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NONIONIC SURFACTANTS

Non-ionic surfactants can be a powerful and versatile addition to any formulator’s toolbox.
Using a wide range of chemical building blocks, we shift the balance toward a more hydrophobic or hydrophilic product and change the surfactant’s functional properties to provide measurable performance benefits in diverse applications.

A lack of charge makes non-ionic surfactants compatible with both cationic and anionic surfactants, as well as other key ingredients commonly used in formulations, making them ideal for developing mixed systems in which each individual component contributes to creating superior results.

Functions that can be optimized by incorporating the right non-ionic surfactant include detergency, wetting, emulsification, foam stabilization or defoaming, viscosifying and solubilization.


Nonionic surfactants contain no charge.  
They are commonly found in laundry and dishwasher detergents.  
They are the second most widely used surfactants after anionic.  
These molecules have no charge and so they are less likely to form a ‘soap scum’ in hard water. 
They are generally less effective than anionic, but for some people cause less skin irritation.

If anionic are the most popular surfactants, nonionic are a close second, widely used in a range of cleaning, personal care, and disinfectant products as well as industrial processes. 
The most common anionic surfactants are:

Cocamide monoethanolamine (Cocamide MEA)
Cocamide diethanolamine (Cocamide DEA)
Fatty alcohol ethoxylates
Amine oxides
Sulfoxides
In areas with hard water (high mineral content), nonionic surfactants are more heavily marketed, as they are less likely to form a soap scum. 
The nonionic surfactants are less likely to cause skin irritation, but this is associated with a less potent cleaning ability.

Most cleaning products blend anionic and nonionic surfactants to balance cleaning potential with the risk of skin irritation.


Non-ionic surfactant refers to a kind of surfactant with its molecule not undergoing ionization when being dissolved in water. 
Before World War II, it was first developed by the IG Company (German) with the trade names being Igepol, Leonil and Emulphor. 
According to their different hydrophilic groups, it can be divided into polyoxyethylene and polyols two categories.

1- Polyoxyethylene: its formula is RO (CH2CH2O)nH. 
Nonionic surfactants is manufactured through the reaction between the active hydrogen-containing compound and the ethylene oxide. 
Commonly used active hydrogen-containing compound in industry include fatty alcohols, alkylphenols, fatty acids, fatty amines, fatty amides, polyhydric alcohols, fatty acid esters, oil lipid, sorbitol and so on. 
The largest category of commercially available nonionic surfactants is the ethylene oxide adducts of the fatty alcohol and alkylphenol. 
Polyoxyethylene type surfactant is mostly soluble in water with very wide range of applications and used as cleaning agents, penetrating agents, leveling agents and emulsifiers in many industrial sectors.
2- Polyhydric alcohol type: it is the amide type or esters type compound manufactured from the reaction between multi-hydroxyl containing compounds with fatty acid. 
Polyol-type nonionic surfactant has high safety, small irritant effect on the skin, so in addition to be used as the oil agent and softener of the fiber, it can also be used as emulsifiers and dispersing agents in the food industry, the pharmaceutical industry and the cosmetics industry.

Non-ionic surfactant has a high stability and is not easily affected by the acid-base or strong electrolytes. 
Moreover, it also has good compatibility with anionic, cationic surfactants or amphoteric surfactants and can be used in formulation.

The nonionic surfactant are not in the ionic state in the solution, thereby having high stability and being less susceptible to the effect of strong electrolyte inorganic salts as well as acid and alkalis; it has excellent compatibility with other types of surfactants and have excellent solubility (which vary depending on different structures) in both water and organic solvents.

This kind of surfactants, although not ionized in water, but contain both hydrophilic groups (e.g. oxyethylene-CH2CH2O-, ether group -O-, hydroxyl group -OH or -CONH2 amide group, etc.) and lipophilic group (e.g., hydrocarbon-R). 
The hydrophilic groups and lipophilic groups may respectively interact with the inorganic filler and polymer matrix material to strengthen the links between them two, thus improving the compatibility between the two and playing an effect on plasticizing and lubrication of the flexible carbon between two polar groups. 
Meanwhile, it can endow the system with flexibility and mobility, reducing the viscosity of the system, and thereby improving the processing properties of the composites.

