Evaluation of the Hydrophile-Lipophile-Balance (HLB) of Long-chain Nonionic Surfactant

Correlation between hydrophile-lipophile-balance temperature, TcomHLB, and the HLB number of commercial nonionic surfactants (C12C18) was investigated. The empirical formula, Row (1/x-1) = A (T-TcomHLB) is valid for these surfactants. (Row is the weight fraction of oil in water+oil, x, the weight fraction of surfactant in a system, T, the temperature, and A, a constant.) TcomHLB (HLB temperature=Phase Inversion Temperature) is a characteristic temperature related to the NcomHLB (HLB number), i.e., TcomHLB=koil (NcomHLB-Noil), provided the HLB temperature is 1080°C or more. (koil, Noil are constants for a given oil.) Through the application of these equations, an HLB number of a surfactant may be evaluated from the HLB temperature and phase behavior or vice versa.