Synthesis and Micellization Properties of New Anionic Reactive Surfactants Based on Hydrogenated Cardanol

Abstract We report the synthesis, characterization and micellization properties of two anionic reactive surfactants based on 3‐pentadecyl phenol obtainable from a renewable resource, cardanol. The synthesis is achieved through simple chemical transformations, first converting the phenol to the acrylate that is sulfonated in a second step. The products were characterized by elemental analysis and spectroscopic techniques. The surfactant properties of the sulfonated acrylates were measured and compared with the standard non‐reactive anionic surfactant sodium dodecyl sulfonate. The micellization behavior of aqueous solutions was studied using conductivity, surface tension measurements, and the fluorescence probe technique based on diphenyl hexatriene. Characterization by surface tension measurements facilitated the determination of basic surfactant properties like the critical micelle concentration (CMC), the surface tension at the CMC, surface excess and area per surfactant molecule. The Gibbs free energy of micellization showed a negative value suggesting spontaneous micellization in aqueous solution. The micellization of the surfmer with an ethylene spacer between the phenyl ring and the acrylate group seems to be enhanced as indicated by the lower surface excess and lower free energy. Its CMC was also lower.