (CD). Then its surface activity, particle size, foaming, emulsifying, viscosity, and antibacterial properties are evaluated in detail by surface tension measurement (ST), dynamic light scattering (DLS), oscillametric method, spectrophotometer, ubbelohde viscometer and zone of inhibition separately. Compared with the single LSL or COP aqueous solution, the mixed system shows different performance optimizations in different aspects. The surface activity and foaming properties are mainly attributed to LSL, and the viscosity is attributed to COP. Fluorescence spectroscopy results show that the fluorescence distribution of COP has significant changes by the LSL addition and a static quenching mechanism is proved. The results of UV-Vis and CD spectra also show the changing conformation of COP by the LSL addition. The data of thermodynamic parameters prove that the combination of LSL and COP is a spontaneous exothermic process and is an enthalpy-driven process. The interaction mechanism between LSL and COP is very helpful for the application and development of the mixed mild biosurfactant-protein system used in the cosmetic and food industries.

Influence of Inorganic Salts and pH on Surface Activity of Biodegradable Amido Gemini Amine Oxide Surfactant

The present study was designed to provide information regarding the influences of pH and inorganic salts on the surface activity of the amido Gemini amine oxide surfactants, the formula of which was C _n H_{2 n +1}CONH(CH₂)₂N⁺O^-(CH₃)-(CH₂)₂-(CH₃)N⁺O^-(CH₂)₂NHCOC _n H_{2 n +1} (n=11, 13, 15, and 17). Their biodegradability was also investigated. The results showed that the critical micelle concentration (CMC) and the corresponding surface tension (γ_CMC) changed regularly with the increase of the mass concentration of NaCl and CaCl₂. The optimal CMC and γ_CMC can be obtained by adjusting the inorganic salt content. Besides, the CMC near the isoelectric point of the surfactant is higher than the CMC within the isoelectric point. Furthermore, the biodegradability test revealed that the prepared surfactants had good biodegradability which was above 96% after 7 days.

Surfactant-Induced Reconfiguration of Urea-Formaldehyde Resins Enables Improved Surface Properties and Gluability of Bamboo

The high-efficiency development and utilization of bamboo resources can greatly alleviate the current shortage of wood and promote the neutralization of CO₂. However, the wide application of bamboo-derived products is largely limited by their unideal surface properties with adhesive as well as poor gluability. Herein, a facile strategy using the surfactant-induced reconfiguration of urea-formaldehyde (UF) resins was proposed to enhance the interface with bamboo and significantly improve its gluability. Specifically, through the coupling of a variety of surfactants, the viscosity and surface tension of the UF resins were properly regulated. Therefore, the resultant surfactant reconfigured UF resin showed much-improved wettability and spreading performance to the surface of both bamboo green and bamboo yellow. Specifically, the contact angle (CA) values of the bamboo green and bamboo yellow decreased from 79.6° to 30.5° and from 57.5° to 28.2°, respectively, with the corresponding resin spreading area increasing from 0.2 mm² to 7.6 mm² and from 0.1 mm² to 5.6 mm². Moreover, our reconfigured UF resin can reduce the amount of glue spread applied to bond the laminated commercial bamboo veneer products to 60 g m⁻², while the products prepared by the initial UF resin are unable to meet the requirements of the test standard, suggesting that this facile method is an effective way to decrease the application of petroleum-based resins and production costs. More broadly, this surfactant reconfigured strategy can also be performed to regulate the wettability between UF resin and other materials (such as polypropylene board and tinplate), expanding the application fields of UF resin.

The Additive Influence of Propane-1,2-Diol on SDS Micellar Structure and Properties

Micellar systems are colloids with significant properties for pharmaceutical and food applications. They can be used to formulate thermodynamically stable mixtures to solubilize hydrophobic food-related substances. Furthermore, micellar formation is a complex process in which a variety of intermolecular interactions determine the course of formation and most important are the hydrophobic and hydrophilic interactions between surfactant–solvent and solvent–solvent. Glycols are organic compounds that belong to the group of alcohols. Among them, propane-1,2-diol (PG) is a substance commonly used as a food additive or ingredient in many cosmetic and hygiene products. The nature of the additive influences the micellar structure and properties of sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS). When increasing the mass fraction of propane-1,2-diol in binary mixtures, the c.m.c. values decrease because propane-1,2-diol is a polar solvent, which gives it the ability to form hydrogen bonds, decreasing the cohesivity of water and reducing the dielectric constant of the aqueous phase. The values of ΔGm0 are negative in all mixed solvents according to the reduction in solvophobic interactions and increase in electrostatic interaction. With the rising concentration of cosolvent, the equilibrium between cosolvent in bulk solution and in the formed micelles is on the side of micelles, leading to the formation of micelles at a lower concentration with a small change in micellar size. According to the ¹H NMR, with the addition of propylene glycol, there is a slight shift of SDS peaks towards lower ppm regions in comparison to the D₂O peak. The shift is more evident with the increase in the amount of added propane-1,2-diol in comparison to the NMR spectra of pure SDS. Addition of propane-1,2-diol causes the upfield shift of the protons associated with hydrophilic groups, causing the shielding effect. This signifies that the alcohol is linked with the polar head groups of SDS due to its proximity to the SDS molecules.

