Solution properties and emulsification properties of amino acid-based gemini surfactants derived from cysteine.

Amino acid-based anionic gemini surfactants (2C(n)diCys, where n represents an alkyl chain with a length of 10, 12, or 14 carbons and "di" and "Cys" indicate adipoyl and cysteine, respectively) were synthesized using the amino acid cysteine. Biodegradability, equilibrium surface tension, and dynamic light scattering were used to characterize the properties of gemini surfactants. Additionally, the effects of alkyl chain length, number of chains, and structure on these properties were evaluated by comparing previously reported gemini surfactants derived from cystine (2C(n)Cys) and monomeric surfactants (C(n)Cys). 2C(n)diCys shows relatively higher biodegradability than does C(n)Cys and previously reported sugar-based gemini surfactants. Both critical micelle concentration (CMC) and surface tension decrease when alkyl chain length is increased from 10 to 12, while a further increase in chain length to 14 results in increased CMC and surface tension. This indicates that long-chain gemini surfactants have a decreased aggregation tendency due to the steric hindrance of the bulky spacer as well as premicelle formation at concentrations below the CMC and are poorly packed at the air/water interface. Formation of micelles (measuring 2 to 5 nm in solution) from 2C(n)diCys shows no dependence on alkyl chain length. Further, shaking the mixtures of aqueous 2C(n)diCys surfactant solutions and squalane results in the formation of oil-in-water type emulsions. The highly stable emulsions are formed using 2C12diCys or 2C14diCys solution and squalane in a 1:1 or 2:1 volume ratio.

Adsorption and aggregation properties of amino acid-based N-alkyl cysteine monomeric and N,N'-dialkyl cystine gemini surfactants.

An amino acid-based gemini surfactant derived from cystine (2CnCys, where n represents the hydrocarbon chain lengths of 8, 10, and 12) was synthesized by reacting cystine with n-alkyl bromide, and its adsorption and aggregation properties were characterized by measurements of equilibrium and dynamic surface tension and dynamic light scattering. The properties of 2CnCys were compared with those of an amino acid-based monomeric surfactant derived from cysteine (CnCys). For n=8 and 10, when compared to CnCys, 2CnCys exhibited excellent surface activities, such as a lower critical micelle concentration (cmc), greater efficiency in lowering the surface tension of water, and smaller area occupied per molecule. Adsorption rate at air/water interface decreased with an increase in hydrocarbon chain length, chain number, and concentration of respective compounds. Further, the kinetics were discussed using the monomer diffusion coefficient obtained from short and long time scales in dynamic surface tension plots. In addition, the aggregation properties of 2CnCys for n=8 and 10 differed from those in the case of n=12. In other words, relatively larger micelles with diameters of approximately 7 nm were formed by 2CnCys for n=8 and 10 in comparison to those formed by CnCys (2-3 nm). On the other hand, for a 0.832 mmol dm-3 2C12Cys solution, the aggregation structure investigated by cryogenic transmission electron microscopy (cryo-TEM) and small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) revealed the coexistence of small unilamellar vesicles and small rods.