The aqueous solution of nonionic surfactants has poor foaming capability with the foam being not stable as well. 
This is due to that each molecule of the non-ionic surfactant has relatively large surface area and the interface being in uncharged foam. Polyoxyethylene has long chain and uniform molecular weight distribution. 
The lipophilic group has long chain and also contains branched chain. 
The presence of the polyoxyethylene -polyoxypropylene copolymer both has a great impact on the foaming of the non-ionic surfactants. 
Owing to the presence of the polar portion and non-polar portions existing in their molecular structure, they have surface activity. 
Such kind of active agents can be divided into the ester type (e.g. polyoxyethylene fatty acid esters, sorbitan fatty acid esters anhydrides), ether type (e.g., polyoxyethylene alkyl ether, polyoxyethylene alkyl phenol ether), amine type (such as polyoxyethylene fatty amine), amide type (such as polyoxyethylene alkyl amide) and mixing type (such as sorbitol anhydride fatty acid esters, polyoxyethylene ether). 
In the field of oiling, it is mainly used in foaming, emulsifying, anti-wax, anti-corrosion, retarder, production increase of oil well, intensified injection of injection wells as well as improving oil recovery and so on.


Non-ionic surfactants have covalently bonded oxygen-containing hydrophilic groups, which are bonded to hydrophobic parent structures. 
The water-solubility of the oxygen groups is the result of hydrogen bonding. 
Hydrogen bonding decreases with increasing temperature, and the water solubility of non-ionic surfactants therefore decreases with increasing temperature.

Non-ionic surfactants are less sensitive to water hardness than anionic surfactants, and they foam less strongly. 
The differences between the individual types of non-ionic surfactants are slight, and the choice is primarily governed having regard to the costs of special properties (e.g., effectiveness and efficiency, toxicity, dermatological compatibility, biodegradability) or permission for use in food.

Non-ionic surfactants are used as a grease remover in detergents, household cleaners and dish soap. They offer excellent solubility and produce a low amount of foam. 
When combined with anionic surfactants, non-ionic surfactants provide resistance to hard water in textile detergents.

What are non-ionic surfactants?
Strong detergents substances

In detergents and cleaning agents, surfactants serve as so-called "detergent substances". 
Like all surfactants, non-ionic surfactants consist of a hydrophilic ("water-loving") and a hydrophobic ("water-repellent") part. 
Nonionic surfactants do not contain dissociable functional groups, which means that they do not separate into ions in water. 
This is where the name "non-ionic surfactants" comes from.

What is the HLB value?
The HLB value (hydrophilic-lipophilic balance) indicates the mass ratio between the hydrophilic and lipophilic parts of a surfactant. 
Surfactants with a low HLB value have good fat-dissolving properties, a high HLB value results in good wetting of hydrophilic surfaces. 
The HLB value is calculated or empirically determined. 
There are various methods for this.

Where are non-ionic surfactants used?
Detergents, household cleaners and more

In the field of detergents and cleaning agents, non-ionic surfactants are often used as fat solvents in household cleaners and dishwashing detergents. 
In textile detergents, they are typically used in combination with anionic surfactants. 
Non-ionic surfactants are also used in the cosmetics industry, in paints and coatings and in construction chemicals.

What is the cloud point?
The cloud point is the temperature at which a non-ionic surfactant solution becomes turbid. The higher the HLB value, the higher the cloud point. 
The cloud point is therefore an important characteristic of the particular surfactant and its area of application.

The cloud point is determined in water, 1 % NaCl solution or 25 % butyl diglycol solution, depending on the method used. The cloud point also depends on the surfactant concentration.


Nonionic surfactants do not produce ions in aqueous solution. 
As a consequence, they are compatible with other types of surfactants and are excellent candidates to enter complex mixtures, as found in many commercial products. 
Nonionic surfactants are found today in a large variety of domestic and industrial products, such as powdered or liquid formulations. 


Nonionic surfactants are surface active substances such as fatty alcohol alkoxylates, fatty acid ethoxylates, fatty amine ethoxylates or block polymers that do not contain dissociable groups, and are therefore not present in water as ions.

INDUSTRIES
Nonionic surfactants are used for various applications in the industrial detergents and cleaners industry. 
In the area of paints and coatings, they are used as emulsifier, wetting agent and dispersant, and in metalworking as an emulsifier. 
In construction, these groups of substances are mainly used as wetting and dispersing agents. 
Our non-ionic surfactants are used in various cosmetic products because of their emulsifying and stabilizing properties.

non-ionic surfactant is also known as castor wax is a hard, brittle, insoluble wax. 
Nonionic surfactants is produced by adding hydrogen in the presence of a nickel catalyst. 
Nonionic surfactants is mainly used for coatings and greases where resistance to moisture, oils and other petrochemical products is required. 
Non-ionic surfactant system that lowers the surface tension of the spray droplet and increases the leaf surface wettability.

Non-ionic surfactants - Non-ionic surfactants are neutral, meaning they have neither a positive nor a negative charge. 
Non-ionic surfactants are popular as surfactants as their neutral charge reduces the chance of having a reaction with the chemicals they are mixed with.

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