Changes in thermodynamic and structural characteristics of polymerized and monomer surfactants induced by introduction of a hydrotrope

- New surfactants have been synthesized to prepare highly polimerizable surfactants to create gel matrices.
- Thermodynamics and morphological characteristics were compared between the new and the original surfactants.
- A new model for obtaining cmc, aggregation number and free energy from surface tension has been proposed.
- These new surfactants are an excellent alternative to conventional polymers.

In this work, we reported for the first time, an easy and cheap route of the synthesis of three polymerizable surfactants with a hydrotrope counterion the anilinium: dodecylsulfate (DSA), tetradecylsulfate (TSA), and hexadecylsulfate (HSA). This approach was based on a hydrolysis reaction of the sodium: dodecylsulfate (SDS), tetradecylsulfate (STS) and hexadecylsulfate (SHS) with aniline hydrochloride (AHC). Besides, we have completed the characterization, morphological and thermodynamically of the aggregates spontaneously formed in the bulk aqueous solutions for both the sodium and anilinium surfactant series. For this purpose, a combination of different experimental techniques involving density, sound velocity, electrical conductivities and surface tension of these compounds at several concentrations and temperatures were performed. The thermodynamic and morphological properties of the aqueous solutions for both surfactant series were compared and discussed on the basis of the hydrotrope effect.