Interaction Behavior Between an Amino Sulfonate Surfactant and Octylphenol Polyoxyethylene Ether (10) in Aqueous Solution

The micellization of binary mixtures of sodium dodecyl diamino sulfonate (C12AS) and nonionic octylphenol polyoxyethylene ether (10) (OP-10) was investigated in aqueous solution at a pH of about 6.0. Two techniques, UV–Vis spectroscopy using pyrene as a probe and surface tensiometry, were employed in this work to obtain information on the micellization behavior of the mixed C12AS/OP-10 system. The interaction parameters between the two components, activity coefficients in mixed micelles, compositions of mixed micelles, and thermodynamic parameters of micellization (calculated using Clint’s equation, Rubingh’s treatment based on regular solution theory, and Rodenas’s treatment considering the Gibbs–Duhem equation) were evaluated for this mixed surfactant system. The results show that the synergistic effect between C12AS and OP-10 in all mixed systems plays a vital role in the reduction of the overall critical micelle concentration (cmc) value in aqueous solution. In the process of micellization, both the steric effect of the head group and the charge density for C12AS affect the formation and stability of the mixed micelles, and the entry of a small amount of C12AS into the unconsolidated micelle of OP-10 is more favorable to the formation of the mixed micelle by promoting the reduction of the mixed micelle cmc value. Thermodynamic data show that micellization for the mixed C12AS/OP-10 system is both an enthalpy and entropy driven process.