ENHANCEMENT OF WETTING PROPERTIES OF WATER-INSOLUBLE SURFACTANTS VIA SOLUBILIZATION

Water-insoluble surfactants generally show poor wetting behavior in the Draves skein wetting test. This does not appear to be due to high equilibrium or dynamic surface tension values, but to the presence of insoluble surfactant in the system. The replacement of a small percentage of the insoluble surfactant by a water-soluble one capable of solubilizing the former can produce a dramatic improvement in wetting behavior, even when the equilibrium or dynamic surface tension of the system is not significantly changed. Increase in the strength of the attractive interaction between the two surfactants generally improves the clarity of the system and decreases its wetting time.