Sustainable Surfactin Production by Bacillus subtilis Using Crude Glycerol from Different Wastes

Most biosurfactants are obtained using costly culture media and purification processes, which limits their wider industrial use. Sustainability of their production processes can be achieved, in part, by using cheap substrates found among agricultural and food wastes or byproducts. In the present study, crude glycerol, a raw material obtained from several industrial processes, was evaluated as a potential low-cost carbon source to reduce the costs of surfactin production by Bacillus subtilis #309. The culture medium containing soap-derived waste glycerol led to the best surfactin production, reaching about 2.8 g/L. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report describing surfactin production by B. subtilis using stearin and soap wastes as carbon sources. A complete chemical characterization of surfactin analogs produced from the different waste glycerol samples was performed by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). Furthermore, the surfactin produced in the study exhibited good stability in a wide range of pH, salinity and temperatures, suggesting its potential for several applications in biotechnology.

Chelating Fabrics Prepared by an Organic Solvent-Free Process for Boron Removal from Water

A chelating fabric was prepared by graft polymerization of glycidyl methacrylate (GMA) onto a nonwoven fabric, followed by attachment reaction of N-methyl-D-glucamine (NMDG) using an organic solvent-free process. The graft polymerization was performed by immersing the gamma-ray pre-irradiated fabric into the GMA emulsion, while the attachment reaction was carried out by immersing the grafted fabric in the NMDG aqueous solution. The chelating capacity of the chelating fabric prepared by reaction in the NMDG aqueous solution without any additives reached 1.74 mmol/g, which further increased to above 2.0 mmol/g when surfactant and acid catalyst were added in the solution. The boron chelation of the chelating fabric was evaluated in a batch mode. Fourier transform infrared spectrophotometer (FTIR) was used to characterize the fabrics. The chelating fabric can quickly chelate boron from water to form a boron ester, and a high boron chelating ability close to 18.3 mg/g was achieved in the concentrated boron solution. The chelated boron can be eluted completely by HCl solution. The regeneration and stability of the chelating fabric were tested by 10 cycles of the chelation-elution operations. Considering the organic solvent-free preparation process and the high boron chelating performance, the chelating fabric is promising for the boron removal from water.

Synergistic Effects of Alpha Olefin Sulfonate and Sodium Alginate on Inkjet Printing of Cotton/Polyamide Fabrics

Bicomponent or multicomponent fiber fabrics are important materials for manufacturing high-performance textiles. However, the printing and dyeing of these fabrics are very difficult because the dyeability of different fibers varies greatly. The present study investigated the inkjet printing performance of interwoven fabrics of cotton and polyamide 6. The surfactant alpha olefin sulfonate (AOS) was incorporated into the sodium alginate (SA) solution to pretreat the fabrics to improve the color effects of printed fabrics. The results indicate that fabric pretreatment using 5% alpha olefin sulfonate and 2% sodium alginate significantly enhanced the image colors through increasing the hydrophilicity of the film formed on polyamide fibers and changing the surface morphology of both the fibers. The molecules of AOS interacted with the macromolecules of SA to form the composite films, where the AOS concentration gradient increased outward and SA concentration gradient increased inward. The synergistic pretreatment of alpha olefin sulfonate and sodium alginate endowed the fabrics with high inkjet printing performance, satisfactory color fastnesses, and durability.

Potential application of Micellar nanoreactor for electron transfer reactions mediated by a variety of oxidants: A review

Surfactant, either natural or synthetic, forms a different type of aggregates among which 'Micelle' is truly an important dynamic surfactant aggregate, having a different region to interact with several organic, inorganic, and biomolecules; therefore the practical use of micelle is rapidly growing day-to-day. Surfactant-micelle, looks like a reactor of nano-dimension, govern a variety of reactions in aqueous media extensively. Oxidation is one of the vital reaction, take a part in the course of several organic transformations which are not very easy to execute in water media alone due to the solubility problem. Moreover, in order to achieve a quick transformation overcoming several difficulties the utility of micellar media became an excellent innovation, that's why nowadays, the surfactant and its aggregates are a focus of interest to the researcher of synthetic field and thus its practical applicability has been tremendously cultivated over the few decades. It is, therefore, useful to introduce some basic concepts regarding the aggregation of surfactants. Subsequently, we emphasize the importance of micellar media on the kinetics of oxidation reactions mediated by several metal ions with a special emphasis on their catalytic role.