Neutron Reflectometry on Superspreading and Non-Superspreading Trisiloxane Surfactants.

ABSTRACT: Certain trisiloxane surfactants have the remarkable property of being able to superspread: small volumes of the surfactant solution rapidly wet large areas of hydrophobic surfaces. The molecular properties of the surfactants that govern this technologically relevant process are still under debate. To gain a deeper understanding, the surfactant behavior during the spreading process needs to be studied at molecular length scales. Here, we present neutron reflectivity analyses of two trisiloxane surfactants of similar chemical structure, of which only one exhibits superspreading properties. We present an approach to determining the composition of the adsorbed surfactant layer in spread surfactant films at the solid-liquid interface, accounting for contributions from attenuated back-reflection

SUBMITTER: Reed J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12676732 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature