Sustainable oleic and stearic acid based biodegradable surfactants

Renewable ester functionalized oleic and stearic acid based imidazolium surfactants were synthesized and characterized using spectroscopic techniques. The new surfactants were investigated for their self-aggregation properties and biodegradability in aqueous solution. These fatty acid based surfactants were able to self-aggregate into micelles at lower concentration compared to conventional surfactants and were found to be readily biodegradable. The surface properties and biodegradation rate of these new renewable surfactants depend on the nature of the hydrophobic tail. The oleic acid based surfactant containing a double bond in the hydrophobic oleyl tail demonstrated a greater capability to reduce the surface tension of an aqueous solution along with a greater ability to undergo biodegradation compared to the saturated hydrophobic stearyl tail containing a stearic acid based surfactant.