Work

Effects of shear-induced crystallization on the complex viscosity of lamellar-structured concentrated surfactant solutions

Year: 2024

Type: article

Abstract: Material relationships at low temperatures were determined for concentrated surfactant solutions using a combination of rheological experiments, cross-polarized microscopy, calorimetry, and small angle X-ray scattering. A lamellar structured 70 wt% solution of sodium laureth sulfate in water was used as a model system. At cold temperatures (5 °C and 10 °C), the formation of surfactant crystals resulted in extremely high viscosity. The bulk flow behavior of multi-lamellar vesicles (20 °C) and focal conic defects (90 °C) in the lamellar phase was similar. Shear-induced crystallization at temperatures higher than the equilibrium crystallization temperature range resulted in an unusual complex viscosity peak. The effects of processing-relevant parameters including temperature, cooling time, and applied shear were investigated. Knowledge of key low-temperature structure-property-processing relationships for concentrated feedstocks is essential for the sustainable design and manufacturing of surfactant-based consumer products for applications such as cold-water laundry.

Source: Soft Matter

DOI: 10.1039/d3sm01198d

Authors: Parth U. Kelkar, Matthew Kaboolian, Ria D. Corder, Marco Caggioni, Seth Lindberg, Kendra A. Erk

Institutions: Purdue University West Lafayette, Procter & Gamble (United States)

Language: English

Topic: Surfactants and Colloidal Systems

Subfield: Physical and Theoretical Chemistry

Field: Chemistry

Domain: Physical Sciences

Open Access status: hybrid

Funders: Purdue University, Division of Chemical, Bioengineering, Environmental, and Transport Systems

Award: G3426533177