Contents


Preface

Surfactants or detergents, as they are often referred to, are vital ingredients in most formulated products that we use on a daily basis. These include food, medicines, cosmetics and laundry detergent. The use of surfactants is equally important in other industrial applications such as oil recovery from oil wells, lubricants, process-

This book is a compilation of chapters from leading experts highlighting the use of specific surfactants and their functional properties in new and emerging areas of science and technology. Experts and novices alike will find the information con-

Chapter 1 discusses the fundamental aspects of surfactants and their surface active properties arising from their molecular structure and subsequent self-assembly at interfaces and in bulk. It also briefly covers emulsification of oils and their stability; the various mechanisms of cleaning, especially removal of tough oily soil from soft substrates like fabrics, skin and hair; and the importance and need of mild surfac-

Chapter 2 provides an overview on the role of surfactants in the selective separation of specific minerals from their ores by the froth floatation process. The biggest challenge is choosing appropriate surfactants or their mixture that will selectively attach the particles of a specific mineral to the surface of air bubbles that forms the froth while allowing the other mineral ingredients of the ore to sink and get separated as sludge. The process of attachment of a particle to the bubble surface is complex in that it is a dynamic process involving several parameters like wettability of the surfaces, contact angle, hydrophilicity or hydrophobicity of the mineral particle and, more importantly, the rate of draining of the liquid in the film that forms the

Mixed surfactants and surfactant-polymer systems provide the flexibility of designing systems with tailored properties that have been extensively used in home and personal care, pharmaceuticals and food products. Systems with oppositely charged surfactants and polymers are complicated and continue to be an area of intense research. Chapter 4 investigates catanionic systems consisting of sodium dodecylsulphate (SDS) and cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) and lysozymeperfluorononanoate and provides insight into the concentration-dependent

In recent years there has been much interest in nanoparticles because of their interesting physico-chemical properties, which are different from the bulk properties of the same material. Tailor-made nanoparticles have been extensively used for numerous applications in semiconductor devices, sensors and light-emitting optical devices. Chapter 5 reviews various polymer-based nanoparticle systems in context to their microbial activities that may be utilized in the design of medical devices and

bubble wall. These features are discussed in some detail in Chapter 3.

interactions between the various ingredients in these systems.

ing chemicals for textiles, adjuvants in agrochemicals, and so on.

tained herein to be of great value.

tants in baby and skin care products.

biomedical screening systems.
